My Birds
The last few years I lived in Florida, I made it a personal goal to photograph as many birds as possible. It got me out of the house, kept my anxiety down, and let me connect with the local ecology. It was good for me. Now, I have something to show off.
I think of this as my regional pokedex. Hopefully you also played pokemon as a kid. I'm 28, if that makes you feel better or worse about your own personal timeline. Sorry. Please enjoy my birds.
I want to make a new one for New York, but I haven't been out birding much yet. I think I have one photo for that so far. That will have to come later.
Florida
Northern Mockingbird
St. Sebastian River Preserve
These are super common in urban areas but it took me forever to get any good pictures of them because I never really sought them out. There's some sort of lesson in there, probably.
Florida Scrub Jay
Cruickshank Sanctuary
It took me so long to find one of these. All I really needed to do was ask a friend. I mentioned to a coworker that I was looking for them and she knew exactly where to go.
White Ibis
Front Street Park
If you're not from Florida, you might be inclined to find these birds interesting and exotic. Don't bother. These are parking lot birds.
Limpkin
T.M. Goodwin WMA
Yes, they are really called that. I double-checked. They eat apple snails. It's actually pretty interesting to watch.
Sandhill Crane
Malabar Community Park
These birds are scary. They are not afraid of you, and they don't need to be.
Great Blue Heron
Melbourne Riverwalk
These are a lot bigger than you'd expect. They're kind of intimidating.
Little Blue Heron
Front Street Park
I don't actually have as many good pictures of these guys as I would expect given how many times I've seen them. They're always alone.
Great Egret
Melbourne Riverwalk
These are big, but not as scary as Sandhills or Great Blues. They startle easier. They mind their own business.
Snowy Egret
Front Street Park
These are fashionable egrets. They have wispy little feathers and dark black beaks. They're smaller and cuter than Greats.
Cattle Egret
Retention Pond
These guys do sit on cows. That's how they got their name, I suppose. More often, I see them sitting on trucks.
Osprey
Melbourne Riverwalk
I have a million bad pictures of Osprey flying overhead. It took me forever to find one sitting down. This one was eating lunch. I might have been bothering it.
Willet
Melbourne Beach
Willets and Sanderlings are the birds you're likely to see at Melbourne Beach. Sanderlings follow the waves in and out, careful not to get wet. These guys are a little more relaxed.