JoelLikesToPhoto

Collared Aracari throwing down what is likely a Cecropia fruiting spike.

Panama, August 2025

#bird #birds #birding #nature #learningeveryday #collaredaracari #aracari #wildlife #cecropia #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #photography #birdphotography #panama

There are so many beautiful birds to see in the world! This is a gorgeous thick-billed euphonia from the jungles of Panama.

#bird #birds #thickbilledeuphonia #euphonia #euphonialaniirostris #beautiful #birding #wildlife #nature #photography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #panama

Trump Administration Ousts National Science Foundation from Headquarters Building Employees at the National Science Foundation say they’ve been blindsided by a plan for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to take over their offices

It's odd that even an authoritarian like Trump would want to destroy US science, but there we have it. It is hard to see any other rationale for this random act of chaos.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/trum...

It's #SeaTurtleWeek, perfect timing, as thousands of sea turtles are nearshore waiting to crawl onto the beach to nest.

We also have numerous sightings of mating green sea turtles, and that's what these photos show.

Please pay attention while boating!

#seaturtle #wildlife #nature #photography

Did you know?

Ghost crabs are to the sand as worms are to the soil!

Ghost crabs consume sea turtle eggs and hatchlings. However, this is a good thing and their existence on our beaches is vital for sea turtle nesting.

#seaturtle #seaturtleweek #wildlife #Photography #conservation #research #crabs

Please help stop Trump from gutting the Endangered Species Act!

Here is how simple it is to make a public comment to attempt to keep the Endangered Species Act intact!

Link to comment: www.regulations.gov/document/FWS...

Comment period ends May 19th
#esa #endangeredspecies #endangeredsoeciesact

I rose out of bed a little bit later than usual this morning, just after sunrise. I pulled the blinds back, looked down onto the beach, and saw a leatherback sea turtle's beautiful and mesmerizing tracks.

#leatherbackseaturtle #seaturtle #seaturtles #seaturtlenest #seaturtleconservation

Both fluffer heads finally came out of the nest and posed nicely.

Barred Owlets
Shot March 26, 2025, in Viera, Florida

#owlets #barredowl #barredowls #bird #birds #birding #birdwatching #floridabirding #birdingflorida #birdsofinstagram

That duck don't quack!

This is a Black-bellied Whistling Duck. Instead of quacking, they whistle! It's a fairly high-pitched whistle; you might hear them before seeing them like many birds. Viera, Florida, March 2025

#bird #birds #birding #photography #wildlife #nature #blackbelliedwhistlingduck

Today, I had a few lucky moments with a Barred Owl family!

Here, one of the parents is bringing the owlet, a juicy pig frog.
#barredowl #owl #owlet #bird #birds #birding #vierawetlands #wildlife #nature #strix #varia #photography #wildlife_captures #wildlifephotography #birdnerd #naturephotography

A rare to visit Florida bird, the Snow Goose!

This is a white morph, but they also have a blue or dark morph. They nest in the Arctic and migrate south during the winter. Only a few make it to Florida, and this is one of them.

#bird #birds #birding #photography #wildlife #nature #snowgoose

Look at the green, and you may find the purple.

There are many beautiful colors found in the swamp!

Purple Gallinule
Orlando Wetlands
March 11th, 2025

#bird #birds #birding #gobirding #wildlife #nature #photography #wildlifephotography #purplegallinule

We had our first sea turtle nest in our survey area! Of course, it was a Leatherback. I can never get enough of seeing Leatherback tracks/nests, as they are almost always a perfect example of art found in nature. Sometimes, a very obvious Fibonacci sequence is visible.
#seaturtle #seaturtles #nature

Swallow-tailed Kites are showing up in Florida.

I had six give me some good looks. Shot on February 27th, 2025 in Indian River County Florida.

#bird #birds #birding #wildlife #swallowtailedkite #swallowtailedkites
#wildlifephotography #nature #naturephotography #elanoides #forficatus

Crested Caracara at Viera Wetlands on February 18th, 2025.

