Nature Photography by Pam & Richard
April 3, 2024 13 Comments
Springtime brings lots of baby birds, and one of our favorites to see is the sandhill crane family. The young peep is absolutely adorable!
Sandhill Crane and Peep Walking Among Daisies
Sandhill Crane Peep Being Fed
Sandhill Crane Peep Face
July 9, 2022 11 Comments
I had a surprise recently when a green regal darner dragonfly landed on my hand while I was walking in our Florida yard. What a beauty! It stayed there while I admired its colors and how the wings were golden in the sunlight. The dragonfly was so happy on my hand that I needed to gently coach it onto a plant before I headed inside. What a special nature moment!
Green Regal Darner Dragonfly on Finger
Green Regal Darner Dragonfly on Hand
Green Regal Darner Dragonfly’s Golden Wings
February 26, 2022 8 Comments
In late November we rescued this Tersa sphinx moth caterpillar from the top of our trash can. How it got there I’ll never know. We placed it in a safe big aquarium with lots of leaves and sticks. It turned into a pupa shortly thereafter and emerged last week. We released it into the garden and it flew away at dusk. This moth (Xylophanes tersa) is a kind of hawk or hummingbird moth that drinks nectar at night. What a beauty!
January 30, 2022 5 Comments
Here is a look around our Florida Yard in January. The sandhill cranes are getting ready for nesting season. Mama raccoon always stops by for snacks leftover for the birds. Our orchids are blooming – they never stop year round. And the new koi pond on our back porch is a joy – so much fun!
Sandhill Crane in Yard
Raccoon Eating a Snack
Indoor Display of Blooming Orchids
Purple and Yellow Cattleya in Bloom
New Koi Pond on Back Porch at Night
April 19, 2021 8 Comments
Goodwin Marsh near our home in Palm Bay, Florida, is a wonderful place to see birds in spring. So much beauty to see!
May 25, 2020 Leave a comment
Great Crested Flycatcher on Nest Box
Great Crested Flycatcher with Dragonfly for Babies
Inside the Nest Box (Babies Hunkered Down)
Flycatcher Baby Fledgling After Leaving Nest
We are so excited to have a pair of great crested flycatchers nesting in our yard! For identification, look for the bird’s pretty lemon-yellow belly. The picture inside the nest box was taken with our tiny Insta360 ONE camera. We could see 3 babies in the nest at the bottom (middle). Surrounding the babies are the flycatcher’s unique nesting materials – lots of feathers and even a bit of black and white fur (upper right). Flycatchers are well known for weaving snakeskins into their nest, and this one has one too – how exciting! The nest also has two round white empty mud dauber pots (top). I wish we had gotten a picture of the eggs – they are creamy brown with purple squiggles on them. Maybe next year! A previous post about flycatchers is at: https://naturetime.wordpress.com/2017/06/17/great-crested-flycatchers-are-nesting/
May 11, 2020 16 Comments
Great Blue Heron Pair on Nest
Great Blue Heron Nest Building on Tree Tops
Male Anhinga’s Beautiful Green and Blue Eye Colors in Spring
Fuzzy Anhinga Babies in Nest
Double Crested Cormorants Have Turquoise Blue Mouths During Breeding Season
Beautiful Iridescent Colors of Glossy Ibis
Green Backed Heron in Marsh
Yellow Crowned Night Heron in Tree with Spanish Moss
Juvenile White Phase of Little Blue Heron
Little Blue Heron Transition from White Phase to Adulthood Plumage
Adult Little Blue Heron’s Dark Feather Colors
Tricolored Heron’s Crest Feathers
Adult Tricolored Heron’s Beautiful Blue Color During Breeding Season
Juvenile Tricolored Heron’s Funny Face
Tricolored Heron Baby Hello!
Paired with my other post about Florida’s egrets and other white birds in spring, this post is about herons and dark feathered birds during nesting season. These colorful birds and their babies make me smile!
May 2, 2020 21 Comments
Snowy Egret Breeding Feather Plumes
Snowy Egret Funny Face
Snowy Egret Plumed Head Feathers
Snowy Egret Golden Slipper Feet
Snowy Egret Face Breeding Colors
Snowy Egret Babies
Cattle Egret Breeding Colors
Cattle Egret Face
Great Egret Face Breeding Colors
Great Egret Feather Plumes
Great Egret with Outstretched Wing
Great Egret Babies
Great Egret Baby Hello
White Ibis Face Breeding Colors
Wood Stork on Nest
Wood Stork Family (3 babies)
We love our Florida birds, especially in spring. This post shows egrets and other white birds during nesting season, when feathers are plumed and colors are bright. If you are lucky, you will see great egrets, snowy egrets, and cattle egrets together in one big breeding colony – it is quite a sight! Sometimes wood storks and white ibis nest there too!
