Black Bellied Whistling Ducks

Whistlers as these ducks are also known, are charming and beautiful wild ducks.  They have a blue bill and feet as ducklings which turn a vivid pink as adults.  Black Bellied Whistling ducks are a rich cinnamon brown with black and white feather accents.  They actually don’t quack but do emit a whistle sound to communicate.

These whistling ducks sit on the grassy shoreline quite a bit but do venture into the water from time to time and tip down into the shallow water to hunt for aquatic worms, insects, snails and aquatic plants.  They also eat seeds, grasses, fruits and terrestrial insects snails and worms they can find fairly close to the water’s edge.  Black Bellied Whistling ducks are both migratory and native here in Florida.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Juvenile and Adult Little Blue Herons

Here are several Little Blue Herons I have photographed here in Central Florida with most being here in The Villages.  The juveniles are the white phase of their coloring and they turn a purple blue as an adult. The Little Blue Herons are wading birds and they eat fish, frogs, small turtles, aquatic snails, and larger aquatic insects.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

 

A Cormorant with a Catch

These two Double-crested Cormorants were diving in a local pond for fish.  One was successful and the other was out of luck.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Central Florida Ducks

Florida Mottled Ducks

Here are some of the commonly seen ducks here in The Villages during the Winter and early Spring months (some do stay all year long).  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Blue-winged Teal Ducks

Hooded Merganser Ducks

Mallard Ducks

 

 

Northern Shoveler Ducks

Lesser Scaup Ducks

Mallard Ducks

Almost Wordless Thursday: Wading Birds

Great Egret

These photos were taken last week in The Villages, FL.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Little Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron, Tri-colored Heron &  Double Crested Cormorants

Snowy Egret

 

 

 

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Great Blue Heron

The Bald Eagle Family

Southern Bald Eagles are resident here in The Villages, FL.  This family were spotted at the Nancy Lopez Legacy Golf Course on the electric towers near the Mulberry Dog Park.  The parent eagles and one of the two eaglets of this family were perched on three different towers when I recently was out bird watching.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Wishing everyone a happy St. Patrick’s Day!  Enjoy!

The Red-shouldered Hawk Visits

This Red-shouldered Hawk has recently moved into my neighborhood.  Transitory flocks of Cedar Waxwings are here feasting on the last of the Holly Berries, so it may be having many smaller birds nearby is what attracted this hawk to the neighborhood.  There also will soon be new ducklings at our neighborhood park lake.  Our neighborhood has many large trees which also suits the hawks.

This hawk was photographed on the front lawn of a home, and was looking at and consuming a very small bit of prey – likely a small mouse.  These birds of prey are carnivorous and hunt for small rodents, snakes, lizards, songbirds, ducklings, and eggs.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Almost Wordless Wildlife

Mallard Ducks

Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of each of these photos I recently took here in The Villages, Florida.  Enjoy!

Belted Kingfisher

American White Pelicans & Sea Gulls

Snowy Egrets & Double-crested Cormorants

 

Drake Lesser Scaup Duck

White Ibis

Anhinga

A Flock of Snowy Egrets

Snowy Egrets were spotted as a small flock of perhaps ten birds, at the lovely little “Golf View Lake” pond behind the Paradise Recreation Center and Mark Twain Library here in The Villages, Florida on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in the afternoon.  This is likely a migratory flock on its way up North.  It is very unusual to see so many Snowy Egrets (and probably seven Great Egrets) together.  There also was a White Pelican, several Double-crested Cormorants, a Great Blue Heron, and two Canada Geese at the pond while I was there.

These are fish and frog-eating birds that wade in the shallows of ponds, streams, lakes and marshes to catch their prey with the sharp long bill.  Snowy Egrets are small white egrets with mustard yellow legs and feet with a black bill.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

 

Common Moorhen, Purple Gallinule and Common Coot

Purple Gallinule

The Rail family of birds includes moorhens, gallinules and coots.  All are marsh birds that have a chicken-like appearance but act more like wading birds and ducks.  All eat a variety of seeds, and mostly aquatic insects (some land based worms and grubs too).

The Common Moorhen is black for the males and brown for the hens with a red fleshy area over their beak.  The Purple Gallinule is a flashy turquoise with purple accents and the red fleshy area over the beak.  The Common Coot is black with the white fleshy area over the beak.  All behave fairly the same.   Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.

Common Moorhen

Common Coot

Purple Gallinule