On Wednesday, we drove to Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland. After searching unsuccessfully for a Barred Owl in the trees in the parking area, we headed out on the trail. We had several options, but took Marsh Rabbit Run.

Osprey
On a snag at the edge of the lake

Osprey in flight

Wood Stork

Red-shouldered Hawk

Sandhill Crane

Little Blue Heron

Tricolored Heron

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Tricolored Heron
In one of the canals on either side of the trail

Tricolored Heron
With an awkward hold on a snag in the water

Tricolored Heron
After he adjusted his hold on his perch

The birds in FL were often less concerned with humans than birds in OK. This Great Egret let Jan walk by it and Steve was too close to get a photo with his long lens...

...so he took a photo with his phone.

Great Egret

Coreopsis
(Bidens odorata)
Mary captured a lot of plant photos which we later identified using iNaturalist.

Primrose-Willow
(Genus Ludwigia)

Hairypod Cowpea
(Vigna luteola)

Virginia Pepperweed
(Lepidium virginicum)

Phasey Bean
(Macroptilium lathyroides)

Phasey Bean
(Macroptilium lathyroides)

Spanish Moss in the trees

Jan
Taking a photo from the Marsh Rabbit Run

Jan

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

Great Blue Heron

Roseate Spoonbill

Female Boat-tail Grackles

American Alligator
Resting its chin on a cypress knee

A pair of Bald Eagles at a nest across the lake

Common Gallinule

Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis

Pied-billed Grebe

Pied-billed Grebe

A pair of alligators sunning on a log tail to tail

Common Gallinule

Little Blue Heron

Palm Warbler

White Ibis

Green Heron

Anhinga

This Great Blue Heron caught a fish in the shallow marsh.

iNaturalist says this is a tilapia.

Great Blue Heron
With a fish

Great Blue Heron
Orienting its catch to swallow

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Gulp

Everyone was telling us about the mama 'gator with her babies.

One of the babies crawled onto her back to sun.
Others clustered at her nose.

Mother love

American Alligator

Mother and child

Anhinga

A luckier tilapia

Little Blue Heron

Little Blue Heron

Anhinga
It's called a 'snake bird' because of its habit of just sticking its snake-like neck out of the water, leaving its body submerged.

Great Blue Heron
On a nest

Snowy Egret

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Palm Warbler

Palm Warbler

Brown Anole
Displaying its 'dewlap' on a post at the crossroads, going back to the parking lot.

Sharp-shinned Hawk
Dark cap extending down nape to back

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Some dead palms among the other trees

Back to the parking lot

After lunch, we stopped at Lake Morton in Lakeland. There were swan figures on some of the lawns around the lake.

Swan of the artificial kind

Did Jan leave her phone on this bench?

Jan, on her photographing stool, and Steve wandering around

There were lots of American White Pelicans sunning at the edge of the lake.

Black Swans

Male Ring-necked Duck

Female Ring-necked Duck

Female Ring-necked Duck

Female Ring-necked Duck

American White Pelicans

Pelicans

Pelicans

More pelicans

Immature Laughing Gull

Immature and adult Laughing Gulls

Adult Laughing Gull
Its bill looks like it has a coat of black paint over red.

Laughing Gulls

Another female Ring-necked Duck

White Ibis

White Ibis
Bathing

White Ibis

White Ibis

White Ibis

Graylag Goose

Anhinga

Mute Swan

Graylag Goose

Pelican among the water lilies

Ring-billed Gull

Pelicans

Mary doing her thing

Limpkin

Limpkin
Lying in the grass

White Ibis

Our exploits were well-documented.

Male Boat-tailed Grackle

And she sees me.

Not having Jan's stool, Steve sat on the grass to get closer to the level of the birds.

But then there was the getting up.

Someone's been digging in the mud.

Female Boat-tailed Grackle

Female Ring-necked Duck

Male Ring-necked Duck

Mary and Jan

Limpkin

Limpkin

We drove around to the other side of the lake and spotted several Ruddy Ducks out in the water.

Mute Swan

Juvenile White Ibis

Another swan figurine in a yard across from the lake

Fake swan

After our coke, coffee and cookie break, we drove back to Circle B Bar Reserve to look for the Barred Owl, but dipped again. The trees were pretty in the evening light though.

Trees at Circle B Bar Reserve

Moss-covered trees

Spanish Moss

Spanish Moss

This tree looked like it had blown over, but was still green.

Nine-banded Armadillo
There were 6-8 of them on the grounds in the evening.

Nine-banded Armadillo

Armadillo

Red-shouldered Hawk

iNaturalist said these were grapefruits.