Tag Archives: wildlife

Merritt Island, Florida – 2026

Yesterday we spent the day with our friend Don visiting Merritt Island. Black Point Wildlife Drive never is a let down for birds and even insects. All of the expects wading birds were present. There were a lot of Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons and Tricolored Herons. There were tons of White Ibises.Continue reading “Merritt Island, Florida – 2026”

An interesting start to the year

Every year I keep track of what I seen. This includes plants, animals and fungi. Typically, by this time of year I’ve seen 2-300 total species. This includes starting the year in Oregon. This year I have vowed to be more observant and pay attention to the “little” things such as lichens and fungi. InContinue reading “An interesting start to the year”

Dia de los Muertos and insects

I have been intrigued with Dia de los Muertos since I first leaned about it in the 1970s. This celebration is the perfect mix of ancient Mexican beliefs and Christian beliefs. One year in the early 1990s I was at Palenque, Mexico for the celebration and it was amazing. But now, thinking about death theContinue reading “Dia de los Muertos and insects”

Brazil: Birds, Food and People

I’m sitting here writing this on Halloween in Ann Arbor, but thinking about the last days in Brazil which was two weeks ago. Surucua Tanager. on our final day of birding before heading back to the USA. Sayaca Tanager. White-winged Becard. Fawn-breasted Tanager. Golden-crowned Warbler. Pinnated Bittern – our last bird of the trip. OverContinue reading “Brazil: Birds, Food and People”

Ubatuba, Brazil: Day-1

We flew to São Paulo from the Pantanal then the next day drove to Ubatuba on the Atlantic Coast. How could things get better? We’ll to start with as we were going through town we spotted a family of at least three Burrowing Owls. While food in the Pantanal was OK, meals here were spectacular.Continue reading “Ubatuba, Brazil: Day-1”

Pantanal, Brazil: Day-4

It’s time to get out onto the rivers and head into the marshes in search of jaguars. There were a number of these floating hotels along the main river near Porto Jofre. The sandbars often had interesting birds like this Large-billed Tern. There were Jabiru everywhere. Giant River Otters were seen in small groups lurkingContinue reading “Pantanal, Brazil: Day-4”

Pantanal, Brazil: Day-3

Amazon Kingfisher, one of the first birds of the day. Staying close to wetlands we continue to find a lot of birds. Capped Heron on the left, Striated Heron on the right. Wattled Jaçana. Red-legged Seriema. Another Black-collared Hawk, a bird that I never get tired of. Unicolored Blackbird male. Yellow-olive Flatbill, formerly known asContinue reading “Pantanal, Brazil: Day-3”

Pantanal, Brazil: Day-2

Our days often started with Capyberras. But today we started as the sun was rising in search of Giant Anteaters – and we weren’t disappointed. Not only did we find one that we were able to get close to, but she had a baby with her. What a way to start the day. Walking backContinue reading “Pantanal, Brazil: Day-2”

Pantanal, Brazil: Day-1

Here’s where the adventure started. My friend Sue took this photo. Every trip that I take is full of promise. Some deliver quickly. This is a Guira Cuckoo, a bird that I wanted to see. Getting it quickly and easily made the first day a success hours into the day. Shiny Cowbird on a capyberra.Continue reading “Pantanal, Brazil: Day-1”