Out for a Concert

The family headed out to the East a bit to watch our oldest play in the final concert of the season. As we approached the school I noticed a very large congregation of Black Vultures interested in something across the way. We are talkin' over 50 vultures and more were flying in. My camera trigger finger twitched but I didn't have much time to wander off as I am wont to do.

I tried to divert my attention back toward the school and noticed another bird flying behind the high school and then emerged off to the left. A Bald Eagle was soaring by high over head, reflecting light from the setting Sun.



Then I noticed another bird on a light pole right next to us in the parking lot. One of the incoming Black Vultures was checking out the feast across the street before joining in. At least I got one vulture shot.



The auditorium doors were just opening when I spotted yet another bird flying to the top of another light pole. Hmmm... I couldn't figure out the ID right away but it was a small bird whose shape seemed foreign to me. Moments later it dropped to the ground to grab something and I caught a flash of blue.

While the rest of the family headed toward the door, I drifted to my right for a closer look. Then, the male Eastern Bluebird hopped to the chain linked fence with its prize. I don't get to see a lot of Bluebirds but with this being father out in the developing east side there are still some around here. I had to go in for the concert but I spotted a female bird just down the fence line before I went in.



As the band filed in I could get a glimpse of Patrick, our oldest, sharing a joke with fellow bandmates before they dove into the first tune.



Patrick had won the solo for the first song. So proud. Not so proud that I messed up my camera settings but we got to enjoy a bunch of well played songs. This was a mixed batch of college kids and they played awesomely! He can't wait to get back to playing for the marching band next Fall.



I am very busy with work lately so I have no idea when I am going to get more birding in but times like this show that you can find birds anywhere you go. If you take only a couple of minutes to look around you.

Walking the Lakes

The kids were off for the holiday so I took the chance to wander Lake Davis since I didn't have to drive back and forth to schools. I also wanted to see if anything of interest was out there during this gloomy morning. Nothing new but there are now over 100 Ring-necked Ducks around during the day. I can count many more resting on the lake after dark.



I headed West and found a few Anhinga either in the trees or near the ground. For some reason I can never resist silhouette shots of these diving birds.



A little farther along I spotted a White Ibis. This bird has an injured wing an has been hanging around the lake for several years. One woman even wanted to capture it and take it to rehab but that failed but this bird seems to being doing fine, otherwise.



I rounded the western edge of Lake Davis, avoiding the construction crews, and ended up in a patch filled with warblers. The most numerous were Palm Warblers. This one seemed to be fascinated with finding bugs around the barricades.



There were also a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and I was looking forward to getting my first good shot of one this season but could only get backlit versions. At least it is a start and they will be around for many more months.



Along the lake's edge there were several Eastern Phoebes. They are calling all around the area this year. and we have banded many at our bird banding site this Fall.



Near the Eastern Phoebe was another Palm Warbler on its own which took time preening on a Cypress Tree before beginning to feed again.



Who can refuse a shot of the Mute Swans while walking around? I see folks stopping to get out and take photos of them all the time. Mom and baby drifted out in front of me to rest a bit before going back to foraging.



Later in the day, I headed out to do some shopping which always leads me to go around Lake Terrace to see if any ducks have returned. For some reason they are not hanging out much this year. What did surprise me as I neared the lake was a big flock of Vultures. Most of the ones on the ground were Turkey Vultures feeding on something that may have been bread.



Soon, Black Vultures began circling in, too and I got a few shots of them in flight before they began to compete with the Turkey Vultures.



Not a bad days work of photography but I would sure love some new ducks arriving before too long.

Mixed Bag in Orlando

Had to take a trek down to the south of Orlando for a bit and stopped by a familiar pond along the way. did not see the American Coot that used to hang out there but I did see another bird I had forgotten about since they have not been in downtown Orlando for a while. A Pied-billed Grebe drifted out to the center of the pond as I slowed for a shot.



I spotted a couple birds I wanted to get shots of but as I made the turn to get a better look I noticed a shadow and looked up to see a Red-tailed Hawk circling nearby.



I positioned my van along the creek and soon came into view of a Tricolored Heron and White Ibis sifting through the edges of the weeds.



