Here's a gator I saw recently at the Audubon Rookery in Venice, FL. I didn't get too close, but he looks like he's just eaten.

Gator in the Grass

I'm no expert, but I would go with the Yellow-throated Vireo due to the prominent yellow eye-ring and lores (the are between the eye and the base of the bill).

Thanks for all the kind comments. In the "Christmas Eve 2012 photo you can just barely see the evening star (actually the planet Venus) if your monitor is good enough.
To Rbrylawski: Thanks for the photos from Tampa. I assume the sculpture represents a Piranha. Never saw a set of teeth quite like that.

The first photo was taken on Christmas eve last year at the home of friends on Lemon Bay, Englewood, Florida. The other two are bonus photos.

Christmas Eve 2012


Scrub Jay


Anhinga Trio

Actually, these two types of aircraft are relatively quiet, while others are very noisy (biplanes, etc.).
Thanks for looking and for your comments.

Our house backs up to a very small airport. I love watching all the various kinds of small aircraft that take off from here. I am attaching two of them, a powered paraglider and a pontoon ultralight. My terminology may not be exactly right, but I'm sure someone will correct any mistakes.

Powered Paraglider


Ultralight with Pontoons

S'more birds. I never tire of photographing them and hope members don't tire of seeing them.

Bald Eagle Juvenile


Great Blue Heron






Immature White Ibis

I know Magnificent Frigate Bird isn't spelled with W, but I think you'll get the point.

Magnificent Frigate Bird

The title only represents what could be going on between the two Royal Terns. I am, however, nearly certain that this is mating ritual performed by the male while the female remains decidedly unimpressed. The male ruffles his feathers and slightly spreads his wings (the equivalent of showing off his broad shoulders and flexing his biceps). He walks in circles around the female while squawking constantly.
Has anybody else witnessed this behavior?

A Nagging Wife?

I've said it here before: President Obama has been routinely obstructed on everything since 2010, even in such matters as non-controversial appointments. How is he managing to "destroy our economy, our way of life, and our traditions"? You people have a bad case of hysteria and a belief in lots of completely unfounded conspriacy theories.

Very good pics, but I not sure you're dealing with a Great Blue Heron. I think it may be a Tri-colored Heron, but I can't see if it has the stripe down the front. The GBH has white on the head as well as some longer feathers.

Thanks KW Conch. I needed some back-up there, as I knew I would. I was also going to mention the 80% that must be paid in claims, but didn't want to make my post even longer. I love an argument, but there is no arguing with a closed mind, especially if the closed mind already knows everything better than the rest of us. They refer to Obamacare as a "failed" policy. A word that Newt instructed them to use in reference to any Democratic initiative. Seems a bit premature to me.

More hyperbole and hot air. It's difficult for me to understand how President Obama is effectively "destroying our nation" when all of his initiatives and even non-controversial appointments have been obstructed by the Republicans since at least 2010. How is the president managiing all this destroying?
While I probably would not use the term "anarchists" to describe the Tea Party wing of the Republican party, it is ironic that these are elected government officials who don't want government, who see government as the problem. The current gridlock is the result.
The biggest sticking point is apparently Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act. I thought universal (or near universal)access to affordable healthcare was a shared goal in this country. There I go thiinking again. The Tea Party and Repulbicans in general obviously do not share this goal. There is a strong libertarian streak in the Tea Party that says if you can't afford health insurance, you weren't prudent, so too bad, but don't come crying to me about it. As the Nuns on the Bus are pointing out, this is not consistent with Christian teachings and morality. I think such an attitude is also untenable in terms of public health. I must admit I would have preferred a single-payer approach, instead of the Republican single-prayer approach, i.e. go without health insurance and pray you don't get sick. I like the ACA in that it stresses prevention and primary care. What better way to reduce the cost of health care than don't get sick in the first place? I also like getting rid of lifetime caps and exceptions for pre-existing conditions. Until the ACA, bankruptcy and financial ruin were the result of a catastrophic illness, even among those with insurance. But it is obvious that we're not all on the same page on this.

The ducks in number 4 are black-bellied whistling ducks which have become quite common in Florida even though they are listed in the guides as native to Mexico and the southern tip of Texas. Markings make them unmistakable in addition to the high-pitched whistle in flight.

As I have said here before, anyone who doesn't think for himself/herself is not thinking at all. Religious belief is accepted belief from an external source and has nothing to do with thinking. You can't argue with a faith that involves no thinking. If you try, you're playing with a deck that has no aces and no trump cards in it. Don't bother to go there.