Highsmith Wildlife Pics

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

We watched as this Swallow-tailed Kite plucked a frog off the lily pads, in flight, and ate it as it circled above our h...
06/08/2026

We watched as this Swallow-tailed Kite plucked a frog off the lily pads, in flight, and ate it as it circled above our heads. Swallow-tailed Kites do most things while they fly. Hunting, drinking, bathing, eating, courting, they do almost everything on the fly! And they do it beautifully!
Taken on Sunday.

A very handsome Great Blue Heron, watching something moving in the water. Great Blue Herons are the largest Herons nativ...
06/05/2026

A very handsome Great Blue Heron, watching something moving in the water. Great Blue Herons are the largest Herons native to North America, standing up to 4.5 feet tall, with a wingspan of over 6.5 feet, and they weigh only 5 to 6 pounds. Most birds, including Herons, have hollow bones to keep them light enough to fly. Great Blue Herons can fly up to 30 mph, and they fly with their neck tucked into their chest, and their legs trailing behind them. They are an amazing sight with that huge wingspan!

This is a young Common Gallinule hatchling, also known as a Moorhen. Moorhen chicks hatch out with these beautiful black...
06/05/2026

This is a young Common Gallinule hatchling, also known as a Moorhen. Moorhen chicks hatch out with these beautiful black, fuzzy down feathers, and are able to swim as soon as those feathers are dry. They have tiny hooks (called wing spurs) on their wings to help them climb up into the bushes. Moorhen hatchlings are fed by their parents and older siblings, until they can feed themselves, at about 3 weeks old. Young Moorhens eat aquatic plants, seeds, and small insects. When they are about 7 to 9 weeks old they will have their flight feathers and will start flying and become independent. Older Moorhen siblings will stick around for the second clutch of eggs to help raise their younger siblings. What a cutie!

Have you ever seen an Alligator smile? Don't believe anything he says, and it might be a good time to turn around and fi...
06/03/2026

Have you ever seen an Alligator smile? Don't believe anything he says, and it might be a good time to turn around and find a different path. Would you walk past that? See ya later, Alligator!

This young White Ibis is a little more than halfway through it's change from brown to white. This in-between phase is ca...
06/03/2026

This young White Ibis is a little more than halfway through it's change from brown to white. This in-between phase is called the "Calico Phase". White Ibises are brown when they are young and will slowly change to white between their second and third year, and will be mature adults, and ready to start their own families. Look at that crystal blue eye!

And our last find from yesterday was some Moorhens, a parent and chick, also known as Common Gallinules. They eat aquati...
05/31/2026

And our last find from yesterday was some Moorhens, a parent and chick, also known as Common Gallinules. They eat aquatic plants and berries, insects, frogs, tadpoles, spiders, snails, slugs, water bugs and small lizards. Moorhens lay more than one large clutch of eggs per year, with older siblings sticking around to help care for their younger siblings. It's a family affair.

We also found a colorful Green Heron yesterday. Green Herons are tool-using birds that will use a feather, stick, leaf, ...
05/31/2026

We also found a colorful Green Heron yesterday. Green Herons are tool-using birds that will use a feather, stick, leaf, or a piece of bread as a lure to attract small fish close enough to catch. And they're good at it! Green Herons are hard to find. They like to sit under bushes, where they blend in so well, and they wait for prey to get close enough to grab. They are looking for small fish, shrimp, insects, crayfish, frogs, snakes, and even small rodents. The second picture shows how well they blend into their environment.

We found a Limpkin on our bike ride yesterday. Limpkins are beautiful birds that are found around freshwater lakes, pond...
05/31/2026

We found a Limpkin on our bike ride yesterday. Limpkins are beautiful birds that are found around freshwater lakes, ponds, and streams. They are snail and mussel eaters. When you see a pile of empty shells near the water's edge, chances are high that a Limpkin has been there. Limpkins don't migrate. They are permanent residents in their area. In the U.S., they can only be found in South Georgia and throughout Florida. But they are also found throughout central and South America, and the Caribbean. And did I mention they are loud? They are also known as the "crying bird" for their screams, cries, and wailing. They are LOUD, in a normally quiet place.

Black Vultures are an important part of the clean-up crew. They are scavengers that feed on dead things, but they will a...
05/30/2026

Black Vultures are an important part of the clean-up crew. They are scavengers that feed on dead things, but they will also eat small reptiles, bird and turtle eggs, lizards and live insects. They have also been seen eating rotten bananas, pumpkins, coconuts, and sweet potatoes. Black Vultures can be found from the southern U.S. all the way down to Argentina. Black Vultures stand about 2 feet tall, with a wingspan of up to 5 feet, and weigh up to 6.5 pounds

A Tricolored Heron walking on floating vegetation, with their long toes that disperse their weight, and stop them from s...
05/30/2026

A Tricolored Heron walking on floating vegetation, with their long toes that disperse their weight, and stop them from sinking. Tricolored Herons stand just over 2 feet tall, with a 3 foot wingspan, and they weigh up to 14 ounces. Male Tricolored Herons are slightly larger and heavier than the females. Small fish make up 90% of their diet. They also eat crayfish, prawns, leeches, tadpoles, worms, frogs, aquatic insects, lizards, spiders, and grasshoppers.

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