Today I found three Swallow-tailed Kites near Jay Blanchard Park (actually in an abandoned horse farm behind my church parking lot). One of them flew pretty close to me. I suppose they’re creatures of habit, since I used to see them last year roosting in a tree right where these were flying. But these weren’t […]
Tag: Scott Simmons
Mead Gardens, 3/14/2013
This morning I dropped by Mead Gardens, and I had a pretty good time. Easily the biggest highlight was seeing two Louisiana Waterthrushes. These are really fun warblers, and before this morning I didn’t have any presentable photos of them. All these photos are of the second one I found, which was much more cooperative […]
Barred Owl
Barred Owls are one of our more common owls. There are several near my home, so I get to see them pretty frequently. They are one of the first birds I photographed here after moving to Florida.
Pasco County, 3/10/2013
This morning I birded West Pasco County with my new friend David Gagne. We had a fantastic time. My biggest hope was to see a Seaside Sparrow, and we found at least one at Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park. We heard several Clapper Rails, a Virginia Rail and a Sora. We then went to the […]
Whooper Swan
Lake Eola also has several Whooper Swans. These swans are native to Europe, but here they are in Orlando, FL. They resemble Trumpeter and Tundra Swans to me, but with much more yellow on the bill. These birds can way over 25 pounds, making them one of the world’s heaviest flying birds.
Black-necked Swan
Lake Eola in Orlando contains several exotic species of waterfowl, but I’d never gone there to see them . I had to drive near there today, and wasn’t sure what to expect, but I thought I’d see what I could find. I was surprised to find a Black-necked Swan, a swan that is native to […]
Great Horned Owl
I think it’s the eyes–giant circular eyes–that get me about this bird. They are simply amazing birds to see, and I’m always amazed. Seen up close, they are pretty large. The owl in the above photo flew when I was quite near it (I hadn’t seen it until it flew), and then landed in a […]
La Chua Trail, Paines Prairie, 3/1/2013
I was traveling up to Alabama this morning, and so I left early to see what I could find at Payne’s Prairie. I walked the La Chua Trail; it was somewhat breezy out, so I suspect some sparrows were hiding, but I did get to find a Field Sparrow (my first in Florida), several White-crowned […]