Easter in Winter Park

I wrapped up our Sunday bird banding and got prepared for celebrating Easter with the at the in-laws. I got ready and ushered our youngest into the car and headed toward Winter Park. I left a little early because I had a mind to make a stop along the way.

When we reached out destination I was surprised to see a number of Mourning Doves feeding on grass seeds next to the road.



More surprising was another bird that dropped in next. A bright red House Finch!



A nice find but I was here to see the birds a little higher off the ground. I have not had time to visit the Purple Martins this year and now was the perfect time. Not sure if it was the best time for them. Seems like some argument was taking place.



I stepped out of the car to try for some closer shots and, of course, the only rain cloud around opened up. I was glad to see several apartments being occupied. Last year I only recall one pair.



The Purple Martin let me get even closer for a nice pose. What a handsome bird.



Then over to the family to spend some Easter time and get ready for lamb. I have to take a walk out toward the lake to see what I can find. The lawn next to the lake was accented with various flowers popping through. I have always had a thing for pink Oxalis.



Over to the right, a single bright yellow Cow-pea poked through the turf.



I recall Frog Fruit (Carpet weed) from my youth and used to watch the bees flit from flower to flower.



Water Hyssop is found near water sources throughout the area but is so small it is sometimes overlooked.



Up on the dock having a drying stint, a male Anhinga kept a close watch on me.



On the opposite side of the dock a stalk of Duck Potato waved in the breeze.



Dragonflies chased one another and occasionally grabbed onto more swaying blades of vegetation in the water.



Once the Anhiga flew off I headed out onto the dock to get a couple of more photos. Spatter Dock sends up closed yellow blossoms above the lake surface.



I am also fond of Water Lily blossoms. I have to get a shot of one every time I spy them in the distance.



We always hear of Dollar Weed and how hard folks try to get rid of it from lawns but they have very interesting flowers. It is called Pennywort, too.



You often find Pickerel Weed in roadside ditches of in swampy wetlands but they also turn up on the shores of lakes.



Finally, I left the lake to head back inside. I was wondering where more birds were but there was a group of skiers out on the water so they probably chased most of them away. At least a Pied-billed Grebe popped up for one last shot.



A nice Easter day, including that excellent lamb dinner.

Purple Martins and Spotted Sandpiper

The oldest had to attend a luncheon at church some I hauled him out and since I was waiting I remembered that the Purple Martins should be back at Baldwin Park nearby. When I first arrived there were no birds to be seen.



I wandered around a bit until I spotted a bird circling overhead. A Purple Martin for sure. She flew in quickly and I approached quietly as she went inside the apartment. As soon as I focused on the hole she bolted out straight toward me.



Not too much later, Papa flew in and surveyed his territory.



Once the lunch was finished, we headed home and I finally found a shorebird at Lake Emerald. A Solitary Sandpiper was feeding, as its name implies, alone.



In the middle of the quickly evaporating lake, a Tricolored Heron pants to regulate its temperature in the warming afternoon.



Nice to have a couple of new birds for the year.

Back at Baldwin Park

I had to hit the bank on this Saturday. Darn. That means I will need to stop by the Purple Martins. Darn.

When I got there the birds were out feeding but I did get a visit by the Northern Mockingbirds one by one.



I walked over to where I saw a White-winged Dove last time but could not find it again. Instead, a few Common Grackles flew down to the grass and I tried to get closer for some shots. I love getting shots of Grackles when they are lit up in the sunlight. Usually it is blues and purples but today I got a more golden sheen.



I saw a few more Common Grackles along the edge of the shrubs and palms. Suddenly, I realized these were babies! A minute later, the adult hopped over and fed one of the fledglings.



Closer to me, the other youngster kept in the shade before catching up to the family. I can't recall seeing juvenile Common Grackles before. Fun.



Back at the apartments, a few male Purple Martins flew in and were soon joined by a female. They preened and headed back out to feed.



