1. OTHER AND MISCELLANEOUS

FLORIDA 2013

My husband and I took a trip to Florida, a first for me as a wildlife trip. We spent four days in the Everglades National Park and travelled from Fort Lauderdale along Alligator Alley to Naples, then the Keys. The wildlife was fabulous. I have included some of the birds in my galleries of Maine birds because we do have some them this far north. I know folks who are Florida snobs. I have to admit that prior to this trip I was one of them. I thought of Florida as Disney World, too many people, too much concrete, a hot flat place consumed by the hand of man. Some of my birding friends didn't understand why I would put my resources into going there either, to the fastest expanding urban area in the county. But now, I have been converted; I would go back there in a second. The opportunities for photographs for a 'naturalist' such as myself were seemingly endless. The birds were breathtaking. I could not get enough of the beauty that isThe Everglades National Park, the great Sea Of Grass. Thousands of photographs have been taken of the the inhabitants of the great swamp and by photographers far more skilled than I am. But, I hope this gallery gives you a sense of my experience of the wildlife wonder that is south Florida.
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  • Giant Blue Morpho butterfly, ventral view. These guys were so active, it was nearly impossible to get a clean, sharp shot. They were everywhere, but when they landed, they invariably had their wings up, as you see here. We visited the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy in Key West. It was a moving experience. It is set up as if the visitor is inside a giant terrarium amidst the butterflies (over 1500!), exotic birds and flowers. I recommend it for anyone giong to Key West. For more, see http://www.keywestbutterfly.com/info.htm,

    Giant Blue Morpho butterfly, ventral view. These guys were so active, it was nearly impossible to get a clean, sharp shot. They were everywhere, but when they landed, they invariably had their wings up, as you see here. We visited the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy in Key West. It was a moving experience. It is set up as if the visitor is inside a giant terrarium amidst the butterflies (over 1500!), exotic birds and flowers. I recommend it for anyone giong to Key West. For more, see http://www.keywestbutterfly.com/info.htm,

  • Little Blue Heron fishing, Florida Everglades, Everglades National Park, March 2013

    Little Blue Heron fishing, Florida Everglades, Everglades National Park, March 2013

  • Little Blue Heron wading, The Everglades National Park. Maine occassionaly has a Little Blue Heron, especially at Scarborough Marsh, in you guessed it, Scarborough

    Little Blue Heron wading, The Everglades National Park. Maine occassionaly has a Little Blue Heron, especially at Scarborough Marsh, in you guessed it, Scarborough

  • Tri Colored heron wading in Buttonwood roots with a couple of Blue Winged teal ducks in the background, Florida Everglades, Shark Valley

    Tri Colored heron wading in Buttonwood roots with a couple of Blue Winged teal ducks in the background, Florida Everglades, Shark Valley

  • Double Crested Cormorant with crests up - full breeding plummage. Bird is perched on a marine navigational light

    Double Crested Cormorant with crests up - full breeding plummage. Bird is perched on a marine navigational light

  • Little Blue Heron sees itself in the water, lovely reflection while catching a fish

    Little Blue Heron sees itself in the water, lovely reflection while catching a fish

  • American White Pelicans in flight, trio photographed in south Florida in The Everglades National Park, March, 2013

    American White Pelicans in flight, trio photographed in south Florida in The Everglades National Park, March, 2013

  • American White Pelicans in flight, trio photographed in south Florida in The Everglades National Park, March, 2013

    American White Pelicans in flight, trio photographed in south Florida in The Everglades National Park, March, 2013

  • Alligator swimming. This was the first alligator I ever saw. It was about ten feet long. I would see hundreds after this first. There's nothing like your first!

    Alligator swimming. This was the first alligator I ever saw. It was about ten feet long. I would see hundreds after this first. There's nothing like your first!

  • Gulf Fritillary butterfly, Shark Valley, The Everglades National Park, Florida, March, 2013

    Gulf Fritillary butterfly, Shark Valley, The Everglades National Park, Florida, March, 2013

  • Flock of Ruddy Turnstones in flight, Sanibel Island, south Florida, March 2013. These were a life bird for me. We do have them in Maine where they are very migratory.

    Flock of Ruddy Turnstones in flight, Sanibel Island, south Florida, March 2013. These were a life bird for me. We do have them in Maine where they are very migratory.

