#9 – Reasons We LOVE Miami Springs – Birds / Wildlife

Miami SpringTop 20 Reasons We LOVE Miami Springss residents LOVE and appreciate nature.  And again, Miami Springs is blessed with an incredibly vibrant and diverse variety of wildlife, including alligators, birds, raccoons, opossums, foxes, parrots, owls, ibis, ducks, and many more…

BIRDS:
Miami Springs is a bird sanctuary and home to an abundance of beautiful and charming aviators.  Below you’ll see a small variety of the birds that call Miami Springs Home.

HAWKS

If you keep an eye out, you’ll eventually notice the different types of hawks that call Miami Springs home.  Sometimes you’ll notice other bird species crying out frantically alerting each other of the presence of a nearby hawk.  Most of the hawks in Miami Springs are smaller than the common turkey vulture and lighter in color.  Below you’ll find a couple I’ve taken pics of over the years.

 

PARROTS – (Photos courtesy of Miami Springs resident, Robert Williams.)

“South American parrots that used to hang out in pairs on the wires in the alley behind my house and feed en masse at the bird feeder in my back yard.” – Robert Williams

OWLS – By Robert Williams

WOODPECKERS – True story:  When I first moved into Miami Springs in the 80s, it was a January Saturday morning and the windows were open. I wanted to sleep in past sunrise.  But someone is hammering away at 7:30 in the morning. It was rapid hammering, so it had to be some type of machine hammer.

I finally get up.  I look at the window.  And then I see this beautiful woodpecker hammering away at the plastic housing of the street light.  I’ve learned to love the hammering of the woodpecker and enjoy the presence of this truly unique bird that calls Miami Springs home.

“Red-headed wood pecker that used to live in a dead royal palm tree in my back yard” – Robert Williams
(Photos Courtesy of Robert Williams.)

COOL BIRDS

I’m not even sure what kind of bird this is, but I caught him perched on a bamboo tree.  Comment below if you know what bird this is.

DUCKS

Miami Springs has lots of ducks and we love them.  This is yet another reason why Miami Springs Police take speeding seriously.  We don’t want to injure a pedestrian, but we also don’t want anyone driving over the ducks.

 

Great Egret

Great Egret / Heron:  “One Great White Heron that used to show up in my yard every Christmas Day, and only that day (very odd!)” – Robert Williams
(Photos Courtesy of Robert Williams)

 

Ibis

 

 

SPIDERS

We have lots of spiders in Florida.  But this little lady has caught my attention since I was a kid.  After transporting about a dozen pots of plants onto my truck…then off my truck…then into the ground…I noticed this gorgeous Black Widow Spider on one of the plants.  She had plenty of opportunity to bite me, but never did.  Since she left me alone, I left her alone.  Karma’s good that way.

 

FOXES

Foxes are not new and have been known to be in our community for decades.  This picture was shot near Springview Elementary (the photographer wished to stay anonymous).
Fox in Miami Springs

A local resident shared these pics of a pair of fox pups!  Nothing is cuter than baby animals and these fox pups are no exception.  Just another example of the incredible wildlife in our beautiful oasis known as Miami Springs.

#MiamiSpringsWildlife

 

ALLIGATORS
Alligators are a part of South Florida.  A healthy population of alligators is a positive sign of a healthy natural ecosystem.  Miami Springs is surrounded by canals including the Miami River, the Ludlam canal, the Esplanade canal, and the Melrose canal.   This provides a large area of prime gator habitat.

If you see an alligator in a local canal, rejoice.  It’s a treasure to see such amazing creature in its natural habitat.

DO NOT FEED THE ALLIGATORS

Alligators are shy creatures and do not follow humans on land.  They are afraid of us and want to avoid us.  However, once an alligator has been fed by a human, it immediately associates a human with food, and that’s when problems can happen.

A few alligator safety tips:

  1. DO NOT FEED ALLIGATORS
  2. Do not go by the edge of a canal at dawn, dusk, or at night.  We all know about the tragedy of the family who lost a small child at Disney who were just a few inches in the water at dusk.
  3. During the day, if you’re near a canal bank (common if you’re fishing) just scan the area and be aware of your surroundings.  Be extra careful with small children.  It’s generally a good idea to keep smaller children away from the canal banks.
  4. If you see a gator on land, wow!  Don’t freak out. Just back away to a safe distance.  12 feet is usually plenty of space.  Enjoy the animal and maybe take a pic or video.

The alligator in the following video was caught sunning on the western banks of the Ludlam canal near the VG Tiki Hut.

Of course, when they get too big, they sometimes have to go.  This 9′ gator was caught on Lake Drive in Miami Springs.

SQUIRRELS

 

GREEN TREE LIZARD

THIS RACCOON WANTS TO PLAY POOL VOLLEYBALL.

 

IGUANAS – These non-native species were a rarity back in the 80s, but are now seen all throughout our community.

What are your favorite Springs animals?