A "WILD" South Florida Yard - Birds Lizards and More! Photo Gallery by JMC at pbase.com

A "WILD" South Florida Yard - Birds Lizards and More!

+++ Every one of these Plants & Animals live in our yard for either Premanent or Seasonal stays +++ (West Palm Beach area)......Thanks Much for looking!

Е A Very Very Sad farewell to Steve Irwin from me and my house Е. I thought not to mention it, but it is a personal tribute of just how one individual can affect someone a half an Earth away who he might have never metЕЕ.After watching some of SteveТs first shows on Discovery a few years ago I decided to take pics of my back yard & put them online at this site (& even my Pit Bull Suzzy) Ц his enthusiasm for ecology totally inspired me Е.

Butterflies Love the Bleeding Hearts	Cool Yard Wildflower	Cool Yard Flower..	Cool Yard Flower closer ...
our Easter Lily's blooming	The Gardenia Bush	a beautiful Red Hibiscus !	a cool Yellow Hibiscus !
my great Ylang-ylang tree I planted from a foot high	Ylang-ylang Flowers - actually the essence of Chanel #5 perfume - Very fragrent !!	More Ylang-ylang Flowers	The Bananas are blooming in the yard
a large Banana Leaf holds a lot of Water for the locals ...	The large Avacado Tree fruit is great to eat!	Ripe Palm Berries that Birds just love	my Red Cedar I planted as a little guy also - just noticed a Cardinal's nest in it!
Yard Leaf pretty large	a cool Vine of Large Leaves growing on the Wall ...	a Great looking Ficus Root	Some great Butterfly Flowers
Another Butterfky Flower	Shadows on a Palm Leaf	Crotons flurish in the yard adding color	Cool: Dragonfly Wing & a Leaf in the yard Ц Symmetry
A school of juvenileOscars, Shell-Crackers and Catfish lineing up for a piece of fresh Publix 99cent bread !!	Two Little Guys swimming on a Sea Grape Leaf ..	A Few Adults waiting for some Bread	Minnow Cafe
Gator Boy (bout 12 feet long - 2004) takin in the rays on the south lake bank after a good meal!	New Gator Boy pic: sunning on the north lake bank 3-16-06 pic 1	New Gator Boy pic: sunning on the north lake bank 3-16-06 pic 3	Best Side to be on with GatorBoy :-)
New Baby GatorBoy Jr. - just started coming around - he's about 3 ft long & hassles the small water birds, but they are to quick	Mr.Froggie	Baby Turtle boy - looks like someone threw a house pet into the lake :-(	My Turtle Buddy - takes bread right out of my hand
Turtle Buddy checkin me out	Zebra Longwings are everywhere	Mr Butterfly stealing food from a Spider	a Gulf Fritillary taking a Break !!
another great Butterfly	a couple of really beautiful Butterflies mating ...	..from another angle ... not 'photoshopped' .. just contrasted...	A Hard Worker in the Garden !
HooverFlies are Very curious - they get a foot from my face - hoover (like a helicopter) for 3 seconds - then dart away!	his Brother (?)	a Leaf Fly sunning herself !	The Fruit Fly Cafe - the end of their long day sucking citrius!
a Bee of some kind chowing..	a wonderful worker Bee - beautiful creatures!	a Friendly Dragonfly	another very friendly DragonFly
A Carolina Sphinx Moth loves it here	Carolina has got his (?) Eye on you	Carolina is Ready to Take Off	A 4 inch Orb (night) Spider Lookin for a meal
a beautiful 5 inch Mrs Golden Silk Spider in the yard + Smaller Male in the backround !!	Straight-On Facedown She wouldnt move a budge with hubby in the back !!	Bottomview from backend with smaller Male in the top lef !!	Greaat Head closeup !
Happy Face on bottom of Mrs. Spiders body :-)	a Brown Anole hiding in plane site !?!?	a 14 inch Knight Anole checking me out - fairly friendly - let me get fairly close	first time I ever saw one in Palm Beach County
