American White Pelican

Hello,

Happy Valentine's Day

I always enjoy seeing the American White Pelican. Since being in Florida, I have been able to see these pelicans in various wildlife refuges and at our local lake. The pelicans are one of my favorite birds, I just love the way they look. Here are some of my photos from various places in Florida.

White Pelicans seen at Lake Morton, Lakeland Florida. The White Pelican likes to nest in colonies on freshwater lakes.

White Pelicans on our local lake. Unlike the Brown Pelican the White Pelican does not dive for it's food. The White Pelican catches it's food white swimming and eats more than 4 pounds of food in a day.

The White Pelicans come together in large groups where they can corral the fish to feed on. The photo below was taken at the Viera Wetlands near Vero Beach.

White Pelicans seen at Ding Darling NWR

The White Pelican seen at Pelican Island NWR.

One day, I was able to catch these White Pelicans flying over our house.

I hope you enjoyed my White Pelican photos and post. Thank you for stopping by and as always I appreciate your comments.

My list of memes for today, I hope to see you there. Thanks to both of the host below.

Thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes
Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday

Saturday's Critters #165

Saturday's Critters #165

Happy Saturday, it's time to share your critters and post. Any kind of critter will do, even a new or old post.. I appreciate everyone who is linking in with this week's critter party.

These are some images from our visit to Ding Darling wildlife refuge in Sanibel Island, Florida. This was an overnight trip and we were able to visit some various parks and preserves. 

A couple of Roseate Spoonbills seen from the Ding Darling wildlife drive.

I believe this is a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron.

Adult Yellow-crowned Night Heron with a crab.

American White Pelicans.

Various birds seen from the wildlife drive.

I hope you enjoyed this visit to Ding Darling and my bird photos.

As always thanks for the visits and the nice comments. I also thank everyone who is linking up and sharing their critters.. Happy Saturday, have a great weekend!

To see more beautiful birds and cute critters, check out these two memes below.

Also visit:  I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the gracious host: Anni.  Also check out Camera Critters. Thanks to Misty for hosting this fun meme.

Ding Darling NWR, Sanibel Island

 I am linking up with   Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday

The Ding Darling NWR was a must see during our Florida vacation. It is located on Sanibel Island in the Gulf of Mexico. The Ding Darling wildlife refuge is named after the cartoonist Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling. I heard it is closed on Fridays so the workers can do their thing and to give the birds a break. So, we saved Ding Darling for an early morning visit on the 4th day of our vacation. 

Ding Darling NWR was established  in 1976 to protect the country's largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystems. It is also known for its migratory wading bird population.

In my mosaic above, is a scenic view of Ding Darling, top right is a Pied-bill Grebe, assorted White Ibis and Egrets, bottom left is a Tricolored heron, middle shot Egrets and  White- Ibis, bottom right Little Blue Heron and a juvie Little Blue.

This shot above shows some of the migratory birds we saw at the refuge. They are the Little Blue Heron, Great Egret, White Ibis with the red bills and legs and I believe on the right end near the Great Egret is a juvenile Little Blue Heron as a juvie they are white.

Above is another one of my Florida life birds the Swallow-tailed Kite. This photo looks better smaller, it is way to fuzzy enlarged.

Above top right is a Summer tanager, Osprey nest, Great blue Heron,  Great Egret  with White Ibis, bottom right is a juvenile Little Blue Heron.

The Anhinga must be a common bird in Ding Darling and in Florida, we saw them everywhere.

Not a lifer but still a treat to see was this Summer Tanager. They are a beautiful rose-red color.

I hope you enjoyed the birds and our tour of the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Thanks for visiting my blog and post. I really appreciate the comment too.
Join in on the fun and for more wonderful photos please visit  Mosaic Monday and more from  Our World Tuesday
 Thanks to our host: Mary our host of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy and Jennifer.  Thanks also for stopping by to see my post.  I wish everyone a happy week!

Sanibel Island Skywatch

Linking up with NF Winged   and  Skywatch Friday

On the third day of our Florida vacation hubby and I went south and spent 2 nights in Bonita Springs. Located on the gulf and midway down the coast. We toured Sanibel Island and Ding Darling NWR and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. All great places for birding and pretty scenery, so I am sharing birds for NF Winged and some sky shots on this post. 

This Sanibel Island lighthouse is a different design than what I am use to seeing. But, I do enjoy seeing lighthouses and will take a few photos of each lighthouse that I visit.

The Brown Pelicans were plentiful in Florida. We saw a lot of them on Sanibel Island.

The Snowy Egrets seemed to like hanging around the fishing pier, maybe hoping for a free meal.

Some of the Sanibel shorebirds..the cute Sanderlings and some Ruddy Turnstones.

Juvie Osprey on the nest, testing out the wings.

Now, it's time for the sunset on Sanibel Island.

Love the pretty pink clouds in the shot above.

These sky shots are in order as we watched the sunset. By the time we arrived at the beach the sun had set, the colors and reflection was still pretty. Stay tuned more to come from Corkscrew and Ding Darling NWR.
Thanks for visiting my blog and I always appreciate your comments.

Happy Skywatching  to everyone!

To see more pretty skies from around the world please visit  Skywatch Friday
and to see more of the winged critters check out NF Winged

Thanks to Sylvia, Yogi  and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday! Thanks to the host of NF Winged.  Also, thank you for stopping by to see my post. I wish everyone a safe and happy weekend.