Sunday, July 31, 2016

Circle B Bar Reserve, Lakeland Florida

Hello

First I want to thank Maggie of Normandy Life she is the new host of Mosaic Monday. Can you believe tomorrow will be August, where did the summer go?

During our visit to Florida I managed to fit in some time for birding. The Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland Florida is one of my favorite spots. I love the gorgeous trees with the spanish moss and the birds are just awesome. I am sharing some of the scenes and birds we saw there during our short morning walk.






I love the moss covered trees and bottom right corner is a Great Blue Heron.









As I walked on the trail in the photo above this snake crossed in front of me. Thanks to Sandra the Mad Snapper for the id. She told me it is the poisonous Coral Snake. It is a colorful snake, I am glad I used the zoom on my camera.

Coral Snake rhyme: Red touches yellow, dangerous fellow. Red touches black, friend to Jack






One of my favorite herons, the Green Heron seen right off the trail.






The Common Moorhen was seen often, their population must be booming.






Common Moorhen family.






Swallowtail butterfly.  It was a hot day so we only spent a short time at the Circle B Bar reserve but during the short time we enjoyed all these nature scenes.

Here is my list of memes for the week, I hope you can check one or some of these fun memes and the participants post. Have a great new week ahead!

Thanks to Maggie of Normandy Life  the new host of Mosaic Monday
Thanks to Monica for hosting NF Trees
Thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes
Thanks to the hosting team of Our World Tuesday!
Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday

87 comments:

Tom said...

I like the Spanish Moss, the snake I can do without!

Cloudia said...

Glad you zoomed on that poisonous snake! Such nice pictures. We have little green heron in the neighborhood and call them "No neck bird" LOL

TexWisGirl said...

beautiful coral snake! love the mooorhens, too. and the spanish moss.

Marit said...

Hello,

Wonderful shots! The Swallowtail butterfly is so beautiful! I wish it will come and visit me some day :)

Happy Sunday, and enjoy your new week ahead!

Anonymous said...

Moorhens always intrigue me....:)JP

Anonymous said...

Magical and you brought it to life.

Sue said...

GAH!!!!--Snakes. Blech! Glad you didn't "run into" it.
You know why your summer went so fast???---because you're doing fun things!
Loved the pics, Eileen. Happy August to you!

This N That said...

Beautiful swallowtail. Not crazy about the snake. Glad it didn't get you.

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

LOL as a blogger who likes to take pictures I wonder if I'd have been brave enough in regards to the snake or run off having the ' heebie jeebies" :) SO funny.. my sister and I are four years apart. My mom raised me with a fear of snakes, probably due to her mom and having to be careful. My mom must have been less vigilant with my sis who has a pet snake and they let it wrap around their necks, the whole bit.

Anonymous said...

I very much enjoyed your photos. The butterfly is amazing. I've never seen that snake before - pretty but that would have scared me! Thanks for sharing your visit and I wish you a nice week.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Always a joy to walk with you Eileen... but somehow today, these are just that extra special! Have a great start to August. YAM xx

Lynne said...

The Spannish Moss is indeed enjoyable to see . . .
Very happy you were using that zoom lense for the snake pic . . .
Great pictures Eileen . . .

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Amazing! Coral snakes are pretty rare, aren't they?

Also shy. And pretty!
~

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

The coral snake is really beautiful -- which doesn't seem fair -- poison things shouldn't be that pretty! I love Circle B and enjoyed seeing what is there during the hot summer.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

I love the Bar B. It rocks. I've gotten a many wonderful shots there. A heck of a lot of gators there.

Sandi said...

Love the bird!

Glad you did not step on that snake! Yikes.

RedPat said...

The Spanish Moss always give such a nice bit of atmosphere! Love the birds - the snake not so much since he is dangerous!

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

How beautiful are the trees -- The snake is pretty too, and I'm glad you weren't looking up when you crossed paths with it! :-)

Maude Lynn said...

I love the moss on the trees!

Linda said...

Beautiful series, Eileen, and my guess was that it was a coral snake and your mention of it confirmed this.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Just a colourful snake but glad you used your zoom.

Nancy Chan said...

I love the trees covered with Spanish moss. No, no to the snake. Lovely birds and butterfly. Have a beautiful day!

Sherlyn Lobo said...

That's a really colorful snake. And those trees look majestic. Nice Shots

Ohmydearests said...

beautiful! yes, at least you didn't go to close to the snake... and the swallowtail is so pretty! have a beautiful week, Eileen!

The Yum List said...

I''m loving seeing those gorgeous blue skies!

orchid0324 said...

Dearest Eileen; Such fantastic shots from Florida♡♡♡ I LOVE the mosaic of Green Heron and Common Moorhenn; makes me wonder if I can see the green one in my area, need to check :-) Oh, the colorful Coral Snake is a poisonous one!
The swallowtail picture is fantastic with purplish color flower. Thank you SO much for the wonderful nature scene.
Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*

Elizabeth Edwards said...

i love the moss hanging from the trees and the butterfly are my fave. happy week for you, Eileen! take care. ( :

Sara - Villa Emilia said...

