Last weekend was our annual trip to the Daytona 500.  While my husband went to the race, I hung around St. Augustine and went to the Alligator Farm.  I went to see the birds, but I got there just as they were feeding the Alligators.  It was quite a sight. 

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The gators know breakfast is coming and they wait patiently for the first few bits to hit the water.

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That’s when the freezy starts!  So many big teeth and strong jaws snapping at once….it’s almost frightening!

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They crawl over the top of each other and jump out of the water to get to food!

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I was curious as to what they were being fed, so I stopped and talked to one of the attendants.  He said they feed specially formulated Alligator Pellets.  He gave me one and it looked like a giant piece of dog food.  I walked down the bridge a little ways to find a gator away from the crowd and threw the pellet in the water. 

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He wasted no time in gobbling it up!

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I walked back down to where the frenzy was still going on.

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There were gators in all sizes, but there was one BIG guy I had to ask about!  He was huge – the attendant said he wasn’t the biggest one they had there – they were several in the 13 foot range. 

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This guy’s head was enourmous!

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When the food was gone, many of the gators came out of the water to find a nice grassy spot to enjoy the sunshine!  Thought this guy had the cutest face…a little cockeyed, but cute!

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Next entry….the birds!

It was a beautiful day here in sunny Florida – a day perfect for a slow boat down the river.  At a cost of just $6.00, this is one of the best bargains in Florida!  Definitely better than any theme park!

~~A male and female American Widgeon~~A male Hooded Merganser~~The White Ibis were everywhere.  I just love the eye on these birds!~~There were both adult and juvenile Little Blue Herons on the river today.  I was never in the right position to get a shot at the juvies – instead of being blue, they are a beautiful white.  They don’t get their color until they are 2 years old – but wow…what a color it is!~~Anhingas were abundant today, too!  Beautiful birds!~~The top one is a female, the bottom a male.  The female has a brown neck and head while the male is all black.~~The best bird for me today was the Osprey.  The ranger said they just came back this week!  They will be nesting soon!~~Both mom….~~…and Pop were nearby!  You can tell the female as she has a more prominent necklace.~~Along with all the birds today, both gators and turtles were out enjoying the warm sunshine!  These guys looked like they were telling secrets!~~This guy was huge – the ranger estimated him to be around 30 pounds!  BIG TURTLE!!~~The boat scared this little guy and he launched himself off the tree and back into the water!  What a little cutie!~And these guys…well, they certainly seemed to be content!  They never even moved as we stopped to look at them!~~And Gators Galore!!~~~~~~~And my favorite part of the day…the manatee!  The ranger said there are 12 in the river now.  We saw 5 of them!  What a thrill to see mom and baby!!~~I think it was a great day!~~~

It’s been a long time since I’ve taken the camera and gone out and about.  It felt good it be ‘out there’ again.  I’ve missed the beauty and the peacefulness.

First stop was Bottoms Road.  The tide was way out and much of the bird activity was beyond my range.

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I did come upon two juvenile White Ibis.  The weeds blocked the view….

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…but blessed with a gift of patience where birds are concerned, I waited and was able to get a couple decent shots of these beauties.

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Just a short ways up the road was this dazzling beauty.  There was a crisp breeze blowing in off the Gulf, but this Great Egret didn’t seem to mind his feathers being ruffled.

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Just about the only other activity that was close enough for the camera was something I never get tired of shooting – the Turkey Vulture!

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Without a doubt, this is one of my most favorite birds.  This is not a bird that flies to live – it lives to fly!

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I could sit and watch them for hours!

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With a six foot wingspan, these guys are almost as fun to watch landing as they are flying!

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And they are such a close-knit group.  Nothin’ better than sitting in the morning sun with your friends!

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Could have watched them all day, but I wanted to drive out to Otter Lake to see if there are any signs of the Osprey returning to nest, so it was Goodbye Buzzards!

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There are three Osprey nests in view at Otter Lake, but I did not see any signs of activity yet.  I figure it’s a bit early, but will keep watching!  This beautiful little Eastern Phoebe did stop and pose.

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And there was someone peeking at me.  I stood and watched – and just the tip of the little head kept popping up!

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Finally, the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker came out and showed his gorgeous little self!  Such an ugly name for such a pretty little bird!

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I was also visited by a little Yellow-Rumped Warbler.  He kept popping up to see what I was doing!

