Monthly Archives: February 2026

More fun in the snow. My previous post showed an American Robin sitting in a snowbank, probably looking for seeds that got mixed in by a plow. This is an American Tree Sparrow that looks like it is combining seed hunting and some sort of avian winter sport. Birds, like we humans, are just tryingContinue reading “Snapshot: American Tree Sparrow”

My recent posts have been photos from Florida where I traveled to visit with family. New England has been dealing with a very cold and snowy winter and photo ops have been limited here. This American Robin represents all of us long suffering New Englanders. But don’t worry about him. There were plenty of fruitContinue reading “Snapshot: American Robin”

Wood Storks are mostly non-migratory and live in Central and South America, Cuba and southern Florida. Some do migrate further inland in the US southeast during the summer. These are very large birds that stand a bit over three feet (about one meter) tall.

The Turkey Vulture is a year round resident of the southern US, Mexico, and Central and South America. It spreads north as far as southern Canada in the summer. Fun fact. This vulture of the Americas is in a different taxonomic order than the vultures of Europe, Asia and Africa. Convergent evolution has led unrelatedContinue reading “Snapshot: Turkey Vulture”

I don’t need to watch out for these while hiking around here in New England. I saw quite a few American Alligators on a recent trip to Florida though. I’m not that good at estimating size but a conservative guess is that it was at least 10 feet (3 meters) long. It was the biggestContinue reading “Non-Avian Guest: American Alligator”

Common Gallinules become very territorial during mating and breeding season. Here two males approach each other while displaying their white tail feathers. What starts as a stare down ends up as a bit of a brawl. The combatants split up after much squawking and splashing with the loser retreating to another part of the stream.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are native to Central and South America. They have expanded their range northward and can be found in some of the Gulf Coast states. The pink bill and long legs are two noted features. And yes, they do whistle.

A Reddish Egret jabs at his small fish prey.

The Grey-headed Swamphen is native to Iraq, southern Iran to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and northwestern India. But this member of the rail family is now found in central and southern Florida as well after being introduced in the late 1990s.

He did finally manage to swallow the catfish after lots of maneuvering.