I still don't see any babies yet. I had to wait for the Sun to break through the clouds to get another shot of one of the males.



Guess since there were no babies in the apartments I will have to return to check for young birds next chance I get. Fine by me.

Walking Baldwin Park

I keep trying to remember to get over to Baldwin Park. It was this time last year that I found young birds all around the neighborhood. It seems that nesting might have started later this year. Or earlier. Whatever. I found no babies today. I did find some interesting adult birds, though.

A pair of Northern Mockingbirds were making weird movements above the shrubs. They would hop up and down and then do their foraging wing postures giving them a "bring it on!" pose.



The main attraction for me was trying to find any Purple Martins. It took a while but one of the feeding adults came into view, twittering away. One of those fast moving subjects that take many tries to get a shot of in flight.



For the first time ever, for me, one of the Purple Martins landed on top of a pine tree. I have shots of them flying and on Martin houses but until now I had none in a more natural setting. This bird preened up there for 20 minutes and let me walk pretty close to the tree.



Closer to the pond on my right, a female Red-winged Blackbird popped up and was making sure I was not a threat and kindly posed on a Canna.



I had seen Mourning and Eurasian Collared-Doves in may spots around the neighborhood but on the tree behind the Martin was a larger dove. A White-winged Dove was walking back and forth along the branches but did not fly off like they normally do. I bet there is a nest nearby but I didn't want to stress the bird if that was the case so I got my shot and moved away to wait for Martins at the house.



10 minutes later a pair of Purple Martins circled and then both came down to the shaded side of the house. They have one compartment for themselves but I could not see any babies in any of the apartments.



I had seen the male that was on the pine tree come down and land of the sunny side so after the pair flew off to feed I made my way around the shrubs to view the bird in better light. he was sitting in the sunshine but had emerged from an apartment he has picked out.



He must have been sleepy. He yawned several times.



He would then survey the area in all directions and I left him still sitting there and headed home.



I will have to check back a little later to see if any new young are around. Maybe on Memorial Day.

Loggerhead Shrike Babies!

As I was trying to get some shots of the Purple Martins (see yesterday's post) I noticed a bunch of birds fending off crows closer to the lake. Most were Northern Mockingbirds but there was a smaller bird there. I had to explore. Once over on the other side of the road, the Mockingbirds chased off the crows leaving the other birds in the area. They were Loggerhead Shrikes. An adult rested atop a small oak.



Then I noticed the source of another sound I was hearing. Loggerhead Shrike babies!



Just may be my favorite shot of a Loggerhead Shrike...ever.



How about a rear view to check out the maturing plumage? I love those tan edges.



Soon they gathered back as a group and headed deeper into the foliage. One gave me a last look before hiding in the shade.



Maybe they will still be here when I get back in the near future.

Purple Martins

There was a report of Black-necked Stilts over at Baldwin Park so I decided to head over to see if they were still around. Then the rain hit. Didn't see any stilts but I returned the next day to look again. No luck. They have flown on. What else is here?

Not a whole lot but around the edge of the retention pond there were a couple of Mourning Doves and for some reason I took a shot. Probably because I have so many shots of them on feeders I thought it would be nice to have a more natural background. When I looked at the shot later on I realized something else. Notice the feather pattern? Scaled, not smooth. That makes it a young dove.



I headed back to the van since there were no stilts and noticed that there is a new Purple Martin house near the street (a bit too close to a busy street if you ask me) and Martins flying around. The house oriented North/South making the East/West path of the Sun perfect for ruining photos. I will have to get back when it is a totally different time of day.



I tried my luck on the other side. Plenty signs of occupation but no birds coming or going from this side.



Back on the more shaded side I noticed a yellow shape at the entrance of one apartment. I thought the bird might actually be dead since it wasn't moving. Until a few minutes later. Then I could see a couple chicks waiting for a meal.



At the other end of the house, more chicks.



Can't wait for making some extra time to get clearer shots in the near future.