Showing posts with label Black and White Warbler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Black and White Warbler. Show all posts

Monday, December 26, 2016

Largo Birding

Where to go the day after Christmas? I couldn't decide so I visited several spots all around Largo. First stop: War Veteran's Memorial Park where I have spent time during Christmas Bird Counts. It was not too birdy, but the Brown Pelicans feeding out in the channel.

Brown Pelican

I was taken aback by the lack of other birds in the park. The only other fun bird of note was a male Black and White Warbler moving at high speed near the point. Very little other activity in all of my hiking this morning.

Black and White Warbler

Since it was pretty quiet at that park I headed over to Largo Central Park Nature Preserve. Things were a bit more interesting here. I walked around the back side of the park and found a number of Black-hooded Parakeets up in the power station.

Black-hooded Parakeet

I started through a recently cut portion leading back to the park and noticed some small birds darting into some brush. It took me a bit to nail it down but was pleasantly surprised to discover it was a House Finch.

House Finch

Down in the freshly cut grass and brush were several Western Palm Warblers hopping around and feeding.

Western Palm Warbler

Halfway along the boardwalk in the woods a Downy Woodpecker dropped next to me and began pounding away on a tree. I took many, many photos just wanting the bird to look my direction at least once but he would not cooperate so I ended up with most of the shots becoming blurry.

Downy Woodpecker

One of my presents was a wide angle lens. It should be fun to play around with from time to time. Have to practice some exposure times, for sure.

Wide angle

Heading back to the parking lot I spotted a Pied-billed Grebe swimming down the creek toward me.

Pied-billed Grebe

Just beyond that was a juvenile Little Blue Heron feeding so intently that it never paid attention to me as I took a couple dozen shots.

Little Blue Heron

Just nearing the restrooms I saw a bird flash out and back to the trees. It was an Eastern Phoebe plucking insects from the air and returning to its perch.

Eastern Phoebe

I turned toward the car and had a Northern Mockingbird pop up out of a bush. Who can resist that shot?

Northern Mockingbird

I then headed over to John S. Taylor Park. It is a park that is hidden in plain sight, almost. It is surrounded by office buildings and homes but is fairly large and holds different birds than the other parks. Like Ring-billed Gulls which were relaxing all along the shoreline and atop signs. Which profile do you prefer? To the right...

Ring-billed Gull

...or to the left?

Ring-billed Gull

I love how this Common Gallinule looks like it was carved out of wax and the color scheme really works for me, too.

Common Gallinule

Up in the pines was a lone Anhinga just relaxing.

Anhinga

There wasn't too much more to look find so I had to take more shots of the gulls on the way out. This one seems a little younger than the others around.

Ring-billed Gull

This one is definitely an older bird

Ring-billed Gull

Not a bad way to spend a long morning of birding. However, it will soon be time to head back to Orlando and home.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Leading a Hike

Orange Audubon has started holding Spring Migration bird walks in addition to their previous Fall walks out at Mead Garden and I was asked to lead one of the groups today. The attendance has been pretty high this year and we need to split up into two group so no one area is too crowded. My group headed to the Southern side of the gardens while Larry headed toward the Butterfly garden just to the North.

Our first bird was a fast moving Palm Warbler. Most other Palms moved North not long ago. This one busy trying to catch some tiny moths. There is one in its bill.

Palm Warbler

We headed to the 'ear-trees', (Enterolobium cyclocarpum), and started to find several Warblers but they were so high in the tree it made photos pretty difficult. However, we did record Northern Parula, Black and white Warbler, and Cape May Warblers here.

Barred Owls are out of the nest but the youngsters were tucked in some foliage while one of the adults sat in the bright morning sunlight.

Barred Owl

We did not find too many birds out this morning but the Gray Catbirds gathered in large numbers down by the new bridge by the creek. They were eating fruit from the palm trees. Not too far away we entered the boardwalk and were quickly met by a small flock of Cedar Waxwings and a often hidden female Cape May Warbler.

