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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.