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Animals roaming free

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More wildlife today Oh no!

Actually yesterday evening just before it got too dark to take photos I was looking in the trees and saw a great lump. A wild turkey was up there. As I approached it took a run across the tree limb and flung itself out and flew off into the woods. I couldn't get a photo of it flying but here's the running start. I will say that these guys are so large that their flapping wings do make a lot of noise. It also managed to whack through some smaller branches as it headed out.



This morning it was on the ground again nearly directly under when it was in the tree. It's overlooking my hill down to the woods.



Here is that male red-bellied woodpecker on the same dead tree there the female was peeking out in my post yesterday. I believe that they have a nest hole closeby because they are frequently in this area of my back yard.



At lunch I went down to the frog pond. No frogs still but the painted turtles were out.


The killdeer was looking for food in the same place. I expect I'll see them all summer as it's the kind of nesting area that Killdeer enjoy.



I had gone down hoping to see the snapper. Found him though it's not a great photo. I'm expecting better photos as the season goes on.


Last summer I posted these of this turtle or it's mate playing taxi driver for the brave or stupid painted turtles.

Link to last year.
http://www.secularcafe.org/showpost.php?p=469651&postcount=1215
 
I just had an illustration of that thing where birds establish a flightpath and then can't vary from it.

I've been away for a month and hence haven't had a strong presence on the verandah.

The last few days I have felt as if I've been being buzzed as I sit reading but I haven't reacted quickly enough to see what was happening.

This time I glanced up and the poor thing was disturbed by my movement and pretty well braked midair and went back where it came from.

20 seconds later the need to be at its destination must have gotten too much for it, but it stuck to the same path, pretty much brushing my forehead with its wings.

I will have to move the sofa or give a small bird a nervous breakdown.

I think it was an Eastern Thornbill.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/shanleylife/5053615671/ (not my photo)
 
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I saw my first American Robin of the year. Some of the butterflies are out and about, and the local wood frogs are announcing their interest in mating.
 
Quite an interesting day out!

First this morning my first humming bird of the season. Sucky shot but still first of the season



Goldfinch in a tree


One of hundreds of house sparrows but he's dug a hole in the kids old sandbox to sand himself.


Nice bath!! Getting the sand off like a dog gets the water off.


We took the boys to the ocean to look for sea shells and of course I was looking for wildlife.

A laughing gull either yelling or yawning.


This is a very first for me. A Sanderling which is one of the many sandpipers


Another sanderling a in different phase of molting


A pile of them


An ocean snail of some kind. Large. It's a good 2 inches across.



Hermit crab


- - - Updated - - -

Osprey flying off with a fish


Pale-bellied Brant. A goose of the far north on it's way through. A second for my life list.
 
Actually, the plover/sandpiper with the brownish back appears to be a different species still trying to identify it.

Edit. It looks like a Dunlin sandpiper. That would be three new adds to my life list.
 
Well these critters are becoming redundent. I need to find a new spot with new critters I think.

Eastern Kingbird.



Prairie Warbler


Yellow Rumped Warbler


Red Tail Hawk. I've yet to get a super clear photo of a flying red tail.


Tree Swallows all over the place


Yellow Warbler


Eastern Phoebe


Gray Catbird



Male and Female Eastern Bluebird. First sighting of the season. Wondering why they are so late. They ususally seem to arrive with the Tree Swallows.


There are two snappers at the same pond as the Mute Swans. Different pond from yesterday.

 
Just a few today.

A female House Sparrow with a snack of green caterpillars for the chicks. I can hear the chicks in the rafters of my garage.


UGH


First sitting still hummingbird. Too bad it's mainly in the shadows.




Bad focus but I am impressed by the cargo this one plans to carry.
 
A few pictures from yesterday and today.

The house sparrows are still collecting mouthfuls of little green caterpillars which is a good thing.


The female wild turkeys appear to be unimpressed.


But he is very impressed


At lunch today I walked down to the frog pond. Unfortunately the great blue heron heard me coming and flew off.


The water snakes are still hanging out.


The big one is really big. Not sure why the "little" one like to be on the big one.


I posted this a few days ago.

crazyfingers said:
Here is that male red-bellied woodpecker on the same dead tree there the female was peeking out in my post yesterday. I believe that they have a nest hole close by because they are frequently in this area of my back yard.

Click to expand...


I was right. I finally got around to checking out the other side of the dead tree. Here's the hole just on the other side of the tree in the post above.


Female pokes it's head out.
 
Only one photo today. Northern Flicker. But I have only a few good photos of flickers to I'm pleased. The Flicker is a close cousin to the red bellied woodpecker, but with very different habits. It's a woodpecker but mainly feeds on ants on the ground.

 
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Turkey Vulture here today. They are so huge.

IMG_1149-001.JPG
 
There's not really any wild animals right next to my house or anything seeing as I live in the city. Not counting pigeons and bats and such, of course. We do however have a large re-wilding nature reserve nearby that's home to many of Europe's rarest birdspecies. Pretty sure one of them; possible a Little Egret; spent the night on my balcony once; seemingly as tame as could be even though its a wild animal. Also in the reserve: wild Horses (Koniks), Red Deer, Roe Deer, wild Heck Cattle, European Bison, Grass Snakes (which can also rarely be found outside the reserve), Beavers and Otters. Of course, most of these animals rarely manage to leave the reserve; although my brain did almost explode trying to identify what at first glance I thought was a strange dog and which actually turned out to be a small deer in the middle of my neighborhood. Outside the reserve we also get the usual sort of squirrels, ducks, swans, toads and what not.

