'"Click" Ponds 11/10/12

Great Egret

I spend a short time at the "Click" Ponds yesterday. It was really quiet. The Redheads and Ring-necked Ducks were still there. The Palm Warblers were plentiful. All the Egrets were busy preening.

Snowy Egret 

Black-crowned Night Heron

American Alligator

While the focusing isn't so good on this photo, I like how you can see the pollen collecting on the bee's back.

Zebra Longwing

There were hundreds of Zebra Longwings fluttering around.

Zebra Longwing

Yellow Legs

Not sure how most people feel about the end of day light savings time, but I don't mind the change.  I was able to watch the sunrise on my way to work this week. It is my favorite time of day!

Green Heron

I haven't had a whole time for birding, but here are a few shots of some of the birds I saw last month at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Tricolored Heron

Greater Yellowlegs

Hmm, I was beginning to notice a trend, yellow legs.

American Avocets

Belted Kingfisher

Yellow-throated Warbler

Have a great weekend!

A Morning Moon

I was able to stop by the wetlands early one morning this week and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise.

I also stopped by the adjacent "Click" Ponds. The word out on the ponds this week was...

...the ducks are coming, the ducks are coming!!! (Note I didn't say anything about decent duck photos coming...the ducks have decided to remain directly in the middle of the pond, far out of my camera's reach). I was excited  to see this mixed group of around 15 that has arrived at the ponds over the past few days.

At the ponds, I saw some Ring-billed and Redheads as well as Mottled, Northern Shoveler, and Blue-winged Teal Ducks at the wetlands.

 We have been seeing lots of Eastern Phoebes over the past month.

This American Bittern looked like it was trying to hitch a ride as it stood on the side of the road. I think it's the first time I've seen one of these elusive birds completely out in the open.

This Snowy Egret wasn't to sure about what was lurking in the water (it was a Soft Shelled Turtle) and decided to speed it up a little to pass by it.

This Red-Shouldered Hawk was  keeping on eye out below for some prey to make its day.

One overcast evening last weekend, we drove the road out to the River Lakes Conservation Area. We saw 5 Kestrels, 1 Bald Eagle, 2 Crested Caracaras, 1 Northern Harrier, and 3 Red-shouldered Hawks! Just before sunset, we saw this Caracara perched on a large pile of discarded sod pallets.

Stop, Drop, & Roll

Even though Fire Prevention week was last month, this River Otter continues to enjoy practicing his...

Stop!

Drop!

& Roll!

Until 2 people on bikes come barreling towards him....then into the reeds he goes. Luckily the Otter was able to continue his drying process there.

After a swim, Otters will dry themselves by vigorously rubbing themselves in the sand or grass. I always find this process amusing to watch as they seem to enjoy it so much. They remind me of how my cat behaves when it has a toy with cat nip on it.

Wow, that was exhausting!

Time for a snooze!

Sandy at the Beach

We don't get "snow" days here in Florida, but every now and then we do get a "hurricane" day and school is cancelled. We had one of these on Friday as Hurricane Sandy passed by. While I certainly should have been spending this day in a productive manner, getting caught up, I went to the beach instead. I was happy with my choice.

I am a sucker for storms. I really do enjoy the excitement of stormy days like no others. To me, the beach is optimal place to be, to feel the power of mother nature.

The birds were still out. This Turnstone stood among the stinging sand blasts.

This Willet was standing his ground.

Three of these flew by, but I'm not sure what they were. I hope those who see this storm next stay safe!

Click, Click Clicking at the Ponds

We stumbled upon a sweet family of fourteen nestled along the shore of the Click Ponds last week. I took a few photos from my car window as we did not want to disturb them. Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are late breeders in Florida, but this seems really late.

I love the stripes on these ducklings. It's amazing how different they look from the adults.

Seeing these tiny little ducklings go bottoms up was too funny.

The birds at the ponds are pretty sparse these days. A Little Blue Heron, numerous Greenies, and a handful of Pied-billed Grebes...

And this Killdeer that was standing in path, and did not want to move.

I walked along the heavily vegetated exterior to see what creepy crawlers were lurking.

There were several of these Gulf Fritillary caterpillars munching away.

Not exactly a fuzzy caterpillar...

I also saw this Gulf Fritillary that was still drying its wings.

There are so many different species of dragonflies buzzing around the ponds right now.

Non-feathered Yard Dwellers

 Ever wonder what makes a dragonfly fly smile? Well, I really hadn't either until taking some photos of this delighted dasher.

Blue Dasher
Pachydiplax longipennis

What a face!

These fine friends are welcome in my yard as they help control those pesky, unwanted mosquito.

The dragonflies are rivaled in numbers only by the lizards.

Brown Anole

Brown Anoles, which are an invasive species, are an extremely populous species of lizard found in this area. This fellow was enjoying some type of long legged insect.