Soon, the object of my attention was visible and I stepped out to get a bunch of photos. I like this one the best. Roseate Spoonbills are not common in the Orlando area but for some reason a few of them love this spot near a very urban spot near a sprawling tourist complex. I will take those opportunities to be with them every chance I can.



On the way out I made sure to slow past a crowd I saw on the way in. Black Vultures were busy with the corpse of a hit Raccoon. Not pretty but yet another sighting.



A good tally of bird species in a short stop and a welcome change from the warbler searches I do near home every day.

Random Observations

Work is ramping up more and more so all I can do is sit, get books made and watch out of the window every now and then to see what is flying by. Vultures were taking to skies early and I tallied them up on my ever-present notepad along the way. At one point, I glanced out and spied a few Turkey Vultures rising and then noticed that one shape looked a tad different. I almost ignored it but decided to raise my binoculars anyway. Glad I did. My first Swallow-tailed Kite of the season was in the mix!

I fumbled for my camera, nearly tripping over my chair, and ran out the back door of the office. Unfortunately, the bird had found a thermal and began gliding off to the South. I could only grab one distant shot. Very early for this species, which breeds in the area. Glad to have them returning.



I settled back into my chair but soon, a Yellow-rumped Warbler landed in the small oak outside in the parking lot. I would have ignored it but it is a good example that illustrates its name. Shot through the window.



On the drive home, I noticed a Bald Eagle sitting on the edge of Lake Lancaster. I tried to sneak up on it for a nice shot but it saw me first and bolted. Sigh.



Warning: graphic Vulture eating! I did my usual rounds the rest of the way home in search of some interesting ducks. Instead, I found Black and Turkey Vultures working over a dead Soft-shelled Turtle carcass on the lake shore.



More and more vultures were streaming in and this poor turtle would be surely gone by morning.



A great score with the Kite and few interesting finds by days end. Time to start searching for shorebirds in migration.

Jay Watch Results at Blue Springs

Time for the next Jay Watch results event. This year we were back at Blue Springs as we were two years ago. I always like to get there right when the park opens to get some good parking and to do a little hiking before the presentation begins. Awaiting us just out of the van were a couple of Black Vultures.



The weather has been very warm this year so unfortunately there were not a lot of manatee in the springs. We saw a few signs but no clear views. The only thing we could make out under water was a large gator resting on the bottom.



Heavy fog plagued the drive all the way. Walking to the landing, we could make out a Fog Bow. I used my son's camera to try and grab a few frames to get it all in and later got a chance to combine the shots into a full view. My first actually nice fog bow.



Heading back up the boardwalk, a stop at the first overlook had a Ruby-crowned Kinglet land so close I couldn't get a shot. A White-eyed Vireo zipped past for an OK shot.



I noticed a statue at the next overlook and tried to get a shot but these kids kept getting in the way. Oh, well.



The Sun was rising quickly behind the oaks. I didn't care if the Thursby House was obscured in shadow.



Things were very quiet all the way up to the end of the boardwalk where Blue Spring reaches the surface.



I've always enjoyed the view from the top of the cliff over the spring head. Sometimes you get steam mixed in but it is great view whenever you are there.



Heading back down the walk, we find a number of Alligator Gar hanging in the current.



Back near the river, the Alligator had surfaced for a closer look.



Hanging out at the mouth of the spring run were several Double-crested Cormorant coming into breeding plumage.



We headed up a trail in search of...something. No real activity there so we had to settle for another type of bow for the day. A Web Bow. Next time you are near different spider webs, try to position yourself in the light and you might just find a nice spectrum display.



Back near the river and we find another Cormorant flying ahead of the many crew teams slicing up the waters.



Some find Black Vultures ugly. I think they are pretty in their own way.



Especially up close. Devoid of carrion and poop.



There were scores of Black Vultures but I did find a couple Turkey Vultures hiding among the Black Vulture flock.



It was finally time to head over for Scrub Jay results (some good, some not so good). As we sat and listened to the speakers, a family of Carolina Wrens would not be ignored. They often flew right next to us and called and called loudly.



Now for the trip home. Next search for new Scrub Jays begins in the Summer.

