Great egrets and spoonbills were in the air and in the muck.
Bittern, limpkin, anhinga and wood stork on the trail.
A house wren hiding in the bushes.
Coot with cool feet.
A kingfisher actually sitting still.
Purple gallinule eating something yucky.
Lots of activity in late March at Circle B Bar Reserve but nothing unusual.
The reserve was covered in fog when I first walked out on the trails in early March. I could hear the sandhill cranes calling out but could not see them very well.
After the fog lifted, I saw several on my walk.
Spider webs blanketed the trails.
The usual residents.
A bittern close to the trail.
It can look dark and foggy early in the morning but it doesn’t stay that way long in early spring in central Florida.
A common yellowthroat hiding in the bushes.
A Carolina wren singing away in the morning.
A bittern hiding in the swamp. Shout out to Peter and Capt. Jake for finding this guy. Don, where were you? You missed out on this one.
A black vulture and a turkey vulture hanging out together.
One of the many “Osprey” trees along Alligator Alley trail.
The baby great blue heron is almost grown up.
The parent was still watching over him.
The baby was still getting excited when the parents came to visit. He was still getting fed by them.
I’m starting to see dragonflies everywhere.
A quick visit to Circle B Bar Reserve in mid-March. I think there were more people than birds on the trails. It’s that time of the year when big groups of bird watchers descend on the park. They move a lot slower and I’m sure they see a lot more birds than I do. Most of the time they are seeing they with binoculars or scopes so I usually can’t get a shot of what they are looking at. I usually try to keep moving. It all started with getting exercise so I try to get in a good long walk on the weekends.Seeing the wildlife is a bonus.
Birds look so different from a front view. This great blue heron looks like he wants to give me a kiss.
This is how we usually see them.
Peak a boo under mom. My first baby of the year. He’s probably a week old here. He only peaked out for a second. I have since heard there are two babies.
Across the trail, an eagle was watching us take pictures of the baby great blue heron.
Blue winged teal ducks taking a nap.
Tiny gator smiling.
Green heron in a green swamp.
Bittern hiding in the reeds.
A few critters on a recent walk at Circle B Bar Reserve. Nothing new but it was fun seeing the baby heron. My first baby of 2015.
Early morning spoony flyover.
American bittern hiding in the alligator flag plant.
Here comes a sandhill crane couple.
Anhinga with a fish.
Typical Florida shot. Snowy egret in the trees.
This is a juvenile something. I’m thinking an indigo bunting. There had been bunting sightings in the area but I didn’t see any adults. Any ideas?
Phoebe high up in a tree with a snack.
Bye, bye.
The usual stuff at Circle B Bar Reserve.
Check out more sky pictures at
An anhinga drying off after a swim to catch fish.
Sad looking cardinal. I’m assuming he’s molting into adulthood.
I think this is a young least bittern. He was far out in the reeds and would not come close. I had heard they were there recently but this was my first sighting of them at this park.
The edge of the lake was full of dragonflies.
Really? I’m standing there sweating in 90 degree weather and a million % humidity to take pictures of grackles? That’s when I knew it was time to go home.
Even though, they are pretty in the sunlight.
Another green heron. I saw several that morning.
Even this pod is hot and crispy.
The butterfly was taking a break.
It was just too hot. After a 2 hour walk, I headed straight for the car and cranked up the AC. I wanted to get out and get a walk in on an early Sunday morning in late August before I had to head to the in-laws for lunch so I headed out to Chesnut Park. I drank so much water I felt bloated but still felt dizzy. I headed to the in-laws and jumped in their pool. I may have to hibernate until October. At least when it was raining most of the time in early August, it didn’t feel as hot out.
A peak down the “closed” trail. Marsh Rabbit Run trail is closed for the summer due to alligator mating season.
American bittern sneaking up on a frog (or snake).
Osprey taking off with a clump of tree moss. You would have thought he was working on a nest but he looked like he was trying to eat it. I guess he realized it wasn’t a fish after all.
All the way across the lake, the happy couple takes in the view.
Baby moorhens are starting to pop up everywhere.
Green on green. Dragonflies are becoming more abundant.
They were all over the trails.
Very tiny bug.
This turtle looks like he’s trying to swim out of water.
The above weeds(?) were everywhere.
Circle B Bar Reserve is starting to quiet down since most of the winter birds have left. Now it’s full of alligators, great egrets and great blue herons. The highlight of the trip was the baby hawks and the new sandhill crane family. More on those later. And soon the mosquitos will take over the park and I’ll be heading to the beaches for my Saturday morning walks.
Check out more sky pictures at
