We've had some much needed rain this past week.
And we've seen some sights a little out of the ordinary, like this PawPaw bush with red petals in the center!
The Mottled Ducks I've seen in the neighborhood pond flew over for a visit.
They landed in our backyard and walked around finding worms and all kinds of edibles under our trees. Later I saw them in a retention pond nearby.
And when we were driving home from a hike, we saw a large flock of about 50 White Ibis in a retention pond in our community.
One loner....
And I'm not sure these are getting along well with others! lol
Retention ponds are necessary in Florida neighborhoods to catch rainwater run off. Much of the year they are dry (and kept mowed) but during heavy thunderstorms and rains from hurricanes they may hold water for a few days. And Florida is flat and near sea level so these retention ponds are worked into the residential planning.
A big view of the retention pond from a distance.
A Female Summer Tanager seen on my hike from the 49th Ave Trailhead.
She's a real beauty and a rare sighting!
What's your weather like this weekend?
After one rainy day we've had beautiful weather, some great hiking weather!
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37 comments:
Beautiful pictures! We too had rain and my post this week narrates a birding trip after a rainy night.
Beautiful pics. Hugs.
Gorgeous photos Diane and your new header is stunning! Enjoy this beautiful weather we are having while it lasts and have a great weekend! :)
the tanager is beautiful, the Ibis are almost ugly, but very interesing to watch. we have almost daily visits in our yard from them, the most ever at one time was a few weeks ago when i counted 24 in the front yard. I opened the door carefully to listen because they make funny nd cute nosies while dipping their beeks to find food.
what a great week, i really enjoy seeing the ibis, i don't see them here!! the summer tanger is a gorgeous bird and your captures of it are spectacular!! isn't it thrilling to see a rare or new to you bird!?!?
we have had a nice blend of rain and sunshine here, the grass has greened up so nicely!!!
Hello,
Pretty petals on the Paw-paw bush. Great shots of the visiting ducks. The retention ponds are great places/habitats for the birds. I like the colors on the White Ibis, their face and leg color really stands out. Awesome sighting of the Summer Tanager. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your day! Happy Weekend! PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
Many years ago a friend had a place in Florida and White Ibis used to forage on how lawn every evening. He was pretty accepting of it, and tamped down the grass where the birds had poked holes in the grass.
...be thankfully, it has been snowing here!
We've had quite a few tanagers also. I've seen mostly males (immature and adult). I found the retention pond issue quite interesting!!!
What a beautiful bloom in that first picture. Love all the photos of the birds also.
The Ibis are such striking birds. Fantastic to see so many at once.
Lovely photos and lots of handsome birds!! xo
Beautiful photos of the beautiful birds.
Todo se ve precioso, me ha encantado. Feliz fin de semana.
Love your shots of the Ibis! We had snow on Wednesday that was all gone by Thursday!
Bounty of Birds!
Lovely photos, especially the ibis. I don't think I've seen one in person before. Thanks for posting and sharing your wildlife pics!
The face of the female Tanager is of pure goodness! She looks so mild and sweet, with her large, dark eye. We have rainwater retention ponds in the Southwest, too. Some are maintained as parks, with irrigated grass and trees in them, but most are just bare and lined with rocks and blocks of concrete.
You took such beautiful photos of ducks and birds Diane. I hope you enjoy the weekend.
Of course, our weather is much like yours...we had rain early in the week, and then it stopped, but I think more is coming tonight in the night sometime. Things do dry out fast, so I am glad it is coming...I hope anyway. Otherwise I need to go water my blueberries. The birds have been so much fun. Oh, I love Summer Tanagers. Had them in Salt Springs every year. Haven't seen one here yet. Have a wonderful rest of your weekend. Hike while the weather stays comfortable enough. Summer is on its way.
As you well know, my weather is your weather. When we get those rains, I thank the Lord for watering my grass and saving me $$ on the water bill.
The Ibis have been so interesting of late. But that Tanager is really striking!
Hello old friend. It's been awhile but I think I'm finally back to blogging again. I was thinking about you because I'm getting ready to head to the Smoky Mountains and do some hiking. Hope all is well with you! xo
Hello. Wonderful serie. I have never seen a Ibis.
Take care.
Excellent photos! The ducks are adorable.
howdy there girlfriend, love these duck pictures and love that TANAGER ONE, I sure would love to see one of those here. How's your weekend adventures coming along, or is it still raining down that way? It rained all day here. Very gray and gloomy. Made the best of it, hopefully tomorrow will be a pretty day. You have roses there at your house, right? I am wondering if your roses are blooming yet. Have yourself a lovely Sunday okay?
Beautiful series of photos of the different birds.
Many of these do not occur at all in the Netherlands.
So I always enjoy seeing species that you really never see here.
Greetings Irma
Thanks so much for taking time this week to share this post with us birders at IRBB. Very much appreciated!
Ph love the little tanager ~ wonderful nature photos ~ Awesome~ XX
Living moment by moment,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
I've never seen a Summer Tanager, so thank you for sharing that beautiful photo. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.
duck are great, but to see all those White Ibis in one palce is amazing! And a beautiful sight!
All are lovely photographs but the Summer Tanager is very special.
Hope you've had a great weekend, my good wishes for the coming new week.
All the best Jan
Those retention ponds are a great idea. They form naturally here most winters and autumns. We call them floods. LOL. To see all of those White Ibis arrive must have been totally stirring. And the tanager, probably newly arrived from central America.
We suppose to get rain but nothing yet. In fact the sun keeps coming up and going away. It is a cool day. Your photos are always so lovely. Thank you.
Someday I will see an ibis and I will think of you!
Ibis are so pretty during breeding season, with those bright red beaks. It took me a few seasons at the Canal Cottage to understand retention ponds!
Thanks for explaining about retention ponds - I learned something today! The ibis are such striking birds and your photos really show them off.
The White Ibis are beautiful birds. What a long beak it has, so unusual and lovely. I like that picture of all three of them on the grass. Those are nice pictures of the Summer Tanager. I've been seeing more birds now that it's warming up here in the mountains. They look really big flying over my front yard and onto the nearby trees. I'm not sure what they are eating, but they look bigger than the usual birds I used to see in my old town haha. Even the mourning doves are huge. : )
Have a blessed weekend, Diane.
~Sheri
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