More Photos of Ochlockonee River State Park

Little Blue Heron

I visited the very lovely Ocklockonee River State Park a few weeks ago and spent a wonderful night camping there.  I was thrilled to see three White Tailed Deer, an Osprey, a Little Blue Heron, a Red-headed Woodpecker, several Boat-tailed Grackles, a pair of Mourning Doves, a couple of Brown Thrashers, and a gorgeous little White Squirrel (sorry no photo).

I took these pictures several times in the morning and it was very cloudy and misty out in my early shots that morning.  I am including a couple of shots of just scenery so you can get a sense of the view at this beautiful Florida State Park.  The river is a short walk from the campground area.

This state park is quite close to the St. Mark’s National Wildlife Sanctuary and is probably about twenty-five miles to the Gulf of Mexico.  I enjoyed the park and would return someday for a longer stay.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger picture.  Enjoy!

River Scene

River Scene

White-tailed Deer at a vernal pool

 

River Scene

Osprey

Brown Thrashers

Some Favorites

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks at Tuscawilla Park in Ocala, FL

I have selected favorite photographs I have taken in Florida in the last three years to share here today.  I tend to love Wood Storks, all the different woodpeckers, assorted ducks, and the various herons and egret,s the best!  I hope you will like seeing these old favorites!

Wood Stork in The Villages, FL

A Little Blue Heron in The Villages, FL

A Green Heron in Dunellon, FL

 

 

A Great Egret in Breeding Plumage, The Villages,

Snowy Egret, The Villages, FL

A Pileated Woodpecker, Ocala, FL

 

 

 

 

 

 

Herons

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Herons, Tri-colored Herons, and Little Blue Herons are the most commonly seen herons here in The Villages, Florida.  The Great Blue Heron is the most frequently seen, followed by the Little Blue Heron.  I think I have only seen one Green Heron here and that was a year ago.

All of these herons are wading birds that shuffle along in the shallows of the lakes and ponds to spear fish, frogs, or turtles with their long sharp bills.  They also eat larger insects, small lizards, and large aquatic insects or snails.

The herons roost up in tall trees.  Many prefer the Cypress Trees here.  Some also will roost in the medium-sized trees where there also are Ibis or Egrets.  We used to have a large area of roosts on Morse Blvd. (I had photographed it and posted about it many months ago) but that area seems out of favor with the birds in recent months.  I don’t know the reason for the big move.  It could be a case of too much threat from coyotes or other predators.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger version of the photo.

Tri-colored Heron

Little Blue Heron

Wiechens Preserve, Part 2

 

Tri-color Heron

Tri-color Heron

Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes, Common Moorhens, and a gorgeous Little Blue Heron were spotted the other day at the scenic Sharon Wiechens Preserve in The Villages, Florida.  All were feeding as it was late in the afternoon while we visited.

This nice preserve is on the shore of a medium-sized lake and has been open about a year or so now.  I am amazed at the numbers of birds seen in a small area and all are wild!  The preserve has a concrete walkway, a two-floor wood observation tower deck and a wooden pier walkway that juts out into the lake quite a way and then returns in a half rectangle toward the shore.  Lots of opportunities to see ducks, moorhens, coots and the occasional egrets, herons, ibis, and Bald Eagle (eagle up on the far electric tower).

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

Little Blue Heron and Common Moorhen

Little Blue Heron

 

Sandhill Cranes

Little Blue Heron

Common Moorhen

 

 

A Visit to Sharon Weichens Preserve

Tri-color Heron

Four Glossy Ibis, a Bald Eagle, a pair of Sandhill Cranes, a Great Egret, a beautiful Tribute-colored Heron,  Sherman’s Fox Squirrels, a Grey Squirrel, Common Moorhens, and a Little Blue Heron were all spotted at the wonderful Sharon Weichens Nature Preserve here in The Villages, Florida yesterday afternoon.

It had rained (thankfully) earlier in the day so the birds were out in force gobbling up many food items that had washed into the medium-sized lake at this beautiful preserve.  I do not think I have ever spotted so many different types of birds and animals while there at the preserve.  We were there at about 3:30 in the afternoon.

That Bald Eagle looks like it is starting a nest up on the high tension line tower.  I was a long way away from the eagle and was happy I had the long lens.   Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  P.S. I will post more pictures I took today in a future post.

Little Blue Heron

Grey Squirrel with a nut

Sherman’s Fox Squirrel

 

 

Southern Bald Eagle

Great Egret

Glossy Ibis

Action at the Wal-Mart Pond

A Little Blue Heron, a few Common Moorhens, and a little Pied-billed Grebe were spotted at the pond next to the Wal-Mart parking lot on CR 466 around the Buffalo Ridge area in The Villages, Florida last week.

The Little Blue Heron starts out as a white bird and gets darker with age until it is a lovely purplish-blue.  The Little Blue Heron also has greenish-yellow legs and feet.  It is a beautiful big wading bird.  The Little Blue Heron eats fish, frogs, turtles, crayfish, aquatic worms, aquatic snails, and sometimes, shore-based insects and mice.  The heron roosts in tall trees, and prefers Cypress Trees when possible.  please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  My thoughts and prayers are with those people in Northern California who are affected by flooding, or the precautionary evacuations for the Oroville Dam difficulties.

Little Blue Heron

Pied-billed Grebe

 

Pictures of Several Kinds of Herons

Green Heron

Here are some of the various kinds of herons I have spotted here in Florida.  I have seen the common Great Blue Heron; the Great White Heron; the Little Blue Heron in both the blue and the white phases; the Tri-colored Heron; and the Green Heron.  I have not photographed a Yellow-crowned Night Heron but I did spot one at Sanibel Island a couple of years ago.

Around The Villages, Florida area, I often see the Great Blue Herons, the Little Blue Herons and the Tri-colored Herons.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Tri-colored Heron

Adult Little Blue Heron

Juvenile Little Blue Heron

 

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron (photo taken at dusk)

Great White Heron in Breeding Plumage