Birds of the Merritt island National Wildlife Refuge Florida

Birds of the Merritt island National Wildlife Refuge Florida

A sampling of wading birds, waterfowl and shorebirds on a drive through Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near Kennedy Space Center, Florida. There are around 300 species of birds at the wildlife refuge the most commonly seen on the wildlife drive are herons and egrets, ducks, grebes, Ospreys and Ibis - and of course alligators. For photo and video the best time is early morning with the sun rising in the east to get that nice rich light and pretty water. As the day progresses the light gets harsher. It is always a challenge to film pure white birds as automatic settings on cameras tend to lead to over exposure. In these conditions I sometimes under-expose by 2 to 3 clicks as you can see the improvement starting at 0:26 you can also experiment with white balance settings.
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Birds of the Merritt island National Wildlife Refuge Florida

First Eastern Screech Owlet Hatches!

First Eastern Screech Owlet Hatches!

Breaking News - the first of three Screech Owlets for 2018 has hatched. Mom is very protective so you cant' see the owlet yet, but you can hear her sort of peeping a lot. Mother owl is making a continuous contact call while feeding the owlet. The remaining two eggs will probably hatch over the weekend.
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First Eastern Screech Owlet Hatches!

Catbird Sings - Bananas Are "The Cat's Meow"

Catbird Sings - Bananas Are "The Cat's Meow"

Catbirds make meow calls that sound like their namesake Cats. Gray Catbirds absolutely love ripe bananas - in fact they give the loudest and most enthusiastic meowing songs when they are first introduced to bananas. You can just sense the joy in their reaction.
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Catbird Sings - Bananas Are "The Cat's Meow"

Wild Crested Coralroot Orchid

Wild Crested Coralroot Orchid

A rare native Florida Orchid, I believe the Crested Coralroot (Hexalectris spicata) suddenly appeared in the Backyard in a protected semi-shaded drier area. It is unusual to spot native orchids in Florida out in the bush because of the density of other plants and brush. This one somehow managed to grow from wind borne seeds as an isolated plant under a growing palmetto tree among lava rock ground cover - Go Figure. You will notice it has aphids at the new growth at the tip of the main flower. I love it when I spot an unusual bit of Nature that might otherwise be overlooked.
Crested Coralroot Orchid (Hexalectris spicata)
This unusual plant in the Orchid family (Orchidaceae) is called crested coralroot orchid. The genus name “Hexalectris” is Greek and means, “six cock,” referring to the six raised ridges on the lip that resemble a rooster’s crest. The species name “spicata” refers to the flowers being produced on a spike. It is called crested coralroot orchid because of the rhizomatous nature of the species where the twisted roots look like corals.
This orchid is saprophytic, meaning it lives off fungi and decaying organic matter. It contains no chlorophyll and is therefore not green, so it cannot photosynthesize. Because of this, there is no need to produce leaves. This dubious lifestyle might contribute to the plant ranging in size from six inches tall to over eighteen inches tall, but it is consistently larger than the true coralroot orchid genus Corallorhiza.
The flowering stems of this summer bloomer are light brown and easily overlooked in the tall grass or leaf litter. The subtle flowers reveal spectacular beauty when closely examined. Three curved sepals streaked with purple spread horizontally and vertically. Two petals are similar, and the lowest petal, the lip, is the most striking feature of the flower, with a deep, striped, magenta hue. Flowers are thought to be pollinated by bumblebees.
This is a plant of calcareous, well-drained areas like limestone glades and oak-hickory woodlands. It is uncommon in the southeastern portion of the United States and is listed as endangered or threatened in many states where is occurs.
By Christopher David Bendahttps://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pla...
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Wild Crested Coralroot Orchid

Mother Screech Owl Sings To Her Eggs

Mother Screech Owl Sings To Her Eggs

The female screech owl sings soft and sweet to her owlets still in the eggs - bonding begins long before hatching. Mother screech owl goes out briefly at dusk to stretch and do her toilet and then returns to incubate the eggs. Mr Owl brings food throughout the night. The eggs may start hatching tonight March 28th. I'm sure the owl can sense the movement in her eggs.
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Mother Screech Owl Sings To Her Eggs

Blue Jay Meets Banana - Makes Monkey Sounds

Blue Jay Meets Banana - Makes Monkey Sounds

Blue Jay gets very excited upon seeing a ripe banana for the first time making a variety of calls including a pretty good monkey impersonation. I've heard that call before, but never so close and on film. At first the Jay picks at the seeds and is unsure it likes the actual banana, but within a few minutes its feasting on it.
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Blue Jay Meets Banana - Makes Monkey Sounds

