Loop Road

09 December 2014.  The Loop Road is a 27-mile unpaved scenic drive at the Big Cypress National Preserve.  It is also a birder's paradise.

Finally, a decent photo of a Belted Kingfisher!

Snowy Egret

Green Heron

White Ibis

Little Blue Heron

Pied-billed Grebe

Immature Black-crowned Night Heron

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Great Egret

Grumpy-looking Great Blue Heron

Anhinga

Cypress Forest

Picnic Island Park

December 2014.  Picnic Island Park in Tampa, Florida.

Brontë had the beach dog park to herself.  We were surprised that nobody else was around.

Hiya!  Where are your humans?  Wanna play?

Great Blue Heron and Great Egret

Ruddy Turnstone

Sanderling (left) and Willet

Willet

Great Blue Heron and Little Blue Heron

As the Brown Pelicans were feeding, the opportunistic seagulls waited for a chance to grab an easy meal.

 

Bill Williams River National Wildlife

December 30, 2012

To go or not to go to Lake Havasu to visit the London Bridge?  That was the question.  It's one of the side trips from Quartzsite recommended by different websites.  Some RVers we met suggested it without any qualms as well (but a few warned us that it's very 'commercialized').  To be honest, I wasn't excited about it at all.  Driving around 75 miles to gaze upon reassembled (s)crap from London, England didn't really appeal to me (Lake Havasu City bought it in 1968 for $2.5 million).  However, the drive itself was absolutely lovely and after about 50 miles, we spotted a scenic spot sign.  Of course we took advantage of the photo op and then realized it was overlooking Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge.  We decided that London Bridge could wait until our next visit to Arizona.   

Clark's Grebes

Common Loon

Common Loon demonstrating its bathing ritual

Common Goldeneye

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Ring-necked Ducks

Great Egrets

How you doin'?

Brontë sniffing her new friend

Great Blue Heron and Snowy Egret

Great Blue Heron

More Cibola Critters

We revisited the refuge on New Year's Day.  Here are the other Cibola creatures I was able to photograph.

Taken on Christmas Day

Winter, spring, summer or fall? 

Snow Geese

Gambel's Quails

Osprey

Meadowlark (female)

Great Blue Heron

Taken on New Year's Day

Northern Shovelers and Northern Pintails

Kestrel

Northern Pintail 

Killdeer 

Black Phoebe

Camera shy Ganada Geese and Mallards

Say's Phoebe

Peregrine Falcon

I see you!

Great Egret

Logger Shrike

Yellow-rumped Warbler