Wildlife at Paradise Lake in The Villages, FL

Snowy Egret

A trio of Florida Mottled Ducks, a Wood Stork with a Great Egret, and a hunting Snowy Egret were all spotted at the lovely Lake Paradise in The Villages, Florida.  I spotted these at Boone Park and at Schwartz Park, which is right around the corner basically, from Boone Park.  Both small pocket parks have a nice viewing area and the water at Boone has filled in nicely after the drought.

This is a neighborhood residential lake with three parks on it.  The larger park of the trio is Paradise Park.  I often go to this lake to watch for larger birds.  I also occasionally spot Sandhill Cranes such as the trio I photographed in flight above the adjacent neighborhood.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Sandhill Cranes

Wood Stork and Great Egret

Florida Mottled Ducks

 

The Big Birds of May

Great Blue Heron

Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Sandhill Cranes, a Limpkin, a few Wood Storks, and a lot of White Ibis, and Snowy Egrets (not pictured), were all spotted here in The Villages, Florida last month, May, 2017.

We often spot the egrets herons and ibis, but the cranes, wood storks, glossy ibis, and limpkin, are only spotted during certain months of the year (Sandhill Cranes being the most easily seen of this particular group of wading birds).  We also get to see Tri-colored Herons and Little Blue Herons on occasion.

These larger wading birds enjoy the many small and medium-sized lakes here in our community where the food is usually abundant.  We are recovering from a recent drought so the lakes happily are refilling with recent rains.

Most of these big birds eat aquatic snails, frogs, worms, and small fish.  Some of the birds such as Sandhill Cranes also eat grains and seeds.  I always enjoy getting out and spotting both songbirds and these big beauties!  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

Limpkin

White Pelicans, Great Egret

Wood Storks

 

White Ibis

Great Egret

Sandhill Crane

Scenes from Paradise Lake

Lesser Yellowlegs

White Pelicans and Great Blue Herons

Wood Storks

 

 

 

 

White Pelicans, Sandhill Cranes, a Great Blue Heron, Canada and Egyptian Geese, ducks a plenty and egrets were all spotted at Paradise Lake in Paradise Park, The Villages, Florida on Tuesday (5/9/17) evening at dusk.  No rain in sight and the lake continues to shrink.  As a blog friend mentioned in comments on a recent post here, the birds seem to be benefitting short-term from the low water levels.

Additionally, I took several pictures at the lake this morning (5/12/17) and saw Wood Storks, White Pelicans, shorebirds of some type (Plovers?), and a huge gathering of egrets and herons.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the very slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!  P.S.  Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday!

Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, White Ibis

Sandhill Crane and Great Blue Heron in the Background

Shorebirds (Plovers?)

 

 

Egyptian Geese

Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks

Canada Goose

Some Favorites

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks at Tuscawilla Park in Ocala, FL

I have selected favorite photographs I have taken in Florida in the last three years to share here today.  I tend to love Wood Storks, all the different woodpeckers, assorted ducks, and the various herons and egret,s the best!  I hope you will like seeing these old favorites!

Wood Stork in The Villages, FL

A Little Blue Heron in The Villages, FL

A Green Heron in Dunellon, FL

 

 

A Great Egret in Breeding Plumage, The Villages,

Snowy Egret, The Villages, FL

A Pileated Woodpecker, Ocala, FL

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wiechens Preserve, Part 2

 

Tri-color Heron

Tri-color Heron

Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes, Common Moorhens, and a gorgeous Little Blue Heron were spotted the other day at the scenic Sharon Wiechens Preserve in The Villages, Florida.  All were feeding as it was late in the afternoon while we visited.

This nice preserve is on the shore of a medium-sized lake and has been open about a year or so now.  I am amazed at the numbers of birds seen in a small area and all are wild!  The preserve has a concrete walkway, a two-floor wood observation tower deck and a wooden pier walkway that juts out into the lake quite a way and then returns in a half rectangle toward the shore.  Lots of opportunities to see ducks, moorhens, coots and the occasional egrets, herons, ibis, and Bald Eagle (eagle up on the far electric tower).

