"Da Nile" ain't just a river in Egypt...

This photo was taken at EPCOT and is an Egyptian goose. They're very beautiful, but it's startling to see them since they aren't native to Florida. As most of you probably know, exotic, invasive species are an ever present problem in Florida. In this case, they don't seem to cause much harm as they don't breed well here and most individuals are results of escapes from bird facilities. Too bad that's not the case with the various vines, large constrictors, lizards, frogs and more found here that push native animals out of their habitats. Click on the title above for a link to some stats on the Egyptian goose in Florida.

Yes, it really is "tough to be a bug."

It appears a new bug species may have been discovered in central Florida. However, not being an entomologist, I'm not sure what to call them. Anyone have any ideas? Cheesifus touristicus perhaps?

Those of you who have been to Disney's Animal Kingdom should know where this photo was taken.

The Disney Wilderness Preserve

Sorry it's been so long! The new blogger system has been giving me fits. For the longest time I couldn't post comments on others' pages OR get mine switched! They forced me to switch, but then I couldn't get the darn thing to work! sigh.

Anyway.. I have a backlog of posts since I couldn't get on. The first is that a few weeks ago, I went to volunteer with work at the Disney Wilderness Preserve! We did "restoration work," which basically means clearing out non-native vegetation and such. The Nature Conservancy is restoring that land to what it was before humans ranched it. The area we were working on is becoming "created wetlands." It's very cool to see it taking place!

The most exciting thing about the trip is that I finally saw a crested caracara!! It flew right in front of our car with nesting material in its beak! A pair is nesting right in the open area of the preserve. They are fascinating birds and are rare (although becoming more common) in Florida. Caracaras are in the family Falconidae, but in a genus all their own - Caracara. They feed mostly on carrion, but will also catch insects and small animals.

Crested caracara photo courtesy of Crowley Museum and Nature Center