I'm afraid Time has not been my friend lately as I frantically strive to meet various publishing deadlines, but I have really missed doing my #NotesFromTheRiver posts, so I'm doing something a bit different today. I'm going to share some highlights from one of my new series of presentations, "Central Florida's Fabulous Wildlife." These are PowerPoint slide shows that I do for various local venues, such as Enterprise Heritage Center & Museum and DeBary Hall Historic Site. I know many of you are unable to attend these events, though I hope you'll be able to one day. In the meantime,  I thought perhaps you might enjoy seeing some of the actual slides used in the Herons & Egrets presentation. (Note, there are a LOT more slides than this, but I tried to pick the ones with the most information contained on them.) So, without further ado, dim the lights, sit back, and enjoy the show!



First Step - RESEARCH!

 

Second Step - Finding a Definitive Answer.

Or Not.

 

Notice that both the Great Blue Heron and the Great Egret belong to the genus
Ardea (Great Herons)!

 

 

Of the SIX birds in central Florida that we refer to as herons,
only ONE is actually a member of the Heron genus!

 

And of the four birds we refer to as egrets, only two are actually classified as such.

 

All of these birds may belong to the heron FAMILY,
but only Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets belong to the Heron GENUS. (Huh?)


Now that we've established that the Latin names for Herons and Egrets are completely arbitrary,
based on those superficial characteristics I mentioned above, let's take a look at some
statistics that I hope you'll find interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And my personal favorite wading bird of all, the Reddish Egret.
(This bird prefers salty or brackish water, and is much rarer here than
the ones above. A good place to look for them is along the
Blackpoint Wildlife Drive on Merritt Island.

 

Just for pretty, the white morph of the Reddish egret, a bird I have never seen in the wild.
(But I'll never give up hope! How beautiful is he?)

 

 

Don't forget! Cooler weather is on the way. Schedule a tour aboard the Naiad and enjoy the approach of autumn on the river.

Starting August 15th and going through September 30th, we will be on our summer schedule.  
Tours can be arranged by calling 386-626-9004 at least a day in advance.
Not all days and times will be available however because of routine
 boat maintenance and our vacation schedule.

 

 

And meanwhile, keep in mind that reading is a great way to pass a hot summer day!
Nothing like a comfy chair in an air-conditioned room, while you wait for cooler weather.
And it just so happens, I know of a book or six you might enjoy!
I'm just sayin' . . .



That's it for today. See you next time!