Saturday, May 15, 2021

Some of the "new kids' in town!

 

We are seeing birds now that we don't see year round here in Florida.

The Summer Tanager was a neat sighting.

We actually saw the red male but he flew away as soon as we saw him.

The female stayed on the same branch and sang and sang!


And think she was trying to call him back.

These were sighted at limerock road trail off of hwy 200.


On another hike on 49th Ave trail I saw this pretty female!

We saw a beautiful Northern Parula this week at Blue Run Park.

Lots of Swallowtail Kites at Halpata Tastaniki Preserve.

And we even saw some Mississippi Kites in our neighborhood! (no pics of them yet!)

We see Tortoise homes everywhere we hike but it's neat when we actually see one 'at home'! 

This one is on the embankment of the 49th Ave overpass. Can you see it right in the center of the photo? 

The sunflowers are just starting to open at Cannon Farms! 

We are still hiking on all the nice days which means we are having to make ourselves take a day off now and then. But when summer comes, we won't be able to get out as much! 

Have you had a good week with nice weather?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’. 

 

39 comments:

Martha said...

Great photos Diane! Our weather has still been really nice early in the morning, but feels like summer before noon arrives. Have a great weekend, happy hiking. :)

MadSnapper said...

LOVE LOVE the tortoise and I hope he stays off the road... I nearly got run down once trying to move a small one off the road... he is wonderful . Yellow birds make me happy and these two are gorgeous. EXCELLENT photos of them

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

The Summer Tanager and Northern Parula are both beautiful birds. I love the Kite too.
The Gopher Tortoise is a cool sighting, I have seen them a few times in Florida. The field of sunflowers will be a lovely sight. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

carol l mckenna said...

Oh how exciting to be seeing new birds and awesome photography ~love seeing the turtle home too ~ Xo ~ Happy Weekend to you ^_^

Living moment by moment,

A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

italiafinlandia said...

What a series of pretty birds! I must admit they are all new to me.
Have a nice weekend!

Sandy said...


I would love to catch a glimpse of that yellow one. I have seen quite a few different ones lately too. The other day there were a bunch of swallowtails flying out over the bayou. That was cool.

Lea said...

Lovely birds! Great shot of the Tortoise too!
Have a wonderful weekend!

The Feminine Energy said...

*haha* I love the look on that tortoise's face: "Howdy. Wanna cup of coffee? Come on in!" :-) ~Andrea xoxo

Tom said...

...and I will have to wait until the mid of July to see sunflowers!

Marcia said...

Have the tortoise been around and just hiding up to now? You're birds are so different from ours.

Bill said...

The Gopher Tortoise is a nice sighting. Love seeing all the other beautiful birds. Nice images and have a great weekend!

Teresa said...

Siempre preciosos tus paseos. Feliz domingo.

Terri D said...

Beautiful weather here, too, but no hiking or bird sitings. Loved seeing yours!

magiceye said...

Beautiful captures of birds. Had never seen a tortoise home! Thanks for sharing.

Jeanie said...

That summer tanager is a sweetheart! Such a pretty, happy color!

Cloudia said...

So sweet

Linda said...

Nice nature photos!

Irma said...

What a series of beautiful birds!
I must admit that I have never seen these here in the Netherlands.
Greetings Irma.

Anni said...

Incredible Diane. Typical male of any species...the lady beckons & the guy ignores!! Beautiful birds this week & of Florida nature.
Thanks for sharing with us at IRBB this weekend!!

Anu said...

Hello. Great collection of beautiful birds.
Take care.

Debbie said...

the "newbies" are so pretty, beautiful shades of yellow!! i do not think i have ever seen a tortoise of that size, that''s a big one!! the weather here has been pretty good. our april showers are over, it's cold at night, 70's during the day!! enjoy those walks while you can!!

Calendula said...

Great photos of birds!

Edna B said...

The photos are beautiful. I love seeing the birds. That field of sun flowers is going to be beautiful when they all blossom. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

Net - "It's a Wonderful Movie" said...

Your birds are beautiful! I love your nature walks and seeing a different part of the country! Thank you for sharing this wonderful walk with us! I always love seeing these adventures through your eyes! 🦜🌳

Phil Slade said...

Now that was neat. Seeing the Swallowtail Kite and the tortoise at the front door like that. Seems your tortoises are almost as big as the alligators.

Lynn said...

The yellow bird is spectacular! I think she was posing for you:@)

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Neat sightings! The tortoise is a special treat to see.

Ann said...

So many beautiful birds. I just love the tortoise too.

Barbara said...

That tortoise photo is especially interesting!

Lowcarb team member said...

Such lovely birds and nice to see the turtle.
Enjoy the remainder of the weekend and have a good new week.

All the best Jan

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Oh, you got some great pictures of the Summer Tanager! They are SO pretty. We used to have a pair in Salt Springs that would return each year. I haven't seen one here yet. And that gopher tortoise! Wow! We see lots of their holes in the ground where we take our walks, and I even see their footprints in the sand, but they never make their appearance while we are there. I keep hoping one will pop his head out and say hello someday. And the Swallowtail Kites are so beautiful to watch. Last year we had a couple of the Mississippi Kites here at our house, but I haven't seen them yet. I love that you are seeing these wonderful creatures and sharing them with us! Helps me not be too homesick for our Salt Springs Forest home.

RedPat said...

Such lovely birds but the tortoise is amazing!

Olde Dame Holly said...

Oh, that tortoise looks so grumpy, but I think it's just how they are made! Like a grumpy neighbor! "Get off my lawn" he says! Or "my sandbank." Wow, they must be big, because I spotted that one in the center of the photo very easily! Our weather has been very nice, but it suddenly got hot, hot, hot. Some of the kids at school got sick at recess from the sudden heat.

Arlene G said...

Tortoises remind me of Yoda....lol Love all the pretty birds. God was so good to give us the lovely colors of nature to enjoy.

Lorrie said...

That tortoise has a good view from his home. Do you think he chose it for that reason? haha.
Lovely birds come to summer with you. Enjoy all the walks!

Helma said...

Hi Diane,
these yellow birds are very beautiful. I like yellow in nature and these birds have a beautiful and intense yellow color :-) Great to see turtles and they are also quite big I see. You have shown the swallow fantastically in flight.

Big hug,
Helma

NatureFootstep said...

The tanager is gorgeous. I have seen a few of them and all seem beautiful.
The image of the Mississippi Kite are stunning. This is a bird I was hoping to see but didn´t :(
Love your wildlife!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

The migratory birds are wonderful to see and beautiful photos! And it is so neat to see the tortoise at home. I love that.

Betty said...

I love butterflies and so does Hubby. The first piece of jewelry he bought me was a butterfly necklace.