Birds
Have You Ever Seen a Grackle Fish?
During a recent trip to a restaurant on King’s Bay in Crystal River, Florida, I walked out on the dock where boat-tailed grackles were having their dinner too. I watched them strike the water to snatch small baitfish from the water and perch on the posts and railings of the dock where these birds and […]
Beautiful Blue Jays
One of my fondest memories as a 10-year-old child was seeing these brightly colored birds in the wild when my family moved to a rural area from a suburban post World War II development where rows of cape cod houses and strip malls took the place of potato farmland. I was accustomed to seeing the […]
Red-Winged Blackbirds are Home Again
When I lived in New York, I always looked forward to the return of the red-winged blackbird as it was a sign that spring was coming. The males returned first, set up breeding places, defended these territories from rival males and awaited the return of the females. I often saw them at the tops of […]
Seafood Dinner for the Birds!
This evening as I walked in the park bordering Lake Tsala Apopka, I spotted two limpkins foraging along the edge of the water. These wading birds plucked snails, crayfish and frogs from the water’s edge. One waded out in the shallow water and pulled up a freshwater shellfish, brought it to the shore, pried open […]
The Kites Have Returned!
During an early April Walk along Lake Tsala Apopka in Citrus County Florida, Anne and I spot the spring arrival of the swallow-tailed kite. This hawk-like bird circled over the grassy area and woodlands where it dove to snatch something from the ground. We were not close enough to see what it grabbed, but these […]
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