Bird of Paradise

We are very lucky to have exotic flowers growing all around us in Miami because of the wonderful weather.

Whilst out walking yesterday I saw a bright orange flash of color and realized there were a number of Bird of Paradise flowers growing nearby.

I just had to snap a picture or two 🙂


 

These flowers earned their name because their shape resembles a bird.
These flowers earned their name because their shape resembles a bird.
The Bird of Paradise flower is an interesting shape and has a very vibrant orange color.
The Bird of Paradise flower is an interesting shape and has a very vibrant orange color.

Strelitzia reginae (Strelitziaceae)

Common Names:
Bird of Paradise Flower
Crane Flower
Crane Lily

Bird of Paradise flowers are associated with liberty, magnificence and good perspective.

Feathered Friend Friday

Sometimes humans are just too interesting to ignore! On a recent trip we were enjoying a nice relaxing sit by a lake. In the distance we could see a few ducks, Ibis and Embden Geese walking purposefully towards us.

It turned out to be a wonderful photo op – they also had a lot to say, and even though we had no food to share, they ended up just sitting and chilling by the lake. Well most of them – one feathered friend, the Embden Goose explained a lot how he was extremely unhappy at the lack of food provided!


Felt a bit like in Jurassic Park - we were being tracked!
Can You Spot them? Felt a bit like being in Jurassic Park – we were being tracked!
All in line now, one, two, three, four...
All in line now, one, two, three, four…
The Ibis Just passing through
The Ibis Just passing through
Ever feel like you're being surrounded...
Ever feel like you’re being surrounded…
Welcome feathered friends - it was getting busy!
Welcome feathered friends – it was getting busy!
Amazing lake to sit and relax - these birds have picked a great spot to live
Amazing lake to sit and relax – these birds have picked a great spot to live
The Embden Geese had a lot to say and were so nosy
The Embden Geese had a lot to say and were so nosy

Somewhere up in the trees were a flock of crows but they kept out of sight even though they too had a lot to say.

The crows were hiding above but we could certainly hear them from time-to-time.
The crows were hiding above but we could certainly hear them from time-to-time.

The Local Dog Park

There are quite a few dog lovers who live in Miami Beach and we also have a number of Bark Parks.

Here are a few furry friends making the most of the sun and green spaces. Not a bad place to exercise and meet the locals!


A Dog and his owner taking a stroll
A Dog and his owner taking a stroll
Chilling with friends in the bark park
Chilling with friends in the bark park
Checking out the green stuff
Checking out the green stuff

Seagulls on the Beach

Sometimes the seagulls on the beach are interested in what you are doing but are still too nervous to really trust you…unless of course you are carrying food and then they suddenly lose all their fear and become your best friend and slightly possessed!

Seagulls flying mid-air on Miami Beach
Seagulls flying mid-air on Miami Beach
Catching Food
Seagulls catching food scraps
Seagulls
Seagulls

Trees by the Bay

A selection of trees by the bay that looked interesting in the sunlight. I thought the long grass underneath the trees looked very wispy where the sunshine was coming through.

Raccoons

Whilst visiting Matheson Hammock State Park, three cheeky Raccoons wandered by to investigate some nearby trash cans.

Raccoons possess amazing dexterity that allows them to open doors, jars, bottles and latches. They are also great climbers, which allows them to better access food and shelter.


 

Three Racoons out for a stroll in Matheson Hammock Park, FL
Three Raccoons out for a stroll in Matheson Hammock Park, FL

Fun Raccoon Facts

  • The raccoon’s scientific name, Procyon lotor, means “washer dog” although it is a closer relative to the bear family.
  • On the mammal IQ scale raccoons rank higher than cats and just below monkeys.
  • The raccoon has the ability to rotate their hind feet a full 180 degrees to allow for their ability to climb down from trees head first.
  • The word raccoon, derived from the Algonquin Indian word “arakun” means “he scratches with hands”.
  • The baby raccoon’s eyes do not open until 20 days or so after birth. It won’t have rings on its tail, or a mask around its eyes, until it’s older.

Activity: Nocturnal in nature, raccoons are mostly active at night. They are most active in spring, summer and fall, and will sleep in their dens for most of the winter.

Social Interaction: Raccoons are independent after 12 – 14 months of age. Adults live in loose knit communities of 4 – 5 raccoons for better protection against predators.

Communication: Raccoons communicate with each other using over 200 different sounds and 12 – 15 different calls.

Triumph

Pelicans fly through the air, dive into the ocean but sometimes they just want to sit and be.

They are very chilled out birds but it was a triumph for me to capture these images without disturbing their rest.


A pelican having a rest by the Miami Beach Marina
A pelican having a rest by the Miami Beach Marina

Dixon Lanier Merritt (1879–1972) was an American poet and humorist. He was a newspaper editor for the Tennessean, Nashville’s morning paper, and President of the American Press Humorists Association. He penned this well-known limerick in 1910.

A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican,
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week
But I’m damned if I see how the helican!

or:

A funny old bird is a pelican.
His beak can hold more than his belican.
Food for a week
He can hold in his beak,
But I don’t know how the helican.

The limerick was inspired by a post card sent to him by a female reader of his newspaper column who was visiting Florida beaches. It is often misattributed to Ogden Nash and is widely misquoted as demonstrated above. It is quoted in a number of scholarly works on ornithology, including “Manual of Ornithology: Avian Structure and Function,” by Noble S. Proctor and Patrick J. Lynch, and several others.

Having a rest by the bay
Having a rest by the bay

Landscape

Today, let’s walk in the footsteps of masters like Ansel Adams and focus on landscape photography.

Landscapes generally focus on wide, vast depictions of nature and all of its elements, from formations to weather. In this genre of photography, you won’t find much of a human presence: nature itself is the subject.


 

South Pointe, Miami Beach
South Pointe, Miami Beach
A watery oasis near Oleta State Park, FL
A watery oasis near Oleta State Park, FL
Lifeguard Hut Miami Beach
Lifeguard Hut Miami Beach
A Magnificent View
A Magnificent View – Bill Baggs State Park, FL
Interesting Shapes formed by nature
Interesting Shapes formed by nature

Moment and Motion

Our lives are made up of big events and tiny moments. Ultimately, life is fleeting, and often it’s these small moments we love to document.

I was so lucky to be facing the right way and have my camera ready just as this heron took flight. Look at all those feathers and the size of his wings.

As there was no planning or set-up – it all happened very fast – it’s not the best focus in the world but I’m still pleased with the results. I would have loved a blue sky too but once I’d looked at the picture, the grey sky actually makes the white bird stand out more.

A heron in the everglades taking off into the sky
A heron in the everglades taking off into the sky

Off he goes

Flying away
Flying away

Mystery

Some photos are significant not because of what’s depicted, but because of the mood they create. They communicate an idea that transcends the actual subject of the image.


Here’s a photo that conveys a sense of mystery. Can you tell what it is?

Whist wandering around the Everglades I suddenly felt as if I was being watched!
Whilst wandering around the Everglades I suddenly felt as if I was being watched!

In case you need a clue – it’s an Alligator lurking just below the water – it was extremely large and very close. It’s very well camouflaged against the stones and quiet. He had swam up close without me even realizing.

Let’s move on shall we 🙂