Highsmith Wildlife Pics

Highsmith Wildlife Pics The pictures on this page were taken by Shawn & Deborah Highsmith. We hope you enjoy them!

Killdeer get their name from the call that they make ("kill-deer"), and they are in the Plover family of birds. Killdeer...
08/31/2026

Killdeer get their name from the call that they make ("kill-deer"), and they are in the Plover family of birds. Killdeer chicks leave the nest as soon as their feathers are dry. Their parents don't directly feed their chicks, instead, they show them where the food is, and how to eat it. The chicks graze on their own, with their parents watching close by and ready to defend them. Killdeer parents will act like they have a broken wing to lure predators away from their eggs, and chicks. They like to nest in wide open spaces like shorelines, and grassy fields. Killdeer can be found in Florida year round.
Taken Thursday.

This young American Alligator looked half asleep as we passed by it on Thursday. During an Alligators first 4 to 6 years...
08/31/2026

This young American Alligator looked half asleep as we passed by it on Thursday. During an Alligators first 4 to 6 years they will grow fast, at about 1 foot per year. So we're guessing this one is about 3 to 4 years old. After that their growth slows down. Once that get this big, they have fewer predators trying to eat them. Florida Alligators can grow to be over 14 feet long, and can live for 35 to 50 years in the wild and 50 to 80 years in captivity. Florida has over one million American Alligators living in the State, and they are in every county in the State. According to fossil records Alligators have been on the planet for 37 million years, but their ancestral lineage (the crocodilian group) goes back 80 to 200 million years ago.

This beautiful Little Blue Heron was standing like a statue. Usually when we see wading birds do this, it's to intimidat...
08/29/2026

This beautiful Little Blue Heron was standing like a statue. Usually when we see wading birds do this, it's to intimidate an alligator into leaving. We didn't see an alligator, but we believe it. Little Blue Herons are white after hatching and through their first year. They will slowly turn blue during their second year with a mix of blue and white feathers, and are totally blue, with a maroon head and neck by age 3, and fully mature adults. Little Blue Herons will always have a two-toned bill.
Taken Thursday

Just after arriving at Orlando Wetlands, the whole Sandhill Crane family came over to say "HI". (Click on the pictures t...
08/29/2026

Just after arriving at Orlando Wetlands, the whole Sandhill Crane family came over to say "HI". (Click on the pictures to open them up.) The family decided to sit in the shade right next to our car, and preen, while we were loading our bikes to spend a few hours in the Wetlands. The rule here is to stay 50 feet away from the Sandhill Cranes with colts. Hopefully when the Cranes decide to come to us, there's an exception. So we took advantage of this situation and took a few pictures while we gathered our things. The Sandhill Crane colts are 5 months old now. They will stay with their parents until they are about 10 months old, then the colts will head out on their own. The colts will have their full red markings, like their parents, when they reach full maturity at 2 to 3 years old. We always look forward to seeing them when we visit.
Taken on Thursday.

Last night's lunar eclipse! Did you see it?
08/28/2026

Last night's lunar eclipse! Did you see it?

A White Peacock Butterfly feeding on Frogfruit nectar. They are a common, medium sized, Butterfly that live year round f...
08/28/2026

A White Peacock Butterfly feeding on Frogfruit nectar. They are a common, medium sized, Butterfly that live year round from Central through South Florida. White Peacock Butterflies lay their eggs on Frogfruit and Water Hyssop which are their host plants. Host plants are plants that can provide food, shelter, and a place to lay their eggs, which their caterpillar offspring will eat. White Peacock Butterflies are usually found near water.
Taken yesterday.

We braved the heat and went to Orlando Wetlands yesterday, and as we were unloading our bikes, our favorite Sandhill Cra...
08/28/2026

We braved the heat and went to Orlando Wetlands yesterday, and as we were unloading our bikes, our favorite Sandhill Crane family came over to visit. Look how big the colts got! From left to right, the first and third Cranes hatched out around the end of March, making them about 5 months old. The other two with the red heads are their parents. They all still walk together, as a family, around the front right section of the Wetlands, grazing on plants, insects, earthworms, frogs, lizards, snakes, and small rodents. We noticed that the colts are just starting to lose some head feathers where their red head patches are just starting to show. It was nice to see them today. We couldn't find them on our last visit. What a beautiful family!

Dragonflies were out in force on Monday, all over the Refuge. Dragonflies live most of their lives underwater as nymphs,...
08/27/2026

Dragonflies were out in force on Monday, all over the Refuge. Dragonflies live most of their lives underwater as nymphs, eating anything they can catch, like tadpoles, small fish, mosquito larvae and other aquatic insects. Once the nymphs are fully grown they will climb out of the water, it's skin will split open, and a dragonfly climbs out. Dragonflies are fierce hunters, catching 95% of their targets, and then eating them while they fly. Dragonflies can easily move in any direction. They have 4 wings that they control independently, and they can even fly backwards. Dragonflies have been flying around this planet for over 300 million years! They are amazing creatures!

Sorry, not a great picture, but this is our first sighting of a Pied-billed Grebe this birding season! More are on the w...
08/27/2026

Sorry, not a great picture, but this is our first sighting of a Pied-billed Grebe this birding season! More are on the way. Pied-billed Grebes are diving birds that can control their buoyancy, as you can see in this picture, with it's body totally underwater, making it easier to dive. Pied-billed Grebes hunt underwater for small fish, shrimp, crayfish, aquatic insects, and small frogs. It's always exciting to see the migrating birds arrive in the Fall.
Taken on Monday.

A Great Egret perched beside Biolab road last Monday! Great Egrets are large birds, standing just over 3 feet tall, with...
08/27/2026

A Great Egret perched beside Biolab road last Monday! Great Egrets are large birds, standing just over 3 feet tall, with a wingspan of about 4.5 feet, and they weigh about 2 pounds. Great Egrets can cruise at about 25mph, with slow steady wingbeats. In the late 1800's Great Egrets and other wading birds were almost wiped out due to the feather trade for fashion. They are all protected now by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 which banned the commercial trade of wild bird feathers. Great Egrets and the other wading birds have regained their numbers, making them a common sight in Florida year round.

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