Juvenile White Ibis
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo. Enjoy!
Great Egret
Tri-colored Heron
Wood Stork
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Wood Stork
Red-head Woodpecker
We escaped what we had feared would be a hit from Hurricane Dorian and thankfully was not. We went North to Alabama and camped at the lovely Lakepointe Resort State Park campground in Eufala, Alabama. The Eufala National Wildlife Refuge is about 3 miles from this campground so we visited the refuge several times.
We did not see many animals or birds but I think it may be that the action really happens in the Winter months. We did see a juvenile White Ibis, some wonderful Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, a few Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, a family of wild piglets with their mother (too fast to catch with my camera as they sprinted across the road) and a few really large American Alligators. We saw the woodpecker at the campground and some of the alligators and the vultures, at the state park’s marina area.
This refuge is on Lake George which is an enormous lake bordering between Alabama and Georgia. I was glad we came home to no damage and no drama. I am praying for those in The Bahamas who were in the most catastrophic part of the storm and received a lot of major damage. Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture. Enjoy!
Hen Common Moorhen
American Alligator
Scenic View of Some of the Eufala National Wildlife Refuge on Lake George
Juvenile White Ibis
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and Ducklings
Black Vultures
Adult White Ibis
Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo. Enjoy!
Adult White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Juvenile and Adult White Ibis
Drake Hooded Merganser Duck
Tai-Colored Herons, Wood Storks, Hooded Merganser Ducks, Sandhill Cranes, White Ibis, Double-Crested Cormorants, Anhingas, and many more large exotic birds are seen here in The Villages, Florida on and in our many ponds and small lakes. It also is not unusual to see a Great Egret strolling through the shrubbery on street parkways.
There are always many varieties of large and small birds around this community and its many neighborhoods to observe! It is such a pleasant hobby to go out bird watching! I am sure many of the readers here will agree! Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo! Enjoy!
Wood Stork
Double-Crested Cormorants
White Ibis
Sandhill Crane
Tri-Colored Heron
Anhinga Drying its Wings
A flock of White Ibis were strolling around the yards in my neighborhood yesterday afternoon. It has rained a lot so the big white birds were out for any earthworms or grubs they could find. The birds search with their rubbery long bills for their prey.
The White and brown bird is an older juvenile. These birds are a cocoa brown and white color as babies and gradually turn white as they age. The White Ibis are flock birds. I often joke that there are a “Herd” of ibis on the lawn as they tend to walk around in groups that resemble how cattle walk. Yes, a group of Ibis are really known as a flock.
These ibis roost as a flock, together in trees. Usually their roost is in lower tree branches over swamp wetlands where American Alligators patrol. Alligators below the roosts help the birds stay safe from Coyotes and Bobcats. Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger picture. Enjoy!
This flock of Glossy Ibis were hanging out on the side of a freshwater marsh and golf course area here in The Villages, FL early this evening at about 5:00pm. This is the first time I have ever seen these two types of birds together. I also have never seen so many Glossy Ibis in one spot. These birds are a dark mahogany brown with blue-green accents and are oh-so-pretty! The Glossy Ibis’ feathers really shine in a metallic way when in breeding plumage (now).
The ducks are nearly the same color as the ibis. I also saw a scant few Mallards and some crows there too. A beautiful pair of Sandhill Cranes (photographs will be posted here in coming days) joined in the feeding frenzy. There must have been some really tasty stuff there – perhaps duck chow grain from a neighbor? Who can say. Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture. Enjoy!
Hooded Merganser Ducks
On Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017, I spotted a small flock of Hooded Merganser ducks, a Great Egret, a Pied-billed Grebe and a Wood Stork with White Ibis at Lake Mira-mar in The Villages, FL. The ducks, egret and grebe were in the arm of the lake bordering the highway and the Veteran’s Memorial Park. The Wood Stork was in the parking lot area on the main body of the little pond-like lake. All were such fun to watch! I will be taking a break from blogging for the next couple of weeks and will be posting at my normal schedule when I begin blogging again. Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo. Enjoy!
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Egret
Wood Stork with Ibis
