FLORIDA POND-SHORE REPORT, PART 2

Dr. James J. S. Johnson

And the stork, the heron [הָאֲנָפָ֖ה] after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

Leviticus 11:19

As reported last Friday   —  ( see https://leesbird.com/2023/01/20/florida-pond-shore-report-part-1/  )  —  the pond-shore birds were plentiful (except not ducks, for some odd reasons) in St. Petersburg, Florida, at the home of Chaplain Bob and Marcia Webel, on the morning of Monday, January 16^th (A.D.2023, as Chaplain Bob and I sat in lawn chairs in the Webels’ backyard that adjoins the pond-shore (of what Floridians call a “lake”), drinking our coffee (and eating toasted rye bread).  In that prior-reported blogpost I described the Bald Eagle, White Ibis, and Common Grackle.  This report (“Part 2” in this series) will feature the Great Blue Heron, Great White Egret, and Double-crested Cormorant.

GREAT BLUE HERON in Florida   (Terry Foote image / Wikipedia image, q.v.)

GREAT BLUE HERON.  The Great Blue Heron has previously been described on this blog  –  see “Great Blue Heron:  Patient, Prompt, and (Rarely) Pugnacious” (posted at https://leesbird.com/2014/06/30/great-blue-heron-patient-prompt-and-rarely-pugnacious/ ), reported on June 30^th of A.D.2014.  Another Great Blue Heron report, documenting this gigantic yet graceful wader (seen in St. Petersburg), appears at https://leesbird.com/2015/02/18/pond-side-birdwatching-in-florida-i/  (“Pond-side Birdwatching in Florida, Part 1”), posted February 18^th of A.D.2015.

GREAT WHITE EGRET with young   (Mike Baird image / Wikipedia, q.v.)

GREAT WHITE EGRET.  The Great White Egret (a/k/a “Great Egret”) has previously been described on this birdwatching blog  –  see “Pond-side Birdwatching in Florida, Part 3” (posted at https://leesbird.com/2015/03/05/pond-side-birdwatching-in-florida-iii/ ).  See also ornithologist Lee Dusing’s blogpost (“Great Egret Preening at Gatorland”), with magnificent photographs and video, from Gatorland, posted December 21^st of A.D.2017, at https://leesbird.com/2017/12/21/great-egret-preening-at-gatorland/  .

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, 1 with a fish   (Brocken Inaglory image / Wikipedia, q.v.)

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT.  The Double-crested Cormorant has previously been described on this birdwatching blog  –  see “Of Cormorants and Anhingas” (posted on June 13^th of A.D.2019, at https://leesbird.com/2019/06/13/of-cormorants-and-anhingas/ ).  See also Lee Dusing’s interesting report on cormorants, “Birds of the Bible – Cormorant”, posted June 26^th of A.D.2008, at https://leesbird.com/2008/06/26/birds-of-the-bible-cormorant/ — which includes video footage of domesticated cormorant fishing in China.  Amazing!

WEBELS’ BACKYARD BIRDWATCHING    (Marcia Webel photo, AD2016)

Meanwhile, the other pond-shore visiting birds   —  i.e., Mockingbird, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, Snowy Egret, Common Moorhen (a/k/a “Florida Gallinule”, Anhinga, Tufted Titmouse, Limpkin, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Muscovy Duck (the last being seen on grass of neighbor’s front-yard)  —   on the morning of Monday, January 16^th of A.D.2023), must wait for another day to be reported here, Deo volente. Thank the Lord for ssuch good memories!

I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause, Who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number … Who doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.

Job 5:8-9 & 9:10

“AULD LANG BIRDWATCHING”* follows:

(Sing to the tune of AULD LANG SYNE.)

Should old birdwatching be forgot

    And lifers go unseen?

The fowl so fair, in air we spot

    Or perching as they preen.

 While drinking coffee, birds we gaze

    On earth, at sea, in sky;

God made them all, us to amaze,

    Birds run and swim and fly!

*JJSJ limerick, first posted September 20^th of A.D.2017, in “Happy Memories Accented by Black Skimmers at Madeira Beach” (at https://leesbird.com/2017/09/20/happy-memories-accented-by-black-skimmers-at-madeira-beach/  ).