Say, "Goodbye..."

It's hard to believe, but they're gone. I watched them on Tuesday. Mama and Papa Birds were showing the four youngsters how to hunt. They would fly from the fence next to our building to the bald cypress next to the canal and back to the fence again, somehow beckoning to the babies to follow. Finally, two followed. Then, the next time, three followed. By late in the day Tuesday, all four were following their parents to the cypress tree, then across the canal to the cow pasture.

I knew it wouldn't be long before they would strike out on their own, but to my surprise (and great disappointment) they were gone the next day. I like to think they've flown west into the Everglades, foraging for lizards and insects of all kinds, feeding until they can't eat anymore, then roosting in a tree in one of the hardwood hammocks, napping in the late afternoon's setting sun.

I'll be watching next February when it's time for them to return. I sure hope they do.

We've got baby birds!

One baby bird is perched not far from the nest, above,
and below are his/her three brothers and sisters!
Watching the threesome reminded me of Larry, Moe & Curly!

If you look closely, you can see 3 babies perched on a branch
and a fourth baby bird is on a branch upper left. Just to the right,
behind the "3 stooges" is the nest. They are fledglings, not yet
ready to fly from the tree. I think they're waiting for mom and
dad to bring food. They're quite vocal, fussing at each other
while waiting. And, when the parents show up, you can
really hear them carrying on! They are just too cute!

Loggerhead Shrike Nest Update

Above is a photo I captured with both birds in the nest this afternoon. Papa bird was bringing mama bird a little snack.
Our little Loggerhead Shrikes are busy these days. Here is a photo I shot as papa bird prepared to bring dinner to mama bird.

Frequently called "butcher birds," these little hawk like birds capture insects and lizards and use the barbs on the fence to carve up their meal.

Mama bird comes down from the nest and sits on the fence for a little break from time to time, but she's never away from the nest for more than a few minutes at a time.

Meanwhile, papa is always scouring the landscape for good eats!

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.