The Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous) is a medium-sized plover that can be found inland on open, grassy settings. North America’s most common shore-bird, the Killdeer is seen more in suburban settings than on the shore.
Tag: steven scott
Seaside Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax berenice)
Female Seaside Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax berenice). Year round resident of peninsula Florida. This one seen in a grassy area, near a fresh water pond and marsh and also near a mangrove forest. Small and easily missed at 1.3 inches. Here’s a nice piece about their behavior from the “Northeast Naturalist,” and my friends at Eagle Hill […]
Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Florida’s iconic wading bird.
Striking, beautiful, bizarre, fascinating – all are adjectives used to describe Florida‘s iconic Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja). The pink color of it’s feathers is diet-derived, from carotinoid pigments. Spoonbills wade through the shallows, swishing their spoon shaped bills from side to side…feeding on crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, newts and small fish. Hunted almost to extinction […]
Spiney Orb Weaver Spider
Spiney Orb Weaver Spider (Gasteracantha canciformis). Found here in Florida most often around citrus trees….both in groves and suburban yards. Known locally as the “crab spider”due to their crablike carapace, they belong to the family of orb weavers, Arneidae, and are quite harmless. The Spiney Orb Weaver spins a large and strong web (like the […]
Wood Duck with Ducklings
The Wood Ducks on Grassy Lake, the pond by my office parking lot, are now the proud parents of four little ducklings. This morning I saw the mom with the four ducklings, and as she swam around thelilypads, the ducklings would walk on top of them following her around. It looked like they only entered […]
Tricolor Heron, Egretta tricolor
Formerly known as the Louisiana Heron, the Tricolor Heron (Egretta tricolor) is a mid-sized wading bird native to the Gulf Coast of the U.S. One of only four Herons found in the U.S., the Tricolorfeeds in marshes and shallows by kinking up food with it’s feet. Most closely related to Bitterns (Ardeidae), Tricolors are seemingly […]
Mangrove Skipper, Phocides pigmalion.
The Mangrove Skipper (Phocides pigmalion) is a member of the Spread Wing Skippers of the Hesperidae family of butterflies. Found in the Mangrove forests of Florida, this large (48-70mm wingspan) skipper is a strong flyer and is often seen perching upside down with spread wings. The iridescent blue markings are beautiful and, along with it’s […]
Limpkin, a Tropical Wading Bird in the U.S..
The Limpkin (Aramus guarauna) is a tropical wading bird with Florida being the northern limit of it’s traditional range. Hunted to near extinction in the early 20th century, the Limpkin has made a remarkable comeback. These photos were taken in a fresh water canal in my “very suburban” neighborhood. I believe these birds are a […]