a Knight Anole 'hanging out' on my Ficus tree	And 'None Shall Pass'	Big Daddy Iguana loves the Mangoes - All the "Big Daddies" are at least 6 feet long!	another Big Daddy in the trees across the lake
Iguana JR. watches for Suzzie the dog	Iguana LiL Sis being coy in the grass	This 'teen aged' Iguans is quite friendly	Big Daddy Iguana takin in the rays on the Ficus Tree
my newest jr. lizzard buddy - I pulled him out when stuck in a chain link fence - he now lets me get close (about 10ft only) !	climbing up the Ficus Tree for some berries	climbing away from Suzzy & I ...	my newest jr. lizzard buddy again
another Big Daddy Closeup!	our friendly BlackSnake sunns himself regularly	Mr. Snake gettin a suntan !	Mr. Mouse lives on the edge of where I feed the songbirds
Mr. Mouse lookin for some crumbs	Mr. Mouse jumping over the grass blades; running from Mr. Black Snake !!	A Little Fuzzy Tail checkin out the situation	Fuzzy Tail on a log
Mrs. Squirrel facing me down!	Mr. Otter - WOW! My New Resident Buddy.. there is a Mrs. Otter but she was to shy..	Mr. Otter takes a yawn - Look at those Hangers !	Mr. Otter trying to make friends ! probably with the fish to :-(
bunches of Parrots feed on the Palm Berries	a couple of Love Parrots	she fights the fish for the bread I throw in the lake	Mr. (Raptor) Blue Jay - who eats "raw in the shell peanuts" & "baby birds" !
Tough Guy	Tough Guy's Brother	the tough BlueJay is almost 1st to the feeding	Mr. BJ thinking about the Big Nut !
Mr. Cardinal keeps a watchful eye on me	Mrs.Cardinal gettin a free meal	this really cool Ringnecked Dove is pretty friendly	his brother (?) waits patiently for crackers
the local Pigeon likes the songbird feed	White Rock Dove & Turtle Dove Buddies ...	A little friendly Eastern Screech Owl that I have been trying to get a in focus shot of him in the yard for yearsЕ.	A Sharp-Shinned Hawk with Mr. Mouse :-( , shot through the pourch screen mesh
Take Home :-(	Mr Hawk at dusk peering through the trees	And Now Looking the Other Way ..	Mr. Hawk sits on my 'Bench of Thought' sometimes, at the edge of the lake..
tons of Blackbirds	Mr. Woodpecker ( Downy Woodpecker )	Oreil chomping on Palm Berries!	The Oriel still chowing on Palm Berries!
a Black-throated blue Warbler (?) birdie eating the Ficus Berrys	possibly a Catbird & is very friendly	a cool little very inquisitive Warbling Viero	hiding in the bush
A Little Closer to the Palm Warbler	Mr. Palm Warbler (again)	A beautiful Black & White Wabler	A top view of the cool Black & White Wabler
A beautiful Yellow Wabler - to fast to catch clear yet!	Blue Heron looking for breakfast	a mature Great Blue Heron checking me out - cannot get close to him	the mature Great Blue making sure he looks good for the Ladies
Great Blue Heron doing the one-step	the mature Blue Heron looking for dinner	I saw this juvenile Great Blue Heron only 1 day - he let me get 10 feet away for 2 hours of shooting & I have never seen him aga	the friendly juvenile Great Blue
Another Great Blue Heron hanging about - I think a different one - hard ta tell some of them apart ??	A Great White Egret checkin me out	The Great Blue & Great White chatting after lunch	Two Great Whites courting (I think)
aTri-Colored Heron looking for a meal	Tri-Colored Heron waiting.	Tri-Colored Heron still waiting	Tri-Colored Heron makin like a Helicopter
A Green-Backed Heron on the prowl	A little closer to Green-Backed Heron !!	Anothe close-up of the Green-Backed Heron !!	Mr. Limpkin checkin me out
Mr & Mrs Limpkin, eating Freshwater Clams	Mrs Limpkin looking for freshwater Clams	Mrs Limpkin dunkin for a Freshwater Clam	Mom & Dad_Limpkin checking me out
