Loggerhead Shrike, Northern Cardinal, & Northern Mockingbird

Loggerhead Shrike

A Loggerhead Shrike, Northern Cardinal and a Northern Mockingbird were all spotted on Sunday, March 25, 2018 in The Villages, FL.  I saw the male Northern Cardinal at Live Oak Park, the Loggerhead Shrike was seen on the multimodal trail on Morse Blvd. near Mallory Hill Golf Course, and the Northern Mockingbird was seen at the entrance to the Sharon Rose Wiechens Preserve.

I rarely see the Loggerhead Shrikes here so it was great to again spot one.  The cardinals are around my neighborhood as are the mockingbirds.  The shrikes are great hunters and love insects and very small rodents, lizards and baby birds.  The mockingbirds also eat insects while the cardinals mostly eat seeds fruits and berries.  By the way, I saw a lot of birds during my excursion from the Northern part of The Villages down South to the Wiechens nature preserve.  I will be including some of those in my next several posts here.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

Male Northern Cardinal

Loggerhead Shrike

Female Northern Mockingbird

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Happy Independence Day!

Our National Bird, The Bald Eagle

Here are some pictures that you may enjoy!  Hooray for the Red, the White, and the Blue!  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!  Have a safe and wonderful Independence Day!

Male Northern Cardinal

Eastern Blue Jay

Snowy Egret

 

 

Ibises, Ducks and a Heron on a Hot Day

Juvenile White Ibises

Juvenile White Ibis

White Ibis

 

White Ibises, Mallard Ducks, Pekin Ducks, Muscovy Ducks,  and a very hot Great Blue Heron were all trying to cool off yesterday afternoon here in The Villages, FL.  It was about 88 degrees F. (and very humid) when I was visiting the lovely Veteran’s Park and little Mira-Mar Lake.

The brown and white-colored White Ibises are juveniles.  The Ibises rushed up when our golf cart arrived, hoping against hope that we would be bringing treats.  That is why I got the close-ups.  No, no treats from me.  It is against the law and bad for the exotic birds as well, to feed the Ibises, Cranes, Herons, Egrets and other larger wild birds.  By the way, I also saw a male Northern Cardinal beating the heat by flitting about the bushes trying hunt in the shade.

Ibises and Mallard Ducks

White Ibises

Juvenile White Ibis

 

A Great Blue Heron Cooling Off

Sitting Ducks!

A Male Northern Cardinal

Birds in and Above my Yard

Tufted Titmouse

I am beginning to see more songbirds and other birds around my yards.  This weekend, saw a couple of Tufted Titmice way up in my big old Live Oaks, a hen Northern Cardinal in my next door neighbor’s Palm Tree, a Northern Mockingbird up on the neighbor’s roof, and what looks like a juvenile Bald Eagle flying very high up in the sky.

I also saw a sassy Red-bellied Woodpecker that played a short peek-a-boo game with me before it gave up and flew off.  I will show that bird on Wednesday’s post.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger version of the image.  Enjoy!

Hen Northern Cardinal

Northern Mockingbird

Juvenile Bald Eagle?

Songbirds, Ducks, Geese and Cranes

Red-shouldered Hawk

Here are some of the scenic views I have photographed around my community here in Marion County, Florida in the last couple of weeks.  I hope you enjoy them. By the way, on a side note – I went by Tuscawilla Park in Ocala, FL, on Saturday but saw few of the water birds I had seen back in February.  I think there were probably a tenth of the birds there this past weekend than had been there during the Winter months.   Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger view of that photograph.

Male Northern Cardinal

American Redstart

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Sandhill Crane Family at the Horse Farm Pond Pasture

Canada Geese

Common Crows

Colorful Songbirds to Celebrate a Happy Weekend!

American Robin

 

Wishing you and yours a happy weekend, and happy Passover or Easter!  I took these pictures of the colorful birds at various times during the last several months here in my area.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Female Eastern Bluebird

Male Boat-tailed Grackle

Male Northern Cardinal

Cuties in the Yards

I am thrilled to be seeing small songbirds in our trees here on my street once again!  Really!  It was a long dry spell, likely due to the patrolling hawks.  Yesterday I went out late in the morning and saw a Carolina Chickadee, a Tufted Titmouse, and two male Northern Cardinals.

I have been hearing a Red-headed Woodpecker calling, but so far, I have not seen it (nor any mockingbirds).  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!