April 28, 2020 8 Comments
Purple Martin Nesting Gourds
Martins Collecting Pine Needles for Nest
Bird’s Eye View from Inside Gourd
Five Eggs in Nest
Newly Hatched Babies (Pinkies)
Growing Purple Martin Babies
Older Babies with Pinfeathers
Parents Bring Bugs to Growing Babies
Babies Waiting to be Fed
Hungry Baby with Mouth Wide Open
Rainbow Over Purple Martin Gourds
We have so many purple martin babies! Did a backyard count here in Florida and the grand total for our nesting colony is 201 purple martins (107 babies, 22 eggs, and 72 adults). Ages range from eggs to newborn pinkies to older babies with pinfeathers. Love this time of year! Learn more from the Purple Martin Conservation Association at: https://www.purplemartin.org/
UPDATE May 16, 2020: Lots of babies fledging this week! Constant activity at the nesting gourds – great time of year!
April 6, 2020 18 Comments
Male Painted Bunting and Cardinal
Female Painted Bunting
Male Wild Turkey with Beard Feathers
Sandhill Crane
Peahen (female peacock)
Whitetail Deer
Armadillo
Raccoon Babies at Door
We love the variety of wildlife in our backyard here in Florida. So much fun!
October 7, 2018 4 Comments
Atala Butterfly on Coontie
Atala Butterfly after Emerging from Cocoon
The Atala butterfly was thought to be extinct in Florida until a small colony was discovered in Miami in 1979. This beautiful iridescent butterfly was protected and expanded its range over time. We saw this rare butterfly for the first time in Sebastian a couple of weeks ago. The Atala’s only native host for its eggs is the coontie – a small palm-like cycad. If you live in Florida and want to do your part to help the Atala hairstreak butterfly, plant a few low-maintenance coonties in your yard. The butterflies will travel miles to find these host plants by smell! Locally, Busy Bee Nursery in Vero Beach sells coonties and regularly holds butterfly gardening seminars: http://archive.tcpalm.com/specialty-publications/vero-beach/careful-gardener-uncovers-rare-butterfly-species-in-indian-river-county-ep-1233688624-340516281.html
May 19, 2018 9 Comments
Baby Raccoon Climbing Tree
Baby Raccoon in Bird Feeder
Baby Raccoon Face
Mama raccoon in our Florida backyard now has four little babies – what a handful! The babies play, wrestle, and roll around together. They are like puppies, except they climb. One time I caught them swinging in the hammock at night for fun! I was surprised to go outside recently and see this baby raccoon inside the bird feeder. Even so, they are really cute.
UPDATE JUNE 2018: A raccoon made the national news because she climbed a 25 story skyscraper in Minnesota! Read about it at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/us/mpr-raccoon-building-climb.html
March 24, 2018 15 Comments
Baby Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane Family
Look who showed up at our house this week – the sandhill crane family. The baby crane is so cute!
February 4, 2018 5 Comments
Eastern Screech Owl
Yellow Rose
Mama screech owl has been in her nest box all week – she is here to stay. Nesting season has arrived – it is spring in Florida!
January 6, 2018 13 Comments
Mother and Baby Manatees at Homosassa Springs
Mother Manatee Nursing Baby Underwater
Manatee at Crystal River
Manatees Have Good Eyesight
Manatees Have Sensitive Bristles on Body and Breathe Through Two Round Nostrils
Manatees Have Flexible Lips to Grab Sea Grass
Manatees Drink Fresh Rainwater
Manatees Have Round Paddle-like Tails
Florida manatees are easy to spot in winter because they congregate in springs and canals to stay warm. Famous places to see them include the Three Sisters Spring at Crystal River (http://www.threesistersspringsvisitor.org/) and Blue Spring State Park (https://www.savethemanatee.org/manatees/manatee-webcams/).
Sea cows live 40-60 years and are related to elephants. They weigh up to 1200 pounds and use their flexible, sensitive snouts to graze on sea grass. Their whiskers can feel water ripples that are smaller than a human hair! They surface frequently to breathe air through two round nostrils. Manatees do not have eyelashes, and close their eyes in a circular motion like the aperture of a camera. Manatees move through the water by pumping their round paddle-like tails up and down. They communicate with a series of chirps, whistles, and squeaks. Kids especially love these slow moving, gentle giants. Fun info and activities for kids is at (https://www.savethemanatee.org/manatees/education-materials/student-resources/. Learn more at: https://www.savethemanatee.org/
November 25, 2017 4 Comments
Sebastian Beach Waves
View of Sebastian Beach from Pier
Seagull with Mouthful of Fish
Sanderling Running with Waves
Shell Pile-up Near Pier
Brown Pelican Flying
Inlet Side Opposite Beach
Two-Tone Water where Indian River Meets Atlantic Ocean
Gopher Tortoise Eating Grass
The weather is perfect here in Florida! Migrating birds have arrived, and it is a beautiful time for a walk at Sebastian Inlet State Park.
