 Purple Gallinule Porphyrula martinica Wakodahatchee Wetlands We wish you a safe and
happy holiday season. Thank you for your support throughout the year.
Beauty of the Wild has undergone a major face lift in 2006 after our
old web server crashed. We were able to recover and come back better
then ever in the second half of the year. In 2007 we hope to expand the
site even more. More articles about photography and wildlife, an
on-line store for ordering prints, and of course more pictures. We hope
you continue to enjoy the web site as much as I enjoy publishing it.
Thank you, Jay Paredes Recent Upgrades I recently upgraded the operating system on my computer to Windows Vista. In the process I lost the distribution list that I had created in Microsoft Outlook Express when I switched e-mail clients (Vista no longer includes Outlook Express). So I've had to recreate the distribution list from memory. If you have been included and would like to be removed, please send me an email. Likewise, if you know someone that would like to be included or that I forgot to include, please send me an email. Thanks. Looking for an Entry Level IT job? As many of you know I recently accepted the position as the Director of Information Technology for the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science at Florida Atlantic University. We have a recent job opening at the College of Science for a Computer Applications Coordinator. If you or someone you know is interested, please apply before December 26, 2006. To apply, please visit the FAU web site and search for job number 981545. |
Publicity
for our rare visitor. The Eared Grebe at Green Cay, which my dad and I first spotted about a month ago has garnered some attention. A recent Sun-Sentinel article describes the attention this bird has been getting from birders. There has been some debate on-line as to whether or not the grebe is the rare Eared Grebe or the more common Horned Grebe. Most experts now believe that it is an Eared Grebe, but all of you already knew that because you subscribe to this newsletter! Here are some recent images from Green Cay and Wakodahatchee. Be sure to check out the updated December Gallery on the web site for more images.  Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis (nonbreeding plumage) Green Cay Wetlands  Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps (juvenile plumage) Green Cay Wetlands  Palm Warbler Dendroica palmarum Wakodahatchee Wetlands  Strangler Fig Ficus citrifolia Green Cay Wetlands This young Strangler Fig has lodged itself in a crack of this Sabal Palm. Over the years it will eventually kill the host tree. You can find out more about Strangler Figs here.  Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio poliocephalus Wakodahatchee Wetlands The Purple Swamphen is a native of Africa, Asia, and Australia. The established population in Florida is thought to originate from the Asian variety. It was first spotted in the wild in South Florida in 1996 when a colony was found in Pembroke Pines. Since then, it has spread throughout the Everglades and into Palm Beach County. You can find out more about the Purple Swamphen here. |