Reflective View at South Lake Howard Nature Park

Today we finally had a chance to go birdwatching for a little while. We drove to South Lake Howard Nature Park here in Winter Haven, FL. With all that has been going on, it has been almost a month since we have had a chance to bird watch (A little in Tennessee, come to think of it). I didn’t walk very far because of back and leg pains, but Dan was doing his photography while I just walked slow or sat and just enjoyed birdwatching. Not bad for about an hour and a half of watching. We counted 25 birds at the park or on the lake and a House Sparrow in the bush at the grocery store. There weren’t many groups of birds. Most of the birds were by themselves or with just one other member of their species. The water was very reflective this morning.

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) by Lee

Here is a list of the birds spotted, most having their picture taken:

At the Park

• Anhinga – Sitting on a tree facing us. Normally you only get photos of their backs.
• Wood Storks – 3 adults and 1 immature
• White Ibises – 4
• Wilson’s Snipe-1
• Snowy Egret – 1
• Yellow-rumped Warbler (need to figure which kind) “Butterbutts” – 7
• Limpkin – 1 sitting on a Wood Duck’s house, another flew by
• Fish Crows – 5 flying by making their racket
• Redwing Blackbird – 1 on a treetop
• Palm Warblers – 4 or so
• Great Egret – 2
• Little Blue Heron – 4
• Tricolored Heron – 1
• Cattle Egret – 2
• Blue Jay – 1 heard carrying on about something
• Osprey – 3 – 1 being chased by a Bald Eagle, 1 sitting on the tower with the moon sitting behind it.
• Bald Eagle – 1

Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) Immature by Lee

By the Lake (Howard)

• Pied-billed Grebe – 2
• Purple Gallinule – 6
• Common Gallinule (Moorhen) – 5
• Rock Pigeon – 4
• American Coot – 6
• Great Blue Heron – 2
• Boat-tailed Grackle – 10
• Muscovy Duck – 8
• White Ibis – 30+

Publix

• House Sparrow – 1

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:26 NKJV)

All in all it was a great morning for birdwatching here in Florida.

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