I was finishing up a decent morning of birding and waking to my truck when I got nice and lucky with this pair that flew past.

#bird #birds #birding #wildlife #nature #photography #wildlifephotography #sonya1ii
#crestedcaracara #caracara

A pair of whales are making a baffling journey along the US Gulf Coast Koala and Curlew, two endangered female North Atlantic right whales have gone off course, perplexing researchers.

A rogue pair of endangered right whales on a girls trip? www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

If you are out in your boat, please remember the phrase, Go Slow! Whales Below! Keep a dedicated lookout, and remember that these whales are hard to see, which makes them easy to hit.

We also have right whale moms and calves in the area. We need to relocate them daily so nearby commercial, military, and recreational boats in the area can be alerted.

Four calves and one mom have been hit and killed by vessel strikes down here in the calving grounds in the last four years.

This is one of two humpback whales that have been hanging out in the Melbourne Beach and Vero Beach FL area this week.

It is crucial to their survival that you call in any potential sightings.

1-888-979-4253 (888-97-WHALE), Channel 16 or whalelert app

#goslowwhalesbelow #whale #whales #humpback

Black skimmers resting at golden hour.

Indialantic, Florida
January 2025
Sony A1ii & 600mm

#bird #birds #birds_adored #birdsofinstagram #birds_captures #birding #birdingphotography #birdfreaks #birdlovers #blackskimmer #rynchopsniger

During the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Pelagic tour, I saw great birds, but the highlight was meeting Greg Miller, the inspiration behind The Big Year. He is an excellent birder and a very nice man. Jack Black seemed to portray the real man very well.

#bird #birding #thebigyear #scbwf

Life bird 442 & rare bird for Florida alert!

This is a Glaucous Gull and its normal range is the high Arctic. It had been hanging in Port Canaveral Florida this week.

#bird #birds #birding #glaucousgull #photography #nature #gobirding

One of my favorite recent photos is of the grey ghost! Otherwise known as a male Northern Harrier. He was slowly and silently hunting just above the vegetation, looking and listening with his owl-shaped face.

#bird #birds #birding #photography #wildlife #nature #northernharrier #sonya1ii

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus)
My Life Bird 440
January 2nd, 2025 in Brevard County FL

While this bird typically eats insects, this one was enjoying some invasive Brazilian pepper tree berries.

#bird #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #scissortailedflycatcher

To add more context, this is Koala & Curlew. They are potential first time moms and they have been in the calving grounds since November. They have been traveling side by side and they are near heavy boat traffic. To protect them, potential sightings should be called in 888-979-4253 (888-97-WHALE).

Two of only 70 reproductive females remaining on earth!

They are North Atlantic right whales and potential mothers.

Let’s keep them safe while in Florida by slowing our boats down and keeping a lookout.

No dorsal = easy to hit.

Stuart, FL 01-12-2025

#NARW #northatlanticrightwhale #whale #whales

Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens)

Such a gorgeous and fun bird to watch. The feeding behavior is featured here and it’s a tiny fraction of what looks like a scizophrenic person running around.

#bird #birds #birding #reddishegret #Egretta #rufescens #photography #wildlife #nature #beautiful #egret

This is a Common Goldeneye and has an obvious gold-colored iris, which is most likely where the common name came from. The white cheek patch says it is a male.

#bird #birds #birding #birdphotography #birdlovers #birdfreaks #commongoldeneye #nature #wildlife #photography #ilovephotography #rarebird

It was a dark & dreary day on Christmas Eve 2024. The birding did not disappoint though as this Great Horned Owl was species number 72 for the day!

Merrit Island, Florida

#bird #birds #birdphotography #birding #birdnerd #nature #naturephotography #owl #wildlife #photography #wildlifephotography

It was cold almost everywhere today, except in the swamp where it is heating up.

Great Egret with breeding plumage.
December 21, 2024
Viera Wetlands FL

#bird #birds #birding #birdwatching #aigrette #breedingplumage #wildlife #wildlifeonearth #nature #naturephotography #wildlifephotography