Eufala National Wildlife Refuge Part 2 of 2

Great Egret

I was in Eufala, Alabama last week and visited the Lakepointe Resort State Park Campground and Eufala National Wildlife Refuge.  Here are some more photographs I took during this visit.  I loved spotting Kildeer, a lone male Northern Cardinal, a pair of Gadwall ducks, a flock of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, a Northern Mockingbird, and several Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons.  It was a fun visit!  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Northern Mockingbird

Gadwall Ducks

Male Northern Cardinal

 

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret with State Park Resort Hotel in the Background

Flock of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in Flight

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

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

More Scenes from Paradise

 

Lake Paradise in The Villages, Florida has an amazing number of birds visiting these days.  Of course with the water level so low, there has been very easy access to fish, frogs, tadpoles, turtles, aquatic insects, and aquatic plants.  The supermarket for birds has been open for fine dining and the birds have been loving it.  No rain other than our big storm on Saturday.  That helped a tiny bit. I was glad for the moisture.

I took these pictures on Sunday early in the evening.  I spotted the flock of White Pelicans, a Great Blue Heron, a pair of Egyptian Geese, a few Double Crested Cormorants, lots of Canada Geese, a flock of White Ibis, several small shorebirds, crows, and the usual Mallard and Mottled Ducks.  I never know what birds will be there so it is a lot of fun to check on the visitors.  I think they also somehow check on us, too!  Ha!

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

 

 

 

 

 

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Kildeer on the Golf Course

Tufted Titmouse

Bluebirds, Cardinals, Killdeer, Blue Jays, and other critters were seen and photographed here in recent days.  I hope you have a great Independence Day tomorrow!   Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Northern Cardinal

Monarch Butterfly

Eastern Bluebird Seeing its Reflection in the Window

Eastern Blue Jay

A Kildeer and its Nest

I was out in the yard with the camera the other day and saw the Kildeer in its usual spot on the ground fairly close to the shoreline of the pond.  That area has a mossy native plant ground cover as well as stubby grasses.  My husband does not mow there because he noticed that the Kildeer was in the area and was nesting.  I did not go anywhere near the nest but did stop a moment to take a long-lens photo.  That was enough to set the bird off in its defensive “Wounded bird” act.  I have included a picture of that action below as my last shot.  My husband reported this morning that the bird is sitting on her nest and won’t budge, so likely the chicks are either hatched-out or nearly so this morning.   I took these pictures on May 5, 2012.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger photograph.  Enjoy!

Kildeer

A few Kildeer have been around here lately.  They especially browse for insects in the grass near the gulch area and also across the pond in the large cattle pasture that belongs to the next-door neighbor’s farm.  Kildeer are shorebirds.  They have long legs and a medium-sized pointed slender bill.  They are brown on the back and white underneath.  They have bands of very dark brown, that is nearly black.

Kildeer nest on the ground  in undisturbed quiet areas when possible.  The bird tricks predators by playing as injured to draw the predator away from the nest area.  I got pretty close to one bird who seemed to just freeze in place when I walked near and stopped.  I was about fifteen feet away from the bird and was in plain sight.  I took most of the pictures yesterday, April 27, 2012 and also on April 19, 2012 in my yard.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!