March 31, 2017

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, C54 spillway

I'm a Double-crested Cormorant
So full that I can't move
This is the kind of thing that happens
When you bite off more than you can chew.

(Technically, I did not take this at 8 a.m., I took it at Manatee watch around noon, but it was too funny not to share. This Cormorant was sitting there, and through binoculars, he looked like he'd been in an awful fight, it looked like his beak was hanging off and he had a broken neck. I didn't realize until I got home and blew up the picture that he in fact had caught a fish that was just too big to eat. Eventually, he did swallow it, but he sat like this for close to an hour. )

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 30, 2017

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, yellow trail

This is a Purple Thistle,
“Cirsium horridulum” in scientific terms.
It makes butterflies, bees and birds quite happy
(At least the birds who don’t prefer to eat worms.)

(Today's blog is dedicated to Joy the botanist, who used to yell at me for calling flowers "little purple things" and made me join the Native Plant Society. I still call them "little purple things" though.)

Sources: Florida Native Plant Society

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 29, 2017

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, yellow trail

I'm an immature Garter snake,
I have round eyes, so you know I'm not the pit viper type.
When I grow up I'll give birth to live young, not lay eggs,
And I'll have yellow and brown horizontal stripes.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 28, 2017

Location: Sebastian, North County Regional Park

We are baby Sandhill Cranes,
Shown here with our dad.
We'll stay with our parents for 8 or 9 months,
Then move out and get our own pad.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 27, 2017

Location: Sebastian Storm Water Park

I'm a Northern Cardinal
I'm mostly red and have brown eyes.
I've got a black mustache and beard,
And look a little like that Simpson bird guide.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 26, 2018

Location: Storm Water park, Sebastian

I'm a Black-throated Green Warbler,
I have a black throat and my crown 's olive green.
When I want to feed,
I glean insects from trees,
I move fast and can be hard to be seen.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 25, 2017

Location: Palm Beach County, STA 2

I am a Red-shouldered Hawk,
Named after my shoulder's red patch.
I mostly eat meat,
And have big taloned feet,
I'm shown here with my young who have recently hatched.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 24, 2017

Location: Sebastian, Storm Water Park

I'm known as a Swallow-tailed Kite,
I'm known for my beauty and grace,
I'm black and white,
and when I take flight,
I perform an aerial ballet.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 23, 2017

Location: Fellsmere, St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Scrub Jay trail

I'm known as a Florida Scrub Jay,
The Florida scrub is where I am found.
I've got a black beak and feet,
My feathers are totally on fleek,
And my call is a harsh, screechy sound.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 22, 2017

Location: Fellsmere, my driveway

We are [species TBD] ants,
We clean dead things up off the ground.
Our important job is to aerate soil,
With out us there'd be no plants around.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 21, 2017

Location: Fellsmere, Little League Park

We are a pair of Black Vultures
We're black with with grey skin on our face.
Our legs look white but their not,
We poop on them when we're hot,
Our stockings are definitely not made of lace.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 20, 2018

Location: Sebastian, North County Regional Park

I'm an Eastern Grey Squirrel
And although I look adorable,
I steal birdseed and destroy owl boxes,
My behaviour is quite deplorable.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 19, 2017

Location: Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park. 

I am a female Wild Turkey
Like a domestic, but brown and thinner.
My mate has a wattle, we both say "Gobble-gobble"
Please don't invite us to Thanksgiving dinner.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 18, 2017

Location: Fellsmere, Stick Marsh

I am a Green Heron,
I'm blueish grey with maroon on the front of my neck.
My back color is green, though that's seldom seen,
Yet Green Heron's my name, what the heck?

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 17, 2017

Location: Sebastian, Easy Street Park

I'm known as a Chinese Goose,
I wear a bright white suit.
I've an orange bill and knob, I could get a job
With Jethro Tull if I just had a flute.

(Only people over 50 will look at this picture and get the joke.)