July 1, 2017 15 Comments
Night Blooming Cactus Flower
Group of Cactus Flowers
Cactus Wrapped Around Sabal Palm
Wildlife Cam: Raccoon Trio
Wildlife Cam: Deer Peekaboo
Wildlife Cam: Tom Turkey
Wildlife Cam: Mother Turkey (right) and Chick (left)
Wildlife Cam: Mottled Duck
Wildlife Cam: Cardinals, Blue Jay, and Woodpecker
It is amazing how much nature is visible outside my home office window. Since it is summer, we are enjoying a spectacular show of cactus flowers every night. The automatic wildlife camera captured these raccoons playing beside the flowers. During the day the female white-tailed deer was caught visiting the same spot, as well as wild turkeys, mottled ducks, and many other birds. I always have handy a flashlight, binoculars, and camera to look at and capture any surprises I might see.
June 17, 2017 3 Comments
Great Crested Flycatcher in Nest Box
Raccoon Enjoying Fruit Tray
Raccoon Looking at Snake Skin
A pair of great crested flycatchers recently moved into the woodpecker/screech owl nest box in our backyard. These birds with lemon bellies have very unique calls – usually you hear them before you see them (listen at: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Crested_Flycatcher/sounds).
If flycatchers find a snakeskin, they always weave it into their nest. We got lucky and found one, so we placed it on a tray along with fresh fruit for the birds. The flycatchers ignored the goodies, but the raccoon thought it was the best treat ever!
April 29, 2017 8 Comments
Purple Martin Babies #1
Purple Martin Babies #2
Purple Martin Babies #3
Purple Martin Babies #4
Purple martin babies are hatching here in Florida! We have 23 active nests in 24 gourds. Definitely putting up a new rack next year. Our totals are 43 eggs, 64 babies, and 46 adults, for a grand total of 153 purple martins! You can watch our live cam video clip of the tiny babies being fed at: https://ring.com/share/3017928363 The top two pictures show the youngest birds, and the bottom two pictures show slightly older hatchlings. Notice how the older birds have more defined eyes and pinfeathers starting to grow in. The youngest birds are affectionately called “pinkies” by purple martin landlords.
March 4, 2017 9 Comments
Peacock’s Fanned Tail
Peacock with Train
Peahen (female) and Peacock (male)
Peafowl Family on Florida Neighborhood Wall
Peachick
Peacock’s Corona Feathers on Head
Peacock and Hyacinths
Peacock Preening
Stunning Peacock Tail Feather “Eyes”
Some neighborhoods near us in Florida are home to free roaming peacocks. Some people love them, and some think the birds are a tad bit noisy. At any rate, I always enjoy seeing these spectacular birds!
If you would like to see some unbelievably gorgeous macrophotographs of iridescent peacock feathers, go to: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2016/03/macro-peacock-feather-photography/
January 27, 2017 18 Comments
“Braided” Feathers Under Sandhill Crane Eye
Sandhill Crane Looking at You
Sandhill Crane Back of Head
Sandhill Cranes Dancing
Sandhill Cranes Bill Clack
Sandhill Crane Feathers Display
We know it is spring here in Florida when the sandhill cranes start dancing!
January 7, 2017 6 Comments
Green Iguana Eye
Green Iguana Sunning on Rock
Green Iguana in Garden
We saw this adult male green iguana on a recent day trip to South Florida. He is stunning! Looking at his eye feels like looking at a living dinosaur. What an amazing creature! These Florida exotics originate from South America. They can reach 6 feet long (look at that striped tail!) and weigh up to 18 pounds.
December 27, 2016 15 Comments
BOBCAT SURPRISE!!!
Merry Christmas Raccoons
Raccoons Climbing on Santa
Raccoon and Santa
Opossum and Santa
Bunnies and Santa
Cardinal and Painted Bunting by Santa
Mourning Dove Flash
Cardinal Flying
Wild Turkeys and Mottled Ducks
Sandhill Crane and Raccoon
We had the BEST surprise on our automatic wildlife camera EVER!!! A bobcat walked right in front of our Santa outside! Wow! I about fell off my chair when I was looking over the pictures from the night before. Some of our other recent pictures are here too, including Merry Christmas raccoons. Have a great holiday!
