Jungle Birds

I was in the bad habit of calling birds by whatever name I thought fit, back in the olden days.

When I lived in the mountains of NC, I encountered a large bird that flew up and down the creek, making sounds just like a jungle bird. But since I've never been to a jungle, that may be my imagination too! lol

It turned out to be a Pileated Woodpecker. And I heard him for a long time before I ever got a good sighting.

Pileated Woodpecker LINK

At Blue Run Park, they are a regular. But of course they are still fun to see and hear!

Another bird I saw this week with a flaming crest was a Cardinal.

Northern Cardinal LINK

Usually the male is the showiest but the sun was just right to show off the pretty colors of this female.

We've had some rain but no bad weather here at our house. We watched the weather channel and saw the damage just East of us though. One lady even sat in her car as a tornado tore through the area. We had no idea any of that was happening, but it is the time of year for violent thunderstorms here in Florida. The rain has brought some of the most beautiful wildflowers and along with those, butterflies galore!