2013 Winter Wildlife in Florida
A different kind of bird, one without a formidable beak. By its markngs, this is a former American Airlines DC-3, now part of the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum in Titusville, FL. I couldn’t find any reference to this bird in my bird books.
RCS501289AmericanAirlinesRobScharpfDC3ValiantAirCommandWarbirdMuseum
This very young great horned owl chick was hatched in a nest in a tree just a few feet from the windows of the admin building at the Brevard Community College (recently renamed Eastern Florida State College) in Melbourne, FL. So this is a city slicker owl.
RCS501874BabyGreatHornedOwlRobScharpfBrevard Community CollegeBCCCampus
This John Doe (unknown) bug is crouched head down on a dowel I use in my backyard as a dragonfly perch. The dowel is 5/16" in diameter, so the bug is, in actuality, just under ½" long. I thought maybe it was a stick bug or a thorn bug, and while there are stick bugs and thorn bugs, they both look far different from John Doe here.
The American bittern is a fantastic bird, from its “gunk-ge-goonk” call to its swaying in the wind to mimic the reeds it hides in. I first saw one in May, 1967, while tent camping at Lewey Lake in the Adirondacks, and its sound was like no other creature I had ever heard. When an adult flies it looks like a feathered ball on a skewer, with a ball of feathers from which extend its neck and head to the front and its legs to the rear. I'm captivated by this bird.
This is the same American bittern as in the previous photo, but from a different angle. Its stripes and other markings, as well as the angle it holds its head, provide it good camouflage so it can avoid predators while sneaking up on prey. You can hear its call (different from what I remember) here: http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/33/_/American_Bittern.aspx. Scroll down to the "Songs and Calls" section and click on the "Play" icon to the right of the loudspeaker symbol. DON'T CLICK on the big, green button; IT IS AN AD.
Another critter with a hard (multi-plated) shell, an armadillo. This is the best photo I've ever taken of an armadillo because either it is running away from me so I get a butt shot, or it is looking for food by turning up the ground with its nose, covering its face with dirt, leaves, and grass. And I don't like photographing animals in zoos; where's the challenge?
My friend Ursula told me this is a Forster's tern. It's a pretty bird, and I'm very happy to have taken a decent shot of it in flight.
Ursula is an excellent photographer. Her website is here:
http://www.udubrickphotos.com/