Thursday, January 8, 2015

Warm Thoughts of Florida Birds


As frigid arctic air moves into the Midwest, I thought I would post some bird photographs taken during my March visit to Longboat Key, Florida. Thoughts of warmer climes, lush foliage and stunning birds certainly ease cabin fever on a day where wind chill readings of -30 degrees are expected here in Chicago. Brrr!


A handsome Barred Owl roosts quietly in the forest canopy


A hungry owlet calls out for its parents


A stunning Great Blue Heron shows off its impressive wingspan


Two Limpkins explore Celery Fields


A Great Egret in breeding plumage finery


Two curious Great Egret youngsters move about the nest


A striking figure amid the Spanish moss ~ White-eyed Vireo


Pretty in Pink ~ Roseate Spoonbill


A juvenile Little Blue Heron scratches an itch


The midnight blue feathers of an adult Little Blue Heron


Foraging amidst the Sarasota Bay mangroves ~ Yellow-crowned Night Heron


A colorful Green Heron perches above swamp waters


Searching for food ~ Glossy Ibis


Soaring above Celery Fields ~ Northern Harrier


Exhibiting courtship behavior ~ Double-crested Cormorants


A red-eyed Black-crowned Night Heron peeks out from behind the mangrove leaves


An American Alligator basks in the warm morning sun


32 comments:

Marco Luijken said...

Hello Julie,
Nice to see pics of you again. And what...!! Amazing shots of all these wonderful birds. So special to see how you've could photographed these so well. Shot 4,6 and 10 are my favorites. It's real enjoyment.

Kind regards,
Marco

Bas. said...

Geweldig wat is dit mooi ,vooral de jonge vogels heb je zo mooi in beeld gebracht.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Julie, these all all wonderful photos and gorgeous birds. A great post, I wish I was in Florida now! It is cold out there.. Have a great day!

JRandSue said...

Hi Julie.
First thing,I'd like to wish you a very Happy New Year,second is to say these images are awesome.
We love Birding in the USA,and can't wait for our next visit in 2016.
John.

PoetessWug said...

It was good to see that somewhere the winds aren't howling, and the weather men aren't talking about 'wind chill factors'!! :-) Beautiful photos as usual!!

TexWisGirl said...

just gorgeous, julie! you can share views like these in any season, any time. :) stay safe up there!

Debbie said...

florida was good to you Julie. don't you wish you were there right now??

the jersey shore is cold as well about 10 degrees right now with a blistery wind!! stay warm!!!

Ruth Hiebert said...

A wonderful set of photos.You have captured the birds beautifully.

Bob Bushell said...

Oh yes, I love the Roseate Spoonbill, beautiful. And the others, excellent.

Kathie Brown said...

Julie, all wonderful as always! I love the ibis and GB Heron shots! It'll be a long time until we are all warm again here in the north!

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said...

Dearest Julie,
What an incredible series of Florida bird photos you show us here. Makes us happy to see and imagining the warmth... we could use that all when the cold visits us!
Wonder why one of the Great Egret youngsters looks like he's been deprived of many meals... Poor thing; hope he will catch up and not become an easy prey.
Thanks for sharing this with us; my husband also indulged in your photos.
Hugs and above all a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Mariette

Unknown said...

Hi Julie. You really had some nice opportunities in Florida. My favorites are the cormorants because you were able to capture the blue eyes and mouth and the Great Egret because the greens are so visible. The Black-crowned Night Heron is a great shot too. I've never seen one of those. Makes me want spring to come faster.

Scott @NESASK said...

Thanks for sharing the great shots, Julie. Fantastic colours. I especially like the cormorants and the egrets.

Dan said...

Gorgeous shots!

I can appreciate your post even more now... Firstly because it is in warmer weather and secondly because I'm in Florida right now... and enjoying the warmer weather compared to back home.

Ela said...

Gorgeous shots ! Thanks for showing these beautiful birds !
Have a happy weekend !

Tinie said...

Great beautiful array of all these birds, my compliments.
Greetings Tinie

Ricky L Jones Photography said...

Nicely done Julie, great shot. Love the blog!

David M. Gascoigne, said...

It used to be conventional wisdom that it was easy to find a Barred Owl in the Everglades but I was never successful. I have had far greater look here at home. The image of the White-eyed Vireo against the Spanish moss is quite stunning.

Wally Jones said...

Very impressive photography! Of course, the subject matter is pretty nice, too! :)

Guy said...

Hi Julie

Stunning photos as always.

Guy

Birder's Journey said...

Did I tell you how much I enjoyed this wonderful post and wonderful photos!?

Scott Simmons said...

Gotta love those Great Egret chicks, but they're all wonderful!

Anonymous said...

What a good idea to import some warmth with those beautiful photos!

Juliana said...

I love the 1st one!

xoxo, Juliana | PJ’ Happies :)

John's Island said...

Hi Julie, As always, a wonderful set of photos! I sent you a message via Facebook to tell you why I've been so slow in replying to your recent comment on my blog. I hope all is well with you and your family. Take the best of care, John

John's Island said...

Hi Julie, Finally got "moved in" but all things sorted out and new rhythm of life engaged ... well, still working on that. :-) Had more time this morning to come and look again at this great post. As always, your photos are "guide book" quality. The owlet is amazing! I can't imagine how you got close enough to get that shot without invoking the ire of Mama Owl! :-) Your description of the Great Blue Heron ... "stunning" is indeed correct! The colors on the Green Heron ... Wow! Such perfect detail. Lastly, what wonderful composition on the Double-crested Cormorants! All together, just another awesome post! Hope you received my message on FB. Take good care Julie. Best regards from Seattle, John

MoiCLouLou said...

Hi JUlie,
It's never too late to tell you that your pictures are so beautiful!
I'm less present on blogger so that may be why I missed your post.
The owls are gorgeous and the two young Great Egret are funny :)
All the birds are special because of the compostition and the photographer did a great job! ;)
Hope you are starting to feel the sun rays a little more like in my part of the countryl.
Have a lovely weekend, Louise

KaHolly said...

Hi, Juilie! As always, you pictures are stunning! I've been pining away for Florida lately, and knew a visit to your blog was just what the dr. ordered. But now I want to return twice as badly!

Nectiong said...

like you blog!

Manuel Luis said...

Olho as fotos e vejo que parece fácil capta-los! São de uma beleza fantástica, são os teus momentos em harmonia com o esplendor.
Bj

Joke van de Klift said...

Hi Julie,

Thanks for your lovly words on my blog. It's verry kind of you.
Also what a beautiful picture do you have. I love the owls and the other birds also.

lovly Greeting, Joke

Anonymous said...

Lovely photos, Julie! The warblers you see are so much more cooperative than the ones I see.