Ohio Birding ~ Magee Marsh Boardwalk with Jenny

American Woodcock foraging

And another American Woodcock

Green Heron ~ Jenny's favorite

Ovenbird

Can you find the turtle?

Bald Eagle feeding chick

Melbourne, FL ~ Viera Wetlands

Early Morning meeting of the minds

Wilson's Snipe

American Bittern

Male Anhinga

"Cousins" ~ Tri-colored Heron and Green Heron

Female Anhinga feeding

Female Anhinga ` And down it goes

Boat-tailed Grackle

Polk County, FL ~ Circle B Bar Ranch Preserve

Northern Parula

Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Black-crowned Night-heron

Common Gallinule and chick

Green Heron

Roseate Spoonbill

Palm County, FL ~ Heron's in Breeding colors

Green Heron

Love seeing the gorgeous colors of the breeding birds. 

Green Heron

Great Blue Heron

Tricolored Heron bringing nesting materials

Tricolored Heron 

Tricolored Heron 

St Augustine, FL ~ Marshes of Moultrie Creek

Long-tailed Skipper

This morning I spend the morning checking out the marshes from both sides of the creek.  I drove along Shore Road stopping wherever it took my fancy and looked out to see what birds were around. It was going on high tide and yet still I was pleased with birds seen ~ unexpected shorebirds along with some ducks.  But the biggest surprise was a pristine Long-tailed Skipper along the edge of the marsh. I loved watching this Hooded Merganser fight with the shrimp he caught.  He finally was able to have some lunch.

Hooded Merganser & Shrimp

Whimbrel

Spotted Sandpiper

Turkey Vulture

Green Heron

FL ~ Big Cypress National Preserve ~ Fakahatchee Strand Preserve

Barred Owl

Great-crested Flycatcher

Green Heron

Cape May Point State Park ~ Green Heron

While out walking this morning I came across this Green Heron down near the duck blind. Just as I came across him he caught this dragonfly for a tasty snack.  He was only 12-14 feet away from me at times and paid no attention at all to me.

Viera Wetlands & Click Ponds, Viera, FL ~ Take Two

Decided to take a drive back to our second favorite spot Viera Wetlands followed by the Click Ponds

American Coot

Great Blue Heron males fighting over female (just out of the picture)

Little Blue Heron going into adult plummage

Pied-billed Grebe ( First year)

and onto the Click Ponds...

Double-crested Cormorant

Green Heron

Florida Soft-shelled Turtle

Naples, FL ~ Corkscrew Swamp

Ruddy Daggerwing Butterfly

Another high on our list of places to visit was the Corkscrew Swamp.  I have read or heard about it numerous times from my birding friends.  Also one of my target birds for this trip is a Limpkin and they are seen here fairly often.  Easy to find and the roads to it are well marked.  Here we saw a good number of birds, lifer Ruddy Daggerwing Butterfly, turtles, raccoon plus another alligator and snake.

Anhinga

Green Heron

Black & White Warbler

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher