Stepping outside to look up

Good, beautiful morning, about 7:00 am, 4/9/23 (Easter)

I begin the day by stepping outside to look up. I see this sky. 

Often I walk and then sit down for at least 20 minutes. When I still and sit, I notice what's around me.

I heard someone say again, "There are no birds now." Maybe this was a comment about migration. The many different warblers that filled the oak behind our place have left. But, oh my goodness, there are birds. 

10 Wood Duck ducklings a few days ago. I saw them leave a natural area and hop into the pond. Maybe this was their first day. 

Saturday afternoon, 4/8/23 - there are 6 ducklings. A Little Blue Heron is in the foreground.

Female Downy Woodpecker, April 2023. Difference between Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers? HERE.

There are many ducks. Here is a Lesser Scaup, male.

Blue-winged Teal Duck, male and female (dabbling)

This (I think) Mallard female duck is going to get in trouble.

An Eagle flew overhead.

Susan Herman shared a photo of a soon-to-be Monarch chrysalis.

From the butterfly garden, I took a photo of a soon-to-be-born Monarch butterfly.

Behind Pat and Cathy's place, a Belted Kingfisher in the Southern Live Oak.

Cardinals are plentiful! A male portrait.

 A female looking for Betty, or its male partner.

Yeah. She's looking for him. A male Cardinal looking back at that female.

Tri-Colored Heron, breeding plumage. This photo shows its neck. That is a good identifying clue.

The TCH used its wings to hop along the shallow water to catch fish.

It caught one!

A Brown Thrasher. Not as good a photo as Barb would get, though you get the idea.

Three male Wood Ducks, big pond.

Behind our place, a pair of Great Blue Herons. One in the water spray mist.

The other a distance away. They kept an eye on each other.

Keeping an eye on us. This curious juvenile Raccoon came down far enough to peek out over the yellow orchid blooms into our back window. Happy spring morning little masked-guy.

Brown Anole often checks us out, too. After all, we share a neighborhood and world.

Enjoy this beautiful day! Take a chair outside and sit in the shade. After 15 minutes, the birds will get used to your presence, and if you're like me, you'll wonder why you don't spend more time in nature. This wonderful photo was taken by Terry.

Beautiful bird, I see you: a humbling act of reciprocity

Pat said, "I saw our friend." 

She was referring to a resident Red-Shouldered Hawk often perched in what appears to be a favorite area at the bend of Pineneedle Drive. (I took this photograph earlier this week, January, 2021).

A sighting is a humbling act of reciprocity: we give care and protection to wildlife partly in return for the gifts they give us. There are many gifts bestowed by birds and wildlife to the cycle of life, but here it's delight. Then we extend that story by sharing our experiences with other people through story-telling (the earliest of social "media").

I thought about what it means to see a Red-Shouldered Chick or Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher or Great-Crested Flycatcher or Blue Jay or Blue-winged Teal Duck.  

Or any wildlife.  

And now Pat's telling is shared on this website. 

PS. From a subscription website called Birds of the World: more about the Red-Shoulder Hawk

Blue-winged teal ducks

My partner called, "Look in the pond. I think there are two young ducks." I grabbed my camera to use its telephoto lens to see and take a few photos. I looked in my bird book and confirmed with birding friends Blue-winged teal ducks, an adult male and female.

The Cornell Lab of Orthinology website says that teals are often found dabbling with other dabblers. (So, what's a dabbler?) Like this Mallard taking a bath.

And not to miss out, this Muscovy duck waddled out of the pond and almost stood on my toe as if asking to see the photo! 

Why hello.

More likely, this duck is fed by neighbors. Please don't feed the birds, professionals ask of us. There is plenty of food for birds to forage. 

A reason I contain my urge to feed Florida birds is a little knowledge about the varying birds' digestive systems. Just like us, eating the wrong food hurts their bodies. 

(Here are other reasons not to feed ducks.) Okay, I'm in. No feeding.

The biggest reason I'll refrain: feeding endangers migrating birds from leaving when it's time. One time lost and birds don't migrate again according to David Sadkin, Ph.D, director of education at Wildlife, Inc. 

If you live in WWIIA, our regulations book includes a "no feeding wildlife rule,"  inspired by Florida Department of Wildlife guidance.

March 21, 2018