Egrets, Cormorants, Canada Geese and Tri-colored Heron

Great Egret and Cormorants

Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Tri-colored Herons, Canada Geese, and Double-crested Cormorants, are here this Winter at many of our ponds and lakes in The Villages, FL.  Most of these birds are now in the beginning of their breeding season and the egrets will be developing long billowing plumage with which to attract their potential mate.

Egrets hunt by wading in shallow water to spear a small fish or frog with their sharp bill.  They also will occasionally root in the mud for aquatic worms and snails.  On land, the Great Egret sometimes hunts for mice, lizards and snakes in the landscaping around yards and parking lots.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

Great Egret & Canada Geese

Great Egret

Snowy Egret, Tri-colored Heron

 

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Great Egret

More Birds Arriving

Sandhill Cranes

The Winter migration is underway and more and more birds are arriving here in recent days.  This will continue through December or early January.  I have been seeing small flocks in the skies and on the shorelines of local lakes.  I also have included a photograph of some smaller freshwater turtles that happened to be sunning themselves on the shore of a local golf course pond.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

Canada Geese

Cooter Turtles

Adult White Ibis

 

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Egyptian Geese

Mottled Ducks

Wordless Wednesday: Canada Geese

Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Flight

Double-crested Cormorants

Just a few snap-shots of various kinds of birds in flight.  Have a safe happy holiday weekend!  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Bald Eagle

Canada Geese

 

Seagull

 

 

Osprey with fish

White Pelican

Turkey Vulture

Bird Watching at Dusk

Whistling Ducks, a Glossy Ibis, and Mallard Ducks

Newly hatched Canada goslings, Snowy Egret, Great Egret, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Mallard Ducks, a Glossy Ibis, an Anhinga, and a tree full of Great Blue Herons were all spotted here in The Villages during the past two evenings at twilight.

Please click on the thumbnail image to see the very slightly larger version of the picture.  Wishing everyone who celebrates, a happy Passover, and a most happy Easter!

Great Egret and Anhinga

Great Egret Roosting

Newly Hatched Canada Goslings

 

Snowy Egret

Great Blue Heron Rookery

Great Blue Heron Rookery

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Canada Geese

Mallard Ducks

Great Egret

Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Freshwater Cooter Turtle

Hen Hooded Merganser Duck

Great Egret

Wordless Wednesday: Winter Waterbirds

Great Egret in breeding plumage

Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

White Pelicans

Canada Geese

Great Blue Heron in breeding plumage

 

Double-crested Cormorant

Tri-colored Heron with Seagull

Northern Shoveler Ducks