  • Little Blue Heron fishing with nice reflection in water, The Everglades National Park, south Florida, March, 2013. A life bird for me

    Little Blue Heron fishing with nice reflection in water, The Everglades National Park, south Florida, March, 2013. A life bird for me

  • Little Blue Heron fishing in The Everglades National Park, south Florida, March, 2013. A life bird for me

    Little Blue Heron fishing in The Everglades National Park, south Florida, March, 2013. A life bird for me

  • Little Blue Heron fishing in The Everglades National Park, south Florida, March, 2013. A life bird for me

    Little Blue Heron fishing in The Everglades National Park, south Florida, March, 2013. A life bird for me

  • Little Blue Heron fishing in The Everglades National Park, south Florida, March, 2013. A life bird for me

    Little Blue Heron fishing in The Everglades National Park, south Florida, March, 2013. A life bird for me

  • Anhinga, or Snake Head Bird, swimming, a juvenile, Shark Valley, The Everglades National Park, Florida

    Anhinga, or Snake Head Bird, swimming, a juvenile, Shark Valley, The Everglades National Park, Florida

  • Pileated Woodpecker, male, our largest woodpecker

    Pileated Woodpecker, male, our largest woodpecker

  • I think this is a Black-bellied Plover, though I'm not sure. It would be a non breeding adult. March, 2013, south Florida. We have Black-bellied Plovers in Maine as a very migratory shore bird in summer

    I think this is a Black-bellied Plover, though I'm not sure. It would be a non breeding adult. March, 2013, south Florida. We have Black-bellied Plovers in Maine as a very migratory shore bird in summer

  • Florida Gar, The Everglades National Park, south Florida, March 2013

    Florida Gar, The Everglades National Park, south Florida, March 2013

  • Untitled photo
  • Tricolored heron scratching its head, The Everglades National Park, Florida, March 2013. This was a life bird for me.

    Tricolored heron scratching its head, The Everglades National Park, Florida, March 2013. This was a life bird for me.

  • Untitled photo
  • Painted Bunting, female gleening insects from grass, south Florida, Key West Tropical And Botanical Gardens, March, 2013. A life bird for me!

    Painted Bunting, female gleening insects from grass, south Florida, Key West Tropical And Botanical Gardens, March, 2013. A life bird for me!

  • Green heron chicks, what cuties!

    Green heron chicks, what cuties!

  • Green Heron adult, Butorides virescens, a wading, migratory bird of wetlands

    Green Heron adult, Butorides virescens, a wading, migratory bird of wetlands

  • Little Blue Heron sees itself in the water, lovely reflection while catching a fish

    Little Blue Heron sees itself in the water, lovely reflection while catching a fish

  • nest of baby alligators. Aren't they cute? NOT! The Everglades National Park, Florida, Shark Valley

    nest of baby alligators. Aren't they cute? NOT! The Everglades National Park, Florida, Shark Valley

  • Green Heron, Butorides virescens, also called a Green-backed or Striated Heron wading bird, migratory in Maine. It's usually a secretive hunter, fishing along the margins of wetlands among dense vegetation at night.

    Green Heron, Butorides virescens, also called a Green-backed or Striated Heron wading bird, migratory in Maine. It's usually a secretive hunter, fishing along the margins of wetlands among dense vegetation at night.

  • Purple Gallinule, Porphyrula martinica  wading, The Everglades National Park, March 2013

    Purple Gallinule, Porphyrula martinica wading, The Everglades National Park, March 2013

  • Purple Gallinule, Porphyrula martinica

    Purple Gallinule, Porphyrula martinica

  • Roseate Spoonsbills, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Wood Storks, White Ibis and Great White Herons feeding. March, 2013, The Everglades National Park, south Florida. This flock of wading birds were feeding in a drainage canal on Route 41, also known as Alligator Alley. They were some of the first birds I saw in Florida. It was so spectacular that I found it almost overwhelming.

    Roseate Spoonsbills, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Wood Storks, White Ibis and Great White Herons feeding. March, 2013, The Everglades National Park, south Florida. This flock of wading birds were feeding in a drainage canal on Route 41, also known as Alligator Alley. They were some of the first birds I saw in Florida. It was so spectacular that I found it almost overwhelming.

  • Roseate Spoonsbills, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Wood Storks, White Ibis and Great White Herons feeding. March, 2013, The Everglades National Park, south Florida. This flock of wading birds were feeding in a drainage canal on Route 41, also known as Alligator Alley. They were some of the first birds I saw in Florida. It was so spectacular that I found it almost overwhelming.

    Roseate Spoonsbills, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Wood Storks, White Ibis and Great White Herons feeding. March, 2013, The Everglades National Park, south Florida. This flock of wading birds were feeding in a drainage canal on Route 41, also known as Alligator Alley. They were some of the first birds I saw in Florida. It was so spectacular that I found it almost overwhelming.

  • White Ibis in flight. March, 2013, The Everglades National Park, south Florida.

    White Ibis in flight. March, 2013, The Everglades National Park, south Florida.

  • Sandwich Terns, Adult nonbreeding

    Sandwich Terns, Adult nonbreeding

    Sandwich Terns, Sterna sandvicensis on Sanibel Island, Key West Florida, March, 2013. These were life birds for me. Two adult nonbreeding birds with a Laughing Gull in the background.

  • We visited the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy in Key West. It was a moving experience. It is set up as if the visitor is inside a giant terrarium amidst the butterflies (over 1500!), exotic birds and flowers. I recommend it for anyone giong to Key West. For more, see http://www.keywestbutterfly.com/info.htm, These fanicful cranes or herons were sculptures in the Key West Butterfly Conservancy. You can see that a butterfly is sitting on the beak of the bird on the left. The birds were standing in a Koi pond.

