Our Natural Places

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Header Image: Burmarigold or Smooth Beggartick (Bidens laevis) Standing by the side of the road in the dark. Hands cupping our ears. Straining for the sounds of the night. “Whip, whip, whip, whip!” The loud call accompanied the sound of flapping wings passing us as an Eastern Whip-poor-will flew along with mouth open wide to inhale insects hovering above the sandy stretch of road. Ten minutes later, the surprisingly soft trill of… Read More

(Header Image: Sandhill Cranes) One of the interesting things about the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count is that observers are assigned to a specific geographic area within which to conduct a census. In our area, we have urban, suburban and rural spots which include lakes, parks, wetlands, forests and pasture land to explore. This diversity of habitat provides great potential for seeing a good mix of species as well as large numbers… Read More

(First of a two-part photographic extravaganza!)  (Header Image: A Central Florida lake at sunset.) We’re tired. For the last couple of weeks, Gini and I have been participating in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Counts held around our local area. Several days of scouting, actual count days (+12 hour days in the field), processing data and photographs – whew! Not content with giving 100% during this time, Gini also conducted Christmas ornament… Read More