DSC_1186Call it a stream, call it a creek, call it a canal, call it a man-made drainage ditch that flows into the other man-made lakes so that when it’s the “rainy season” the entire state doesn’t flood, but call it whatever you’d like, this little patch of yard where the water meets the land sure attracts a lot of beasts and birds.

In one morning, the interesting list of occasionally noisy and always entertaining set flitting and floating and flying creatures below passed by my little corner of Florida behind my apartment while I was enjoying some short stories and a tall coffee.  The list includes (in order of picture appearance) an Anhinga, an Osprey, a pair of Sandhill Cranes, copious amounts of Common Grackles, a Great Blue Heron, a pair of Wood Ducks (male only in this pic, but the female was right behind him), a turtle (possibly a Florida Cooter), a male Cardinal (yes, in a banana tree), a little hoppy bug eating small thing that I think is a Palm Warbler, a few ubiquitous Turkey Vultures, some Common Gallinules, and a lot of noisy Northern Mockingbirds.  There were also American Crows and Red-winged Blackbirds galore, but I guess I was too used to those to take any meaningful pictures of them this time around.

I say that this is what “we” saw, because my new faithful companion Flip was by my side the whole time, gently mewing away whenever a bird would come around.  Especially the Anhinga.  She doesn’t much care for the Anhinga, which is admittedly weird looking and much much bigger than she is…