The antlers in this herd of 14 are in different stages. Some have already fallen off. One deer was rubbing his stack against a wood stump, trying to release it (photo#3). Another male is in the process of growing a new set and the velvet covering the growth is visible (photo#8). The more I get […]
Read moreEven at the end of the island, the lone doe was looking for a baksheesh (hand-out) and came right up to the car. I admit that it can be extremely tempting to feed these docile Bambis, especially if children are involved.
Read moreThe island is teeming with osprey. Perhaps the entire Keys are abundant with these Sea Eagles. The more I look, the more nests I see, from Key West to the mainland.
Read moreThis immature osprey was having difficulty staying on the line and gave a beautiful performance trying to do so.
Read moreWatching this herd of Key Deer down the block from my house is an incredible gift I feel bestowed upon me. Each moment is precious as I see the animals interacting with each other. I am amazed to witness two males grooming each other. I am still amazed even after living on this island for […]
Read moreThe baby anhingas I have been tracking are as big as their parents, difficult for me to distinguish who was who. One baby on the ground seemed as if it was unable to fly back up to the nest. When a bicyclist came by, the father anhinga flew screeching directly at the man, causing him […]
Read moreWhen the man arrived home the Key Deer RAN to him as if they were his pet dogs. They waited for him outside his house, all eleven of them, mostly males. When I told the man that feeding the deer kills them, he denied doing so, even though he was holding a bag of food […]
Read moreThese baby Anhingas are the same ones I photographed on February 23rd. They have grown rapidly and are nearly the size of their parents. There was a total of five nests within feet of each other. The alligator was in a hurry to cross the road to get into the canal and out of the […]
Read moreThe mother seems to be wondering the same thing. The baby is too young to fly off and if it did it would still be nearby. Did something happen to it while both parents went fishing? It was not in the nest as I am always able to hear it and today it was silent. I […]
Read moreThe yearling was getting scolded by his mother. She did not want him eating the plastic and actually lifted her leg several times striking him, trying to get him to move away and follow her into the woods. Just like horses, the key deer express a variety of emotions through their ear movements. Laid back […]
Read moreNo kidding, I was up to my mid-knees in a swamp (which I thought might eat me alive) to get the pictures of the water birds this morning. It felt like I was stuck in cement and I was thinking about the sinkholes found in Florida recently. I also wondered if they had quicksand […]
Read moreI have discovered that someone is feeding the Key Deer right down the street from me, attracting the herd of nine I saw yesterday.Then again today I saw four bucks eating pellets the humans gave them. Haven’t the people lived here long enough to realize that feeding the deer is harmful for them? It keeps […]
Read moreThese tropical ducks has been bred since pre-Columbian times by Native Americans. They are native to Mexico and South America, and somehow found their way to Big Pine Key.
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