Conserving wildlife ensures that future generations can enjoy our natural world.

Welcome to My Wild Gulf Coast Life.

I’m just a guy with a camera who loves wildlife, nature, and the outdoors.

This site is where I share my wildlife photography, nature stories, and memories from the Gulf Coast and beyond.

Explore the stories and wildlife photos below.

— Jefe 

https://wildgulfcoast.com/

Black Skimmer

The oldest recorded Black Skimmer was at least 23 years, 1 month old when it was identified by its band in California in 2013. It had been banded in the same state in 1990.

A long-winged bird with stark black-and-white plumage, the Black Skimmer has a unique grace as it forages in flight. Skimmers feed by opening the bill and dropping the long, narrow lower mandible into the water, skimming along until they feel a fish. Then they relax the neck, quickly closing their jaws and whipping the fish out of the water. Because they feed by essentially by touch, they can even forage at night. The world’s three species of skimmers are the only birds on earth that feed in this manner.

Although the Black Skimmer is active throughout the day, it is largely crepuscular (active in the dawn and dusk) and even nocturnal. Its use of touch to catch fish lets it be successful in low light or darkness

Black Skimmers lay eggs directly on sandy, shelly, or stony ground, usually on islands or remote beaches that have at least a little vegetation. Some nest in the higher parts of saltmarshes. They often nest near or among tern colonies, which (despite numerous squabbles) can provide benefits, as terns aggressively attack gulls and mammals that prey on eggs and chicks.

Pictures by Jeff, from my backyard and Peveto Beach area with my Canon SX70HS

The Willet is a large shorebird that can be easily recognized by its distinctive calls and wing markings. 

They have a bold white and black stripe running the length of each wing. Although their plumage can vary, they have a chunky shape and a thick, long bill. Willets can be found along beaches, mudflats, and rocky shores on most of the coastline. 

Willets had almost vanished north of Virginia. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 protected the Willet and marked the start of their comeback. Breeding Willets have subtle differences in ecology, shape, and calls depending on their location.

 Western Willets breed in freshwater habitats and are slightly larger and paler gray. Eastern Willets have stouter bills and more barring on their chest and back. 

Pictures by Jeff, from my backyard and Peveto Beach area with my Canon SX70HS

The Purple Gallinule is a stunningly colorful bird found in the southeastern part of the United States, specifically in the marshes of the extreme southeastern US. 

This bird is one of the most vividly colored birds in all of North America, with a color palette that blends surprisingly well with tropical and subtropical wetlands. It combines cherry red, sky blue, moss green, aquamarine, indigo, violet, and school-bus yellow to create a strikingly beautiful appearance.

The Purple Gallinule has a long lifespan and can live up to 7 years and 4 months. It is commonly found in wetlands and can often be seen walking gingerly across water lilies and other floating vegetation as it hunts frogs and invertebrates or picks at tubers.

Pictures by Jeff, from my backyard and Peveto Beach area with my Canon SX70HS

Many people are perplexed each spring by the sight of a cardinal attacking its reflection in a window, car mirror, or shiny bumper. Both males and females do this, and most often in spring and early summer, when they are obsessed with defending their territory against any intruders. Birds may spend hours fighting these intruders without giving up. A few weeks later, as levels of aggressive hormones subside, these attacks should end (though one female kept up this behavior every day or so for six months without stopping).

Nearly any bird feeder you put out ought to attract Northern Cardinals (as long as you live within their range), but they particularly seem to use sunflower seeds. Leave undergrowth in your backyard or around the edges, and you may have cardinals nesting on your property.

• The male cardinal fiercely defends its breeding territory from other males. When a male sees its reflection in glass surfaces, it frequently spends hours fighting the imaginary intruder.
• A perennial favorite among people, the Northern Cardinal is the state bird of seven states.
• The oldest recorded Northern Cardinal was a female and was 15 years and 9 months old when she was found in Pennsylvania.
• Only a few female North American songbirds sing, but the female Northern Cardinal does, and often while sitting on the nest. This may give the male information about when to bring food to the nest. A mated pair shares song phrases, but the female may sing a longer and slightly more complex song than the male.
• Pictures by Jeff, from my backyard and Peveto Beach area with my Canon SX70HS

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