A Handsome Heron!

Great Blue Herons are now in their breeding finery.  I photographed one such heron on 12/26/19 at a natural pond area on the Nancy Lopez Legacy Golf Course, in The Villages, FL, along the multi-modal path down the middle of the course.  What a lovely bird!  By the way, I have mentioned it before quite a while ago, but my real-life name is Linda Woody.  I am visiting other blogs a lot more and want to be clear about who I am.  I just like the moniker “wildlifewatcher” a lot.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

 

Fenney Springs

 

The Villages, Florida, has some spectacular and unexpected wildlife!  River Otters, small Alligators, Great Blue Herons, freshwater turtles, Anhingas a Grey Squirrel, and a King Bird were all spotted at the scenic boardwalk area of Fenney Springs in the newer Southern section of The Villages, FL yesterday, 11/24/19.

So wonderful seeing all this while walking along a quarter-mile stretch of boardwalk above the actual springs.  This park with nature preserve, is adjacent to the Fenney Recreation Center in the area near Wildwood, Florida in The Villages.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

 

 

Wordless Tuesday: Great Blue Herons

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

Great Blue Herons

Great Blue Herons are now beginning to raise young and are molting (losing breeding feathers) so they are mostly on their nests unless hunting for a meal.  They wade in shallow water in the early morning and late afternoon to catch fish, frogs, ducklings, shoreline snakes, lizards, and nearly anything else they can catch to eat.

We have a year-around population of Great Blue Herons here in The Villages, Florida.  These birds nest in colonies way up in sturdy Oaks and Pines near ponds or lakes.  Many are now proud parents and will be raising chicks for several more weeks.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

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

A Great Blue Heron Rookery

Great Blue Herons in a colony nest called a “Rookery” were spotted yesterday, March 24, 2019, on Buena Vista Blvd. here in The Villages, Florida.  The rookery is up in a huge Live Oak tree on the shore of a golf course pond.  The rookery can be viewed from the multi-modal pathway.  I saw three adults in the tree, two older chicks which are nearly ready to fly, and a much younger chick on a lower nest.  An additional adult Great Blue Heron was standing on the shore.

The older chicks looked like they were very hungry!  I spotted the parent heron attempting to feed both with limited success.  After a few very active rowdy moments, that parent heron flew off to find more food!  The young chick was very inactive.  One of the adults was snoozing and occasionally would be awakened by the flapping of the older chicks above.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

River Wildlife Pt. 2: Herons

Tri-colored Heron

Great Blue Herons, Little Blue Herons, a Tri-Colored Heron, and a Black-Crowned Night Heron were all spotted on 2/14/19 in the morning on the St. John’s River here in Florida.  I was a passenger on a two-hour nature cruise from the Blue Springs State Park.

I have only seen four Black-Crowned Night Herons so I was thrilled to see this one.  There were many Great Blue Herons as well as several Little Blue Herons along the shoreline of the river.  I will be posting Part 3 of the series on Wednesday.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

Little Blue Heron

Great Blue Herons on their nests

Little Blue Heron with Glossy Ibis

 

 

 

Great Blue Heron

Black-Crowned Night Heron

Black-Crowned Night Heron

Wordless Wednesday: Great Blue Herons

I took these pictures at Lake Paradise in The Village in the last couple of days of two Great Blue Herons.  Please click on the thumbnail images to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

Great Blue Herons in The Villages, FL

Great Blue Herons are commonly spotted on most lakes here in The Villages, FL.  Along with the Great Egrets and the White Ibis, the Great Blue Herons are fairly easy to spot on the shore.  I took these pictures recently of the Great Blue Herons at Paradise Park Lake and at the Freedom Pointe Lake.

These wading birds are still in the remnants of their breeding plumage but are nesting now and will soon molt or lose their breeding feathers.  The Great Blue Herons eat fish, frogs, crawfish, small alligators, small turtles, waterfowl eggs and babies, and occasionally small snakes and lizards on the immediate shore area.  The Great Blue Herons live mostly around fresh or brackish water ponds, lakes, rivers and marshes/swamps.  These herons nest in tall sturdy trees in large stick nests.  Sometimes, they will just rest on docks, piers, empty small boats, and yes, gazebo structures!  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

Different Herons

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Herons, Little Blue Herons and Tri-color Herons are the most frequently seen herons here in The Villages, FL.  I am also including a shot of a Green Heron that I spotted in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee several years ago, and a Yellow-crowned Night Heron I saw in Belize this last December.  These large birds live around fresh water mostly and wade in the shallow water hunting for small fish, frogs, aquatic snails and larger insects.  Some of the herons are very colorful such as the Little Blue Heron.

I enjoy watching the birds stroll along the banks of the ponds or lakes and then seriously stare down their prey when on the hunt for their meal.  These birds use their sharp-pointed bill to stab catch their meal.  Herons usually roost in large trees were they build nests of sticks.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

Little Blue Heron

Tri-colored Heron

Green Heron

 

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Great Blue Heron on nest

Little Blue Heron