Happy New Year!!!

And 2014 is here already! Over this past month, I was very happy to take a few trips to the wetlands and spend some time away from the hectic daily pace.

As I walked along a section closed to vehicles, I came across this River Otter frolicking in the dirt. With a giant grin, I quickly sat down to watch one of my favorite, playful wetland dwellers in action.

Some dirt + some sun= one happy otter!!!

One day as I was pulling into the Click Ponds, I caught a glimpse of this beautiful Bald Eagle flying straight towards me! And then I realized that my camera was still zipped up securely in the camera bag....I did manage to get it out in time for one quick, somewhat blurry shot as the eagle passed.

 After a low pass of the ponds waters, sending the pond occupants scattering in mutliple directions, the eagle landed nearby on a utility pole. I soon thought to my self if the eagle is looking up, perhaps I should be too.

Sure enough, the eagle's mate was circling and soon the pair departed together.

And, yes it's that time of the year again...

While I do miss having different seasons in Florida, it is fun to still come across butterflies in December. Following this rapidly fluttering little blue, I assumed it was a Ceraunus Blue, as most little blues I come across are. I was excited to discover it was actually a similiar species, the Cassius Blue. Both species are teeny, tiny (wingspan 15-25 mm) with violet blue (inner) wing coloring.

I was able to capture a few photos (my first of this species) and the tiny butterrfly disappeared. As I was attempting to relocate it, I came across the more common Ceraunus Blue.

New Years is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the feeling of a new beginning, writing resolutions and goals for the new year...I wish you the very best in the 2014...

My your coming year

be filled with

magic and dreams

and good madness.

I hope you read some fine books

and kiss someone

who you think is wonderful

And don't forget to make some art

write or draw

or build or sing 

or live only as you can.

And I hope, somewhere in the next year,

you surprise yourself.

~Neil Gaiman

A Bird Count, the Beach & Happy New Year!

This past weekend I participated in my first Christmas Bird Count with the Space Coast Audubon Society. I had a blast exploring a relatively rural area in the southern end of Brevard County. My group was a lot of fun to work with. We found an average number of species for our area, near 60. American Robins were the most populous species that we saw, noting close to 1,000 of these migrants in the area. 

We saw several different species of raptors, including 2 Bald Eagles, several Red-shouldered Hawks, a Merlin, numerous Kestrel,, Osprey and finally at the end of the day, a Northern Harrier. My favorite sighting of the day was a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a bird I rarely see in this area. We also saw 4 different species of doves. The White-winged Dove was a lifer for me. We saw several dozen of them.

As I hiked along some scrub searching for Scrub-Jays, I saw these really cool looking plants. I'm not sure what they are but they very popular with the insects. I  saw this beautiful Gray Hairstreak, along with a Common Buckeye, a few Queens and numerous bees.

We also spent some time at the beach this week. While there has only been one sighting of a Razorbill at Jetty Park, we made a few hopeful trips to the jetty to see what we could find.

No luck on a Razorbill, but we did see this beautiful Sea Turtle. There are 6 species of Sea Turtles that are found along the beaches and I believe this one is a Green Sea Turtle. Sadly, in Florida these beautiful turtles  are listed as Endangered Species.

The beach was packed with Royal Terns mixed with a few Sandwich and Forster's Terns. There were also Herring, Lesser Black-backed, Ring-billed, and Laughing Gulls. There was also a massive group of Skimmers huddled together. A few Sanderlings and Turnstones were meandering through the groups.

Royals Terns

Royal Tern

2013 is coming....enjoy the ride!!! 

"Be Silly. Be Honest. Be kind."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and birdy New Year!!!

Around Town

Amid our different schedule this week,  we were happy to be able fit in a Wednesday evening trip to the wetlands, a Thursday morning walk at the Moccasin Island Tract, and a dreary Saturday morning visit to the Click Ponds.

Least Tern
Viera Wetlands

The Least Terns and I seem to be frequenting the same areas lately. I saw them at both the wetlands and Click Ponds this week and I am still seeing them regularly along the Indian River.

The wetlands have quieted down quite a bit since the departure of the winter birds. The usual Herons, Egrets, Limpkins, Moorhens, Coots, Anhingas, Cormorants, Blue-winged Teals, Pied-billed Grebes, White & Glossy Ibises, and Ospreys were all visible. Red-winged Blackbirds, Savannah Sparrows, a Loggerhead Shrike, and Northern Mockingbirds were a few of the other birds we saw.

Red-shouldered Hawk
Moccasin Island Tract

I saw this Red-shouldered Hawk hanging out on a fence post, pulling something apart, on the drive out to Moccasin Island.

Red-shouldered Hawk
Moccasin Island Tract

Turned out to be an insect with large green wings.

Eastern Meadowlark
Moccasin Island Tract

I think you can guess what we heard on our Moccasin Island walk...

Boat-tailed Grackle
Click Ponds

The Click Ponds seemed overrun with Boat-tailed Grackles and dragonflies. We walked a section of the ponds where we observed a variety of activity in the wooded area that surrounds the ponds. It started with the plump Mockingbird with a bill deformity (I seem to be encountering quite a few of these lately).

Northern Mockingbird
Click Ponds

We saw a pair of Cardinals, a few Yellow-rumped Warblers, several Mourning Doves, and one Common-ground Dove. We also saw a Gray Catbird, who decided to flash us a view its rufous-colored undertail coverts.

Gray Catbird
Click Ponds

We then spotted a large, in-flight raptor headed our way. It turned out to be a Bald Eagle, and it landed on a utility pole in the far distance, but still within view.

Bald Eagle
Click Ponds

Just as I thinking it was exciting to see the Eagle, a pair of juvenile/immature Bald Eagles flew overhead! I have never seen 2 young eagles flying together before. I guess Mom (or Dad) was trailing them to be sure they were staying out of trouble.

Sandhill Cranes 

Sandhill Cranes

I saw this new family of Sandhill Cranes on a quiet street by my house. I took these photos from the car.

Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center is located in Central Florida on the barrier island of Merritt Island. KSC shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refugee and is actually considered a National Wildlife Refuge. There is definitely no shortage of birds on KSC. The space center is also home to an abundance of wildlife, including many endangered species. The protected shoreline along the Atlantic on KSC provides an optimal nesting area for sea turtles. It actually has one of the highest populations in the northern hemisphere. Manatees are also very abundant around the center. The photos in this post were taken by my husband, Brian.

Bald Eagle
Kennedy Space Center

Bald Eagles are another endangered species that reside at KSC. There are currently at least 5 active eagle nests. Their nests can reach 6 feet in diameter and are typically occupied September through May.

Bald Eagle
Kennedy Space Center

Roseate Spoonbill & Wood Storks
Kennedy Space Center

Spoonbills are a popular sight around the space center as well. There bright pink hue makes them difficult to miss.

Roseate Spoonbill & Wood Storks
Kennedy Space Center