Sandhill Cranes roam around an oak hammock calling out to other wild birds and establishing territory. They use their long beaks to stab prey and to use as a weapon for protection. We were curious of each other, and I respectfully kept my distance to avoid any unwanted confrontations.
Gopher Tortoise
Found homeless and roaming around on a job site with the name Johnny Haze graffitied on his shell.
Safely relocated, Johnny Haze dug a new burrow, found a girl, and settled down. Rock on!
Apple Snail.
The only food the Snail Kite eats...probably a good reason why the Snail Kite is on the list of Protected and Endangered species. The bird is a picky eater.
The Rookery - Ibis in the wetland.
Wild Peacock looking for love.
Strutting his stuff....to the wrong species. This may take some time.
Raptor roost
Saw this little guy outside my balcony when I was attending an AWRA Conference in the Florida Keys. He knows how to relax and let it all hang loose.
Best friends. Reefer the Clownfish and his sea anenome.
Wild animals don't get any cuter than this curious little pig.
Unless, of course, it's a pack of wild baby pigs.
These little piggies roamed freely on the Babcock Ranch.
Ready to strike. This Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake was close to 6 feet long and his head was the size of my fist. He had been caught in a trap for a biological study and had to be released back into the wild, it would have be inhumane to leave him in the trap to die. He was mean and tried to strike several times after he was released. He did not retreat. He did not back down.
Check out the rattle. It's blurry because it's moving so quickly.
The day's haul. Nuisance gators were trapped by a local hunter who was issued a permit to help control the gator population. The tails were prepared and then sold to restaurants for meat, and the heads and skins were dried and sold to the highest bidder.
Pink Flamingos enjoying a sunny day in south Florida.
Limpkin, a Protected and Endangered Species, forage and nest along the historic Loxahatchee River.
Deer rub. A sign of a growing buc with a lot of points.
Monarch Butterfly lingering in the garden in southeast Florida. Normally, Monarch butterflies travel from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, a distance of about 2,000 miles. They return north again in the spring. This Monarch was a little off-course lingering on the east coast of Florida.
Quack, the duck, blowing bubbles into the hose.
Peking ducks have an incredible sense of humor and enjoy the company of other animals,
including wild birds, domesticated cats, horses, and dogs. This duck also loves to be pet and cuddled.
Another turtle rescue. This green turtle was roaming around a new housing development searching for his home when he was handed to me by a homeowner. I happily relocated him to a nice park.
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