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And proving that taking pictures of birds is really quite challenging because quite often, they refuse to stay still!!  Here’s one of my many bad shots…but I like it anyway!

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One that did stop was a beautiful little Tufted Titmouse!  First, he just showed me his back…

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But he finally turned about to show his pretty little face!

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Finally time to go home…and look who was on my deck!  Shot through a very dirty kitchen window….but still a sweetie! 

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And later that night, before I downloaded all the pictures, a nighttime visitor showed up.  Again shooting through glass, I caught him trying to get in the bird seed can!

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Wondering what would happen if I opened the back door, I was surprised he stayed for a shot…before tearing off across the back yard like a shot!  LOL! 

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At the urging of a friend who’s interest in photography and love of nature is equal to my own, I took time out from volunteering at the rehab center today and headed out to Bald Point.  It’s been several months since I’ve been there and I had forgot what a great place it is.  It seems like everytime I go out there, I see something special.  Today was no exception.

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I had arranged to meet a special friend and birding buddy and while I was waiting for her, I decided to go ahead and walk the beach.  I left the camera in the car as I didn’t feel like lugging it around.  It was cloudy and overcast and I had my doubts there would be many birds around.  As usual….I was wrong!  The shore was full of birds – gulls, terns, waders and the big surprise for me was a mama and two young Yellow-Crowned Night Herons.

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One of the juvies was very close and I could have kicked myself for leaving the camera in the car.  After standing there for a few minutes, I decided to hike back and get the camera.  If they were gone when I got back, so be it – my own fault for not taking the camera in the first place.

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I got the camera and made my way back to where I had seen them.  As I got closer to the spot, I could see the mama and one of the babies down the beach a little ways, but the one I was able to get so close to was gone.  I seached the shoreline and didn’t see him anywhere.  I decided to see if I could get closer to Mama and the second baby.  I took a couple of steps forward – and out of a clump of weeds jumped the second baby!

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We stood looking at each other – he was so very close.  I was afraid to make any moves that would scare him off!  He seemed to have little fear of me so I started to snap pictures.  At one point, the little guy started to walk toward me.  I stood still….but after a few steps forward, better judgement caught him and he stopped – but he did continue to pose.  What a wonderfully adorable little thing!

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A little later, I met up with my friend.  We walked, talked and birded and had a great time. It’s one of the best mornings I’ve had for a while!  So….thank you, Sandra, for telling me I needed it…..I did!  I really did!

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It’s been a while since I’ve been to St. Marks, probably back toward the middle of April.  I’ve had these pictures I’ve wanted to post, but haven’t really had the time to sit down and do it.  It was a most interesting visit with the high point being a meeting with a Soft-Shelled Turtle – a BIG one!

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I know the camera doesn’t always accurately portray size and such is the case with this guy.  There was nothing nearby to give it some scale.

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Unfortunately, he was walking away from me, but if I had to try to describe him….

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….I would say he was definitely bigger than a breadbox!

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From the tip of that pointy little nose to the end of the tail was a good two feet!  He was a big one!

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Another real highlight was running into a Least Bittern.  These guys are usually quiet and shy and difficult to spot.

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But this little guy flew and landed very close to where we were standing and as I moved a little closer to try to get a good shot, he was definitely watching to see what I was up to!!!  You just gotta love that face!

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It seems St. Marks is always full of great things and once again, as I was leaving the refuge, I came upon a small group of Swallow-Tailed Kites.  One of my favorite birds – this is grace and beauty in motion!

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And before I got back into the car, I spotted a pretty little Dragonfly on a nearby blade of grass….what a beauty!

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Going through my pictures trying to get caught up.  I promised some folks Bobcat pictures a while back and decided I needed to get those up.  So, in addition to the Bobcat, just some random pictures taken over the last couple of months at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge and Wakulla Springs State Park.

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Just a short distance down the road, we came across this beauty.

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Although I go to St. Marks to see the birds, seeing all the other wildlife is great bonus!

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Female Anhinga about to take flight.

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A beautiful young Night Heron.

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I also go to Wakulla Springs for the birds…

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An Adult Night Heron.

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A rare morning glimpse of a Barred Owl.

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…but the bonus of seeing the bigboy gators is always fun!

