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joelbcohen.bsky.social
JoelLikesToPhoto
@joelbcohen.bsky.social
350 followers 300 following 87 posts
Wildlife lover learning to be a change-making conservationist. Wildlife, nature, & interesting things photographer.
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There are so many beautiful birds to see in the world! This is a gorgeous thick-billed euphonia from the jungles of Panama.

#bird #birds #thickbilledeuphonia #euphonia #euphonialaniirostris #beautiful #birding #wildlife #nature #photography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #panama
It's #SeaTurtleWeek, perfect timing, as thousands of sea turtles are nearshore waiting to crawl onto the beach to nest.

We also have numerous sightings of mating green sea turtles, and that's what these photos show.

Please pay attention while boating!

#seaturtle #wildlife #nature #photography
Did you know?

Ghost crabs are to the sand as worms are to the soil!

Ghost crabs consume sea turtle eggs and hatchlings. However, this is a good thing and their existence on our beaches is vital for sea turtle nesting.

#seaturtle #seaturtleweek #wildlife #Photography #conservation #research #crabs
Please help stop Trump from gutting the Endangered Species Act!

Here is how simple it is to make a public comment to attempt to keep the Endangered Species Act intact!

Link to comment: www.regulations.gov/document/FWS...

Comment period ends May 19th
#esa #endangeredspecies #endangeredsoeciesact
I rose out of bed a little bit later than usual this morning, just after sunrise. I pulled the blinds back, looked down onto the beach, and saw a leatherback sea turtle's beautiful and mesmerizing tracks.

#leatherbackseaturtle #seaturtle #seaturtles #seaturtlenest #seaturtleconservation
Both fluffer heads finally came out of the nest and posed nicely.

Barred Owlets
Shot March 26, 2025, in Viera, Florida

#owlets #barredowl #barredowls #bird #birds #birding #birdwatching #floridabirding #birdingflorida #birdsofinstagram
That duck don't quack!

This is a Black-bellied Whistling Duck. Instead of quacking, they whistle! It's a fairly high-pitched whistle; you might hear them before seeing them like many birds. Viera, Florida, March 2025

#bird #birds #birding #photography #wildlife #nature #blackbelliedwhistlingduck
Today, I had a few lucky moments with a Barred Owl family!

Here, one of the parents is bringing the owlet, a juicy pig frog.
#barredowl #owl #owlet #bird #birds #birding #vierawetlands #wildlife #nature #strix #varia #photography #wildlife_captures #wildlifephotography #birdnerd #naturephotography
A rare to visit Florida bird, the Snow Goose!

This is a white morph, but they also have a blue or dark morph. They nest in the Arctic and migrate south during the winter. Only a few make it to Florida, and this is one of them.

#bird #birds #birding #photography #wildlife #nature #snowgoose
Look at the green, and you may find the purple.

There are many beautiful colors found in the swamp!

Purple Gallinule
Orlando Wetlands
March 11th, 2025

#bird #birds #birding #gobirding #wildlife #nature #photography #wildlifephotography #purplegallinule
We had our first sea turtle nest in our survey area! Of course, it was a Leatherback. I can never get enough of seeing Leatherback tracks/nests, as they are almost always a perfect example of art found in nature. Sometimes, a very obvious Fibonacci sequence is visible.
#seaturtle #seaturtles #nature
Swallow-tailed Kites are showing up in Florida.

I had six give me some good looks. Shot on February 27th, 2025 in Indian River County Florida.

#bird #birds #birding #wildlife #swallowtailedkite #swallowtailedkites
#wildlifephotography #nature #naturephotography #elanoides #forficatus
Crested Caracara at Viera Wetlands on February 18th, 2025.

I was finishing up a decent morning of birding and waking to my truck when I got nice and lucky with this pair that flew past.

#bird #birds #birding #wildlife #nature #photography #wildlifephotography #sonya1ii
#crestedcaracara #caracara
If you are out in your boat, please remember the phrase, Go Slow! Whales Below! Keep a dedicated lookout, and remember that these whales are hard to see, which makes them easy to hit.
We also have right whale moms and calves in the area. We need to relocate them daily so nearby commercial, military, and recreational boats in the area can be alerted.

Four calves and one mom have been hit and killed by vessel strikes down here in the calving grounds in the last four years.
This is one of two humpback whales that have been hanging out in the Melbourne Beach and Vero Beach FL area this week.

It is crucial to their survival that you call in any potential sightings.

1-888-979-4253 (888-97-WHALE), Channel 16 or whalelert app

#goslowwhalesbelow #whale #whales #humpback
During the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Pelagic tour, I saw great birds, but the highlight was meeting Greg Miller, the inspiration behind The Big Year. He is an excellent birder and a very nice man. Jack Black seemed to portray the real man very well.

#bird #birding #thebigyear #scbwf
Life bird 442 & rare bird for Florida alert!

This is a Glaucous Gull and its normal range is the high Arctic. It had been hanging in Port Canaveral Florida this week.

#bird #birds #birding #glaucousgull #photography #nature #gobirding
One of my favorite recent photos is of the grey ghost! Otherwise known as a male Northern Harrier. He was slowly and silently hunting just above the vegetation, looking and listening with his owl-shaped face.

#bird #birds #birding #photography #wildlife #nature #northernharrier #sonya1ii
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus)
My Life Bird 440
January 2nd, 2025 in Brevard County FL

While this bird typically eats insects, this one was enjoying some invasive Brazilian pepper tree berries.

#bird #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #scissortailedflycatcher
To add more context, this is Koala & Curlew. They are potential first time moms and they have been in the calving grounds since November. They have been traveling side by side and they are near heavy boat traffic. To protect them, potential sightings should be called in 888-979-4253 (888-97-WHALE).