Monday, July 16, 2012

Here Kitty, Kitty

While hiking along the sandy trails that wind through the open grassy forest of the St. Sebastian River Preserve this week, I stopped to listen to a call.  "Here kitty, kitty, kitty", nope (my two-year son's favorite word), it was not the owner of a lost feline, it was the call of a Bachman's Sparrow. 

Bachman's Sparrow

It didn't take long to find  this one in a Pine Tree just above us. Bachman's Sparrows can be quite elusive, however, they are generally easier to spot this time of year as they show their faces while singing to one another. Bachman's Sparrows typically dwell in pine woodlands, which are found readily at this preserve.

Pine Warbler

Pine Warblers and Brown-headed Nuthatches are also common dwellers at this location. We saw quite a few of each of  these species on this trip.


The Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, however, continued to elude me, but I'll be back! We were able to find several Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. The hiking continued later in the week at the Cruickshank Sanctuary, our favorite place to visit the Florida Scrub Jays!


Tons of water lilies are blooming in the small creek near the entrance. I liked the way the early morning sun was shining on this pair.

Florida Scrub-Jay

We see this same Scrub-Jay every time we visit the sanctuary. It's easy to identify this one due to its bill deformity~unless there is more than one, but I don't believe that to be the case. We are considering giving him a name, any suggestions?

Monk Parakeet (aka Quaker Parrot)

This Monk Parakeet took us by surprise when it flew in and landed on a branch above us. This was the first I've seen here, but there are a few colonies of these feral birds in Central Florida. South Florida has a larger population of them.

Northern Mockingbird


Young Mockingbirds are every where!

Northern Bobwhite

Ran into Mr. (Bob)White; always a pleasure!


Have a great week!!!

33 comments:

  1. Variety of birds and good images Tammy. Especially attractive the Northern Bobwhite and Scrub-Jay.. I was yesterday photographing Argentina parrot..Nice but very noisy.. :-)))
    A hug..

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    1. Thank you for your comments Ana! Those parrots can be quite noisy indeed!

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  2. Buenas y variadas fotos,me gustan mucho.Saludos

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  3. Great shots Tammy. I hope you are getting better weather than the UK at the moment, rain, rain and more rain.

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    1. The weather has been better here:) Hope it clears up soon for you, so you can great some more great photos!

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  4. Preciosas y variadas fotos y especies. ¿Sabes que en Madrid (España) la cotorra de la 6ª foto es una especie invasora? nuestros parques están llenos de ellas.
    Saludos!!

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    1. Hola Ramón! El loro es una especie invasora aquí también. Probablemente llegó aquí como mascotas y fueron puestos en libertad. Yo no los veo muy a menudo aquí, pero son más comunes en el sur de la Florida. ¡Ten cuidado!

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  5. Hi Tammy !
    So you also have the white water lilies I see, beautiful flower. The last picture was a funny one where the speed seems to be high !
    Lorents H

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    1. Yes, we have the beautiful lilies as well! The bunny was moving quite slowly:)

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  6. I love the quail shot! You have a good week too!

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  7. Wonderful series! The best part was that it was shared with your son.

    Hmm... how about Elvis with his quivering lip for the Scrub-Jay matching beak.

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    1. Thank you Daniel! My son goes with me just about every time! He loves to be outside! I like Elvis:)

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  8. Love the scrub jays! I guess because they are more subdued in color compared to blue jays and because we don't have them here. Your mockingbird shot is beautiful! Well, all your shots are beautiful. Oh, the jay looks like he's been trying to open something larger than he can handle. Perhaps 'Nutcracker'?

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  9. Crook.....or Crooked Bill. That's really odd how his beak is like that.

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  10. Another group of unknown birds to me Tammy and all excellently photographed! I have seen the Monk Parakeet before though, we have a feral population or two in the U.K. The Northern Bobwhite looks a cracking bird!
    J
    Follow me at HEDGELAND TALES

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  11. Great series of different birds.
    Greetings Irma

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  12. love that jay! i'd vote 'elvis' since he kind of has a sneer in his 'lip'. :)

    that bobwhite is a treat!

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  13. Yeah, I have to agree that Elvis would be fitting. I think my favorite here is the bobwhite, and I love that you called him Mr. Bob White. Great post!

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  14. Una entrada preciosa, que variedad de aves es genial. Saludos desde Extremadura.

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  15. Great shots Tammy..... i like them all.

    greetings, Joop

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  16. Sehr schöne Bilder das von dem Hasen ist ja klass.

    Gruß
    Noke

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  17. Sounds like some great birding! I've never gotten great looks at bobwhites, just scurrying across the road for the most part, cool shot.

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  18. I love that water lilly, it almost looks like a water colour painting.
    Hope you have a good week
    Shaun
    July Giveaway @ ValleysShutterBug

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  19. A fantastic array of birds you captured on your journeys, Tammy. I must admit to being a tad jealous of all the birds you see in central Fl.

    You might consider naming your fav Scrub Jay; Billy-J :>)

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  20. Hello Tammy,
    What a great shots!! Wonderful to see the Scrub Jay at shot nr.5
    It's fantastic to see this one.
    Nice banner you've got at the top of your blog, wonderful!!

    Many greetings,
    Marco

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  21. love the bob white and the scrub jay both on my list to see great photos as always

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  22. Excellent collection Tammy,superb photography.
    John.

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  23. Hola Tammy otra impresionante serie de especies de tu pais,como siempre magnificas fotografias.Un abrazo

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  24. Great shots, Tammy! This particular set of birds makes me miss Florida more than most. Especially the Monk Parakeet, which we used to see all the time, in their massive colony nests.

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