Album Wildlife

I took a trip out to Florida last week...

First we spent an afternoon on Marco Island near Fort Myers out looking for seashells and sand dollars. Lots of interesting wildlife was around.

Pelican
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Egret
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Iris
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Osprey
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On another day, we stopped out at Myakka River State Park for some other wildlife viewing...we went there with the intent to see some alligators...

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However, there was no sign of them anywhere at the typical viewpoints when we first drove in, so we stopped for awhile at the waterfront of Myakka Lake. There we were privileged to witness a bald eagle swoop down to catch some breakfast. It actually landed on the shoreline for a moment with its catch and right as I was setting up to compose what could have been a great shot, it took off again. Bummer! So I went right into video mode and had to settle for some stills extracted from the shaky video from the zoom.

Eagle
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After that thrill it was on to see what other wildlife was out and about...

Great Blue Heron
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And then...finally, on our way out, the gators had come out.

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WasatchWill said:
I took a trip out to Florida last week...

First we spent an afternoon on Marco Island near Fort Myers out looking for seashells and sand dollars. Lots of interesting wildlife was around.

I grew up in Ft Myers and this time of year I really miss SW FL. Hope you got a couple nice sunsets from the beach and glad you got to see some gators, they are really big in person :)
Click to expand...
 
I've lived in Provo for a few years and just discovered this weekend that there are some bald eagles that spend their winter here in town, well, out by Utah Lake State Park in addition to other parts of the state. Here are some shots I snapped over the weekend on Saturday and Sunday...

Juvenile in silhouette
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Two adult mates out on the frozen lake (they had been playing with a juvenile, assumably their own, just before landing)
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Juvenile on the ice
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Same juvenile on the same ice the next morning (Sunday)
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Adult (Saturday)
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Sunday morning...
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So cold there was frost on its feathers
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A short film I made from a trip to Whitewater Draw this Christmas. This refuge in southern Arizona houses between 5,000 and 15,000 Sandhill Cranes EACH NIGHT. They migrate here each autumn from points as far north as the Arctic Circle. The video does not show the awesome numbers of birds but they were there and you can hear them.

 
Artemus said:
A short film I made from a trip to Whitewater Draw this Christmas. This refuge in southern Arizona houses between 5,000 and 15,000 Sandhill Cranes EACH NIGHT. They migrate here each autumn from points as far north as the Arctic Circle. The video does not show the awesome numbers of birds but they were there and you can hear them.

Click to expand...

Nice one, Art!
 
Haven't posted anything in awhile so I figured I'd throw a few things on here.


Western Painted Turtle-Chrysemys picta bellii by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Valley Garter Snake-Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Great Horned Owl by Rye Jones, on Flickr


American White Pelican by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Bold Jumping Spider-Phidippus audax by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Eastern Collared Lizard-Crotaphytus collaris by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Moose by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Barn Owl by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Desert Bighorn Sheep by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Great Egret by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Great Gray Owl by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Rough-legged Hawk by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Arizona Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake-Crotalus willardi willardi by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Sonoran Coachwhip-Coluber flagellum cingulum by Rye Jones, on Flickr
 
Rye Jones said:
Haven't posted anything in awhile so I figured I'd throw a few things on here.


Western Painted Turtle-Chrysemys picta bellii by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Valley Garter Snake-Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Great Horned Owl by Rye Jones, on Flickr


American White Pelican by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Bold Jumping Spider-Phidippus audax by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Eastern Collared Lizard-Crotaphytus collaris by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Moose by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Barn Owl by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Desert Bighorn Sheep by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Great Egret by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Great Gray Owl by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Rough-legged Hawk by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Arizona Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake-Crotalus willardi willardi by Rye Jones, on Flickr


Sonoran Coachwhip-Coluber flagellum cingulum by Rye Jones, on Flickr
Click to expand...
Great photo dump, @Rye Jones !

I love the turtle covered in green stuff. Actually they are all great.
 
Last edited:
Things warming up in the Sonoran have been pretty awesome for wildlife.

Scorpions! Mostly giant hairy, but some fat tail and bark scorpions out there too.
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The Sonoran Desert Toad, largest toad in the US.
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Chuckwalla. Almost stepped on the poor thing.
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Long Nosed Leopard Lizard. A lizard eater.
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Western Patchnosed Snake. Dead on the side of the road but so intact it must have just gotten sucked into the turbulence of a speeding vehicle.
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Harris Hawk
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Mojave Rattlesnake, underneath our grill
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That last pic... ugh. I jump every time I hear a rustle in the weeds while out running since it's been so warm.
 
Scott Chandler said:
Things warming up in the Sonoran have been pretty awesome for wildlife.

Scorpions! Mostly giant hairy, but some fat tail and bark scorpions out there too.
View attachment 53342 View attachment 53343 View attachment 53344

The Sonoran Desert Toad, largest toad in the US.
View attachment 53345

Chuckwalla. Almost stepped on the poor thing.
View attachment 53346

Long Nosed Leopard Lizard. A lizard eater.
View attachment 53347

Western Patchnosed Snake. Dead on the side of the road but so intact it must have just gotten sucked into the turbulence of a speeding vehicle.
View attachment 53348

Harris Hawk
View attachment 53349

Mojave Rattlesnake, underneath our grill
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Click to expand...

Nice work, Scott! Did you see the Harris Hawk in the wild? I have never seen one except at the free-flying bird show at the Desert Sonoran Museum.
 
Scott Chandler said:
Things warming up in the Sonoran have been pretty awesome for wildlife.

Scorpions! Mostly giant hairy, but some fat tail and bark scorpions out there too.
View attachment 53342 View attachment 53343 View attachment 53344

The Sonoran Desert Toad, largest toad in the US.
View attachment 53345

Chuckwalla. Almost stepped on the poor thing.
View attachment 53346

Long Nosed Leopard Lizard. A lizard eater.
View attachment 53347

Western Patchnosed Snake. Dead on the side of the road but so intact it must have just gotten sucked into the turbulence of a speeding vehicle.
View attachment 53348

Harris Hawk
View attachment 53349

Mojave Rattlesnake, underneath our grill
View attachment 53350 View attachment 53351
Click to expand...
How big was the toad?
 
Artemus said:
Nice work, Scott! Did you see the Harris Hawk in the wild? I have never seen one except at the free-flying bird show at the Desert Sonoran Museum
Click to expand...

Amazingly yes. It was so backlit and distant when I saw the bird that I didn't know what it was until I got home and messed with the picture. Not terribly common out here.

Artemus said:
How big was the toad?
Click to expand...

About six inches long. I thought it was a packrat at first, then when my car got closer I thought it must be injured. So I was pretty shocked when it was a toad.
 
Miss Buffalo said:
love the snake and scorpion pictures
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It has been AMAZING looking for and watching the scorpions. They remind me of the bears at Katmai, they'll sit on the road where there is a mating ball of moths going on and simply wait for one to fly into their grasp. I watched the headlamp lit scorpion pictured above eat a moth for five minutes before it caught another one, got self conscious of me watching it, and it went into a hole.

The snakes! I want to find more. Everyone else keeps finding them while I just get sunburnt.
 
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