anhinga

This is the anhinga bird which has always fascinated me ever since I moved to Florida and first saw one in the everglades. I always thought that they were so majestic with their wings outstretched. Actually they spread their wings to dry after having dived into the water after a fish. Unfortunately the anhinga bird does not have any oil glands to secrete oil onto its feathers to repel the water like ducks have. So after a dive, their feathers are like our hair when we come out of a shower, all plastered down and stuck together. The bird has to find something to climb up onto to dry the feathers by spreading their wings to the air. This drying process usually takes about twenty minutes and during this time the bird is very vulnerable because it is unable to fly away until the feathers are dry. They are quite a sight to see and there was nothing like it in New York where I grew up. This anhinga bird lives in Lake Eola which is a public park in central Orlando. The fountain is the centerpiece of the park and is featured on many postcards.

Isn’t Orlando a grand place to live. Now I didn’t use a question mark at the end of the sentence because it really isn’t a question but a statement. Here I am living in paradise Orlando where people spend mega-dollars to come visit. By the way, Orlando is located in the center of the state of Florida, so any oil slicks that wash up on either the west coast or the east coast won’t affect us here in the central portion of the state. Orlando will be as pristine as ever. Have a magical day (Disney expression). Lew