Cedar Waxwing

Over in the willows, a Prairie Warbler darted in and out of leaves in search of insects.

Prairie Warbler

Out in the open, a male Black and White Warbler prowled the branches and tree trunks just past the railings.

Black and White Warbler

Before we exited the boardwalk I spied beautiful a Five-lined Skink along the rails.

Five-lined Skink

Folks began to drift apart by the time we got to the Butterfly Garden. Time for a sit down at the benches. I spotted a Great-Crested Flycatchers darting around the back of the lawn so I tried to outflank it for a photo. Success!

Great-Crested Flycatcher

Over at the Clay Pit we checked for any migrants in the mulberries. Nope. We instead watched a Great Blue Heron swoop in and do a short bit of hunting before it nabbed a snake.

Great Blue Heron

Upon closer inspection it appeared to be a Banded Water Snake. Yum!

Great Blue Heron

One the way back to the car I stopped by the Red-shouldered Hawk's nest. I didn't look too closely first thing in the morning but now we could clearly see 2 little fuzzy heads bopping around up there.

Red-shouldered Hawk

Finally, I got to see one of the juvenile Barred Owls before I headed home.

Barred Owl

Some interesting birds for the day and some warblers even I was wanting to see. Now we settle in for the hot months and dream of Fall migration.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Heading to the Store

Another day heading to the store and I walked out to find a reason to run back and grab the camera. I usually always have it in hand but not today. The bird that made me stop was a male Black and White Warblerin breeding plumage right in the driveway.

Black and White Warbler

Oblivious to my presence, a male Northern Cardinal just stared at me from the sunflower feeder.

Northern Cardinal

Over at the cemetery, one of the adult Bald Eagles landed at the nest. Don't know where the fishing bobber came from. Perhaps a fish brought in for dinner.

Bald Eagle

Hope there is no hook endangering any possible chick that should be in the nest by now. More checking to be done.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Mead Cruising

Another month has flown past without much birding. Sigh. Job hunting has been more interesting and I had a couple of interviews in the past couple of days so I figured I owed it to myself to hit Mead Botanical Gardens today to relax. Interviews seemed to go well. We shall see how things turn out. Meanwhile, out to get some fresh air.

I was thinking I might not find too much today. Things were quiet and on my first stop just inside the gardens I found a Red-shouldered Hawk perched near a reliable birding spot. There would not be any warblers around here for a while.

Red-shouldered Hawk

Soon, I was at the cement bridge and was starting to hear more birds. I quickly had a male Black-throated Blue Warbler right in front of me but he would never leave the shade for a better shot.

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Farther up the trail I got to the wooden bridge and was happy to see an approaching female Black and White Warbler. She raced around the tree limbs and paid little attention to me as she hunted some morsels for breakfast.

Black and White Warbler

I moved along up the creek and started hear something in the trees but I could not locate the source. I was not even paying attention to the closer side of the creek when I realized that I was standing next to a juvenile Anhinga. Like, 6 feet from me! I had to back up to get this shot with the zoom.

Anhinga

Usually, Anhinga fly off when you get as close as, say, 40 feet. This bird was just afraid of me at all. I have never had that happen before. I got a few more close-up shots and then thanked my new friend for the opportunity to hang out for a few minutes before I headed up the trail.

Anhinga

Nothing else caught my attention up along the boardwalk or through the the Butterfly Garden so I decided to head home. I took a slight detour toward the pavilions and was totally surprised by a flash of black and white. A Red-headed Woodpecker swooped up in front of me and landed on a nearby tree. Too bad the light was in the wrong spot.

Red-headed Woodpecker

I tried to maneuver into a better spot for a shot when a Red-bellied Woodpecker zipped in and chased the other bird away. What to do? Take a shot of the new arrival, of course.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Nice to have an unexpected bird this morning. I will be sure to start making more bird runs soon. Starting to feel more secure. I am sure one of the interviews will pay off and then I will have a lot less birding time during the weeks. Having a job, though, is still Priority 1. I will take the birds where and when I can for now.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Returning to Mead Botanical Garden

I got a chance to return to Mead Botanical Garden after a long absence due to job searching. I really wanted to try for a shot of the Red-headed Woodpeckers now that the skies had cleared and the winds died down a little.

