Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Dabbling Ducks - Northern Shoveler Ducks Feeding


Northern Shoveler Ducks feeding. The most "dabbling" of all ducks, the Shovelers use their large elongated shovel-like bills with comblike projections along the edges to filter out food from the water. They spend a good portion of their time upside down in the water. Filmed at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida.

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Northern Shoveler Ducks Feeding

Monday, February 23, 2015

Cute Possum Attacked by Fire Ants

Video: Cute Possum Attacked by Fire Ants

Possum attacked by fire ants - Ouch! Virginia Possums common to the eastern US are immune to Rattlesnake and Cottonmouth bites - they eat these snakes before they get real big and have developed immunity to snake venom and show no physiological reaction when bitten - but Fire Ant Venom still really hurts! A very large possum checking out some crumbs from food I left for a feral cat (see: The Secret Life of a Feral Cat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVPWvFW0Jwk for background ) is overwhelmed by fire ants and wisely retreats to lick its wounds. The old chewed up dog bone on the fence inexplicably appeared earlier in the night, probably found in a nearby yard and brought by a Raccoon! Night Vision recording so quality is a bit lower - looks better if you don't look at full screen.
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Possum Attacked by Fire Ants
Video: Cute Possum Attacked by Fire Ants


Turkey Vultures Amazing Nose Mini Documentary




Turkey Vultures Amazing Nose

It is one of the most sensitive noses in the Animal Kingdom.  Experts estimate that  the turkey vulture, can detect the scent of rotting flesh in concentrations as tiny as a few parts per billion in the air.  The olfactory lobe of its brain, responsible for processing smells, is particularly large compared to that of other animals. Combine that with the unique design of its nostrils which are not divided by a septum improving air sampling (from the side one can see right through the beak) and you have the turkey buzzard with the superpower of smell.

The Turkey Vulture tracks plumes of odor from decaying animals while gliding high up in the air column and homes in on them by flying in circles. Their sense of smell is so acute that they can even locate carrion below the forest canopy or something as small as a dead mouse or rat under a pile of leaves,

Contrary to popular belief  Turkey Buzzards are clean birds -  baking off bacteria and grooming while spreading their massive six foot wingspan in the sun – and their nostril design makes it easier to keep rotten meat from clogging them.

In contrast Black Vultures have traditional bird nostrils and can't locate food by smell and must rely on their keen vision to find carrion. From a distance as far as a few miles, black vultures will watch the behavior of turkey vultures. They see when a turkey vulture is making smaller and smaller circles around an area and when the turkey vultures go to the ground the black vultures follow. Buzzards preform a valuable service cleaning up the remains of dead animals, especially the many unfortunate animals killed on the roads everyday and reducing the spread of disease. They much prefer freshly dead animals and will not eat extremely rotten meat, the Turkey Vultures amazing sense of smell insures most carcasses are found early and don't go to waste!

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Eastern Screech Owls Mating and Calling



Screech Owl Calls and Courtship continues at 2 AM with a nice big bug delivered by Mr. Owl. The male actually landed on the camera and the female seems to take her time with the bug until eating it just at the end. Note that I need to adjust the exposure on the camera - no amount of post-processing can save overexposed video.
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Eastern Screech Owls Mating and Calling


Monday, February 16, 2015

Spiny Backed Orb Weaver Spider Spinning a Web

Spiny Backed Orb Weaver Spider Spinning a Web
Spiny Backed Orb Weaver Spider Spinning a Web



Spiny Backed Orb Weaver Spider spinning a web - one of Nature's amazing creatures. To see a video of it spinning a web check out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwLn11KJS9Y

Red Shouldered Hawk


Watching like a Hawk! - with piercing eyes a Red Shouldered Hawk lands on the backyard fence directly across from the Eastern Screech Owl nest box sending Mrs. Screech Owl diving for cover. I don't think the hawk saw the owl, but the Owl sitting on its perch inside the box saw the hawk. Typically this big hawk takes a Mourning Dove or Gray Squirrel once in awhile - it has a large territory. The Screech Owls dare not venture out in the daytime!

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Red Shouldered Hawk

Florida Winter Beach Birds - The Weather is Warm!!



Florida shore birds. Forget about the cold - enjoy a relaxing late January morning with shorebirds that feed along the surf-line. Brown Pelicans, Gulls, Sandpipers, Sanderlings, and their allies along a quiet section of eastern Florida beach. 

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Florida Winter Beach Birds


Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Squirrel Valentine's Day Love Story in an Owl Nest Box!



Valentine's Day Operetta of an ill-fated squirrel love story of epic proportions! Have you ever heard the sound squirrels make whilst in the throes of passion - it's cute! Unknown to these young squirrels they were caught on a video camera meant for observing Screech Owls. Play at high volume and HD for best results! 

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Squirrel Valentine's Day Love Story in an Owl Nest Box!


Thursday, February 5, 2015

Eastern Screech Owl Prepares Nest Box



Female Eastern Screech Owl is getting the nest box reading for egg laying - hopefully in a week or so! A little early this year, but it has been a very mild winter so far in Florida. Have not spotted the male yet, but they are no doubt in the courtship process.

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Eastern Screech Owl in Nest Box

Florida Cracker Cattle


A Blue Cow! Florida Cracker Cows are some of the prettiest and rarest cattle - descended from cows brought by the Spanish Conquistadors they have evolved to survive in the harsh year- round heat and humidity of Florida's subtropical bush and swamp environment which does not provide high quality forage food. These cows tend to be smaller and often have a "bony" appearance like the cows in this video. It is fascinating to see these cows moving through the dense wild brush and they are extremely photogenic.
  
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Florida Cracker Cattle

Monday, February 2, 2015

Eastern Screech Owls Return to Nest Box for 2015



Eastern Screech Owls have returned to the nest box for 2015! Female Red Morph Screech Owl has been roosting in the box for 6 days now. No eggs yet, perhaps in a week or two - historically this is pretty early. Last years eggs were abandoned because the Male stopped bringing food for some reason. This is a new mother and she seems quite shy so for now I'm careful not to make eye contact or get too close to the box until they commit to it and eggs are laid. Cameras are ready!

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Eastern Screech Owls in Nest Box

Orchard Orb Weaver Spider



This Orb Weaver Spider is relatively common in Florida and looks like it has red lights glowing on it for defensive purposes, Despite the appearance of two bright red triangles on its abdomen that look like at first glance like an hourglass it is not poisonous like the Black Widow - its "teeth" would have trouble penetrating human skin in any case, but it is very beneficial feasting mostly on mosquitoes and small flies.  
These colorful, delicate spiders make circular webs that are usually positioned horizontally or at an angle to the ground, and they typically hang in the middle of their webs. The carapace appears yellow-green, darker on the sides. The abdomen is somewhat elongated and can be variably colored with silver, greens, yellows, reds and some blues. The legs are slender and long.

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Orchard Orb Weaver Spider