Wading Birds

Florida Rebuffs Winter

It is mid-December with blizzard conditions in the mid-west, lake effect snows in the Great Lakes and a six-inch blanket of snow on the suburban lawns of Long Island, New York. A polar vortex powers its way south into the U.S causing temperatures in the teens with highs in the 20s. Many birds have fled […]

Wave Dodgers 

Walk along any Atlantic Coast beach and you are likely to see Sanderlings – small grayish birds with white bellies and short black legs running back and forth in the surf zone. Sanderlings sprint behind receding waves to  probe for and pluck worms, small crabs and invertebrates  from the wet sand. When the next wave […]

Largest North American Heron Here at Arbor Lakes

Taller than our 2 year old granddaughter and almost as tall as our 4 year old grandson, Anne and I frequently see this connoisseur of shrimp, fish, lizards, frogs and even small mammals along the edge of Lake Tsala Apopka. Don’t be fooled by the great blue heron’s statuesque appearance. It is capable of striking […]

What IS That Bird?

  “What kind of bird looks like a small heron, but is black and white? We see it every evening down by the lake.”  This is a question that several Arbor Lakes residents asked me recently on my daily walks and in the pool. Without having seen the bird, I suggested that it could be […]

What do Birds do on Hot Days?

Poor bird! You will never believe what this great blue heron did to cool down on this sweltering Florida afternoon! Sweat poured down my forehead as I walked down to Lake Tsala Apopka one hot summer afternoon. Although clouds billowed in the distance, afternoon thunderstorms had not come yet to cool off the steamy air. Anne […]