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

Little Blue Heron and Common Moorhen

Little Blue Heron

 

Sandhill Cranes

Little Blue Heron

Common Moorhen

 

 

A Visit to Sharon Weichens Preserve

Tri-color Heron

Four Glossy Ibis, a Bald Eagle, a pair of Sandhill Cranes, a Great Egret, a beautiful Tribute-colored Heron,  Sherman’s Fox Squirrels, a Grey Squirrel, Common Moorhens, and a Little Blue Heron were all spotted at the wonderful Sharon Weichens Nature Preserve here in The Villages, Florida yesterday afternoon.

It had rained (thankfully) earlier in the day so the birds were out in force gobbling up many food items that had washed into the medium-sized lake at this beautiful preserve.  I do not think I have ever spotted so many different types of birds and animals while there at the preserve.  We were there at about 3:30 in the afternoon.

That Bald Eagle looks like it is starting a nest up on the high tension line tower.  I was a long way away from the eagle and was happy I had the long lens.   Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  P.S. I will post more pictures I took today in a future post.

Little Blue Heron

Grey Squirrel with a nut

Sherman’s Fox Squirrel

 

 

Southern Bald Eagle

Great Egret

Glossy Ibis

Some Water Birds at Tuscawilla Park

Wood Storks

Tuscawilla Park in Ocala, Florida has two medium-sized ponds that have a variety of water birds, and wading birds in and around them.  I was there at Tuscawilla Park on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017 in the afternoon for about five minutes.  No, I did not see hundreds of birds as I have in past visits during the Winter months.  Many birds have gone elsewhere on their migratory journey.

I did see several Great Egrets, a couple of Wood Storks, Snowy Egrets, a lot of White Ibis, a lot of Common Cormorants, a few Wood Ducks, a few Muscovy Ducks and a Great Blue Heron.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

Great Egret, Snowy Egrets, and Double Crested Cormorants

Juvenile White Ibis

Adult White Ibis

Water Birds and a Gator on a Local Lake

Mature White Pelican

White Pelicans, an American Alligator, Egyptian Geese, Sea Gulls, and a lot of Double Crested Cormorants all were spotted here in The Villages, Florida on the lovely little lake behind Freedom Pointe off of El Camino yesterday at Noon.  Don’t worry, that ‘Gator seemed to be a smaller one!  The alligators often can be seen here in the lakes and larger ponds.  The pelicans and cormorants are migratory visitors to the area but the geese, egret and ibises are year-around residents.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

Small Alligator

White Pelicans and Double Crested Cormorants

 

 

 

 

 

Egyptian Geese

Sea Gull

Cormorants and Pelicans

 

 

 

 

Little Sweeties

Palm Warbler

Palm Warblers, Eastern Bluebirds, and a lone Tufted Titmouse were spotted in the past week here in my neighborhood.  One of the Palm Warblers was seen below ornamental grass at  Paradise Park in The Villages, FL.  The other birds were in my own yards.  It is great to see all the newly arriving songbirds who have migrated here for the Winter!  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of that photo.  Enjoy!

Eastern Bluebird male

Palm Warbler

Tufted Titmouse

Songbird Sightings

Northern Mockingbird

A Northern Mockingbird, juvenile male Northern Cardinal, a sweet Morning Dove, and a Palm Warbler in the grass were all spotted along my street this last weekend.  Not much going on other than the big wading birds and ducks on the ever-shrinking local park lakes (I have seen a large number of Seagulls in recent days on the water).  It has been quite windy and cooler here.  We are also in a drought which is not helping matters.  Hopefully rain is in the forecast here in coming days.  Wishing everyone a very happy 2017!  Happy birding!

Northern Cardinal

Mourning Dove

Palm Warbler