Yard Birds

St Mark's River Trip

I floated the St. Mark's river from the H98 bridge at Newport, upstream for several hours. Davey and Ed biked down there and we met. At the newport campground we all went separate ways. After my float I ran into Julie Bowland and Lynn Preistley, plein air painters who were braving the knats at SMWR. They agreed it was too buggy this weekend.

The river dog liked this trip.

Mullett on the St. Mark's river feed on fresh leaves in the trees. Here is one jumping for his dinner!

Spider lilly

Woodpecker sculpture.

Wacissa Monday

I arrived on the river about five pm today and stayed until after eight pm hoping to see a wild turkey. Here are some of my images. It was windy and the river smelled like coffee beans....

Friday on The Wacissa, Saturday on The Wakulla

yellow crowned night heron

very large alligator

Juvenile bald eagle

parental units

suwannee cooter and small alligator

great egret

tricolored heron

spicebush swallowtail

Suwannee Springfest

My other favorite performers were Ruth Unger Merenda, her husband Michael, and baby Will. Will has the music in his genes, or maybe something else! You'd think after three years with this camera I could get a decent picture but you get the drift!

Their brand new CD, Waltz of The Chicadee is terrific! I grabbed it from the CD table right off and it is worth every penny! These kids are fabulous musicians and entertainers. We will be hearing from them for years to come, thank goodness! Grandpa Jay Unger played in my dining room years ago, in another life!

Suwannee Springhouse...a favorite swimming hole.

Oh, oh, mommy! I gotta make a poopy!

I would have had more but the photography police stopped me. Boo boo!

Azaleas, Trixie and the sunset

Piney Z at dusk

These are the azaleas at dawn.

Trixie with a spring hairdo. "So you were faking about the treats, huh girly? I don't see no alligators"

Ivory-billed Woodpecker Rediscovered !!!!!

Mom and I took a ride down to the St Mark's wildlife refuge to enjoy the day. This ivory billed woodpecker followed me home. At last, a clear photo! Pay up, Cornell!!

The Wacissa... just before spring erupts

I have been out on the river several times in the past month. It has been cold, windy, foggy and this morning, when I launched just before dawn, I watched the sun slither up the trees and undulate across the western bank. Such light in the dawn. and hi gargoyle. When will I finally hear your piano...on a street in Amsterdam?

The woodstork below was soaring high over the river at dusk a few days ago.

I have been watching these traps for a few months. They finally disappeared last week. What type are they, I wonder? And whose were they?

Egrets mating dance. It was dusk and I couldn't get a clear shot but the image conveys the dance, I think, anyway.

This red shouldered hawk was roused by airboats this morningabout 7:30am.

This lone blackbird was singing a distinctive song this morning just after dawn.

Winter webs held dew.

Trixie plays monkey keepaway

It has been too rainy to go kayaking but Trixie can find amusement!

Wacissa Saturday

The egrets are displaying breeding plumage now! Hey I'd go for a fella in silky feathers!

Spying a turkey in the tops of the trees along the river is a thrill.

I recently finished Temple Grandin's latest book and I have been thinking a great deal more about stressing animals and I am finding that I am more tentative than usual about bothering these beauties. Especially these anhingas who with wet wings, are reluctant or maybe just can't fly off to get away from my annoying presence. So I snapped quickly and moved off.

How the snake bird got it's name!

Gray catbird

I believe this is a female eastern towhee

Unidentified flying object or maybe it's just a mullett!

Well I am mystified as to how my typing has been turned into Hindi but maybe it's a sign...