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It may resemble a chicken but the Common Gallinule is a member of the Rail family. It swims like a duck and can walk on lily pads using those extra long toes to spread its weight. It was formerly called the Common Moorhen due to its resemblance to the Old World moorhens.

Brown Pelicans perform crazy dives to grab fish. This Pelican is diving at a fairly high speed into the shallow waters of a mangrove estuary. It surfaces undamaged despite the impact.

Snail Kites are a Central and South American raptor that are only found in North America in Florida. That long hooked upper beak allows them to dine on the large apple snails that almost exclusively make up their diet.

The resident Ospreys in Florida are nesting at this time of year so they are often spotted carrying material to a nesting site. This is a surprise! Not a material I expected to see. Time for a lunch break. All that work makes a bird hungry.

A Belted Kingfisher and a Tricolored Heron were both fishing from a tangle of vegetation at the edge of the water. There was a little squabbling but it was mostly peaceful.

This large herbivorous reptile is an invasive species in Florida, having been accidently introduced on cargo ships from Central America. The Green Iguana is arboreal and often basks in trees near a body of water. They can get quite large, up to 2 meters nose to tail tip. I think this one was over aContinue reading “Non-Avian Guest: Green Iguana”

A flock of Black Skimmers resting on a sandbar. They are a tern-like member of the gull family that capture small fish by skimming the surface of the water with their extra long lower bill until they feel a fish. They can hunt fish at night since they are using touch, not sight.

The Roseate Spoonbill is noted for its pink color and spatula shaped bill. It uses the bill to sweep back and forth, snatching up small fish and invertebrates. This one has just dropped in to join a large group of White Pelicans on a sand bar.

A Whimbrel foraging along the water’s edge with some Ruddy Turnstones.