Saturday, June 14, 2025

June 14, 2025

I'm an American Pygmy Kingfisher
I have a gold neck and my breast is rusty
My head and back are green
I have some white streaks
Shady habitat is where you can find me.

Location: Donde de Cope, Costa Rica

Sources: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/ampkin1/cur/introduction?login

Photo and text © 2025 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

Friday, June 13, 2025

June 13, 2025

I am a male Shining Honeycreeper
I'm mostly blue with bright yellow feet
My mate's mostly green 
And doesn't look too much like me
But we both like fruit, insects and nectar to eat.

Location: Donde de Cope, Costa Rica

Sources: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/shihon1/cur/introduction

Photo and text © 2025 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

Thursday, June 12, 2025

June 12, 2025

These are Water Lilies in the Nymphaea Genus
They are aquatic, hence the name
There many different colored species
But if you looked at them in gray-scale, they'd all  look the same.

Location: McKee Botanical Garden, Vero Beach

Sources: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/51122-Nymphaea

Photo and text © 2025 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.



Wednesday, June 11, 2025

June 11, 2025

I am known as a Blue Dasher dragonfly
My scientific name, "Pachydiplax longipennis" doesn't mean what you think
It translates to "Swift Long-winged skimmer"
Although my wings aren't particularly long or distinct.

Location: McKee Botanical Garden, Vero Beach

Sources: https://uwm.edu/field-station/bug-of-the-week/blue-dasher-dragonflies-family-libellulidae/

Photo and text © 2025 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

June 10, 2025

I am a Speckled Hummingbird
My defining marks are my black cheeks and white eye stripes
My throat, breast and underparts are speckled
And all but my two middle tail feathers are tipped white.

(This is a sneak peak at my Rhyming Guide to Ecuador book which I have finally resumed working on again. You know how it is, sometimes life gets in the way! But I promise it will be coming out some day!)

Location: Cosanga, Ecuador

Sources: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/spehum1/cur/introduction

Photo and text © 2025 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

Monday, June 9, 2025

June 9, 2025

We are a bunch of Swallow-tailed Kites
Sitting in a tree in Dee's driveway
We generally spend most our time in the air
But we roost early and late in the day.

Note: David and I came back from doing Scrub Jay monitoring and were suprised and delighted to see about 9 Swallow-tailed Kites one of the trees beside 

Location: Dee's house

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Swallow-tailed_Kite/lifehistory

Photo and text © 2025 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.





Sunday, June 8, 2025

June 8, 2025

I am a male Western Tanager
My mate is greenish-yellow and gray
We both like to eat insects and fruit
And go to juniper and pine forests on dates.

Thanks to today's special guest photographer, David Simpson!

Location: Private residence, San Simon, AZ

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Tanager/id

Photo © 2025 David Simpson and text © 2025 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.