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Last weekend I went to the Wakulla Wildlife Festival.  In celebration, the state park was offering all kinds of special events.  Friday night I went on a night boat ride down the Wakulla River.  There are no words to describe how amazing that was!  I can say that the eyes of an alligator definitely shine red when hit with a flashlight and that Night Herons really do come out and feed at night!  It was great!

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I had signed up for a special bird walk on Saturday morning.  We were taken down a road that runs long the river – it is usually off-limits to park visitors, so it was a special treat!  Our guide was great and we did see a couple of nice birds!

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This little Prothonotary Warbler was the only bird who was willing to sit still long enough for a quick picture!

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And the walk gave me a chance to see the river from a different angle.  On land or by boat, it is a beautiful place!

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But the high point of the festival, for me, wasn’t the boat ride or the bird walk, it was the exhibitor booths that were set up thoughout the park grounds.  Many of these booths had brought animals – people are best educated when they can see these creatures up close and personal…and up close and personal if definitely what I got!  So, without any further rambling….here are the stars of the show – A Bald Eagle, a Red-Tailed Hawk, an American Kestral, Great-Horned Owl and a darling baby gator!

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The day started with the alarm going off at 5am.  I rolled over and hit the snooze button – twice.  I just couldn’t make myself get up – but then, I started thinking about what I had planned for the day.  I managed to drag my sorry butt out of bed and was on the road by shortly after 6am.

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Not knowing the state park gate didn’t open until 8am, I arrived very early.  My day wasn’t starting the way I had hoped.  I decided to drive around until the park gate opened – hoping to see something good.  And something good I did see! 

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I came upon at least 50 Indigo Buntings turning a small grove of trees blue!  Many on the ground and some in the low branches of trees.  They were all over the place.  I tried taking pictures, but there wasn’t enough light and of course, the pictures didn’t turn out.  My morning definitely wasn’t starting the way I’d hope – maybe I should have hit the snooze button a third time!

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But the gate to the park finally opened and I drove to the youth camp.  Before I even got the car parked, I was beset with beauty!  A gorgeous female Baltimore Oriole welcomed me to the park!

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At this point, I could ramble on with a bunch of words telling how I spent the next couple hours stumbling across some of the most beautiful creatures on this planet, and how I met some great birding folks – (Thanks John, for letting me tag along and for sharing your knowledge!)  But I think I’ll dispense with the words….and let the pictures speak for themselves.

~~Two male Scarlet Tanagers~

~Difficult to see…but a Scarlet Tanager and a Summer Tanager sitting together…probably discussing the trip across the Gulf.~

~I always save my favorite shots for last!~~A Beautiful male Summer Tanager – too tired to care about having his picture taken!~~~~More Lovely Fuzz!~~~~~~A male Orchard Oriole~~A Mockingbird~~And last….a drop-dead gorgeous little Swainson’s Thrush.

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It was a gorgeous morning here in the Florida Panhandle and what better way to spend it than at the Ochlochoknee River State Park listening to Ranger Trice tell us all about the white squirrels.

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I first became curious about these little beauties back in the fall.  There is a Nov. 24th entry in this blog - (you’ll have to go back a few pages) – but other than a few pictures, I had no real information about the squirrels.  When I saw there was going to  be a talk at the State Park about the squirrels, I had to sign up!

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One of the first creatures I spotted this morning wasn’t a squirrel – it was a rather prehistoric-looking lizard!

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After listening to Ranger Trice tell us all about the squirrels and where they came from, we walked around in seach of the little buggars.  It didn’t take long to spot a couple and today, as back in the fall, I was thrilled to be able to get up close and personal.  Truly, these are beautiful little creatures!

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Ranger Trine suprised me by telling us these squirrels came from Olney, IL.  Here I had spent all this time thinking they had come from some place exotic!  And actually, there are several places in the country that boast white squirrel populations! 

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You can google ‘White Squirrels’ and come up with all kinds of info!

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We spent the morning walking and talking and watching them eat and play. 

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The squirrels in this area came from a family who owned a Lodge along the Ochlochonee River in 1938.  They had an enclosure the squirrels were kept in, but squirrels being squirrels, escaped and mingled with the local Gray Squirrel population.

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We came across one of the little gray squirrels who seemed to have something wrong with his mouth.  Poor little guy!  It looked painful!

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And now we come to the end of this tail….

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…but because this is really a bird blog….

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…here is a picture of a daddy Wood Duck….

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…and his babies!

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