Limpkin ( Aramus guarauna ) Spotted at Orlando Wetlands

Limpkin ( Aramus guarauna ) Spotted at Orlando Wetlands, a photo by Sheri Fresonke Harper on Flickr.

This Limpkin ( Aramus guarauna ) posed for us at Orlando Wetlands, Christmas, Florida. He might be a bit hard to identify since he's found with the rails and storks rather than the herons in your guidebook. His beak is what makes him standout differently from juvenile herons, as does the coloring/patterning of his back.

Northern Bobwhite (Colinus Virginianus)

Northern Bobwhite (Colinus Virginianus), a photo by Sheri Fresonke Harper on Flickr.

You'd think with two friends named Bob White and a husband named Bob, I'd see more of these quail type birds, but we just got a glimpse last time hiking at the Econ River Wilderness Area, Florida. I think they had babies because two adults came out of an area with lots of cheeps. One spread one wing out, the other ducked into another area.

Two Male Redhead (Aythya americana) and Identifying Ducks

Two Male Redhead (Aythya americana), a photo by Sheri Fresonke Harper on Flickr.

Learning your ducks is one of the easiest way to start learning to identify birds in the wild. The reason is ducks are large, don't move away really fast at least not always, and each species is quite distinct. Also, identifying ducks can be easy because they are often found throughout the US during winter when most other birds head south. We spotted them at the Orlando Wetlands in Christmas, Florida. Note their bright yellow eye stands out clearly. The only bird like it is a Golden Eye.

Corkscrew Swamp

One of the reasons my husband and I always liked to visit the Fort Meyers, Florida region where my in-laws lived was because of the terrific birding opportunities. One of the places we loved to visit is the Audubon managed Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Corkscrew Swamp has two loop trails, one inner and one outer. The two trails traverse several different kinds of ecosystems. This one pictured is a small freshwater pond that is home to American Alligators. The ponds can get quite dry, almost just a mud pit and the alligators will find a way to stay.

The birds in the above photograph include Roseate Spoonbill, White Ibis, and an Anhinga. They are dining fairly well, almost competing for the tidbits they are picking up.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is one of the nesting spots for the wood stork, which may or may not nest depending on the water levels that are affected by upstream diversion and use.

Best Golf Spectators--Sand Hill Cranes

This is how you know that your golf game is really bad. First of all, your ball lies in the sand trap. And second of all, the Sand Hill Cranes won't even pay any attention to you. This photograph was take at Twin Rivers Golf Course in Oviedo, Florida.

I wanted them to look up so I could have a good picture but they just kept at their grooming. We've followed this family since the chicks were about four inches tall. Nothing makes me more upset then having one of the chicks disappear.

Sand Hill Cranes (Grus canadensis) are year around locals to Florida, parts of the gulf coast, and Cuba, they migrate to Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, and around the Great Lakes as well as Central Canada, and Alaska where they are summer residents. They feed in dry fields but return to water at night [1]. See wikipedia for a full list of Cranes (clade Gruidae) in the group Gruidiformes.

Current issue of http://www.scoop.it/t/birds features the spotted nutcracker, many photographs, what to do with baby birds, bad spill or is that spiel about woodpeckers, odd blue jay behavior and much more.
[1] Field Guide to Birds of North America

Garden Planning for Our Home in Florida

We moved into a new house in Florida and I liked little about the house except for that we were in a more private area than some places--I didn't like the flooring, the house colors inside or out, and the fact that there were NO flowers, if you can believe it.

The main plant in the garden formed a hedge, and no animal sought it out except occasionally to sit on it on the way to our bird feeder. We hired someone to pull it all out.

The last month or two, I've designed a bunch of gardens, selecting native plants, most of which are drought tolerant, tolerate sandy soil and probably alkaline soil as a result, flower, fruit, or produce colorful seed heads or leaves. Instead of a solid mass of single shape and color hedge that is noisy to cut, requires constant pruning, I imagine I will have flowers, color, and only occasional pruning. What a change in attitude it will provide for me.