I like this shot down the throat of this rather annoyed gull. I believe this is Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus). Of the 20 or so species of gulls that occur in Florida this is the largest.
Below: Another angle of this loud and angry gull, with a friend.
This is a rare little bird, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea). The juveniles look nothing like the adults. This is a juvenile and easily misidentified. I've had one living in our of our grapefruit trees all summer. He blends in quite well with the subtropical flora.
Below: The Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) are abundant this fall. They are perfectly camouflaged so you have to look hard to see them despite their large size.
We have about a dozen Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) hanging out in the field where the lake should be. Sometimes they are in the middle of the road too. They are quite large (to 4 feet tall) but hard to see, especially against the blacktop of the local roads.
Below: A close-up of a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). We have at least one red-tailed hawk living above the ponds, though I've not yet found his nest. He has managed to scare me several times, especially when he's dangling a snake or other 'dinner' and it comes close to smacking me in the face.
Below: A little Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus). The plover is a small sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds primarily along coastal sand and gravel beaches.
The total population of these birds is currently estimated at about 6,400 individuals, making it globally threatened and endangered. It is uncommon and local within its range. It was driven to near-extinction for its feathers, as were many other birds during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
This bird remains in serious danger and should not be approached if spotted. This image was taken with a zoom lens from some significant distance.
OSPREY
It has been perfect weather to observe Florida's Osprey (Pandion haleanthus) the past few days. Cloudless skies and cool-ish temperatures around 80° F. (26.6° C.).
As I've posted many times before, the Osprey is sometimes referred to as the sea hawk or fish eagle. It is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. A large raptor, this bird reaches more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings.
They generally nest near bodies of water which can be just about anywhere on the Florida peninsula.
The osprey's diet consists almost entirely of fish. It has evolved specialized physical characteristics and exhibits unique behavior to assist in hunting and catching fish.
The Osprey is unusual in that it is a single living species that occurs nearly worldwide. Even the few subspecies are not unequivocally separable.
The genus name Pandionis after the mythical Greek king Pandion of Athens and grandfather of Theseus, who was transformed into an eagle.
This is a rare little bird, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea). The juveniles look nothing like the adults. This is a juvenile and easily misidentified. I've had one living in our of our grapefruit trees all summer. He blends in quite well with the subtropical flora.
Below: The Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) are abundant this fall. They are perfectly camouflaged so you have to look hard to see them despite their large size.
We have about a dozen Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) hanging out in the field where the lake should be. Sometimes they are in the middle of the road too. They are quite large (to 4 feet tall) but hard to see, especially against the blacktop of the local roads.
Below: A close-up of a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). We have at least one red-tailed hawk living above the ponds, though I've not yet found his nest. He has managed to scare me several times, especially when he's dangling a snake or other 'dinner' and it comes close to smacking me in the face.
Below: A little Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus). The plover is a small sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds primarily along coastal sand and gravel beaches.
The total population of these birds is currently estimated at about 6,400 individuals, making it globally threatened and endangered. It is uncommon and local within its range. It was driven to near-extinction for its feathers, as were many other birds during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
This bird remains in serious danger and should not be approached if spotted. This image was taken with a zoom lens from some significant distance.
OSPREY
It has been perfect weather to observe Florida's Osprey (Pandion haleanthus) the past few days. Cloudless skies and cool-ish temperatures around 80° F. (26.6° C.).
As I've posted many times before, the Osprey is sometimes referred to as the sea hawk or fish eagle. It is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. A large raptor, this bird reaches more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings.
They generally nest near bodies of water which can be just about anywhere on the Florida peninsula.
The osprey's diet consists almost entirely of fish. It has evolved specialized physical characteristics and exhibits unique behavior to assist in hunting and catching fish.
The Osprey is unusual in that it is a single living species that occurs nearly worldwide. Even the few subspecies are not unequivocally separable.
The genus name Pandionis after the mythical Greek king Pandion of Athens and grandfather of Theseus, who was transformed into an eagle.
The call of the Osprey is a series of sharp whistles that sound like "cheep, cheepor yewk, yewk!!!" If disturbed by activity near the nest the call is more like a frenzied "cheereek!!!" 
Osprey call
Osprey callFor some fun HALLOWEEN PHOTOS go to PHILLIPS NATURAL WORLD II
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