Fabulous views and beautiful photos... except the one of the snake! :)
The butterfly is spectacular.
Thank you for sharing and have a lovely new week and month!

MadSnapper said...

So much Beauty so little time to snap it. Really beautiful

Rajesh said...

Wonderful shots of the place. Great place for outing.

Prunella Pepperpot said...

Beautiful images Eileen. The ones of the moorhens are so colourful, they're lovely. I'm glad I don't come that close to a poisonous snake.
Have a wonderful August :)

Maggie said...

A few years ago a male moorhen brought his mate to live by one of our ponds and they raised a small family every year for about 5 years, then when M'Selle Fleur was a young dog she chased him off and we never saw them again. Beautiful mosaics, thank you for sharing them with us @ Mosaic Monday.

ann said...

Circle B looks like a fascinating place to visit. Don't think I'd like to run across such a snake, but then I am bigger than it is.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Looks like you had a marvelous time in Florida... The Circle B Bar Reserve looks like a great place to visit. I could do without seeing a snake though--although he was a colorful one.

Have a great week.
Hugs,
Betsy

Mary Hone said...

I'm trying to figure out how it became August so fast too. Beautiful collection of photos again.

21 Wits said...

Oh my what a scary snake that is, but really cool design! All beautiful nature photos!

Bob Bushell said...

Excellent Coral Snake, and the Swallowtail Butterfly, superb as well.

Pondside said...

I love to see a bird that I see every day featured in a post from far away. It makes our world just a little smaller. I watched the Great Blue Herons on the shore this morning and as always, marveled at their grace despite 'gawky' look!

Christine said...

Glad you were able to visit this beautiful park and capture the local wildlife there, Eileen as well as keeping your distance from that 'dangerous fellow'!

HappyK said...

Gorgeous pictures.
That is a good little rhyme about the snake. I'll remember that.

Our photos said...

Wow, very nice ! I like the moss covered tree !

Photo Cache said...

I enjoy the spanish moss dripping from the majestic trees.\
Worth a Thousand Words

Janneke said...

Such wonderful photos, even the snake looks nice but I should not like to meet him, brrr.

Lowcarb team member said...

Another very nice selection.
I love the Spanish Moss, looks amazing.
Not quite so keen on the snake though!!!

Happy August Wishes

All the best Jan

Al said...

I love those moss-covered trees - fantastic! But I'll stay away from that snake.

Lorrie said...

A great collection of photos, Eileen - the green heron is fun. I also like the moorhens poking around. And the swallowtail butterfly is gorgeous. Happy August!

genie said...

Wow, Eileen...you had a whopper of a day. The minute your post came up on my screen I saw the Spanish moss. My dad was at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville when I was in the fourth grade, and our yard was filled with tree full of Spanish moss. It was all over everywhere and so beautiful. Loved seeing all the big trees and learning the jingle about the coral snake. I have written it down and am putting it with my poison ivy and poison oak pictures in my backpack. Happy Monday. genie

Andrea said...

Wow those moss makes the area surreal, as if it is in the underworld. I saw those scenes in NZ South Island. I smiled when you said you did a little birding, just like us "a gardener is always a gardener" even if you put us in tall buildings, haha! Are you following Chris' blog of Gardening in the Spanish Way? He is a birder too. By the way, i am so envious with the lots of comments you get from your posts.

Karen said...

Oh, how lovely Eileen. Wonderful photos. That coral snake is a beauty!

likeschocolate said...

Those trees are gorgeous!
http://travelingbugwiththreeboys-kelleyn.blogspot.com/2016/08/buttermilk-syrup.html

Joyful said...

Fantastic photos Eileen. I too like the spanish moss hanging from the trees. Your new header is lovely too.

Lady Fi said...

Lovely shots! Summer is flying by, isn't it?

Birgitta said...

Beautiful colar snake! Great photo series!

diane b said...

The snake is pretty but eek poisonous. The birds and the butterfly are lovely

Laura. M said...

Super Series. Eileen. Pure life in nature. If I see the snake, I run
Good week 😕
Besos.

Lea said...

What a great variety of photos!
I knew the snake ID, though I've never seen one. The rhyme we learned is:
Red and yellow, kill a fellow. Red and black, happy Jack.
Your Heron photos reminded me - I have a couple of Heron photos to post.
Have a great week!
Lea

Indah Nuria Savitri said...

the Spanish Moss treea are my fave! I really enjoy looking at them while we were traveling to Georgia, SC and NC. We don't have much here in NY :)

Andrea @ From The Sol said...

You are so well traveled and your travels so well documented. I am always amazed when I come to see you ... and thankfully the Coral Snake was well ahead of you and colorful enough to give you fair warning. I love the Spanish moss in the trees, they give the pictures a bit of an eerie look .. very nice, Eileen.

Andrea @ From the Sol

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

I think Spanish moss makes everything look so mysterious...love it! Eeeks on the snake Eileen...even with your zoom...too close for me! Have a lovely day- I hope it's a good one for you!

