I was out at Largo Nature Preserve on a foggy morning in early March. I didn’t expect to see anything new but you never know. I saw a mallard across the golf course that sits next to the preserve.
There were also 2 Canadian geese on the course. I haven’t seen any since last year.
The limpkins were looking for breakfast. After a quick walk I left and stopped at the Roosevelt Wetlands to see if there was anything there.
As soon as I got out of the car at the wetlands I saw 2 northern flickers on a utility pole. I looked around for a nest but they stayed on the pole or wire for a while. These may have been 2 females.
The blanket flower was coming back from the cold spell and starting to fill out along the trail.
A pair of northern shovelers were sitting on the bank.
The usual birds were there including a limpkin and great egret.
As I walk down the trail I could see tons of birds hovering over the nearby waste plant. I think the bigger one in the top was an eagle.
Towards the end of the trail I could a lot of turkey vultures. It didn’t look like they had something to eat so they may have just been resting.
A young juvenile eagle flew right over (I took this into the sun) and headed past the trees.
I saw something moving around on the side of the landfill. I realized it was a coyote. This was the first time I have seen a coyote in Florida. I know there are tons of them here and people have seen them in my neighborhood (mostly at night) but I have not seen one here. I have seen them in Utah and Colorado but this was my first Florida one. He was far away and ran along the ridge for a few minutes before disappearing.
Lovely pictures of the familiars — and what a beautiful morning! And you did see something new (in Florida) — I too have seen coyotes but not in Florida. And I’ve never gotten a picture of one from anywhere. Very nice.
Beautiful shots – all of them!
Thank you for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2024/05/sheep-shearing-at-peter-wentz-farmstead.html
Another great morning with terrifice images!
I was surprised recently in a city park to round a bend to come face to face with a coyote. He ducked into the bushes before I could react with the camera. I suspect many are seen but mistaken for dogs, especially in an urban/suburban setting.
How interesting to see the coyote. We’ve seen them here several times and it always scares me even though I know they are shy.
A beautiful series of wildlife photography. You saw so many different species, and I enjoyed looking at every one,