OT(?).. Fellow Floridians - Water Fowl Identification

[makinorlando]

Maybe not so off topic should I photograph one...

but does anyone know the name (species) of the black water fowl that sit on the shore with their wings spread. I see them everywhere near the ponds, etc. - I still remember my first trip out of OIA when I was house hunting there was a log full of them....and I just think they look so silly when there is a whole group.

On a related note..

I took this picture today out of my car window at a traffic light - not sure if it is one of the above mentioned birds, he was swimming when I first focused, and then decided to fly. I was trying to identify it on line with the rather distintive head - but I'm not sure what it is.... I like the way the water looks!

 

[Sylvester McBean]

it kind of looks like a cormorant

 

[makinorlando]

it kind of looks like a cormorant

Thank you thank you thank you.... that's it.... yeah - after almost 3 years! I can tell my guests what they are called, people always ask me!!!

 

[Sylvester McBean]

it's cool how they sit there with their wings outstretched. I love taking pics of our waterfowl here.

 

[manning]

also know as a water turkey.

They spread their wings to dry them out. They do not have an oil gland like a duck/swan/geese.

They are unable to fly until their wings are dry.

 

[makinorlando]

also know as a water turkey.

They spread their wings to dry them out. They do not have an oil gland like a duck/swan/geese.

They are unable to fly until their wings are dry.

Thanks - I know that my realtor had told me all about them when I was here house hunting, but those facts were not retained by the end of the trip!!!

 

[Kelly Grannell]

now you've made think of the real turkey... gobble gobble!

 

[bigbrian-nc.com]

Here's a photo of one of these birds...on disney property no less...near the grounds of the former Disney institute October 2002.
www.bigbrian-nc.com/moon/bri/large/r14/b14-018.jpg

part of this page of vacation pictures on my site:
http://www.bigbrian-nc.com/moon/b14.htm

 

[Virgo10]

I had seen cormorants up in New England so I thought that all the birds who spread their wings like they do were cormorants. Not so!

The cormorants are all black but there is another bird called the Anhinga that does the same thing. Not my photos by the way.

Anhinga

Double-crested Cormorant

They are almost the same size, 34" and 33" respectively but the Anhinga's tail is much longer. The Anhinga is easy to spot because of the white on its wings.

Probably more than you wanted to know.

 

[bigbrian-nc.com]

Ohhh that's neat the one in my photo looks more like the Anhinga you mention! very cool! Next time I'm in Florida perhaps I'll recall the differance it would be neat to get a photo of each.

 

[makinorlando]

wow - how did that post come back to life from last March?

 

[bigbrian-nc.com]

I did a search for one of my favorite subjects, the Admiral Joe Fowler in addition to a net old thread on that, I found this thread on water FOWL which also popped up in the search results, I recalled my photo taken at disney along thse lines and Viola here we are, having a little (at least slightly Disney related) fun.

 

[makinorlando]

I did a search for one of my favorite subjects, the Admiral Joe Fowler in addition to a net old thread on that, I found this thread on water FOWL which also popped up in the search results, I recalled my photo taken at disney along thse lines and Viola here we are, having a little (at least slightly Disney related) fun.

Well, that makes total sense! I wondered how anyone stumbled upon it!

 

[mickeem]

One of the captains, on one of the boats, on one of my trips called them snake-birds, because they look like a snake swimming in the water.. Sometimes their bodies are under the water.

And he explained that they have no oil on their wings, so they have to sit-outstretched to have them dry off....

They are cool to see...