I began my usual path through the park passing the newly planted Camillias but found nothing. Not much was in sight or calling until I neared the cement bridge where a call caught my attention. It was a male Black-and-White Warbler. It was feeding in the branches overhead so close that I could barely get it in the camera's zoom range but I repositioned myself and waited for a better shot and was finally rewarded.

Black-and-White Warbler

Marcus and Larry arrived soon afterwards and we wandered a bit. Larry and I decided to go out on the old section of boardwalk to see if we could locate the Red-headed Woodpecker out in the wetlands which had not been seen for a while. We first found 6 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Six!) chasing one another and chasing off warblers. Eventually, I spotted the woodpecker on one of the snags.

Red-headed Woodpecker

It hung out on this tree for a while near the top and finally moved lower and entered what appeared to be a nest hole. Perhaps it was always hiding there causing it not to be seen. Now we know where to look.

Now to get the other bird on the other side of the park for a closer shot when I can.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Evening Warblers

I had a very few minutes to scan the trees before our youngest's Open House up the road. Not a good thing since the trees were full of warblers. Dang!

Once I noticed a number of birds right away I stepped out and tried to get some shots when I could. It was still overcast and getting late in the day some the lighting was not the best. Still, you can't really miss a bright patch of color like you find on a Yellow-throated Warbler darting through the branches.

Yellow-throated Warbler

Behind me was another bright yellow bird. An aptly named Yellow Warbler was busily feeding, too.

Yellow Warbler

Harder to see in the gloom were the few Black and White Warblers inching their way around the trees.

Black and White Warbler

There were a few Black and White Warblers. I always forget how frustrating it is to get shots of warblers through all the branches.

Black and White Warbler

There were many other warbler species but I was out of time to try for photos. I used my remaining few minutes to make sure I at least got IDs. Other warblers above me were Common Yellowthroat, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, American Redstart, Northern Parula, and Prairie Warbler. Whew! Hopefully they will stick around for when there is better light and more time.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Of Muck and Migrants

Well. The muck removal has begun. Behind the pump house there is now a giant holding area to hold the muck they are beginning to pull from the pond. It will sit there until the water drains back out and, hopefully, in a few weeks the pond should be looking a bit better.

Muck

The official statement...

Muck

In the tree just behind the muck container, a couple of Grey Squirrel fought over a pinecone. The victor chowed down up in the branches.

Grey Squirrel

I started meeting up with some of my birding friends and it was pointed out that one of the Barred Owls was hanging out around the corner. Had to head over there. Sure enough, the bird was right up in the palm tree.

Barred Owl

Though several of us were standing just below, the owl just watched us and kept a vigil over the surrounding area.

Barred Owl

Don't think I could ever get tired of visiting any Barred Owls. In fact, as I was trying to get some sleep the other night a Barred Owl began calling just outside our bedroom window. Noise pollution could be worse.

Barred Owl

The owl eventually flew off. Back on the pond, the boat moved out to begin the next muck extraction as Marcus looks on.

Muck

Off to the right I noticed a bunch of mushroom springing up between the lush carpet of Basket Grass.

Mushroom

I headed off down the creek and noticed some interesting structures in the Ferns. Some sort of insect is making nests. I didn't have the heart to break them open to see what was inside. The spores made such a pretty pattern.

Fern

Behind the club house, I was looking for Waterthrushes along the creek. No such luck but I did spot a Black and White Warbler. She spent a lot of time hopping from branch to branch and I finally got an OK shot before she headed higher into the trees.

Black and White Warbler

Not many migrants around just yet but I will be able to check every now and then. Just need to get the weather fronts to cooperate and let those Northern birds down here.