Strolling White Ibises

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!

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Great Blue Heron

These two ponds are located next  the Walmart and NYPD Pizza, on CR 466 in the Buffalo Ridge neighborhood of The Villages, FL.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

Juvenile White Ibis

Male Boat-tailed Grackle

Great Egret

White Ibises

I spotted White Ibises at two parks this last week here in The Villages.  Actually, these wading birds are pretty commonly seen in neighborhoods and at local ponds and lakes.  The small flocks were at Paradise Park and Lake Mira-mar in the golf cart parking areas near the lakes.

Ibises at the Lake Mira-mar parking lot are known to be champion beggars!  They wait for treats from well-meaning tourists/grandkids who feed them bread and cereal as if they are park ducks (people should not feed exotic wild birds).  These are really good birds as they eat insects and are charming to watch.  By the way, the one in the photo that is partially brown is an older juvenile.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

White Ibises and Snowy Egret

Juvenile White Ibis

I saw this small flock of White Ibises at the lovely little Lake Mira-mar near the Spanish Springs Square in The Villages, Florida a few nights ago at dusk.  Note the juvenile is the one with the brown and white feathers.

This beautiful Snowy Egret was seen at Boone Park on Lake Paradise, and the Wood Stork also on Lake Paradise seen in the distance, from the Schwartz Park shoreline.  I also have been spotting a couple of Wood Storks off and on at Boone Park across the road into the far reaches of the lake.

I just love getting out and about and seeing all these big birds!  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

White Ibis

Wood Stork

Snowy Egret

More Birds in the Neighborhood

Eastern Blue Jay

Northern Cardinals, Boat-tailed Grackles, Eastern Blue Jays, Mourning Doves, House Finches, White Ibis, Northern Mockingbirds, and a pair of Brown Thrashers were all spotted here on my street and in a neighboring yard on the next street over in the last week.  Additionally, we have had Eastern Bluebirds, Crows, Chickadees, and Carolina Wrens around.   The finches were rooting around in a lot under construction where a new home is being built.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of that picture.  Enjoy!

Mourning Doves

Female House Finches

Northern Mockingbird

 

Juvenile White Ibis

Male Boat-tailed Grackles

Brown Thrashers

 

Views of a Ranch Pond

A flock of Mottled Duck hens, a juvenile American White Ibis, an Anhinga, a Great Egret, and a small shorebird, were all spotted at a local Ocala horse ranch pond on November 4, 2014.  I took these pictures from the road and used my long lens as the pond was quite a ways from the pavement.  This particular pond was just down the road from where I had seen the Wild Turkey a bit earlier.

I had to look at my photographs on the computer to actually tell that there was a very young Ibis there at that pond.  I also was startled by a Great Blue Heron in the tree right above my head.  That heron quickly flew off  before I could get any pictures.   Florida will soon be receiving many more migratory birds visiting for our very mild Winter climate.  I look forward to seeing these birds in coming weeks!  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

At the Rainfall Retention Pond…

American White Ibises, a Great Egret, a pair of Lesser Yellowlegs and a songbird (a female Red-winged Blackbird?) were all busily trying to find their meal at the rapidly shrinking large rainfall retention pond on Friday, August 1, 2014.  As you can see, this, the largest of the ponds in this development, is drying up quickly.

The one adult Ibis , as well as that brown-colored  juvenile Ibis, had been at this pond all week.  The Yellowlegs had just arrived on Friday as far as I can tell.  All of these birds seemed to be in search of insects as there are no fish at the pond.  Perhaps there also were some small tadpoles  in the water there.  I was glad to have seen all these big birds here in recent days!  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger photograph.  As ever, I hope you enjoy seeing these pictures.