Silly Ibis!

Jim

One wonders what they are talking about.

I had to search back to 2011 to find our birds thread but alas, here it is. I managed to snap a few pics of a plump Limpkin as it waded along the lake shore looking for its supper. They come around from time to time but are not a regular in the yard. They remind me of the nondescript, frumpy guy at the office that no one pays any attention to.



Jim

Interesting bird and surely nice to watch!

Love Limpkins. They are shy for a big peep. Nice, Jim.
I got a new lens.... http://forum.crazyorchidlady.c...

Super pics, Kathy. Congrats on the new lens.

Jim

Thanks Jim. I do have to lighten some up with photoshop. But I'm hoping this summer I will have more light than this dark winter!

Awww, so cute! Kathy, they are beautiful!

Limpkins are difficult to photograph for me. They are basically a dark brown glob standing at the edge of a light reflecting lake. They always come out dark in my photos and I have to work to lighten them up.

Jim

That's how I identify them when in FL. A very large, shy, brown walking blob. Must be a Limpkin!

We have two birdfeeders right outside my window, where I sit at my computer. I see sparrows, grackles, blue jays, Carolina wrens, woodpeckers (why they are called "Red Bellied Woodpeckers when their bellies are not red is beyond me . . ) and my favorites, the cardinals. We've had a mating pair here for a couple of years, at least I think it's the same pair. Here they are with babies, teaching them to feed at the feeders.



We live near a nature preserve, and last spring there was a breeding flock of Roseate Spoonbills over there. I'll have to walk over with my camera and see if they've returned!

After reading your post, Elaine, I had to laugh, and then do a search! I knew I had seen one of those bellies! Actually the 'Red Bellied' Woodpeckers do in fact have red bellies… Some more prominent than others, whether because of age, or sex, I'm not sure…Picture is not good quality, but, here she is!

Ah ha! I see the red on that little belly! That looks like a baby, though. Are you sure that red is still there on the adults?

I forgot about my very favorite songbirds - the little tufted titmice! So cute and such graceful fliers! I am fitting up the new camera to my tripod for more bird pictures. I may have to treat myself to a 'birding' lens, as all I've got is a macro, and a 45 - 200 zoom for sailboat pictures.

I've never seen a tufted titmouse in my garden. Perhaps I should put up a feeder. Living among these lakes, I mostly get these large waders or birds of pray. Still raining hard. I'm thinking Ted and Carol would be belly up by now.

Jim

Jim, the whole of Orange County would have washed out to sea. It took 3 days of rain to get 2.25" here. Our season average is only 13.73". Our season to date is 3.25" so far this year.....

The titmice are very quick fliers and pretty wary, Jim. They circulate through here a couple of times per day though and I have learned to look out when I hear their chirps. I have birds of prey around all the time, too. Luckily my feeders are 10ft away from the big clump of bamboo which provides perfect cover for the songbirds. The bamboo stems are too close together for the hawks to get in between. So the little birds dash out, get seeds and then dash back to safety when the hawks are around.

I also have a plastic pellet gun that I take pot shots at the squirrels and hawks with. It doesn't hurt them but gets their attention. I had a big Cooper's hawk hanging out on the nearest power pole a while back, and managed to hit him with a pellet. He ruffled up then flew away, exactly the result I was hoping for. What I really wish is that the hawks would hunt more of the squirrels!

Careful you don't make that hawk angry. He just may come after you!

It is still raining about as hard as it can. We also have tornado watches in effect for another few hours yet. I'm guessing three inches just this afternoon and some of it came with a lot of wind.

Jim

It's finally raining more than just a drizzle here. Doesn't deter the birds, though. I'm looking out at a couple of grackles, a mourning dove and the male cardinal just arrived. A flash of brilliance on a very dreary day!

Here he is, plus the bluejay and woodpecker posed for me this morning too. Tara, this may be why I've never seen the red on the belly of the woodpecker - they're always belly-up to the seed cake.