White Pelican, Cormorants, Heron, Egrets, Egyptian Geese and Ducks

Double-crested Cormorants at the Freedom Pointe Lake

Wading birds, ducks, exotic geese, cormorants, and egrets were all spotted in The Villages, FL this past weekend.  It was so fun to see five resident White Pelicans at the Nancy Lopez course.  Those pelicans have now been here for the past three years and apparently do not migrate North with the hundreds of other White Pelicans that spend the Winter here.

Bird watching is such a pleasant hobby!  I so enjoy sharing the views of the many different birds here in The Villages with you via this blog.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Great Blue Heron at the Freedom Pointe Lake

Great Egret at the Glenview Country Club decorative  pond

Snowy Egret at the La Hacienda Golf Course Pond

 

Egyptian Geese at Nancy Lopez Driving Range Pond

White Pelican and Cormorants at the Nancy Lopez Driving Range Pond

Florida Mottled Ducks at the Nancy Lopez Driving Range Pond

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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

Anhingas and Cormorants

Double-crested Cormorant

Anhinga birds and Double-crested Cormorants are very similar aquatic birds.  The differences are the bill and body size with only faint differences about the feathers.  The Anhingas are more slender and have a very straight slender sword-like bill.  The female Anhinga is more brown in color with a light tan throat.  These females are also nicknamed “Piano birds” for the pattern of their feathers.

The Double-crested Cormorants can be distinguished by the slightly hooked tip of their long also sword-like bill.  The cormorants also are much heftier and blocky in body than the Anhingas.  Both eat fish, frogs, and small turtles.  Both are experts in flight as well as swimming.  Both the Anhingas and Double-crested Cormorants are referred to as “Snake birds” as they come up from diving with only their long sinuous neck and their head peeking out of the water.

The Anhingas are here all year long but the cormorants mostly are migratory with the White Pelicans.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

Anhinga

Anhinga

Double-crested Cormorants

Farewell to the Pelicans

Most of the White Pelicans have started leaving for their homes up North now.  I have only seen just a handful of the big white birds around here in the last week.  We still have several groups of the cormorants but those too, will be off on their Spring migration very soon.

I took most of these pictures within the past month here on the ponds and small lakes at the Nancy Lopez Legacy Golf Course; Freedom Pointe Lakes; La Hacienda Golf Course pond; and Golf View Lake pond, and Lake Paradise.  These are all places where year after year, I have spotted White Pelicans in Winter months.

The White Pelicans arrive in December and leave around the first two weeks of April here.  We did have a few stick around all year long this past year here.  That was unusual.  Our ponds here have been fished heavily with all the pelicans, cormorants, fishing ducks and wading birds that have been here these last few months.  It was wonderful to see the pelicans and I will eagerly await their return next Winter!  Please click on the thumbnail images to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

Osprey

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

Kildeer in Flight

Mallards in Flight, White Pelicans, and Double-crested Cormorants

White Pelicans in Flight

 

 

 

Great Egret, Mallards, Cormorant

Mallard Ducks

Great Blue Heron

White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants Flocking Up!

The migratory White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants are gathering together to get ready for the long journey back up North.  These birds are feasting on fish and frogs to gain strength for the flight back home to their breeding grounds.  I think quite a few of these birds have already left our area.  Last year we only had about six pelicans stay over all-year long.

I spotted the pelicans and cormorants at the Nancy Lopez Legacy Golf Course driving range pond and also at Freedom Pointe Lake here in The Villages, FL.  These are two spots where the pelicans and cormorants return to every year it seems.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

A Snowy Egret, A Crane, An Alligator and More!

Snowy Egret

These birds, turtles, and the alligator were all spotted here in The Villages, FL on Sunday afternoon.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

Sandhill Crane

Kildeer

Alligator

 

Cooter Turtles

Wood Stork, Double-crested Cormorants, Mallard Ducks

Double-crested Cormorants, White Pelicans