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 16, 2017

Location: Sebastian, St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

We are a pair of nesting Bald Eagles
Our bounce back from DDT is something to cheer.
Expect to see a lot more of us
Now that Dee's an Eagle Watch volunteer.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 15, 2017

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

This is a Bald Eagle nest,
They can be five feet wide and four feet deep.
Despite the fact that they are so large,
They can be surprisingly hard to see.

(Today's post is dedicated to Sammy who showed me exactly where the nest was, and even marked a tree so I would know where to look, and still I walked by it about 4 times before I finally a found it. But I got all my fitbit steps in today, so it's all good!)

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 14, 2016

Location: Fellsmere, my house

I'm a baby Pineapple,
I can live near the south atlantic.
I'm easy to grow, for one of your own,
Chop the head off my mom and plant it.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 13, 2017

Location: Sebastian, WW Ranch Road

On the left, I am a Red-shouldered Hawk,
On the right I'm a Loggerhead Shrike.
We  both are considered "birds of prey"
But are otherwise nothing alike.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 12, 2017

Location: West Palm, Green Cay

I'm a Common Gallinule,
Shown here with my kid.
You can see he's got my eyes and nose,
And food running down his chin.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 11, 2017

Location: Fellsmere, Little League Park

We are European Starlings,
We are iridescent purple, green and blue
Our spots are light tan, and a Shakespeare fan,
Is responsible for bringing us from Europe to you.

Sources:
Cornell All About Birds: Starlings
The Birds of Shakespeare

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 10, 2017

Location: Fellsmere, Little League Park

I am a White Ibis
My soft parts are red because I'm breeding.
I have mud on my face, it's not a big disgrace,
I have no napkin and was recently feeding.

(With apologies to Freddie Mercury.)

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 9, 2013

Location: Fellsmere, Stick Marsh parking lot

I am a Palm Warbler,
My feathers are fairly nondescript.
But you can ID me by my behavior,
My tail always goes flick-flick-flick.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 8, 2017

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Babcock road entrance

I'm an Eastern Meadowlark,
I'm black, brown and white with a yellow tummy.
My song is my fame, from the back I look plain,
But from the front my disposition is sunny.

(Check out my other blog for more pictures and to find out why the Pileated Woodpecker's hair looks the way it does.)

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 7, 2017

Location: Fellsmere, Stick Marsh

I'm a Savannah Sparrow,
I'm brown and white with heavy streaks.
There's a tiny speck of yellow by my eye,
And I use my small, pinkish beak to eat seeds.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 6, 2017

Location: Vero Wetlands

I'm a North American River Otter,
I can be vicious but look iincredibly cute.
I can take down an alligator¹ just with my teeth,
But prefer fish and occasionally Coot².

(Additional pictures of his whole family on my other blog.)

Sources: (1)  How a River Otter Can Bag an Alligator for Lunch
(2) Why I Otter...

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 5, 2017

Location: North County Regional Park

I'm an adult Sandhill Crane,
When I'm young I'm called a "colt".
I'm grey but use mud to preen myself,
My call sounds like I'm gargling bolts.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 4, 2017

Location: Vero Wetlands

I'm known as a Snail Kite
I've got big, orange talon feet.
You see my white tail stripe when I'm in flight,
And I've got a bi-colored snail eatin' beak.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 3, 2017

Location: Fellsmere, Little League Park

I'm a male Boat-tailed Grackle,
My feathers are irridescent purplish-blue,
I have the same eyes, beak and legs as my wife,
But her feathers have a golden-brown hue. 

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 2, 2017

Location: Sebastian, North County Regional Park

I'm known as a Blue Jay,
My reputation has been sullied
Mostly just by other birds
That I am known to bully.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 1, 2017

Location: Location

I am known as a Limpkin,
I'm mostly brown with lots of white spots.
My call's often used as background in movies,
Such as Godfather II when Fredo gets off'd.

(This one is dedicated to David Simpson, who loves the movie but hates that one scene because, and I quote, "Limpkin don't live in Las Vegas.")

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson