December 31, 2023

This was a Cuban Tree Frog

You can tell by the size of it's legs and its skin was bumpy

And you can also tell that it was female

Cause it's not a daddy, it's a mummy. 

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://wec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/wildlife_info/frogstoads/osteopilus_septentrionalis.php

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 30, 2023

I am a first winter Franklin's Gull

I look remarkably similar to a Laughing

But I am smaller and have more black round my eyes

And overall, I am far more dashing.

Special thanks to today's guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Frank Rendon Park, Daytona Beach Shores

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Franklins_Gull/species-compare/71312131

Photo © 2023 David Simpson and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 29, 2023

I am a Tyrian Metaltail

I have a short, straight, black beak

I have mostly emerald green feathers

And a forked tail that is ever so chic.

Location: Guango Lodge, Ecuador

Sources: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/tyrmet1/cur/introduction

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 28, 2023

I am a Sword-billed Hummingbird

My beak is longer that my bod

I appear to have a human-like sclera

But that's just my postocular whitespot.

(Note from Dee: I am now officially retired from high tech and working with David full time. First up: we recently returned from a trip to Ecuador and I am writing a new book tentatively titled, "The Rhyming Guide to Ecuador's Choco Andes Highlands", planned for a February release. For now, be on the lookout for book previews like this one here in the blog!)

Location: Reserva Yanacocha, Ecuador

Sources: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/swbhum1/cur/introduction

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 27, 2023

I am a male Mournful Sphinx moth

You can tell I'm male cause my tail ends in an anchor

To be scientifically correct, not a tail, it's the end of my abdomen

(I don't want to attract science nerd rancor!)

Special thanks to today's guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Okeechobee, FL

Sources: https://www.sphingidae.us/enyo-lugubris.html

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 26, 2023

We are Vermilion Flycatchers

We are known to wander about

We're from South America, but sometimes

We get to Florida when our internal GPS says "reroute".

Location: TM Goodwin WMA (top), Quito, Ecuador (bottom) 

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Vermilion_Flycatcher/overview

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 25, 2023

I'm a male Andean Cock-of-the-rock

I'm fluorescent red with an orange-eyed stare

You can't see it right now, but I've got a beak,

You'll just have to trust me - it's there. 

(Wishing the happiest of holidays to all of my readers! - Dee)

Location: Refugio Paz de las Aves, Ecuador

Sources: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/andcot1/cur/introduction

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 24, 2023

I am a Red-nosed Black-bellied Whistling Duck

I'm leading my flock to the north pole

We hear there's an old fat guy who needs a hand with a sleigh

And I think I can fill the role.

Location: Cocoa Christmas Bird Count

Sources: Probably too much egg nog.

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 23, 2023

I am known as an Osprey

I can travel 160,000 miles in my life

Some of us Ospreys are migratory

But we return to the same mate and nest after our flight.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/osprey/cur/breeding

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 22, 2023

I am known as a Snail Kite

To say I'm a picky eater would be an understatement

I only like native or exotic Apple Snails, 

And only when I can't find one will I look for a meal replacement. 

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snail_Kite/lifehistory

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 21, 2023

These structures are called floating wetlands

The water has too much pollution

The floating islands contain plants that remove

Nitrogen and phosphorus - it's an elegant solution.

Location: Bracco Pond, Cocoaf

Sources: http://www.beemats.com/how-it-works.html

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 20, 2023

We are a family of Muscovy Ducks

A youngun, a dad and a mom

In Florida, it is illegal to release us

But not in South America, where we are from.

Location: Cocoa Christmas Bird Count

Sources: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/waterfowl/muscovy-ducks

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 19, 2023

I am an immature Black-bellied Whistling duck

My beak isn't orange like mom and dads

And my belly isn't black yet, but as my name implies

Soon I'll grow and will be black-bellied clad.

Location: Cocoa Christmas Bird Count

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-bellied_Whistling-Duck/id

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 18, 2023

I am a leucistic Palm Warbler

I would normally be yellow and white

But I am lacking melanin pigment

Which can affect mating, predation and flight.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/behaviour/plumage/leucism

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 17, 2023

This is a plant in the genus Polygonella

Based on location, probably Sandhill Wireweed

It has pink, poofy flowers that grow on a spike

And a lot of moisture is not something it needs.

Location: North Sebastian Conservation Area

Sources: https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-polygonum-nesomii/

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 16, 2023

We are known as Roseate Spoonbills

Hanging out with our friends the White Ibis

Our relationship is purely platonic

Trying to kiss would give us spondylitis.

Location: Black Point Wildlife Drive, MINWR

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 15, 2023

I am known as a Green Heron

My build is short and stocky

But I only weigh about 8 ounces

I'd make a better jockey than player of ice hockey.

Location: Black Point Wildlife Drive, MINWR

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 14, 2023

I am known as a Tricolored Heron

Although I have way more colors than three

When I'm breeding I get maroon feathers on my neck

And bright aqua skin on my beak.

Location: Black Point Wildlife Drive, MINWR

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 13, 2023

We are Northern Pintail ducks in silhouette 

You can tell by our slim bodies and pointed tail

It's easier to ID us when we are sitting in water

But a predator put us up in the air!

Location: Black Point Wildlife Drive, MINWR

Sources: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/norpin/cur/identification

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 12, 2023

We are a group of Lesser Scaup

In North America, we're the most abundant diving duck

But in some regions our population is declining

Due to polluted water and habitat that's shrunk.

Location: Black Point Wildlife Drive, MINWR

Sources: https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Aythya_affinis/

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 11, 2023

I am known as a Monarch Butterfly

I weigh less than a paperclip

My lifespan's a few months

Unless I enter diapause,

Then I can live longer, as time permits.

Location: Senior League Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.fws.gov/species/monarch-danaus-plexippus

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 10, 2023

I am known as a Northern Shoveler

I have a big bill but I eat tiny food

Such as minute crustaceans and seeds

That I swallow whole, I've no teeth, I don't chew.

Location: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, MINWR

Sources: https://abcbirds.org/blog/do-ducks-have-teeth/

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 9, 2023

I am known as a Cottonmouth snake

I'm venomous and a pit viper

I'm semi-aquatic and like to eat fish

And won't hurt humans unless I'm incited.

Special thanks to today's guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Rock Springs Run Preserve

Sources: https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/agkpis.htm

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 8, 2023

I'm known as a Banded Water Snake

I'm semi-aquatic and my body is heavy

I can be found everywhere in Florida

Except for the Florida Keys.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Fellsmere Grade Recreation Area

Sources: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/florida-snake-id/snake/southern-watersnake/

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 7, 2023

I am a Spodoptera pulchella

My name means "diminutive beauty"

The curved, white line on my forewing

Can lead you to conclude that I'm me.

Location: My House, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20p?see=I_MPG32958&res=640

https://bugguide.net/node/view/610763

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 6, 2023

I am a Lineated Woodpecker

I'm not aggressive but this guy's gonna get hurt

The perverted little Palm Tanager

Is trying to look up my skirt!!

(Note from Dee: I am now officially retired from high tech and working with David full time. First up: we just returned from a trip to Ecuador and I am writing a new book tentatively titled, "The Rhyming Guide to Ecuador's Choco Andes Highlands", planned for a February release. For now, be on the lookout for some previews here in the blog!)

Location: Mirador Rio Blanco, Mindo Ecuador

Sources: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/17858-Dryocopus-lineatus

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/10297-Thraupis-palmarum

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 5, 2023

This is the flower, fruit and leaves of Angel Trumpets

The red flowers enjoy hummingbird pollination

To humans all parts of the plant are poisonous

They can cause death, paralysis and hallucinations.

(Note from Dee: I am now officially retired from high tech and working with David full time. First up: we just returned from a trip to Ecuador and I am writing a new book tentatively titled, "The Rhyming Guide to Ecuador's Choco Andes Highlands", planned for a February release. For now, be on the lookout for some previews here in the blog!)

Location: Milpe Bird Sanctuary, Quito, Ecuador

Sources: https://www.britannica.com/plant/angels-trumpet

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 4, 2023

I am a Shining Sunbeam hummingbird

I look sweet, but I'm really quite territorial

I'm aggressive towards other nectavores such as

Flowerpiercers and other hummingbirds equatorial. 

