Loggerhead Shrikes are nesting!

Above: a loggerhead shrike from spring 2006.

Below: their nest in March 2008!

In the spring of 2006, we had the privilege of observing a loggerhead shrike family out the windows of our office. They are cute little birds, often referred to as "Butcher birds," because they are hawk like and kill their prey on the barbs of the barbed wire fence that surrounds our property. We've observed them catching and killing lizards, and it's quite a lot of fun watching the baby birds fuss at the parents to "feed me! feed me!"
This morning (a Monday) I watched Mama bird leave the nest for just two or three minutes, flitting about from branch to branch in the mahogany tree where they've taken up residence, then quickly returning to the nest. The photo, above, was taken from the ground, so you can't see her, but you can see the nest, which we'll be watching over the next few weeks!
There's no doubt about it! Spring has sprung!

MONARCH ALERT!

The month of November went by in a blur.

Now, here it is December!

Man! Where does the time go?

That's the age old question, isn't it?

Tuesday I got home early and was greeted at the front door by two Monarch butterflies who were dancing around the milkweed I planted next to the bird bath. They were there for quite some time, allowing me to capture several shots, up close and personal.

When I showed the pictures to my young friend, Lucas, (who got me started on the milkweed) he said, "That's a female and she's laying eggs." I asked him how he knew this and he gave me a very scientific explanation which I can't begin to repeat. Regardless, I'll be watching for more caterpillars next week!

Cheers to all this beautiful December day in Florida! Temperature at 4:15 PM is 79 degrees!
Eat your heart out, New York!

Blogger Buzz: Environmental Blog Roundup

Blogger Buzz: Environmental Blog Roundup

butterflies & milkweed, caterpillar style

Remember all those milkweed plants I took home? Well, with the assistance of my darling husband, we planted them in the front yard, in full sun, right next to the bird bath. We were so fortunate that it rained quite a bit over the first week they were in the ground, so I didn't have to water them very much. Given our ongoing drought situation here in south Florida, this is always a good thing!

Within one day after putting the milkweed plants in the ground I discovered caterpillars munching away on the leaves. In the photo here you can see three of those little wooly buggers chowing down!

It's been more than a week now, and a lot of the leaves have been eaten away and the caterpillars have disappeared, but I haven't found any pupuas. YET!

Stay tuned as we await the arrival of the Monarch Butterflies!

butterflies and milkweed

Milkweed attracts Monarch Butterflies. Luke told me so. Then, yesterday, he showed up with 8 potted milkweed plants for me to take home and plant in my yard.

I put them out behind the building because I couldn't very well leave them in my car for the four or five hours I had left before it would be time to go home. Then, at the end of the day, I pulled my car around back to load them up and there were Monarch Butterflies on the flowers. What was really fun (and, funny) was how they swirled around the plants as I moved them into my car. It was as though they were saying, "Where are you going with those?"

Stay tuned ... I've put them in my front yard and will get them planted on the weekend. I'll take a picture and we'll see how long before the Monarch Butterflies show up!

Can Man & Nature co-exist peacefully?

A great white heron landed outside the office today and turned an otherwise gloomy day into a gem!

Just above the heron's head is the Stirling Road approach to University Drive. Both roads are five lanes wide with speed limits of a "modest" 45 mph. Rarely do the cars actually drive 45; usually it's more like 65.

Yet, this elegant bird seems oblivious to the traffic jut above his head, looking intently for an opportunity to capture a little fish snack before the dinner hour!

And, this, dear readers, is why I love living here. I never know when I'll run into one of Nature's creatures right outside the door! What a delight this is for an animal lover like me!

Wolf Lake

Wolf Lake is located on 76th Avenue between Griffin and Stirling Roads in Davie. I discovered it this morning when I was out looking for Australian pine trees to take pictures of ... because they are an invasive exotic species, I needed a photo to show to my students during discussions of exotic plants. And, lo and behold! Here was a place shaded by these viscious pines that seems totally removed from the craziness of living with 1.7 million other people.

It was actually peaceful and quiet, as you see in the photo. There was a mama Muscovy duck and her little ducklings for company, so I wasn't completely alone.

Needles & Threads

This beautiful yarn, called "Magic Sparkle Yarn" is found on Etsy, a fantastic web site that I've been browsing for a couple of weeks now.

The problem is, I can't make up my mind which one(s) I want.

I wonder if others have this problem ... I have three babies coming in the next four months and I want to create precious one-of-a-kind gifts for each one.

Lordy! Lordy! I've got to get up and go and get this stuff!

It's all so beautiful! If you haven't been there, I suggest you visit! I'm sure you'll love it as much as me!

Maybe we'll run into each other!

what's in a name?

I live along the eastern side of Broward County (which, for those of you who don't know, is located between Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties) in sunny south Florida and the current population is estimated to be around 1.7 million. I work along the western side of Broward County, close to the edge of what we commonly refer to as "the Everglades."

Yesterday I got into a conversation with a couple of my neighbors and they were asking me and my husband if we had noticed the ibis flocks flying over every evening at dusk, to we which we replied, "That's why we're sitting here on the bench ... waiting for them!"

It was a pleasure to tell my neighbors that the University of Miami has studied the wading bird populations (of which the ibis is just one) and recently reported that their numbers are at levels we haven't seen since the 1940s. Which explains why, for the first time in recent memory, we're observing large flocks of birds flying from the Everglades to the beach to roost for the night. I also told my neighbors that early in the morning, just after dawn breaks, you can also watch them flying back west to the Everglades for the day's foraging for food.

We've all noticed an increase in the presence of wading birds this past year, despite the rampant development and redevelopment that's going on around us. I've captured photos of great blue herons, wood storks, flocks of ibis and snowy egrets to name a few. And, during the school year the children delighted in their frequent proclamations about seeing these birds at the parks and in their back yards. For far too long we could only see them in pictures and photographs. What a joy to see them right before our eyes!

The postcard above is from my "historic photo file." It is a circa 1947 postcard, when Florida was beginning to emerge as a winter tourist destination. Before the paving of the Everglades, the wildlife was abundant in south Florida, and there are many of us (myself included) who are hoping, praying and working to make the Everglades restoration project a success.

For those of you reading this, whoever you are, wherever you might be, please know that this restoration project is as important to you as it is to those of us living here. The Everglades is an environmental treasure worthy of preservation. Without it, global warming will most assuredly change life as we know it!

Marjorie Stoneman Douglas writes in her now classic book, "River of Grass" the most beautiful description I've ever read:
"There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth, remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them: their vast glittering openness, wider than the enormous visible round of the horizon, the racing free saltness and sweetness of their massive winds, under the dazzling blue heights of space."

a tree on the corner ...

I stopped to get gas yesterday morning and I had to wait in line. It seemed everyone else stopped to get gas, too! While waiting in my car, I noticed the tree, pictured here, and wondered what in the world was growing out of it. The tree appears to be dead, but not knowing what it was, and having the camera handy, I couldn't resist the impulse to get out of the car and take pictures. Naturally, a BIG SUV took advantage of my good nature and cut in front of me, but I didn't let him bother me. Why, I even smiled at him when he got out of his car to pump gas. See the guy standing in the background on the street? He was so interested in what I was doing that he forgot to sell his newspapers. After I got gas, I noticed that he had walked over to the tree and was examining it.

I truly believe in the old adage, "What goes around comes around." So I leave it to God or fate or Mother Nature (whoever's in charge) to take care of the bullies in life. Then, I say a little prayer that they will learn to wait their turn!