Weedon Island Preserve

A few days ago I traveled the 30 minute drive to Weedon Island Preserve, which is on the east coast of St. Petersburg in the Tampa Bay.  This preserve has a long history, and its name is derived from the Seminole Indians' language. The weatherman said it would rain at 5pm...but as is true 50% of the time - he lied.  It POURED about 30 minutes after I arrived at 3pm.

I got a few good shots, but to my dismay I didn't capture many new species to earn me bird points.  Here are the best photos from the trip, I may have to return on a sunnier day to get better results.  The vast mangrove forest also camouflages birds excellently, which is really annoying when you are trying to photograph them!

Great White Egret F .5 points

Great White Egret M

Brant 1 point

Anhinga

Brant M .5 points

Little Blue Heron

Common Mallard 1 point

Aren't Mallards Cute?

And just for fun...

TOTAL ACCUMULATED BIRD POINTS: 42

-Hallie

Come with me, my love, to the Gulf! The Gulf of Love..

Today, I am not only doing laundry, but also hitting the beach near my parent's house!  I have spent a lot of time so far in incredibly humid swamps (with war scars from mosquitos to prove it) and am happy to welcome a breezier venue for birding.  I would like to get a variety of shorebirds and seagulls to add to my bird photography collection. 

When I arrived, the weather was not favorable for photographers.  I got my wish for incredible winds, and some rain too (which I think Genny sent down here to mess up my game).   Nonetheless, I got some interesting shots and am racking up the bird points!

Fish Crow 1 point

Cardinal Juvenile

Cardinal F 1 point

Cardinal M .5 points

Forster's Tern 1 point Royal Tern 1 point

Double-crested cormorant 1 point

Collared Dove M 1 point

Mourning Dove F 1 point

Mourning Dove M .5 points

Laughing Gull

Brown Pelican F .5 points

Annnnnnd just for fun... an Osprey eating Dinner!

TOTAL ACCUMULATED BIRD POINTS: 39

-Hallie

War Veteran's Memorial Park

Now that we are up and running, I'm headed out to collect some photos of shore birds AND wild birds!  War Veteran's Memorial Park is a wooded park on the Gulf Coast of Florida, featuring a 1 mile walking trail and a fishing pier.  

My main goal is to get some decent photos of shore birds and hopefully a shot of the infamous Florida Brown Pelican.  Cross your fingers that the early-ish bird still gets the worm at 11am!  I am bringing my coworker and friend, Amy, for moral support and fun times! We are possibly the loudest talkers east of the Mississippi, so if I get 2 good shots I'll be happy! :D

Houston - we have a pelican!  All in a day's work!

Snowy Egret  1 point

Snowy Egret

Hairy Woodpecker M 1 point

Brown Pelican M 1 point

Brown Pelican

TOTAL ACCUMULATED BIRD POINTS: 30.5

 -Hallie

Birds of Prey and the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve

I started out this Big Year Challenge at the Naples Zoo.  I had assumed that there would be a lot of exotic birds, with which I could shortchange Genny in the very beginning of this competition.  I was mistaken.

However, this afternoon I visited the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg, FL - and just happened upon an aviary!  Ironically, I can practically spit on this nature preserve and park from my apartment, and had no idea about it's existence until today.  I will start out with portraits I photographed of the birds of prey housed in the aviary, and then move on to the natural shots I got in the park.

Birds of Prey:

Red Tailed Hawk .5 points

Great Horned Owl .5 points

Barred Owl .5 points

Red Shouldered Hawk M .5 points

Red Shouldered Hawk F .5 points

Eastern Screech Owl  .5 points 

American Kestrel .5 points

Chicken .5 points

Bald Eagle .5 points

Turkey Vulture .5 points

Black Vulture .5 points

While walking around the Park, I was specifically looking for woodpeckers as Florida has a wide variety of these birds.  It is maddening to hear them and never see one!

Laughing Gull M & F 1.5 points

Osprey F 1 point

Osprey

Osprey M .5 points

Anhinga M .5 points

Anhinga

Common Gallinule 1 point

Mottled Duck  1 point

As you stand in a florida swamp quietly, taking photos of birds.. you start to notice exactly how many alligators there really are.  I took this photo, and then shortly after a selfie...

TOTAL ACCUMULATED BIRD POINTS: 27.5

-Hallie