Gail said...

Look out! that Coral snake jumped out at me. We don't have those. I think the saying is Yellow on black, stay back pr black on yellow...kill a fellow. There is a corn snake that is similar but the colors are in a different order and not poison.

Lynn said...

Lovely, lovely photos. My sister lives in northern Florida - in Jefferson County. It's a lovely area.

Hootin Anni said...

Super images Eileen. I too love the cypress/moss trees in the subtropics.

And yes, that is a coral snake...just remember Black and Yellow....kill a fellow.

Pat Tillett said...

Nice subjects and photos of them. I've never heard that little poem before. It's a good one to remember in that area. I wish summer would go! It's been summer here for years (or so it seems).

carol l mckenna said...

Oh wow! that snake is a beauty! ~ Gorgeous photography!

Happy Day to you ~ ^_^

NatureFootstep said...

a wonderful walk :) And some amazing trees too. :)

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

Always love seeing all the amazing birds and places you share, Eileen! The little moorhens are very sweet, but that snake - oh! Gives me chills. He is quite handsome, though. Hope your week is going well. xx Karen

Jemma@athomewithjemma said...

Such lovely and interesting photos Eileen.
I have heard of the coral snake, and I am so thankful that you did not step on it!
Jemma

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I just love those moss filled oaks trees, Ellen! They are so magnificent. The snake was certainly colorful. I never saw snakes in the wild until we moved to Colorado. Many of my neighbors have been seeing rattlesnakes on the trails this summer but so far I've been luck and have not come across one. The black swallowtail photo is gorgeous

Villrose said...

A nice and peaceful morning walk. Except from the...

Ruth said...

Eileen, those moss covered trees look amazing. It is like they have a personality of their own. Enjoy your week!

Pankaj Gosain said...

Lovely capture special trees with some hanging material.

Breathtaking said...

Hello Eileen!:) My word, such beautiful nature images, especially the dream-like weeping moss, the beautiful butterfly and snake. A lovely area to explore.

Jenn Jilks said...

True, that zoom works well!

DeniseinVA said...

Thank you for taking us along on this walk Eileen. You saw many interesting things to photograph and captured them beautifully. I very much appreciate the kind words you left on my blog recently. Thank you so much!

Debbie said...

i don't love snakes, but that snake is a beauty!!! gorgeous swallowtail, it is perfectly shaped and colored!!!

Crafty Green Poet said...

The Spanish moss is beautiful. The coral snake is handsome too though obviously you want to keep your distance!

Anonymous said...

I will admit, I stopped scrolling when I hit the snake...glad Sandra alerted you, Eileen!! The shot of Spanish Moss is great as is that Blue Heron!!!...:)JP

KL said...

Absolutely beautiful pictures of the birds. I really enjoyed them. But ever since you showed me the picture of alligator on the pathway, I'm getting scared of going to Florida. And, now a poisonous snake on the path-way. Oh Dear! I remember walking on a mountain-top in upstate NY and there were rattle snakes everywhere. But they do not come out in the path. They just stay by the side.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

A good poem to remember Eileen for that particular snake.
Spanish moss has always fascinated me and it makes me think it is full of spiders and other creepy crawlies.

Maria Glória said...

A cobra é assustadora, mas é linda! Cores lindas!

A Colorful World said...

So glad you had such a beautiful walk! Your photos of the flora & fauna are wonderful! Love that Spanish Moss! :-) I saw your snake photo and immediately in my head went "red and yellow, kill a fellow, red and black, friend to Jack" a variation of the poem I then found as I scrolled down. Once when our daughter was small we found a very small non-poisonous variety in our yard, and my husband brought the baby inside in a jar to teach her about the difference. He has red touching black on his stripes. We planned to put the little guy back outside, but made the mistake of taking it out of the jar and handling it too much. The snake finally got annoyed by these huge creatures capturing him, and he bit my husband on the web of the thumb! :-) We said "OK...time to go back outside!" Hubby wouldn't have been holding it if it had been the poisonous one, but we still went "Boy, I hope we didn't make a stupid mistake!" and second-guessed ourselves momentarily. :-)

Helma said...

Butterfly in the last picture is really great.
The red and yellow and black snake I find very special to see.
The heron and the birds are beautiful.

Adam Jones said...

Lovely looking Swallowtail butterfly.

Rohrerbot said...

You're so lucky to be able to bird in Florida. What a great spot! Fantastic photos but I really like your Green Heron collage!

Rambling Woods said...

Lovely opportunity to see Floridas wildlife Eileen... I bet it was hot.... Michelle

Sally said...

Some wonderful photo's! I live in FL but have never been to Lakeland. So glad you enjoyed your visit, and able to find lots of creatures to photograph (well, that snake is pretty scary; I'll be sure to watch where I'm walking)!

We live closer to Jacksonville in a little town, and have lots of trees. I love them but they can be intimidating during a storm.

Have a wonderful day.

Ana Freire said...

Magical shots!!!!
So much beauty in every image!...
All the best, Eileen!
Ana

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