Squirrelosaurus Rex - Giant Gray Squirrel Dinosaur

Squirrelosaurus Rex - Giant Gray Squirrel Dinosaur

Rare footage of the giant Squirrelosaurus Rex or S-Rex as his friends call him. The biggest Gray Squirrel ever seen and the only one to ever bite me. He is a real sweet guy as you'll see. He is just a little excitable and more farsighted than normal.
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Squirrelosaurus Rex - Giant Gray Squirrel Dinosaur

Don't Mow Your Lawn - Turn Your Yard Into a Meadow!

Don't Mow Your Lawn - Turn Your Yard Into a Meadow!

Stop cutting your grass? Give it a try this season - don't mow your yard and experiment with what happens! Over time you can turn it into a meadow. Birds and animals will love you for it. ✷AMAZON - my Backyard shop with products I've bought, use and recommend for making videos, photos and enjoying Nature! https://www.amazon.com/shop/mybackyar...

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Don't Mow Your Lawn - Turn Your Yard Into a Meadow!

Gray Catbirds Love Oranges

Catbirds Love Oranges

A Gray Catbird feasts on a slice of fresh orange until a special guest arrives. If you have never seen the Catbird up close you are in for a treat - they have a surprising hidden red bottom! In April they will head North.
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Catbirds Love Oranges

Fire Ants at Work

Fire Ants at Work

Time-lapse of Fire Ants collecting food. Dried meal-worms were put out for green and brown Anole Lizards, but the Red Imported Fire Ants found them first. Fascinating to see them make quick work of carrying the worms back to the nest. Watch closely and you'll see a mixture of bigger soldiers and workers and like humans moving a couch they don't always get it right the first time.
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Fire Ants at Work

Screech Owl Nest Box Update

Screech Owl Nest Update

The Screech Owls are a focused couple this year and the first of the three eggs are expected to start hatching by the end of March. Ms. Owl stays in the nest box all day caring for the eggs - her eyes are amazing. Stay tuned!
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Screech Owl Nest Update

Soco Falls Great Smoky Mountains

Soco Falls Great Smoky Mountains

Soco Falls on Soco Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains on the Cherokee Nation filmed last September. Time to think of spring and get in the mood for outdoor activities! Green vegetation and warmer weather is just around the corner. Going to the bottom of this falls or trying to climb to the top is extremely dangerous. Several people are killed each year on North Carolina waterfalls including this waterfall.
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Soco Falls Great Smoky Mountains

Squirrels Are Not Morning People

Squirrels Are Not Morning People

Florida Backyard Squirrels don't do mornings, especially when it is 39 degrees outside. That probably sounds pretty wimpy to northern squirrel people, but its all relative. Squirrel coping strategy - drag oneself to the high tree branch to catch the sun put on their tail blanket and then just wait to thaw out....
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Squirrels Are Not Morning People

Squirrels Marking Territory - Squirrel Social Networking

Squirrels Marking Territory - Squirrel Social Networking

Amazing accidental discovery of just how important a keen sense of smell and urine marking are to the gray squirrel's social network. A "green room" constructed for filming the Blue Jays becomes an unexpected laboratory for squirrel communication. This all takes place within 8 minutes.

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Squirrels Marking Territory - Squirrel Social Networking

Plaster Bagworm or Household Casebearer Larva

Plaster Bagworm or Household Casebearer Larva

The Larva or caterpillar of the Plaster Bagworm or more accurately called the Household Casebearer moth is an unusual creature. It carries its case around with it as it hunts out silk nests of spiders and other small creatures. It is rare to find one on the move, but this one is cleaning the nooks and crannies of the screech owl nest box. There are hundreds of them now in a dormant state on the stucco wall of the house that is always in the shade. If they were to become established inside a house they could do some damage, but they require high humidity or moisture to thrive and modern AC has limited their indoor incursions. They are unsightly hanging all over the house. This is the first year they have been noticeable. Link to "Trash bug" Green Lacewing Larva video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dW6E...
More information can be found at:http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/u...
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Plaster Bagworm or Household Casebearer Larva

Brown Anole Lizard Dewlap and Push-up Display

  Brown Anole Lizard Display

Handsome, but invasive Brown Anole Lizard has found a nice prominent fallen tree trunk to show off his dewlap and do some pushups! In recent years native green or Carolina Anoles have been making a comeback around the backyard.
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Brown Anole Lizard Display