    We visited the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy in Key West. It was a moving experience. It is set up as if the visitor is inside a giant terrarium amidst the butterflies (over 1500!), exotic birds and flowers. I recommend it for anyone giong to Key West. For more, see http://www.keywestbutterfly.com/info.htm, These fanicful cranes or herons were sculptures in the Key West Butterfly Conservancy. You can see that a butterfly is sitting on the beak of the bird on the left. The birds were standing in a Koi pond.

  • We visited the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy in Key West. It was a moving experience. It is set up as if the visitor is inside a giant terrarium amidst the butterflies (over 1500!), exotic birds and flowers. I recommend it for anyone giong to Key West. For more, see http://www.keywestbutterfly.com/info.htm,

    We visited the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy in Key West. It was a moving experience. It is set up as if the visitor is inside a giant terrarium amidst the butterflies (over 1500!), exotic birds and flowers. I recommend it for anyone giong to Key West. For more, see http://www.keywestbutterfly.com/info.htm,

  • We visited the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy in Key West. It was a moving experience. It is set up as if the visitor is inside a giant terrarium amidst the butterflies (over 1500!), exotic birds and flowers. I recommend it for anyone giong to Key West. For more, see http://www.keywestbutterfly.com/info.htm,

    We visited the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy in Key West. It was a moving experience. It is set up as if the visitor is inside a giant terrarium amidst the butterflies (over 1500!), exotic birds and flowers. I recommend it for anyone giong to Key West. For more, see http://www.keywestbutterfly.com/info.htm,

  • A Limpkin is a wading bird. This one is picking a snail out of the grass for its dinner. Shark Valley Wildlife Preserve, Florida Everglades.

    A Limpkin is a wading bird. This one is picking a snail out of the grass for its dinner. Shark Valley Wildlife Preserve, Florida Everglades.

  • A Limpkin is a wading bird. This one is picking a snail out of the grass for its dinner. Shark Valley Wildlife Preserve, Florida Everglades.

    A Limpkin is a wading bird. This one is picking a snail out of the grass for its dinner. Shark Valley Wildlife Preserve, Florida Everglades.

  • Pileated Woodpecker, male looking out from nest cavity in tree

    Pileated Woodpecker, male looking out from nest cavity in tree

  • male Anhinga, head shot from behind. They are called Snake Head Birds and are related to cormorants. We do not see Anhingas in Maine. To my knowledge, non have ever been recorded here.

    male Anhinga, head shot from behind. They are called Snake Head Birds and are related to cormorants. We do not see Anhingas in Maine. To my knowledge, non have ever been recorded here.

  • Red Shouldered hawks are common raptors in south Florida. We also have them in Maine though they are not common here.

    Red Shouldered hawks are common raptors in south Florida. We also have them in Maine though they are not common here.

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  • Yellow Crowned Night Heron perched in a tree in the swamps of the Everglades in South Florida. Though this bird was photographed in south Florida, we do have them in Maine on rare occassions. One has been reported in Sagadahoc County and several in Scarborough Marsh in southern Maine.

    Yellow Crowned Night Heron perched in a tree in the swamps of the Everglades in South Florida. Though this bird was photographed in south Florida, we do have them in Maine on rare occassions. One has been reported in Sagadahoc County and several in Scarborough Marsh in southern Maine.

  • Yellow Crowned Night Heron, Nyctanassa violacea is also called American Night Heron, nicknamed Squawk in The Everglades National Park, Shark Valley, Florida, March 2013. This is a predatory heron that hunts mostly at night by ambushing prey on the margins of water. We do get them on rare occassions in Maine. It is a cousin to the more familiar Black Crowned Night heron. The Yellow-crowned is a much larger bird, taller and bulkier. Yellow Crowned Night Herons used to be eaten  as a form of game in Cajun cuisine.

    Yellow Crowned Night Heron, Nyctanassa violacea is also called American Night Heron, nicknamed Squawk in The Everglades National Park, Shark Valley, Florida, March 2013. This is a predatory heron that hunts mostly at night by ambushing prey on the margins of water. We do get them on rare occassions in Maine. It is a cousin to the more familiar Black Crowned Night heron. The Yellow-crowned is a much larger bird, taller and bulkier. Yellow Crowned Night Herons used to be eaten as a form of game in Cajun cuisine.

  • White Ibis White Ibis in South Florida. To my knowledge, no White Ibis have been reported in Maine. But, one never knows! I have seen White Faced Ibis and many Glossy Ibis here, so anything is possible.

    White Ibis White Ibis in South Florida. To my knowledge, no White Ibis have been reported in Maine. But, one never knows! I have seen White Faced Ibis and many Glossy Ibis here, so anything is possible.

  • Sandpiper

    Sandpiper

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    Little Blue Heron fishing in The Everglades National Park, south Florida, March, 2013. A life bird for me
    Anhinga, or Snake Head Bird, swimming, a juvenile, Shark Valley, The Everglades National Park, Florida
    Pileated Woodpecker, male, our largest woodpecker