Other than that, I live far (by our standards) from any other nature areas, so I can't say I'm close to any of the other interesting wild animals my country is home to (which aren't many).
 
Speaking of vultures, I had never thought of Central Florida being one of their habitat. They even hover over skyscrapers downtown Tampa! Armadillos often occupy my backyard while engaging in their digging frenzy. Wild pigs have been known to cruise right behind our fence, driving our dog crazy. The preserve pond near by will host an occasional gator.

A variety of cranes (mostly sandhill cranes) will land in our backyard, announcing their arrival with strident calls. April and May will bring us nesting Cardinals and wrens who build their nest in the most awkward places. Like in an old hat in our garage. To be abandoned before they lay their eggs the moment they realize the house is owned...by our cat. Mockingbirds remain the nosiest and most arrogant occupants of our yard. Watching Mimi (cat) retreating when they attack him, while protecting their territory, is hilarious. Ospreys abound in the forested area behind our fence. So far, I have seen one Bald Eagle perched on the main electric pole. And a couple of owls.

Lizards abound in the jasmine and honeysuckle I have planted garnishing our living room and guest room windows. I can watch that spectacle from inside our home.Occasionally, a racer or a garter snake will hang in there.

Smart are the green Treefrogs who will rest on the window screen at night when I turn on the outside lights on our patio. They seem to know that insects will be attracted by the light. What a feast! Following a rain shower, we become the audience of a concert offered by bullfrogs. During the summer, the sounds of the Florida nocturnal wildlife give us the impression of living in a Tropical Forest.

Two invasive species in the peninsula have been expanding their territory from Southern Florida to Central Florida.... however I have yet to have encountered Burmese pythons and Iguanas in my backyard. I have encountered one Coral Snake so far but several Kingsnakes.

Then, there is a rare (endangered species) gopher tortoise who chose our backyard to dig her tunnel nest 2 years on a row. I had named her Gertrude while making sure to never handle her or interfere with her presence and activities. Every so often, snapping turtles will venture out of the pond crossing the road bordering our front yard.

Insects and bugs of all sorts to include a variety of spiders are our unwelcome tenants. In May and October, cars are covered with Love Bugs. Banana Spiders if impressive are totally harmless. Oak trees will bring the Wolf Spider all the way into our homes.

https://www.google.com/search?q=flo...RqAbysYEY&sqi=2&ved=0CCYQsAQ&biw=1067&bih=546

Those things are so big that you can hear them trot on a hard surface like a bathtub. However they are not venomous. Unlike the small Brown Recluse. Cleaning up the yard from dead bushes, tree limbs etc...means ALWAYS wearing protective gloves.And checking the inside of shoes you left outdoor.

Florida means mosquitoes. Waiting for the temperature to cool off by mowing your grass late afternoon/early evening is a no no. Same with early morning grass mowing. Grass mowing being a twice a week daunting task in the Summer. Mind you that I live in the area where the typical Eastern and Western sea breezes meet along the I -75 corridor, prompting afternoon thunderstorms almost every day. Sun + rain and you can almost hear the grass growing. And keeping that grass short means keeping snakes and rodents away.... and ticks. July is the peek season for ticks who thrives in tall grass and oak trees. When I trim our front yard oak, I am wearing long sleeves, a hat and long pants and boots.

To mention also fire ants...(big ouchie) Switching now to my neighbor who has a Butterfly Garden. When working on the corridor of yard which separates our homes, I am charmed by the variety of butterflies his garden will attract. With the occasional "magic moment" of Monarchs landing on me.
 
Today this Baltimore Oriole caught my eye - so dark orange!

IMG_1177.JPG
 
crazyfingers, love your hummingbird - I got a pick of one last year SLEEPING! Never saw a hummingbird at rest before.

_MG_8151.JPG
 
Rhea, that's awesome! You are getting some rare photos. What camera are you using by the way, to get a photo of that hummingbird so close?
 
It's a Canon Rebel XS DSLR with a 55-250 lens with image stabilization (I think this helps me when I'm trying to snap something fast, I haven't really read up on image stabilization). I also crop afterwards (digital zoom) when the focus good enough to permit and still have a decent image. This little fellow was only about 20 feet away, resting in the branch of a tree right outside my glass porch, so a little bit of the lack of focus is shooting through a window. I'd watched him come at the window a couple of times, trying to get at a red sticker my daughter had put on the window, then he flitted up to that branch and stayed long enough for me to go get my camera and come back and snap his pic. Gorgeous green color. :)

I was going to ask you the same question because yours are much more crisp than mine, though I am desampling to get the file size small enough to upload here.
 
crazyfingers said:
That's cool. I've only once seen a sitting still turkey vulture. They have a perpetually sad look on their face.
Click to expand...

This one probably though s/he was out of sight. It was up on top of the grain silo across the street from me, so probably 40 feet in the air and 150 feet from me and part5ially blocked by trees. I saw it land as I was pulling in the driveway; they make a big sight when they fly past - like a 5 foot wingspan I think? Anyway, had the camera out because I'd just come from a child's soccer game.
 
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