Blue Jay Casting Call - Audition for Youtube Video

Blue Jay Casting Call - Audition for Youtube Video

At a recent casting call for a video review of a new microphone the Blue Jays were unusually on their best behavior. Behind the scenes footage - You be the judge of this polite gentleman who hands the lady his peanut. But these are smart birds and he knows if he gives away a peanut he will get more screen time and noticed and the other jay will leave, increasing the chances that he will land the part of the Blue Jay that stands on the camera and gets many more peanuts in the process!
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Disclosure - this product was given to me by the manufacturer to test in film production. My opinions are my own and I only publish videos of provided products that I like and use.

Blue Jay Casting Call - Audition for Youtube Video

Brown Thrasher Singing

Brown Thrasher Singing

Brown Thrasher sings dozens of beautiful songs from high in a tree top in the Backyard. He sings for 7 minutes and then he hears a real hawk nearby - time to get out of the tree top! The Thrasher is in the same bird family as the Northern Mockingbird - the Mimics - and this bird seems to have supplanted the usual Mockingbird as the primary Backyard singing star this Spring. Perhaps this is not a big enough stage for two superstars?
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Brown Thrasher Singing

Roseate Spoonbill Babies in Nest

Roseate Spoonbill Babies in Nest

Four big Roseate Spoonbill baby Chicks take up most of their huge nest. Bizarre ,beautiful and threatened - these are the only "spoonbill" birds in the western Hemisphere. They are still mostly white with a hint of pink in their flight feathers. One parent guards them while the other is hunting for food. Video of a mature spoonbill:  https://youtu.be/ZLbG9rzUdkY

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Roseate Spoonbill Babies in Nest

Screech Owl Parents - Silent Wings

Screech Owl Parents - Silent Wings

Mother and Father Eastern Screech Owls share a quick meal outside the nest box in full color artificial light and surprise - Mr Owl is a Red Morph too! This is the first year the male has been red - every year since 2011 the females have been red and the males have been gray. I'm thinking all of the owlets due to hatch the end of March will be redheads! Putting a perch in front of the nest box is key to attracting screech owls! http://amzn.to/2txOZhm
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Screech Owl Parents - Silent Wings

Osprey Eating Fish - Extreme Close Up

Osprey Eating Fish - Extreme Close Up

Walked up on this "Fish Eagle" from above about 15 feet away just as it landed with a big fish. The Osprey put up with me for a bit before moving further away. They have a nest nearby with at least one chick in it. The Ospreys have some of the most awesome claws in the bird world!
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Osprey Eating Fish - Extreme Close Up

Meet Mister Screech Owl

Meet Mister Screech Owl

The male Eastern Screech Owl's attention is focused on getting food for his mate now that there are eggs in the nest box. He catches a nice juicy invasive Cuban Tree Frog. Putting a 6 to 8 foot high perch 10 to 15 feet in front of the nest box and not using any pesticides on the Backyard is crucial to making a nest box attractive to these little owls.
Stovall 6H Screech Owl Box: http://amzn.to/2Fo7DKe
It's a little pricey but I've had this one since November 2010 and its held up fine and had owls every season since I got it!
Backyard perch link: http://amzn.to/2FpeQtD
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Meet Mister Screech Owl

Tiny Nuthatch Bluffs Chipmunk - Then Real Big Bird Shows Up

Tiny Bird Bluffs Chipmunk - Then Real Big Bird Shows Up



A tiny Nuthatch owns the feeder with a big scary bluff act and has Chipmunks and other small birds on the run! Wait for the payoff at the end - when a real big bird shows up and you'll see just how tiny the Nuthatch is.
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Tiny Bird Bluffs Chipmunk - Then Real Big Bird Shows Up

Screech Owls Singing and First Egg in the Nest Box!

Screech Owls Singing and First Egg in the Nest Box!

Screech Owl couple's amazing calls or communication with each other as they settle in to the nest box. After one of the longest courtships I've seen, mother owl has finally laid the first egg. I bought this nest box in November 2010 and it is their favorite and still going strong: http://amzn.to/2CVD3FR
She has been roosting in the nest boxes since early December and fortunately picked the one with a camera for us to watch.
I bought this nest box in November 2010 and it is their favorite and still going strong: http://amzn.to/2CVD3FR
I believe this to be the current version of the camera: http://amzn.to/2Flvm0L
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Screech Owls Singing and First Egg in the Nest Box!