Location: Yanacocha Biological Reserve, Ecuador

Sources: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332625669_The_behavior_and_diet_of_the_Shining_Sunbeam_Aglaeactis_cupripennis_A_territorial_high-elevation_hummingbird

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 3, 2023

I am a male Great Thrush

You can tell I'm make by my orbital skin

If I was female it would be dark, not light,

But we both have an orange beak, feet and shins.

(Note from Dee: I am now officially retired from high tech and working with David full time. First up: we just returned from a trip to Ecuador and I am writing a new book tentatively titled, "The Rhyming Guide to Ecuador's Choco Andes Highlands", planned for a February release. For now, be on the lookout for some previews here in the blog!)

Location: Quito, Equador

Sources: https://www.peruaves.org/turdidae/great-thrush-turdus-fuscater/

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson.

December 2, 2023

I am known as a Eared Dove

I'm similar to a Mourning Dove with a shorter tail

My name comes from the black spots beneath my ears

And my call is more growly, not a plaintive wail.

(Note from Dee: I am now officially retired from high tech and working with David full time. First up: we just returned from a trip to Ecuador and I am writing a new book tentatively titled, "The Rhyming Guide to Ecuador's Choco Andes Highlands", planned for a February release. For now, be on the lookout for some previews here in the blog!)

Location: Quito, Equador

Sources: https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Zenaida_auriculata/

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

December 1, 2023

I am a Sorghum Webworm Moth caterpillar

I eat the seed heads of sorghum

You can find me in sorghum plantations

Or grass fields when I want to explore some.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/17470

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

November 30, 2023

We are Southern Green-striped Grasshoppers

We come in green or brown form

You can find us where

The soil is bare

Girl is larger than boy - that's the nor

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN010

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2013/03/orthoptera-thursday-northern-green.html

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

November 29, 2023

I am a Silver Long-jawed Orbweaver

I'm frequently found in fields

But sometimes a car drives by

I get blown inside

Then I end up on a blog, oh what an ordeal!

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/143120

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

November 28, 2023

I am a Great Egret

Hanging out in the Pickerel Weed

I am the very embodiment 

Of the torture that retirement is to Dee.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Egret/overview

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

November 27, 2023

I am probably a Rice Stink Bug

It's difficult to tell from a side angle

Possible clues are my color and eyes

And my head's shaped like a triangle.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/295792-Oebalus-pugnax

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

November 26, 2023

I am known as a Scarlet Skimmer

I compete with the Eastern Pondhawk and Snowy Egret

We all like to snack on Rambur's Forktail

But to me, a Common Clubtail's a threat.

(Check out the cool Trophic Web chart at the Encyclopedia of Life link below that shows predator/prey relationships.)

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://eol.org/pages/131983

https://freshwaterhabitats.org.uk/species/common-clubtail-dragonfly/

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

November 25, 2023

I am known as a Leucauge argyra

Enlarge my picture to see my spinneret

It is where my silk comes from which I use

To wrap prey and to build my web.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/MISC/SPIDERS/Leucauge-argyrobapta.html

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

November 24, 2023

I am a Setophaga palmarum

Commonly known as a Palm Warbler

I breed in the boreal forest during summer

When I feel cooler weather is order.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Palm_Warbler/lifehistory

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

November 23, 2023

I am an immature Turkey Vulture

You can tell by the black tip on my beak

Soon my beak will be white and I'll have a red head

But I'll retain my dead-sexy physique.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

November 22, 2023

I am a Tropical Kingbird

I've got an olive-green back and a yellow tummy

I like to nest near Icteridae and wasps

Who keep predators from trying anything funny.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tropical_Kingbird/overview

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

November 21, 2023

I am an Arabesque Orbweaver

An identifying mark is 3 pairs of dark spots

In the day you can find me curled up on leaf

At night, I wait to see who my web stops.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/39293

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

November 20, 2023

I am known as a Savannah Sparrow

With that name you'd expect to find me

Only in savannahs - but I'm named for 

Savannah GA - one of the first places I was seen.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/overview

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

November 19, 2023

We are Rambur's Forktail Damselflies

And we both have unwanted visitors

We  were infested with mites soon after we emerged

And until they are engorged, we remain their prisoners.

(I paid the price for these photos - I was unknowingly - till it was far too late - stood if a fire ant nest while taking these photos. Ouch.)

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10682-021-10130-z

https://doi.org/10.1653/0015-4040(2007)90[643:EODBWM]2.0.CO;2

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson