After such a long, involved post last week, I thought I'd give your brains (and mine!) a rest today, and share some of Doug's gorgeous photos. Enjoy!
Hibiscus coccineus
a/k/a Swamp Mallow , Red Mallow, Scarlet Hibiscus, and Scarlet Rosemallow
White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) on the Wing
Wood Stork (Mycteria Americana)
Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias)
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis)
Formerly called Black-bellied Tree Ducks
Adult Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Immature Bald Eagle
(Takes about 5 years for it to come into adult plumage)
Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor), and Female Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)
Baby Barred Owl (Strix varia)
Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica)
Pink Swamp Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos)
And there you have it. Ten beautiful and interesting birds, and two stunning varieties of mallow.
Hope you've enjoyed this trip through Doug's photo album.
If you'd like to see some of these birds and wildflowers for yourself,
book a tour on the Naiad. You'll be glad you did!
Don't Let These Guys Have All the Fun!!
***
See you next week, when I'll be back with more #NotesFromTheRiver!
And remember to look UP now and then. You never know
what might be looking down at you!
Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus)
Comments
So THAT's what an Ibis looks like
Beautiful photos, all!
Glad you enjoyed it, Mae. The white ibis are the birds in flight, which doesn't give you a real good look at them, but they will be back in more detail in another post, I'm sure!! You can see all of these lovely creatures and flowers along the St. Johns. Hope you get here some day, so I can show them to you!
Do you have Isaac's Restaurants in your area? All the sandwiches are named after birds. My husband will sometimes order a Scarlet Ibis. I'd never heard of an Ibis before Issac's (a sheltered life, LOL), so when I saw the white ibis mentioned in your post it was an "AHA Moment."
I'd love to see St. John's some day too
Nope, no Isaac's that I know of. But that's cool. Ibis were (are?) the sacred birds of Egypt and appear in the hieroglyphics all over the place. There are several kinds. Scarlet ibis aren't native to us, but I've seen them, and they are gorgeous. The wood stork, right under the picture of the flying ibis, used to be called a Wood Ibis, but that was all wrong. It's actually a type of stork, and the only one native to the U.S.
Ibis are one of the more common waders seen along the St. Johns. For a better picture, check the post on limpkins. https://stjohnsriverecotours.com/index.php/blog/notesfromtheriver-the-limpkin You can see one in comparison to a limpkin in that pic.
And someday, you'll get down here and out on the river, and then you'll see why I love it so much.
I remember that limpkin post. I think it was one of my favorite. The feet still crack me up.
Nice photo of the ibis side-by-side with the limpkin.
Consider me educated!
P.S....Issac's is fun, especially with all the bird theme
I love that pic of the "teenaged" limpkin! I will double check to see if we have an Isaac's anywhere in this area, just in case. (They don't let me out much, you know. Might be one around that I'm unaware of.) White ibis are cool birds. Love that long, curved beak and their red/pink legs.