Early morning at Viera Wetlands

American bittern

Rocky the racoon

Anhinga feeding time

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - 7am at Viera Wetlands and its breakfast time for plenty of the park's critters.  An American bittern was hiding in a swampy grass area waiting for a tasty morsel to fly by.  A racoon was searching the weeds at the waters edge for nests, eggs and anything else edible.  Meanwhile, the anhinga family was in an uproar waiting for mom to feed them.
     See the next post on how a great blue heron family is building a home.

Hard worker

It's nest building time...

...for the great blue herons in Viera Wetlands...

...and there's little rest for the male partner

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - A lot of the regular nesting palms in Viera Wetlands have been battered by last year's hurricanes and natures ways.  Still, there are trees where the birds are nest building.  It's pretty simple:  Mama is the construction fore-person and Dad is in charge of building materials.  The heron in photos 1-2  would land with his contribution; Mama would flap her wings (probably saying 'nice try now go get more') and the dejected male would be off again.
     Click on the photos for a larger format.
 

A gathering of herons at the Alligator Farm

This tricolor heron hung out on the alligator food dispencer.

Black heron doing his best not to crash.

The gang: one yellow-crowned heron and three black-crowned cousins.

This yellow-crowned NH looks like he belongs in a cartoon

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - We counted 12 herons hanging out at the Alligator Farm.  On a good day we might see three-four.  A dozen is a bonanza.  The cartoonish looking character in the bottom photo perched very close to us on two occasions...maybe he was looking for more company.

Looking for 'little green men'

Can you spot the alien?

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Roswell, New Mexico, is full of aliens..flying saucers hover .and there are alien trinkets, alien burgers at the local burger king, alien bar drinks and an alien research center.  We were on our way West in early 2010 to jobs in Yosemite NP when I figured a stop in Roswell (for 'historical' purposes) would be good.  The neat green t-shirt in the visitor center with a big alien character on it would be a 7 year old collectors item now if Lydia hadn't hustled me away from all the neat designs.
     The back story.  In July, 1947,  an object resembling a disc crashed outside Roswell.  The Air Force said it was a weather balloon.  Locals said it was a flying saucer.  And the legend of green men - -true or not - - started.

Old friends, new poses

Roseate spoonbill reflections

This ring-tailed lemur likes to warm both sides

The wood duck armada or synchronized swimming

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Lots of the same old characters at the Alligator Farm on Thursday.  More pics in previous blog.

Great white egret landing styles in B&W

Landing on a thin limb...

...or a bunch of them...

...takes plenty of spot on finesse

Traffic control

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Thursday, Feb.1, at the Alligator Farm