October 30, 2016 15 Comments
Colorful Corn Snake
Close-up of Corn Snake Scales
Yellow Rat Snake in Grass
Yellow Rat Snake in Nesting Gourd
Beautiful Rough Green Snake
Tiny Ringneck Snake
Curled Tail Revealing Orange Underside
Black Racer Zig-Zag Following Grooves in Wall
Shy Eastern Coral Snake
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Close-up of Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Since it is that creepy-crawly time of year, here are pictures of snakes that we have seen in Florida over the years. Sightings are actually few and far between. The most beautiful snake we’ve seen is the Rough Green Snake. The biggest and scariest snake we’ve seen is the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (we were in the car and this several-foot-long snake crawled across the dirt road in front of us). The majority of Florida snakes are nonvenomous, and all native snakes play an important part in the environment. In this collection only the last two – the Coral Snake and Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake – are venomous. And in case you want to know, venomous snakes have cat-eye or narrow slit pupils, and nonvenomous ones have round pupils.
August 26, 2016 3 Comments
Waves at Sebastian Beach
Green Sea Turtle
Manatee Snort
Spotted Ray
Snook Surrounded by Tiny Greenies
Needlefish
Orange Boring Sponge
Sebastian Inlet Bridge
Beautiful Turquoise Water
We make frequent trips to Sebastian Inlet State Park, Florida, to walk out on the fishing pier and stroll on the beach. The water is especially pretty right now, and there is always lots to see! You can view a live cam at: http://www.sebastianinletcam.com/
July 16, 2016 2 Comments
Boardwalk to Beach
Summer Day at Sebastian Beach
Marked Sea Turtle Nest Sites
Sea Turtle Nest Caution Sign
Sea Turtle Nest Totals
Today was a gorgeous day at Sebastian Beach, Florida. The weather and water are warm, and the sea turtles are busy nesting at night. In fact as of today, the area has recorded the second highest count ever of documented sea turtle nests. Scientists rope off the nest sites to keep the eggs safe until the turtles hatch. Great time of year!
UPDATE: Final sea turtle nesting totals at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge on August 27, 2016, are: Loggerhead – 20,376; Green – 1,295; Leatherback – 72, and Kemp’s Ridley – 1.
July 9, 2016 5 Comments
Group of Birds Onshore
Spoonbill Family
Spoonbill’s Pink “Angel” Wings
Spoonbill and Baby
Roseate spoonbills are one of our favorite birds in Florida. The babies are born with pink skin, which Is quickly covered with fluffy down. We recently saw groups of the babies leaving their nests and feeding along the shore at Goodwin Waterfowl Management Area (Stick Marsh Critical Wildlife Area) near Fellsmere, Florida. What a treat!
July 4, 2016 4 Comments
White Pelicans at Goodwin Marsh in Summer
White Pelicans in Shallow Water
White Pelican with Unique Water Reflections
Recently we’ve noticed there is still a flock of 2 dozen white pelicans at Goodwin Marsh near our home in Palm Bay, Florida. The white pelicans have been hanging out there for months – long past the time they should have migrated to breeding grounds in the far north for summer. I wrote the Treasure Coast Audubon Society and was told that we are fortunate to have some isolated groups of white pelicans stay year round in Brevard County and at Lake Okeechobee. There are also a few white pelican colonies that stay year round along the Texas coast. Love these magnificent birds!
May 12, 2016 15 Comments
Adult Male Purple Martin Looking Out Nesting Gourd Entrance Hole (note iridescent purple feathers)
Hungry Babies
Baby Ready to be Fed – Still Partially in Shell!
Hatchling Hug
Looking through Gourd’s Entrance Hole (love the “lips”)
Leaf-Lined Nest Containing 5 Eggs
Leaf and Bark-Lined Nest Containing 5 Eggs
Leaf and Cedar Chip Nest Containing 5 Eggs
Cedar Chip Nest Containing 3 Eggs (probably a first-time nester)
Frog on Nesting Gourd
Silhouette of Purple Martin Gourd Rack and Sky: All Tucked-In for Night (click to enlarge for details)
Last weekend we did a nest check of our two purple martin gourd racks. So far we have a total of 11 nests containing 49 babies and eggs! There are also 4 more early nests that may or may not progress on to eggs within the next 2 weeks. One nest contained a baby that wriggled out of its egg as we watched. The baby even opened its mouth to be fed while it was still partially in the shell! The birds seem to have their own individual nest styles. Some martin parents gather lots of leaves, some add hard red bark to the nest, and others simply lay eggs on the cedar chips provided as a base. Each nest usually contains 3-6 eggs. Love this time of year! If you would like to host your own purple martins, more info is at: https://www.purplemartin.org/education/75/getting-started/.
April 24, 2016 4 Comments
Three Fuzzy Anhinga Babies
Feeding Time for Babies
Nest of Anhinga Babies in Treetop
Female Anhinga
Male Anhinga in Beautiful Breeding Plumage
Anhinga babies are so fuzzy! The birds are nesting in the treetops now at the Viera Wetlands, Florida. Anhingas are also known as water turkeys or snake birds (because of the way they stick their long necks above water when hunting for fish). The babies sleep by tucking their heads over their backs and down into their feathers. Their parents have quite a time feeding them. Neat birds!
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