Limpin Jr. - VERY RARE Shot - Limpkins are Very Very Shy when with young (around here) - took 10 years to get this shot :-) !!!	Little Limpkin Scared & watching out for GatorBoy Jr !!	Little Limpkins Heading for the thickett with Mom !!	Daddy Limpkin on the lookout in the evening !
These many White Ibis do their rounds once a week looking for grubs	Friendly but wary White Ibis	This Adult Black-Crowned Night Heron eats the fish when I feed them bread	he got himself a BIG dinner - I call him 'Bobby Bird' !!
The Young Black-Crowned Night Heron geting a little spooked !	the very immature Black-Crowned Night Heron's Close-Up !	a very immature Black-Crowned Night Heron has been hanging around	my new young buddy I am helping (I hope) teach him how to fish - I throw in bread & he tries ta get the fish !
Yellow-Crowned Night Herron Sunning	This Great Egret loves eating Snakes in our yard	the Great White Egret lookin for another meal in the yard	The Great White Egret looking out for Suzzy !
He's lookin Straight at Me now !!	Can't get close to him at all !	There he Goes !!!!	The Great White Egret at dusk after a hard day on the lake!
another Anhinga swallowing some dinner	a fish in her throat again	Close up of a males feathers	yes its a Commrand also - not to many here
A Stork overhead	Buzzard Boy (Turkey Vulture) lookin for a treat - Way Far Up!	Buzzard Boy checkin our lake shore	Buzzard Boy at the lakes edge eating a tasty dead fish ..
Buzzard Boy taking off slowly ...	Buzzard Boy still taking off - takes time with him !	The Ospray lookin for some Bass on His same Perch Every Morning	the Osprey with a great looking Bass for dinner!
Osprey got a Garfish	the Osprey wind surfing Real high	a Brown Pelican likes freshwater fish im our lake	Mr. Pelican looking for a freshwater lunch
the Brown Pelican pearches on Austrialian Pines	even Sea Gulls like my bread on the lake	a very shy Pied-Billed Grebe - always keeps a distance of about 40 ft from me??	Mr & Mrs Black Duck rested in my yard for a few hours & I never saw them again :-(
A Grackle nest that I almost trimmed in the hedges	Daddy Grackle watching me take pics of his nest !	Ma and Pa Moorhens	Momma Moorhen & litter of babies hide from the Hawk
Momma Moorhen taking a few monents by herself	MooreHen Babies hurrying place to place	Truckin on their own - but the Hawk always watches	Watching Me Watching her New 5-05 Babies
A Ferry Ride on Momma	The Ferry is Sinking	Daddy MoorHen keeping a watchful eye	On the Nest with the Aug-06 Litter
Last Survivor of the Latest (Aug, 06) Litter	In for the Night	Suzzy and her Pups in the back yard - no need to worry about the Hawk here!	Suzzy watching out for GatorBoy!!
Suzzy's Birthday Party	Suzzy a Great 'doggy' Love of my life - RIP	LuLu - my New Doggy love - a Rescued PoundPit - a Real SweetHeart - I Still Miss My Suzzy :-(	Up Above the Lake
My Baby Tree I Planted form a Seed .jpg	Path to the Lake	the Path by the lake	yes even the Blimp made it over the yard going to aTrump Golf Tournment !?!
I think we're on the Blimp mainline !! On to the Honda Golf Classic !	A Front moving in befor an evening _a	A Front moving in befor an evening_b	A Front moving in befor an evening_c
The End of a Rainbow on my Back Porch !	The Other End of a Rainbow - touching the other side of the porch!	The Very Cool Rainbow centered over our house - East View	a serious bunch of Sunset Clouds ..
looks like the hand of God painted this over our yard ..	The End of a Great Day in Our Back Yard - West View	MyBabyGirl LuLu 11 years later - RIP - Sleep well my baby.. :-(	Burying LuLu in the backyard a Strange Cloud formed from Nothing & the Top looks like the Profile of a Doggy looking to Heaven!
His Name Is Written in Heavens ....

comment |

joseantonio		21-Aug-2021 07:46
wonderful gallery.V.

Stephanie		28-Apr-2016 07:00
RIP Suzzy ❤️

Stephanie		28-Apr-2016 06:59
Thanks for sharing these pictures. I was born and raised here in Southwest Florida and I never get tired of the wildlife. You have a great eye for nature.

Eli Finkelstein		04-Nov-2015 11:58
Excellent gallery, I enjoyed my visit.

Joyce		18-Sep-2014 16:23
What wonderful photos! Being a Floridian myself but a few hours north, I loved seeing all the wildness of your yard. I also felt the pain of Mr. Mouse because I too have a sharp-shinned hawk that preys on my backyard buddies. I know they need food too, but I hate it when I catch them grabbing their "grab and go" meal of one of my furry friends!

Jon M. Cook		22-Oct-2011 05:15
Thanks for the nice comment Robert - its a lot of effort at times waithin for the right shot & for the season (now) when a lot of the birds migrate down - but its Always fun ta brush the dust off my 'glass' & start shooting ....

Robert Sobsey		01-Oct-2011 01:23
Super cool, colorful & informative site! Thank You Bill & Robert of Lake Worth, FL

Jon M. Cook		11-Jul-2011 08:24
Thanks for the Great Comments !

Guest		30-May-2011 17:12
WOW PLENTY OF CARDINALS BLUEJAYS AND SOME BLACK BIRDS (I DONT KNOW ANY OF THE BIRDS NAMES) I LOVE MY NEW WINDOW MOUNTED FEEDER.

POPPOP		30-May-2011 17:03
GREAT PICTURES.

Guest		14-May-2011 04:15
very nice pic's, brought big smile to my face. thank you

Jon M. Cook		20-Jun-2010 03:40
Thanks Gerald .. A well appreciated comment :-)

Guest		16-Jun-2010 23:20
Very beautiful pictures. Gerald Landis, Apopka, Fl

Jon M. Cook		14-May-2010 05:02
Thanks Pam & Christina; Thanks for the Great comments...Christina sorry ta say that Suzzy just reciently went ta doggy heaven - she was a great (doggy) love of my life & she had a long good life ... I now (like you)just got a rescue pitbull from our local dogcatcher ... she has become a Great Joy also - I call her LuLu & I will be posting shots of her soon ..... Jon

pam d'amato		07-May-2010 15:23
great site - thanks - what a great back yard - great shots of the wildlife.

christina		21-Apr-2010 15:34
thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures.the beauty of nature that florida has is never ending and you did such a wonderful job showing that.i also have a pitbull.he was abandoned in lee county. the greatest dog in the world full never ending love and affection!im hooked! pitbulls or nothing at all! thanks once again for your photos they were great!

Guest		08-Jan-2010 03:06
totally enjoyed your wonderful pictures...what patience you must have

Jon M. Cook		08-Oct-2009 06:13
Hi Vicki: THANKS Much, you are right it is a Ylang-ylang Tree - how cool – the lady that gave me the seedling told me it was a Gumbo Limbo ?!??.. It’s about 30+ft high now & looks Great (until a hurricane comes & plummets it like they did with all my other high trees) :-(

Vicki - Bradenton, FL		19-Jul-2009 00:19
Beautiful!! I think maybe your gumbo limbo might actually be a ylang ylang. Lucky you!

Alejandro		26-Oct-2008 01:44
Hi J M Cook, Thank you for posting these beautiful pictures for everyone to enjoy and appreciate Floridian nature's beauty. Amazing what you have in your backyard!! I envy you :-) Take care and keep posting!

Elaine		18-Oct-2008 15:54
Your photos are fabulous and they really show off the nature in your yard. Thank you for sharing them on this site. You've gone to a lot of trouble but it's beautiful and a pleasure for us to be able to view it.

Jon M. Cook		17-Sep-2008 04:18
Hi All; Thanks Much for viewing my pics & for your great comments - I just sometimes just take my camera into the yard for a shot or two & I end up spending an hour or two chasing butterflies or trying ta get a fruit fly to stay on a non-moving leaf for more than a second or two - but it is Very relaxing & time seems to evaporate when shooting on my yard - I have a very good friend/photographer named Kirby from Palm Beach that has a house in NJ or NY somewhere & calls it the "dream garden" - I cannot use that term as he has cornered it, but I will call my back-yard my "cloud forest" as my head is in the clouds when I have my camera in hand while there ƒº

cristina		12-Jun-2008 13:51
it must be cool to have a bakyard like that.and i know.we have a pool instide of a lake.we have skreens so bugs do not come in.but thier is a hole in sceen that is in the corner.and some of the squirrels come in and get some penuts.we thorw bread in the miode of are grass and doves,crows come and eat it.we have woodpeckers but the red mark is close to its eyes.long time ago the squirrels were at a little tree so we got close to them a little bit.we would thow a penut but if he came to slow the bluejay would steal it.we have iganas to but my friend wants to get rid of them becuz thay poo next to the pool.and at night their is a oposssem.and we found a snake buy the tree.and the mice eat the beans of our pom trees.we have the alole knight we call him link.we have cardinal and a oreo.our bakyard is just like yours a little

Patt		21-Apr-2008 13:32
I grew up in Florida in the 60's and 70's and left it because of commercialization. It is good to see that some small parts of it are still as I remember.

Ingrid		19-Apr-2008 22:03
Beautiful Pictures! I envy your awesome property and its fabulous wildlife to watch and enjoy! We bought a new construction home in Davie 3 years ago on a manmade lake. Gated community cookie cutter homes with acre size lots but no mature trees, all new landscaping...but we get quite a few birds. I love to watch them and want to find out what kinds they all are. Enjoyed your pictures. Ingrid

Louis Indelicato		17-Oct-2007 11:42
Very nice gallery

Jon M. Cook		28-Jun-2007 05:37
Hi Guest (its best to post your 1st name at least); I use Google, then if necessary I go to Barnes & Nobel & just brief through some of their 'Florida Birds' or 'Florida "whatever"' books (without buying them) - thats the least expensive way to do this type of research if you are not an expert like myself) ... good luck .... JC

Guest		26-Jun-2007 18:01
What sources do you use to identify your backyard creatures? We just bought a home in davie, Fl and have a new friend that likes to sit on our window pane in the afternoons. we are trying to identify the lizard.

Jon M. Cook		13-May-2007 06:13
Hi Guest (?); I have about 40+ yards of lakefront on a freshwater lake in the West Palm area... thanks for looking ..... JC

Guest		07-May-2007 16:35
I just got back from Palm Beach and saw my first wild iguana, only about a foot long including tail but a big thrill for me. I get a kick out of seeing an anole. How fortunate you are to have such a setting. I was wondering how large an area you have, to have such a wonderful variety of creatures. Thanks for sharing.

Ali Majdfar		27-Mar-2007 06:55
Spectacular Collection, Excellent shots. GMV

K. Bailey		13-Mar-2007 00:28
What a great site, I sell birds and other animals on ebay, and I really appreciate your pictures. I live in Michigan and can see only a few of these wonderful birds etc. My ebay site is Outdoorgirl44 Creations if you want to see some of these wonderful creatures. THanks for adding to my day Kay

Jon M. Cook		10-Aug-2006 04:26
Thanks Much for the comments Bob - still No Comparison to your 'back yard' in the Rainforests - Great deals on your website, http://www.barrytours.com/ , for visiting Panama's Rainforests and other wonders - Good Luck!

Bob Barry		06-Aug-2006 13:19
Excellent shots!!!!!!!!! Brings back good memories of living in South Florida.

Outdoor Girl		24-Mar-2005 21:18
What a wonderful gallery! Wish I lived in your backyard!

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