Corkscrew Creatures

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Since I posted a green heron from our 2014 excursion in Corkscrew Swamp last week, I thought it would be timely to post some of the critters we saw this year. In 2015. We didn't see one green heron this year though!

 Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is the most peaceful of Florida boardwalks. But you won't have it to your self. (Unfortunately there's other tourists) You'll share it with all kinds of critters big and small. Seen and unseen. Heard and unheard. Look up and you'll see a pileated headed wood peckers doing some damage in the tree tops.

And spider webs reflecting the morning light.

Ibis will be high up above. And below.

An old wood stork might look down from above.

Delicate swamp petals will delight.

Fringed and feathered white egrets will patrol the swamp.

Alligators will bellow from below. This one really did!

Great blue herons will sneak up on a snack.

A wood stork might do the old bait and switch.

Is this an anhinga? I barely recognize him when he isn't drying his wings. You'll see him.

A handsome yellow crowned night heron could possibly, sluggishly troll through the muck.

A little blue heron might pick and peck around.

Another white egret might pose for your camera. 

And a second blue heron will wait beautifully in a tree.

And there's black snakes. For Heaven's sakes alive!

Saturday's Critters

Bird d'Pot

Wild Bird Wednesday

Wednesday Around the World

Going Green

"No, I'm not a crane.  I just have a long neck.  Idiot."

"Another tourist, another day.  Yawn.  Do my orange legs make me look fat?"

"O.K., I'll give the ugly wingless creature a beauty shot.  They will just keep looking at me until I do.  Weirdos." 

 There are a lot of Green Herons at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  But I never get tired of seeing them.  But I always wonder if they are tired of looking at us! 

Now here are 5 random (But not for Random 5 Friday anymore) and hopefully funny animal tidbits to share...

1)  My husband looked out the window around 7 am this Spring and stated,"Our bunny is taking the walk of shame back into our yard"  Ha!  Good one.  She lives in our back yard all year and always has a batch or 2 of babies under the deck.

2) Stop the presses! 5 buck clucks are now 6 bucks!  And if you don't know what a 6 buck cluck is, it's a rotisserie chicken at Lunds on Fridays. 

3)  People have been putting a lot of cute animal videos on facebook lately.  Have you seen the one with the chipmunk who adores the soft bed sheets?  He just keeps stretching and yawning. Cute. 

4)  I was putting on hand lotion the other day and a smidgen fell onto the floor.  Akua ran over to lick it up. (my cats think everything on the floor is food)  He tasted it and looked up at me like I was trying to kill him.  Then he ran off and hid in the basement.  Good grief.

5)  On the other hand, my cat Hana loves the taste of soap.  We had to start using soft soap in dispensers to discourage her from licking the bars.  But when I do drag out a bar and lather up, she stops whatever she is doing and runs into the bathroom to lick my face or hands.  Weird!

Saturday's Critters

Bird d'Pot

Wild Bird Wednesday

Help a Heron Out Hand Out

I got up close and personal with this great blue heron.  He didn't care a lick about me snapping his photo.  He was too busy staring intently at a fisherman at Lover's Key State Park in Florida.  And the fisherman's pail of fish.  I'm unsure if the heron got his helping. 

And speaking of licks.  My illustrated Kookaburra has his tongue wrapped around a gum drop. Yum. It's an illustration of the classic nursery rhyme Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree. 

And you'll find it in volume 2 of these books I'm handing out!  Each book is filled with fun illustrated nursery rhymes by the members of CBIG  The children's book illustrators guild of Minnesota.  They would make a great Christmas gift for the little ones in your life. You can find them on Amazon.

I'm also adding a copy of my book Maya Monkey. It's also available on Amazon.  I illustrated Maya for Teacher Created Materials last year.  But I didn't do a giveaway for her.  Until now.

 To enter the giveaway just be sure you're following me in my side bar and mention the giveaway in your comment.  Then I'll pick two winners.  One will receive a free copy of CBIG volume 1 and a copy of Maya Monkey and the other will receive CBIG volume 2 and Maya Monkey. I'll be sure to get them in the mail for Christmas!

P.S.  As of December 16th I've decided to discontinue the giveaway.  Because after 22 comments and 5 days I've only had 1 person enter the contest.  That makes me feel like a scrooge.  And at this point I wouldn't be able to alert the winners, acquire their address and get those books in their stocking by Christmas morning.  Plus, next week I just want to wish everyone Merry Christmas instead of Bah Humbug.  Bummer.

Saturday's Critters

Bird d'Pot

Wild Bird Wednesday

  

Classic Corkscrew

I've been taking photos of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary for years.  And every time I snap a photo of the morning light shining down on the boardwalk I intend to do a painting of it.  So far I haven't.  But it is on my bucket list.

A green gecko was hanging around.

There were magic orbs.

A hawk looked down from above.

The swamp was in bloom.

Lettuce Lakes was ready for dressing.  (It really is called Lettuce Lakes)

A little Blue Heron was selecting a snack.

Lunch!  I love this shot!

Another beautiful morning in good old Florida.

Saturday's Critters

Wild Bird Wednesday

All in a day's work

I titled this post All in a Day's Work because we saw all these beauties on one hike at Rookery Bay Swamp in Florida.  It was a good day to not be at work.

I call these wood storks Grandpas.  He has been included in WBW before.  But he was part of the sights and sounds on this day.

Gators!

A hawk peeking out of a nest.  Look close.

This vulture is the real pick for Wild Bird Wednesday this week. They creep me out!  

Green Heron

I got up close and personal with a Green Heron at Wood Lake this Summer.  He was so busy looking for dinner that he didn't pay any attention to me.  But just to be sure I get the shot I always take one right away at a distance and then slowly sneak up and take more.  As we all know sometimes the birds fly away as soon as you take the first step.  But sometimes you get lucky.

I'm also happy to hook up with Wild Bird Wednesday after a brief absence. I was out bird watching!

Heron Habitat

click to enlarge

I think this is a yellow crowned night heron.  He looks like a realistic painting of a bird on an impressionist background. But of course it is just a photograph at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Florida. 

And he is part of the blog hop over at Paying Ready Attention

By Rook or by Brook...

We have been on a huge lucky streak this Summer. We just had the best 4th of July ever. Small town Parades, great food and lots of fun hiking. And just when we thought the weekend was over we ran across the best Black Raspberry picking to date. And topped it off by discovering that we could see 3 cities worth of fire works 1/2 block from our house. Summer rocks! But our lucky streak actually started a couple weeks ago. We were hiking at Interstate State Park in Wisconsin and ran across a Heron Rookery. All morning we could hear this weird sound. It was like a cross between monkeys and bird squawks. So before we left we did a slow drive by. We thought,"tree frogs gone wild perhaps?" Then we saw that the tree tops were alive and the forest floor was covered in a magical coat of white. O.K. it was no magic. It was poop! Some trees had 2-3 nests and it went on for almost a city block.

And our lucky streak continued. I just happened across 2 photogenic Owls last week. Just a few blocks from my house at lake Harriet. By a brook... honest! Does anyone know what the real saying by hook or by crook means? Hopefully it's nothing politically incorrect! Tune in next week for more animals. We picked up our Trail Cam footage last weekend.