It wasn't all Sirenia Serenity at Manatee Springs last week. There was also Avian Awesomeness here and there along the spring run down to the Suwannee.
This cold cormorant let me walk right up to her(?) for a shot. It just wasn't worth the energy to flap away or dive into the cold river water.
Ibis were heading out for a day of slurping things from shallow waters and fields.
Great blue herons showed off both their plumage and their skills.
I find it so disturbing that I have to explain what herons and egrets are to Florida school kids. They are large and prevalent, which tells me if you don't know what they are, you just don't go outside much and that your parents don't value them or they would have taught you their names a long time ago.
When my babies were little, we'd drive to day care each morning on a wooded road lined with swampy ditches and I would say "Egret!" or "Heron!" each time we passed one. After a while it sunk in to their spongey brains.
Such a simple thing ...
"Nice chest!"
"Thanks, you too!"
Vultures, both Turkey and Black love Manatee Springs. The cypress trees along the run are festooned with flocks of these feathered roadkill aficianados. There's probably an easy hundred at any one time just hanging out.
There were fish too, and I have a windy manatee video (peaceful ... boring?) for later this week. Tomorrow is Wordless Wednesday so I'm thinking about a gratuituous Bear post.
After all, a bark is worth a thousand words.
10 comments:
I second you soundly on kids living among wonderful birds and not even seeing them. Such a tragic loss for them and for the natural world.
Meanwhile, as always a series of wonderful photos! Would you believe there is still a Great Blue hanging around up here? Alan and I saw him Sunday on our nasty wood getting trip> he was right next to the road in a pool half the size of a bathtub. If it weren't for the terrible road conditions I could have had a great shot of him surrounded by ice, but we were afraid to pull off the road.
And for some strange serendipitousness, the word verification is "crawk"
I get excited every time I see a pair of Sandhills along the roadside. It's sad to think that kids don't feel the same way.
Great bird shots! It's amazing that you could live in Florida and not recognize an Egret or a Heron. We're fascinated with them and you'd think we'd never seen any before from the way we watch them LOL How sad for kids (and their parents) not to notice such incredible birds. We have a Heron that sits on our back fence a lot. He seems really interested in watching the kids play - maybe he finds us as interesting as we find him LOL
Even though my dad's a city boy, he did take the time to get me outdoors as a child, and would also yell out the names of animals as we passed. I am very thankful for that. It doesn't take much to imprint a person forever. It's sad that many parents today are allowing video games and TV to teach their children how to look at the world when it would be so easy for them to teach better ways.
Nice picture of Bear in the header. Is this his ostrich impersonation...erm...inpuppynation?
Love your new header! Bear is certainly "participating" in something!
When I die, I want to come back as a buzzard. They can soar like no other bird....and they are peaceful. They don't hunt and kill, just clean up messes ;)
OH my...this heah is lovely. The birds, the Springs. But...
My heart thumps when a man write like this:
"When my babies were little...."
As in, they's *always* my *babies* but this was when they's wee ones.
I KNOW! GOD!
You struck a nerve with me, here. It makes me insane when parents don't introduce their kids to the natural world ALL AROUND THEM.
Also? I feel mean and judgmental when parents let their kids stomp on ants and other assorted critters.
Bugs have feelings, too, you know!
Oh wait. You know already. Never mind.
FC-
Thanks for speaking to the Manatees on my behalf! Thunder's name for the pig means Chicken, bet you thought it meant pork?
Lightnin
FC-
Thanks for speaking to the Manatees on my behalf! Thunder's name for the pig means Chicken, bet you thought it meant pork?
Lightnin
3C,
Thanks! I've had some pretty cool word verifications lately too ... much more wordy. I heard that some software was crawling the net and incorporating wordy words into verification.
Bee,
I don't get it either!
SCM,
Ha! He probably has a life list of humans.
HT,
"It doesn't take much to imprint a person forever."
True and it's best done while very young.
Swangel,
You don't hear that wish often!
Glad you appreciate the Bearness!
Aunty,
Love to make a belle's heart thump.
They were and always will be my "babies".
Miz S,
Ditto dat.
:)
Lightnin,
Knowing Thunder, I assumed it meant "serve with beer".
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