Bird & Travel Photos, Birding Sites, Bird Information

Friday, April 24, 2015

PHOTOS FROM MY ARCHIVES-WADING BIRDS-PART II-EGRETS,IBISES,SPOONBILL,STORKS,BITTERNS,LIMPKIN,CRANES

My first blog on wading birds was on herons. In this blog I have photos of other wading birds: egrets, ibises, spoonbill, storks, bitterns, limkin and cranes. Also in the first blog on wading birds I described the following birding hotspots where some of the photos below were taken: Eagle Lakes, Ding Darling and Naples Botanical Garden. Here is information on the locations where the other photos below were taken:

Harns Marsh Preserve (Harns Marsh) - This preserve is located in Lehigh Acres, FL east of Fort Myers. It is about 14 miles east of Exit 131 of I-75. For more detailed directions go to the web site of the Caloosa Bird Club: caloosabirdclub.org. Harns Marsh is one of the best places in the area to see Snail Kites and Limpkins (see photo below). There are many other wading birds, ducks, grebes, etc. It takes about 3 - 4 hours to walk the circumference of the preserve.

Tiger Tail Beach - Tiger Tail Beach is located on Marco Island, FL. It is about 9-10 miles south of the intersection of Route 41 (Tamiami Trail ) and Collier Blvd (SR 951). It is not far off of Collier Blvd; there are signs directing you to it. There are really two areas of the beach: the tidal lagoon and Gulf of Mexico beach. The Gulf beach can be accessed by wading across the lagoon ( it is very shallow ) or a long walk around the lagoon. Tiger Tail Beach is Site # S73 of the Great Florida Birding Trail. Tiger Tail is great place to see wading birds, shore birds, etc. As an added attraction not far from the beach is taped off area with Burrowing Owls. This is in a vacant lot at the intersection of Hernando and Kendall streets.

Fred W. Coyle Freedom Park (Freedom Park) - This new park is located at the intersection of Golden Gate Parkway and Goodlette-Frank Rd. in Naples, FL. The park has a 5 acre lake and other ponds and has a 3500 ft. boardwalk and walking trails. Here can be seen wading birds, ducks, etc.

CATTLE EGRET
FREEDOM PARK

REDDISH EGRET
DING DARLING

ROSEATE SPOONBILL
NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN

WHITE IBIS
NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN

IMMATURE WHITE IBIS
NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN

GREAT EGRET
EAGLE LAKES

SNOWY EGRET
TIGER TAIL BEACH

ABOVE 2 PHOTOS - CATTLE EGRET IN
BREEDING PLUMAGE
EAGLE LAKES

AMERICAN BITTERN
NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN

WOOD STORK
NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN

SANDHILL CRANE
HARNS MARSH

LIMPKIN
HARNS MARSH

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

BIRD PHOTOS FROM MY ARCHIVES - BIRDS AT ZOO IN CHINA

Last year in April and May Sharon and I took a trip to China. We visited the zoo in Chongquing, China and took these photos of the birds in the zoo.

PEACOCK

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

PHOTOS FROM MY ARCHIVES: ANIMALS OTHER THAN BIRDS

BIRD PHOTOS FROM MY ARCHIVES: WADING BIRDS - PART I - HERONS AND NIGHT-HERONS

Wading birds have a preference for shallow waters, such as marshes, swamps, reedy areas, mud flats, ponds, etc. The following birds are considered wading birds:

Herons
Egrets
Ibises
Night-herons
Spoonbill
Storks
Bitterns

In this blog I have included photos of herons and night-herons; in a future blog I will give photos of the other wading birds.

The photos below were taken at four different birding hotspots in the Naples, FL area:

Eagle Lakes Community Park, Naples, FL (Eagle Lakes) - This Collier County park is located on Route 41 (Tamiami Trail E.) about 1/2 mile west of the intersection of Route 41 and Collier Blvd. The park is open from 8 am to dusk every day. The park is site # 170 on the Great Florida Birding Trail. The park has three ponds which host numerous birds, especially during the winter. Forested areas around the ponds host all types of song birds.
J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge (Ding Darling) - This refuge is located on Sanibel Island on the Gulf of Mexico. It is accessed via a bridge from Ft. Myers, FL. The refuge is site # D28 of the Great Florida Birding Trail. Ding Darling is an internationally renowned birding location.
Shark Valley, Everglades National Park (Shark Valley) - The Shark Valley section of Everglades National Park is located on Route 41 (Tamiami Trail) about 70 miles from Naples and 40 miles from Miami. It is site # K78 on the Great Florida Birding Trail. There is a 15-mile loop road that you can walk, bike or take a narrated tram tour.
Naples Botanical Garden - This is a spectacular botanical garden located on Bayshore Drive about 3 1/2 miles from downtown Naples. In addition to beautiful flowers, this is a great birding hotspot. There are several ponds with marshes and a birding tower with a scope.

You can download info on the Great Florida Birding Trail at floridabirdingtrail.com.