The Calm Before That Storm!

A Squadron of Mottled Ducks sails on the Freedom Pointe Lake

Egrets, Egyptian Geese, Canada Geese, Herons and Mottled Ducks were all spotted here in The Villages, FL on the lake at Freedom Pointe and on the street parkway on Buena Vista Blvd. last week.  I so enjoy getting out an about to spot and watch the birds here.  We often see these exotic birds!  It is amazing.

I have been working on hurricane preparations as we expect to see some type of tropical storm force or hurricane force winds here on Sunday and Monday.  We don’t have a firm track for the hurricane so I cannot say how bad it should be but I think we will be better off here inland as we are 60 miles from both coastlines.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Please understand if I don’t post on Monday – perhaps we will have power but likely not.  Thanks.

A Great Egret Hunts in the Shrubbery on Buena Vista Blvd.

White Ibis, Egyptian Goose, Canada Goose and Great Blue Heron

A Great Egret Roosts at Freedom Pointe

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Exotic Egyptian Geese

Egyptian Geese are apparently making a home for themselves here in the United States.  I have occasionally spotted pairs or small groups of these African immigrant geese during the last couple of years.

I also recently saw a photo from Texas where a pair of Egyptian Geese were strolling around a golf course.  I think that may have been the idea of bringing these geese here from Africa.  The Egyptian Geese are lovely and seem to have an OK temperament.  I took these pictures on Lake Paradise on May 9, 2017. I also earlier spotted Egyptian Geese at the lake behind Freedom Pointe in The Villages, where there were a family of these geese, but that was about two months back.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.

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

Paradise Park Lake, The Villages, FL

 

Here are a bunch of pictures of various water birds that I photographed last night at twilight at the lovely little Lake Paradise from the shoreline of Paradise Park in The Villages, FL.

I enjoyed my vacation.  I was in California visiting my family and attending a wedding.  I did not take many pictures at all on the trip.  We thankfully just missed all the terrible floods in Louisiana by only 2 days!  We actually drove through areas that just days later, were under water.  I hope you will remember the communities in Louisiana who have suffered the floods in your thoughts and prayers.

Happily I saw a new family of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks there at Lake Paradise along with many Canada Geese, White Ibis, Mallards and Florida Mottled Ducks.  There also were a few Anhingas, and a Snowy Egret.

I did miss seeing all of the big birds on my trip.  I did see a California Sea-lion, a Jack Rabbit, and a flock of wild “Freeway chickens” on Highway 99 up in Northern California above Sacramento.  All in all, a great trip!

Wordless Wednesday: Wading Birds & Waterfowl

Little Blue Heron

Tri-colored Heron

Great Blue Heron

I took these pictures this past Saturday  during the early evening, at little Paradise Lake in The Villages, Florida.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger picture.  Enjoy!

Canada Goose

Florida Mottled Duck

Egyptian Goose

Three Breeds of Geese

Canada Geese

Last night I finally got a chance to get out and do a little wildlife observation at the local park lakes.  I spotted several kinds of wading birds and also many geese and ducks.  The three types of geese I saw were:  Canada Geese, Egyptian Geese, and White Chinese Geese.  Quite international if I do say.

We had a stormy day here on Monday with the Tropical Storm “Colin”.  We were lucky in that our area did not have a lot of damage from the storm.  My neighborhood did very well in the storm.  A bonus for us is the park lakes are full.

Paradise Lake in the historic side of The Villages, has quite a few Canada Geese.  I spotted the Egyptian and Chinese Geese at the little Mira Mar lake in  the Spanish Springs area.  All of these geese primarily eat grass, aquatic plants and shore based seeds.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of that photo.  Enjoy!

Canada Geese

Canada Geese

Canada Geese

 

Chinese Geese

Chinese Geese

Egyptian Geese

Waterbirds at the Lake, Part 2 of 2

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Snow Goose (A better view of the same bird shown on Wed.)

White Pelican

 

 

This post concludes the two part look at the amazing bunch of water birds that I saw on Tuesday at Lake Paradise in The Villages, Florida.  I was so thrilled to see all the variety of birds here.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger view of that photo.  Enjoy!

Great Egret

Mallard Ducks

Hybrid Canada Goose and Canada Goose

 

Lesser Scaup Ducks

White Pelicans

Seagulls