Sandhill Cranes and a Little Blue Heron

Sandhill Cranes

A pair of Sandhill Cranes and a Little Blue Heron were seen at two ponds here in The Villages, Florida last week.  I saw the cranes on the shore of the small pond near Live Oaks Park on Morse Blvd. near CR 466, and the Little Blue Heron was at Freedom Pointe Lakes (The larger lake).  By the way, it has been very windy on several days here so a bit of blown-in trash is evident in the pictures.  Most of our shorelines are very clean here and this is a rare occurrence.

Both of these are wading birds that eat fish, frogs, aquatic snails, larger aquatic insects, small shoreline snakes, baby waterfowl, and baby Alligators.  The cranes also will eat grains and seeds.  I love seeing these beautiful big birds here!  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of that photo.  Enjoy!

Sandhill Cranes

Little Blue Heron

Sandhill Crane

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Wordless Wednesday: A Few Wading Birds

Green Heron

Please click on the thumbnail images to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Tri-colored Heron

Wood Storks

Juvenile Little Blue Heron

 

Glossy Ibis

Great Egret

Adult Little Blue Heron

A Little Blue Heron and Friends

This Little Blue Heron and a pair of Mallard Ducks were spotted on the shore of a small pond in the Buffalo Plaza shopping area next to the NYPD Pizza restaurant on CR 466 in The Villages, FL on Friday at twilight.  I have sometimes seen a Little Blue Heron at this pond at times in the past during the Winter months.  There also was a camera shy Common Moorhen at the pond.

I have photographed birds at the pond before but it has been quite a while since I have seen much there.  I did check out the larger pond just to the Northeast on the Eastern side of the Walmart parking lot but did not see anything there other than a Great Egret.  Recently there has been some landscaping with the big grasses and reeds having been cut so perhaps that has affected the desirability of the pond for the big birds.  I also did not see any alligators.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Great Blue, Little Blue, & Tri-Colored Herons

Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron is the most commonly seen of the herons here in The Villages, Florida.  I also frequently can spot Little Blue Herons and occasionally see the gorgeous medium-sized Trim-colored Heron.  I very rarely see a Green Heron, and have not seen any Black or Yellow Crowned Night Herons here in this community.

The herons all fish for fish, frogs, baby alligators, aquatic snails, crayfish, and occasionally larger aquatic insects, snails, and worms.  These are wading birds that are primarily found on the immediate shoreline of ponds, streams, lakes and in the shallows of both fresh and salt water marshes.

All of these herons are great at flight and some flocks do migrate.  One generally only sees a single bird or just a small number of these herons in one spot unless the flock is  gathering for a migration or is resting during travels.  Our bird population swells in the Winter months here in Florida.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

Little Blue Heron

Tri-Colored Heron

Little Blue Heron

 

 

 

Tri-Colored Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Wordless Wednesday: Little Blue Herons

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Visit at the Sharon Rose Wiechens Preserve

Common Coot

Ring-necked Ducks, a Little Blue Heron, a beautiful Purple Gallinule, a few Common Moorhens, several Pied-billed Grebes, an Anhinga, and a Common Coot were spotted at the lovely gem of a nature preserve, the Sharon Rose Wiechens Nature Preserve here in The Villages, Florida on Friday, Dec. 28, 2018.

I often see the Common Moorhens and in season coots at this preserve.  Less commonly seen are the Ring-Necked Ducks (all hens), the grebes, and the Little Blue Heron.  I also frequently see Osprey in the area as the lake is a medium-sized one with lots of wildlife and fish.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of that particular photo.  Enjoy!

Purple Gallinule

Hen Ring-necked Ducks

Pied-billed Grebe

 

 

Hen Ring-necked Ducks

Anhinga

Little Blue Heron

 

 

 

Misc. Birds in The Villages, FL

Mallard Ducks

Bald Eagles nesting in the high tension electric towers; Double-crested Cormorants perched on pilings in a pond; A Little Blue Heron on the hunt in a drainage ditch; a cute little Pied-billed Grebe; Ring-Necked and Lesser Scaup Ducks on a local golf pond; and a small flock of Mallard Ducks on the banks of Lake Paradise were all spotted last week in The Villages, Florida!

We have an amazing variety of birds here now.  We get many migratory birds down from the Midwest and other regions of North America.  Such fun to get out to our many ponds and small lakes to see what species has come to visit on any particular day!  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!

Bald Eagle near it’s nest

Little Blue Heron

Ring-Necked and Lesser Scaup Ducks

 

Cormorants

Pied-billed Grebe

Bald Eagle on it’s Nest