Sunday, May 26, 2013

In the Hood

The presence of Pileated Woodpeckers is easy to detect thanks to the amount of noise they make while foraging for bugs. Last week I was really excited to see my first juvenile Pileated perched in an Oak in my yard. 


Dad was in a nearby tree looking for something to eat.


He then delivered a meal to his patiently waiting youngster.


Unfortunately my photo came out exceptionally terrible, but it was a cool interaction to observe (so I shared it anyway).


My neighbors have a Red-shouldered Hawk's nest in their yard. The three juveniles that fledged the nest still remain close by. The parents continue to bring food to the young hawks.


This in an adult (not sure if its one of the parents) that frequents my yard. It isn't very shy and will land in the yard when we are nearby.


Note to self: walk quickly when passing an Osprey in this position (yes, he is aiming for you).


One day on my way home for work, I passed this Osprey enjoying his dinner in the company of a Great Horned Owl:) I counted 7 decoy owls on this particular dock...they appear to have made friends with the neighborhood birds though.


Snakes are a very important part of the local food chain. The rodents feed the snakes; the snakes feed the raptors. I recent saw this Red Rat Snake, also known as a Corn Snake, slithering through the grass. I laid in the grass as the snake traveled toward me, then right on past me. If you look closely at the snake's eye, you can see the reflection of the sky.


And what goes great with a relaxing, outdoor Sunday breakfast...


...did you guess watching a Yellow Rat Snake land with a loud thud on the nearby cement boat ramp as it fell from a Palm tree clutching a rat that was fighting for its life. Well, that didn't happen during my breakfast, but it did during my neighbor's who preceded to call me over as I worked in the yard. I then watched the snake have its Sunday breakfast.


Interesting to see how quickly the snake swallowed the large rat.


A final wave goodbye...


And the snake was off. I was glad I had already eaten!


30 comments:

  1. oh, the snake with his meal is awesome! the one in the grass before that is a great shot, too! really enjoyed the geeky 'teen' pileated! so cute with his shock of hair! :)

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  2. Awesome shots, love the snake images.

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  3. Great post, wonderful photos. I really like photos that show behavior, not just static portraits.

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  4. Wow, awesome photos of both the birds and the snake!

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  5. Wow!!! Love this... Few people get to see a snake in action eating like this. I've seen a snake eat a frog but that is about it. Great photos and story as always. -DM

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  6. EEEEEEEK! Oh my ~ those are some excellent photos but they make me squeamish! LOL!
    Love the woodpecker's pretty head feathers!
    xo Catherine

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  7. The Pileated Woodpeckers are my favorite birds! Talk about being in the right place at the right time, and with a camera, to catch the snakes. Great work!

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  8. Beautiful pictures Tammy.
    The woodpeckers are really special, they are not here.
    Amazing to see how the snake eats a mouse.
    Regards, Irma

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  9. You have done it again Tammy, a FANTASTIC set of pics, the Owl, the Woodpeckers, which I failed to find at Matheson Hammock. My daughter is home for the weekend, and has just been going, "oh no, oh my God no" etc, etc. at the fabulous rat shots, lovely little feet dissapearing bit by bit. Brilliant !!!!.
    All the very best Gordon.

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  10. Love the Pileated woodpecker, It is one of my favorites, soo jealous. Love the Rat snake, seeing the reflection in his eye. Great shot.

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  11. Excelentes capturas Tammy.Un abrazo

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  12. Holy crap this is a good post! The snake and the rat are so awesome- the second to last shot with the tail and just one foot sticking out? Amazing!! And I gotta say, that is a GOOD neighbor that will call you over to see some nature.

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  13. dit is wel een hele mooie bijzondere serie wat is dit genieten een uil die naast een havik zit een visarend het kan niet op het ene is nog mooier dan het andere,geweldig.

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  14. Preciosa serie Tammy. Me gusta mucho la de la serpiente.
    Saludos!!

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  15. Again, so many great shots Tammy, your blog is like a live-action nature show! Love the red mohawk lit by the sun of the woodpeckers (I wonder if that's where the human version of this hairdo came from :) The snake...loved it (especially the eye in the sky) until the rat photos, I don't have the stomach to see that kind of stuff in action, yuck, but I'm glad you do.

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  16. Marvelous images; especially that stunningly coloured Corn Snake.

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  17. Cor blimey, the best of a Corn Snake, it was brilliant. Cheers Tammy.

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  18. Impresionantes Tammy. La de la serpiente tragandose la rata es espectacular.

    Un saludo desde Extremadura

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  19. Hola Tammy imagenes impactantes sobre todo las ultimas de la serpiente engullendose una rata.Un abrazo

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  20. Great pics! I've noticed that Osprey are target shooters.

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  21. All great images. Really liked the close up of the snake with the sky reflection in its eye. It would be great to have all this in your back yard!

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  22. Hi Tammy!!!.. Brilliants pics are usual.. Love de woodpeckers.. So beautiful!!!.. A regard from Madrid..

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  23. Amazing shots Tammy the snake coming towards you is superb!! :-)

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  24. Great shots as always Tammy. I hate to say it but you are much braver than I. I don't care what kind of snake it is, I certainly wouldn't lay on the ground and let one crawl towards me, unless of course I was using an 800mm lens and was a good 20 feet or more away! LOL

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    1. I was actually using my 50 mm for that shot:)

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  25. great shots of the birds... the snakes made me cringe... if there is anything on earth i hate it is those of the slithery kind.

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  26. AMAZING pictures Tammy!
    That snake swallowing a rat is very impressive!
    How lucky your were to be at the right time in the right place!
    The Pileated woodpecker is fantastic with its red crest!
    And your latest post with all the youngsters is soooo cute and your pics perfect!
    Sincere congrats, Tammy!

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  27. Parabéns pela linda serie de fotos captadas em momentos únicos, as mesma são de enorme qualidade e beleza.

    ag

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  28. All of these shots are awesome. I saw the Pileated Woodpecker in Sanford, FL.

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