Birds in the Villages?
 

We're moving down at the end of April and were wondering what types of birds are around? (not including snowbirds, LOL). We're used to cardinals, blue jays, robins, downy woodpeckers here in Valley Forge area. What can we expect? Thanks!

Mockingbirds, Egrets (I've had a few), Great Blue Herons, Hawks, Eagles, cardinals, crows, owls, anhingas, wood storks

Birds in The Villages
 

The last few days we have seen a whole flock of bluebirds right in our neighborhood at some houses that back up to the golf course. Spectacular!

Also....
 

Also different kinds of ducks such as Muscovy ducks, and wild turkeys. (You might hear those before you see them).

Don't forget the Ibis, Sandhill Cranes, doves, wrens and the Gulls...also Cormorants and ducks.

To Quirky3...yes, Egrets, I've had a few too....but moving to TV is not one of them!!!! LOL!

Oh...and I've also seen a few Swallowtail Kites (guess they are in the hawk/raptor family).

Albertehill...not to worry...plenty of birds here besides the snowbirds! I'm pretty sure we have at least one bird watching club in TV, possibly more.

One spring there were thousands of robins, well, maybe hundreds of robins.. ;) near a golf course we were playing on. It was probably prep time for their long flight north. It was an amazing sight...so many of the red breasted birds. Haven't seen that many since then. You could be lucky, though they're probably going to be gone by the time you get here....it's been a fairly mild winter in many places.

This is our claim to fame bird!
 

jebartle, That is the bird!
 

We saw a good sized one on our CYV fence the last time we were down and my DH rushed our little shih tzus into the house! What is it? Thanks we have been looking at our bird book and couldn't find it.


LW888

If you are moving into a new area of The Villages, the birds will not be there the first year or two.

They leave the area when the land is cleared for construction and it takes a while for vegatation and water sources to be re-established.

Saw a beautiful hawk standing in the rough near the 4th green at Amberwood yesterday afternoon. Since I was walking the course, I was able to get within about 20 feet of it and it never moved. It was strange because it just stood there while we went by, looking right and left, but not moving. Looked like a red-shouldered hawk from the chest color and size.

During our LSV in 2006, we were driving on Odell toward Morse and saw a bald eagle flying low toward us. We almost stopped the car to watch that majestic bird glide by. That was before the tornado in 2007 that ripped through the eagle preserve and damaged their nesting areas. Haven't seen one since.

If about as large as an eagle it is an immature golden eagle in the process of growing its full plumage of dark brown feathers.

I think it is a red-tailed hawk
 

But I could be wrong!

Canada Geese
 

We were playing golf at Hilltop and there were 25-30 Canada Geese snoozing on the second tee! They did saunter off as we were teeing up. Amazing place this!:coolsmiley:

Thanks for all the great information. Looking forward to seeing some bluebirds.

Birds
 

I was on the golf course today and saw several Egyptian Geese as well as several Northern Boobies.:)

Personally, I enjoy boobies and early birds.

Men. :icon_wink:

I travel between TV and Wisconsin in all seasons and it seems that there are many more song birds in Wisconsin in the summer than any season in TV. Maybe it has to do with migration patterns, the obvious heat in a FL summer and probably most important, all the anti-bug spraying that goes on in TV and golf courses. We live on a course, near trees, and our FL feeders never get the attention that our WI feeders draw. Or, maybe our seeds aren't Southern enough for the little critters.
Last summer there was a nesting family of horned owls in one of the Lake County villages and more than ocassionally a bald eagle would perch on the light poles in a Winn-Dixie parking lot "decorating " the unsuspecting cars parked below. I assume it was the one nesting somewhere in the Orange Blossom area and could be seen fishing the Hill Top and Mira Mesa lakes.:coolsmiley:

I'm thinking that your beautiful bird is a magnificent juvenile bald eagle.:a040:

There's a pair of Great Horned Owls in the tall oak trees near the De La Vista Golf Course. Can hear them almost every evening.

My favorite Florida bird is a Sand Hill Crane. I love them! Occasionally we get a few in our back yard from the golf course and I'm always delighted. It's like having Unicorns. Well, you get my drift!

The Village Birders
 

Here is the Village Birders website.
The group is very active and has very infomative meetings and outings.
The Village Birders

Saw this on the way to breakfast
 

I took this photo on the way to breakfast at Tierra Del Sol for breakfast. These birds were right out in front. I think that they are Great Blue Heron. This photo was taken with my phone, not the best resolution.


http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/e...nley/birds.jpg

those are sandhill cranes

Also don't forget morning doves.

There are still many bald eagles in TV. Saw one hovering over St. Charles a few weeks ago. I also know a friend who had new babies in a nest on her property.

Hawk
 

Duffysmom, It is a red tailed hawk. (I think)

Wildlife Information
 

This is on districtgov.org


http://www.districtgov.org/PdfView/P...9;&ql=standard

I'm not from Wisconsin, so I can't comment about that state. However, the thing that struck me was the number of what I consider the most prolific singer in the bird family: the mockingbird. We had them up north in New Jersey and Michigan but not nearly as many as down here. Except during the hottest days of the summer, these guys fill the air with their beautiful song. I will agree that the number of varieties of songbirds here is limited relative to the parts of the North that I am familiar with.

My husband calls them "Pterodactyls"!! LOL! :ohdear:

Attachment 1838

This is a picture of a juvenile bald eagle. As they get older they begin to develop the distinctive white head and tail.
Fierce look but they are so gentle with their young it's amazing to watch.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...le-nest-27348/

And don't forget, they maybe tiny; but you can also watch hummingbirds down there. You can get a hummingbird feeder and make your own food for them. It's really easy to make:
2 cups of water to 1 cup of sugar. Make sure the water is hot off the tap and the sugar will melt. Put that into the feeder and hang outside. Don't buy the red stuff in the packages you see where you buy bird food. Making your own hummingbird food is easier. Also look up what flowers the birds like and plant them in your yard. You'll be seeing them in no time. We get them here in Illinois from last April until about late October.

Loggerhead Shrike
 

We identified a new-to-me Loggerhead Shrike today, sitting on our fence. I've seen it for a few days, and I thought it was a juvenile mockingbird, or a mockingbird with a robber's mask... It looked somewhat like a mockingbird, but not really. I think it's exciting to see a bird I've never seen before, but then I'm easily amused. :a040:

In the spring and summer we hear lots of mockingbirds. Love to listen to them.

Jojo, we had a mockingbird sing ALL NIGHT LONG during the full moon last week. I love to hear them, too, but not from 1am to dawn. On the other hand, she sounded SO happy! :laugh: