tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341041630077859952.post998383313347113485..comments2023-08-17T17:18:55.149-04:00Comments on From Sheep to Alligators: Florida Animal PhotosPaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04125096218951977368noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341041630077859952.post-18098016172564178562011-07-14T14:56:50.562-04:002011-07-14T14:56:50.562-04:00Buzzard is a generic term covering carrion birds a...Buzzard is a generic term covering carrion birds and sometimes birds of prey in the South. Everyone I know (except the Brits) use it and the term vulture almost interchangably. :-)<br /><br />http://www.bornagreen.blogspot.comAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18142455765679163616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341041630077859952.post-5796810057205750522011-07-14T12:10:18.345-04:002011-07-14T12:10:18.345-04:00I think there's about 6 dangerous venomous sna...I think there's about 6 dangerous venomous snakes in FL, but the cottonmouth is the one most likely to be encountered here in Gainesville, according to my wife. The ones I see most often around here are the (relatively harmless) dark racers, which account for 50% of all my snake sightings. I say 'relatively harmless' because I wouldn't relish being bitten by a non-fatal snake bite, even if it doesn't kill me! haha!<br /><br />Yes, I think it is a heron. I've never been much good with birds. There used to be an egret in my neighbourhood here but I think the gator either scared it off, or ate it (there was a suspicious looking pile of white feathers one time when we walked by!)Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04125096218951977368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341041630077859952.post-66186350588080567282011-07-13T14:04:48.622-04:002011-07-13T14:04:48.622-04:00Well, when I moved here I made it a point to be ab...Well, when I moved here I made it a point to be able to identify snakes and spiders so to as avoid the poisonous ones! No chance of a poisonous bird, so I didn't bother learning about those, but it looks like a heron - similar to the grey ones I've seen in the UK too.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11738450112326728232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341041630077859952.post-65899723199553618582011-07-12T16:29:13.302-04:002011-07-12T16:29:13.302-04:00@Rob - I looked up the snake and I believe that yo...@Rob - I looked up the snake and I believe that you're correct about that too! For 2 bonus points can you name the bird in the first photo?Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04125096218951977368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341041630077859952.post-15605289072564648862011-07-12T15:47:51.967-04:002011-07-12T15:47:51.967-04:00@Rob - I really don't want a spider on me!
Ye...@Rob - I really don't want a spider on me!<br /><br />Yes, you are correct, it is a vulture. But they often call them "buzzards" locally (well, my wife does) so I think I am going to go with "buzzard" on this ocassion, even though it technically isn't a buzzard. :-)<br /><br />Here's what Wiki says on this:<br />"In the New World Buzzard can mean: A vulture, particularly the American Black Vulture and Turkey Vulture, or as a general term for vultures."Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04125096218951977368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341041630077859952.post-92072088130447910302011-07-12T14:04:37.016-04:002011-07-12T14:04:37.016-04:00Ugh, those spiders freak me out. Twice I've wa...Ugh, those spiders freak me out. Twice I've walked into their webs and twice I've had giant spiders actively clinging to my face at Hillsborough River State Park. Nasty things, but somehow not as scary as the house spiders we find on the ceiling!<br /><br />My grandad has an adder under his rhubarb patch back in Worcester, says it keeps the rodents at bay, which is what the snake in your picture probably does as it looks like a Yellow Rat snake to me and FYI, not poisonous.<br /><br />And I think the bird is a vulture, it's certainly ugly enough!Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11738450112326728232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341041630077859952.post-52971519607844727892011-07-12T13:02:19.991-04:002011-07-12T13:02:19.991-04:00Reptiles are under-respresented in the UK. Too co...Reptiles are under-respresented in the UK. Too cold for them generally.<br /><br />There are reptiles everywhere here, especially small lizards. I think there are about 50 varieties of snake in Florida, 6 of them dangerous. I don't know which is which generally, so I am wary of most types that I encounter! lolPaulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04125096218951977368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341041630077859952.post-80678196630377394682011-07-11T23:34:04.483-04:002011-07-11T23:34:04.483-04:00Variety of wild life indeed.. like these alligator...Variety of wild life indeed.. like these alligators, one can see many types of lizards in gainesville on trees and home's outer walls!! i fear snakes and spiders.. i don't know much about snake's variety in gainesville but here in indian subcontinent there are many poisonous species of snakes including cobra (very poisonous, if not treated immediately then fatal)VY Dangihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17374055131061328649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341041630077859952.post-4898823261199707452011-07-11T15:36:19.007-04:002011-07-11T15:36:19.007-04:00@Robynne - All the dangerous animals in England we...@Robynne - All the dangerous animals in England were pretty much wiped out hundreds of years ago. I believe that there were wolves and bears and wild boars at one time. There are poisonous snakes, but they aren't fatal and you would be extremely unlucky to encounter one. I think I only encountered one snake in 40 years in the UK, and that was just a small, harmless grass snake. I've seen 7 snakes in Florida in as many months! (ps I am not too keen on spiders either!)Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04125096218951977368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341041630077859952.post-40540387739265638892011-07-11T14:52:21.653-04:002011-07-11T14:52:21.653-04:00@Tara - Yes, there is a pretty much constant backg...@Tara - Yes, there is a pretty much constant background noise of crickets, frogs, etc. in Florida. In the UK, you might get birds and that's pretty much it most of the time.<br /><br />Of course, you do get proper seasons in the UK, which is nice. Here in FL, the seasons are far less dramatic.<br /><br />Also as my wife noticed, English grass and plants are a different shade of green to here in Florida. It is darker and fuller in the UK, which is probably why Britain and Ireland are famous for their greenery (probably all the rain that does it!).<br /><br />There is a type of poison ivy in England, isn't there, it grows on buildings and walls? Maybe it is less poisonous than the Virginian variety?Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04125096218951977368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341041630077859952.post-72286640068167065082011-07-11T13:44:19.491-04:002011-07-11T13:44:19.491-04:00Interesting shots...except for the spiders...I don...Interesting shots...except for the spiders...I don't do spiders. I cleverly managed to avoid the 'bird eating' variety when I lived in QLD (northern Australia)...oh except in the pet shops where they sold them! I can't imagine what a huge change this presents for you as there is nothing at all scary or dangerous here in the U.K. (I've been told). RobxRobynne's Nesthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17772293730474044571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341041630077859952.post-70826320769449374242011-07-11T12:36:07.446-04:002011-07-11T12:36:07.446-04:00Great pics Paul. One of the things I miss the mos...Great pics Paul. One of the things I miss the most about Virginia are the bugs. The water birds too, but in VA the frogs are loud, and the bugs are loud: katydids, cicadas, crickets, and june bugs. Green places are just alive in a different way. <br /><br />Right now South East England is green and magical. The best thing is not having to worry about poison ivy when hiking! <br /><br />Hope all of your paperwork is going through and you're surviving the heat!<br /><br />TaraAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com