Joan, we experienced a stingray swim-by once as well, but not intentionally. We were standing waist deep at Clearwater Beach, chatting, and saw movement in the water just off to our sides. It was a huge school of stingray, too close for us to move out of the way. No matter--the entire school swam between and around us as we stood there, none touching us. It was an amazing experience. I much prefer seeing them from the boat, :), however, just their wing-tips breaking the surface. (Have you noticed that some of the planes they are building now have similar up-raised wingtips?)

We've done two "rescues", TG. The first was a baby shore bird orphaned on property, too young to fly. It was late in the evening when we picked him up, so we kept him in our (dry) bathtub until the next morning when we could bring him out to the Suncoast Seabird Sancutary at Indian Rocks Beach. I cannot tell you how badly our bathroom stunk for a couple of days thereafter. There was a Fodors thread about horse smell in a house near a barn...well, you would be astounded at what an itty bitty bird can do to an enclosed space in the space of 12 hours!!

Word of our rescue spread through the staff and they began to bring me things: A baby rabbit so little at first I thought it was a baby mouse. It looked as if a bird had gotten it, then dropped it. Sniff...alas it didn't make it. Next came another baby bird found in the parking garage after a tropical depression brushed by. We drove him out to the bird hospital as well, and were thanked by the staff for saving a baby...pigeon. Oh well...who are we to decide who is favored and who isn't? ;lol

A sad example of man's clash with nature...we have crabbers who set traps down our channel and we found one trap with a sea otter trapped in it, drowned. Either the trapper had found it and thrown it off to the side where it was exposed at low tide, or the otter in it's struggle to get out, swam the trap over to the side before he died. Very sad.

What's the name of the bird whose calls sound like a guy's flirt whistle?

That reminds me, Olive! We rescued a seagull once - we were in our new 2-person kayak, and came upon a gull with a broken wing, he was treading water! Some nearby fishing tourists waved to us, and held out a box. We dutifully paddled over and my husband (behind me) fished him out of the water with his paddle, and laid him across his legs for the ride over to the fishermen. Soon I heard a yell and a curse from behind me. The gull had bent down and CHOMPED down on my husband's leg with his beak (yes the same husband who curses at the woodpeckers). But my sweetheart just kept on paddling til we deposited the poor critter in the box. We still laugh about that, since most Floridians already dislike seagulls anyway (they are trashpickin' thieves, even lower than pigeons!).

Cool wildlife stories everyone. Last summer I had a hummingbird feeding off my Rose-of-Sharon. Everytime I went to get my camera to take a picture, the bird would fly away. As soon as I put the camera away, the hummingbird returned.

I love to see cardinals. I haven't seen any in my neighborhood, but there are some at my parent's home.

For those in central NC, Jordan Lake has bald eagles and blue herons. And I guess hawks if they are near Diana and BonnieBroad.

Maybe a Whippoorwill, Mimi??

I was thinking the same thing Beatchick; but I never associated it with a flirt whistle!

We live very close to where the Weeki Wachee River and the Gulf of Mexico meet. We have otters and manatee in our canal. We frequently see osprey and eagles. We also have several bird feeders that are enjoyed by many different birds. We spotted hummingbirds getting nectar from our pentas (flowering plant), so we went out and bought a hummingbird feeder. Have only seen it used about three times. They seem to like the pentas better!
We also have a family of ducks that feed twice a day under our bird feeders.

Hi Beat, Not sure. I never see it but it sounds like a guy whistling at me and the bird is here every day.

I looked up the wipperwill. It's not the bird because they sing at night. This is a daytime singer :)

cigale, are you sure it isn't some guy in another building ((L))

When I was small , there was a bird called a "bob white" because that is what he said ... bob white! bob white!

Could it be a "Bob-White" where you are, doing that flirting with you? We have them here in central N.C...... their call might be a bit flirtatious!;;)

I don't know, Mimi-san. Ours, or what we THOUGHT were whippoorwills, always sang in the daytime. It distinctly sounds like whip poor will, whip poor will, and has a very sing-songy quality to it (1st note high, 2nd note low, 3rd note medium high) so I thought perhaps that might be that flirtatious whistling sound! But maybe I confused it with a bob-white, I dunno.

Yeah, Smokyboy!!! :)

The bob white is a quail. It really does say "Bob White."

Byrd

All this has lead me to this great site. I recognize so many in my yard.
http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~tony/birds/

Thank you, Byrd! You are right, of course. We just grew up calling them "bob-whites"....:-)

Cingalechanta,
If you live in the South, it could also be a Cardinal. There are too many animals etc. to name here where I live in the Loxahatchee but the one I like most is the deer that prune the Impatiens, Petunias and Hibiscus! I have yet to see a Monitor Lizard or Bl

Hi John, we have Cardinals here in the Boston area and on one of the bird calls of the Northern cardinal sounded like that whistle. On other sites I googled it was not as distinctive.

Blue Egrets. The Snowbirds have gone North however. I'm in a Westerly mood since Europe is going to have to wait till my miles get back up.

Scarlett,Cigalechanta,et.al
Senior moment! I grew up on Long Island and forgot we had them there too :)

<i><b>Egrets. . . I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention</b></i>

There's a gorgeous magnolia outside my office window. One day this spring, when it was in full bloom, an egret landed in the stream in front of it. The contrast between the snowy white bird and the bright pink blossoms took my breath away.

We also have a great blue heron here. The first time I saw it I thought &quot;Pterodactyl&quot;.

An owl flew in front of my face a few weeks ago. Yesterday I saw a snake--about two feet long, green, with some yellow trim.

On our terrace in the city we have gorgeous goldfinches, housefinches, and morning doves.

And then there's the ubiquitous squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, bunnies, deer, Canada geese. Sometimes I see foxes.

For a city girl, I sure love nature.