Roll Call 8/19/08 12 noon CST

[Guest]

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[Henry]

Roll Calls Over! 

Thanks everyone for showing me, what makes you smile - also makes me smile!  I had no clue I'd enjoy this thread so much.

total in attendance:  28
approx # of people spotted who did not post:  18

so, about 46 members visited the forum in the past 24 hours.

[Sengbe Pieh]

Hey Everyone,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

What put a smile on my face today (and almost everyday) is walking out my back door into the rather large conservation area with a large pond filled with all kinds creatures great & small. This morning I got some photos of a Common Moorhen family with 3 new chicks swimming in the pond (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Common_Moorhen_dtl.html). As they swam along the adults would communicate to the chicks with a variety of clucks, squawks & yelps.

While photographing/filming them I heard the piercing cry of a Red Shouldered Hawk & looked up to spot her/him perched high above in the branches of a Southern Pine so I quickly took a few photos of this beautiful raptor.  (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-shouldered_Hawk_dtl.html).

Further down the shore, I observed a Great Blue Heron standing silently, intently watching the water for any signs of a fish. Once again I was able to get a few shots (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Great_Blue_Heron_dtl.html).

As I looked around I spotted on the opposite shore an Anhinga perched in the branches of a small tree that spread gently above the water. It appeared he too was silently, patiently waiting for any signs of fish swimming below (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Anhinga_dtl.html).

Of course there were several frogs & turtles swimming/sunning in the pond & as always several hundreds of lizards that seem to be everywhere here in Florida.

There are beautiful bright blue wildflowers & tall purple cattails that grow along the water's edge & several yellow, black & multicolored butterflies that flit from flower to flower searching for nectar.

So this is, in short  what gave me many reasons to smile today!!

                                                                                                                                               

Geoff