JayWatch at Blue Springs

JayWatch had there annual report and volunteer appreciation at Blue Springs this year. I convinced my oldest to tag along and we got there at the time they asked us to be there. turns out they weren't doing anything for us for another 2 hours so we took some walks around the park before hand.

In Orlando, all of the Black Vultures have vanished leaving us with only Turkey Vultures overhead. I was wondering where the Black Vultures had gone. Seems they all came to Blue Springs! There were hundreds of them all along the river. This one found a dead Armored Catfish as we approached the docks.



A Bald Eagle was also present, along with many other usual suspects, but the light was not that great so early in the morning. But the main draw for Blue Springs are the Manatee that congregate in the warmer waters near the spring in the Winter. The winds were very high so getting any good shots were tough.

Fortunately, there were a few near the canoe launch point so we could watch several at the surface up close.



Farther up the stream we found dozens of Manatee. The water was just a bit less obtrusive here soother views were better. Especially when they surfaced.



Right after that shot, a Belted Kingfisher flew in and actually landed in good light. Without the auto-focus I could only get an OK ID shot. Kingfishers are notoriously skittish so having one stay fairly close was nice. Plus, this is a male. Typically, I only find females. They have an additional rusty band on their chests.



As we headed toward the lunch program we had some nice views of an Eastern Phoebe.



The JayWatch results were revealed and, again, the numbers of Scrub Jays are still in decline. We had lunch and headed out to visit nearby Gemini Springs. Nice park! Will have to return in the future. The only good bird shot was of an Osprey searching for fish.



Despite the continuing dire news for the Florida Scrub Jay, my son and I had a great day outdoors.

A New Year of Birding Begins

What is one to do when just informed that his company is folding just before the end of the year? Go birding, of course!

So, I headed over to the general Apopka area to see what I could see and clear my head on the first day of the year. Never did find the recently reported Ash-throated Flycatcher but I did find plenty of birds to keep me busy and bring a smile here and there.

First stop, Lust Road. This is a favorite spot for birders which may cease to be in the near future. Highways are being built all around and are basically eliminating the "Kingbird Roost" already. For now, there are still a number of birds to be found along this edge of Lake Apopka.

You can almost always find a Painted Bunting trying to avoid detection near the gate along the ditch.



White-crowned Sparrows are found year-round along the southern edge of the fence at Lust Road. You can see them darting here and there and when you do get a chance to photograph them they are usually sitting on the fence in the shrubs.



Nothing else of notice here so I headed over to the Ranch Road area in Astatula on the northern edge of the lake. I want to see if the Say's Phoebe was still hanging out. It took a while to find anything interesting there but I was happy to see several Bluebirds out in the distance. Finally, though, I did notice a spec out on a far-away fence. It was the Say's.

It hardly ever gets close to the road so the best I could do was get a couple shots as it swooped for insects before settling on the fence again.



One of the tell-tale ID marks for the Say's is the black tail feathers. They show up nicely here.



OK, that bird checked off and time to see if anything was along Ranch Road and Clay Island. On the way to Clay Island I noticed that a parcel next to the Scrub Jay habitat is being developed. Not good. I don't see the Jays in their usual hang out. Just before the parking area I do find a large flock of Black Vultures arguing over a dead animal.

Pretty in their own way.



I didn't walk too far at Clay Island but did have a long encounter with an Osprey trying to find a spot to eat a small fish. My favorite shot of this bird in flight.



Later, it decided to land on the telephone poles and offered a few more great views.



Just after the Osprey settled in for a snack, a Turkey Vulture glided by.



On the way back out of the Clay Island area, I heard a lot of bird noise near the parking lot. Titmice, doves, and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers fed along the tree line but I was more interested in the Golden-silk Spider inspecting its web.



I headed back toward home and stopped in the Scrub Jay area for a final look. Fortunately, the family popped up to say 'hi' for a few minutes. Still safe for now.



I still say that these birds should be the Florida state bird. Gorgeous.



On the way to the house I swung past my former work place to say hello to any Hooded Mergansers that winter there. I found one drake who almost made me forget that I won't be seeing them anytime I want anymore.




Home at last, and what better way to end a New Year's Day than have a visit from our Flying Squirrels right after dark.



Now to get on with the task of finding new work. A new year might just offer a new direction.