Life Birds!

Skip and I have done quite a bit of birding these last couple of days. Yesterday we went to the Celery Fields and we saw lots of species but my lifebird of the day was the limpkin.

The expert birder at the boardwalk had a spotting scope. I was able to take a photo of the resident bald eagle that was up in a tree about 1/2 mile away.

We also got a wonderful display from an osprey of his hover and dive manoeuvre as he obtained his breakfast. Here he is in mid-hover.

Today we got up bright and early to head down to Oscar Scherer State Park where we were assured we'd see the endemic Florida Scrub Jay. As we walked along the recommended path, we encountered a disgruntled couple who hadn't seen anything of note on their walk this morning. About a minute after they passed us, a scrub jay landed on the path about 10 feet ahead of Skip. After I composed myself, I started taking pictures.

He did not seem to be concerned about us and hopped around on the ground near us for several minutes. Then he flew up to give some food to what we assumed was his spouse.

Then he flew to another tree and gathered some nesting material, possibly Spanish moss, and took it over to where they had been sitting.

A little while later, I heard a bird in a bush right beside the path and when I looked over I spotted a bird with a black head and back and burnt orange sides. The fellow who joined us on our walk confirmed from my description that is was the Eastern Towhee. Another life bird for me! I didn't get a photo but this is what they look like.

Photo by Greg Lasley