Lake Apopka on Father's Day

I was pondering what I wanted to do on this Father's Day and opted to take a drive along the Lake Apopa North Shore Drive to do some contemplating since this would be the first one without my Dad. I almost decided against it since there was an approaching storm headed that way but when has a little rain stopped birding?

The only problem was that the storm was coming from the East meaning we wouldn't have that nice morning light. One of the first birds I spotted was a juvenile Black-necked Stilt picking at snacks in the water.



Nearby, a juvenile Common Gallinule sat on its nest and called loudly.



The first clouds moved closer and made the morning nearly dark as I tried for my first Osprey photo.



Even with a bit more light I had to do some acrobatics inPhotoshop to show the next Osprey doing its own acrobatics during breakfast.



American Alligators were pretty active this warm morning and they were cruising most everywhere. Some days you can hardly find a few.



The last time I was out here the Green Herons were constantly flying by instead of posing. At least I had one cooperate today.



I thought I had another Green Heron fly over the road ahead of me. It wasn't until I got home to look at my images that I figured out that it was actually a juvenile Least Bittern! Didn't know they nested out here.



Something else I had never seen before was a female Red-winged Blackbird catching a dragonfly to eat. Thought they only ate seeds. I guess mostly...



There were a lot of Anhinga around today and one female perched on a branch next to the drive.



I rounded the next bend and spotted an Osprey with a large fish. He just looked at me like, "Don't even think about it!"



Another Osprey flew in just below the first bird on a perfectly placed branch. I eased forward whispering, "Please don't move..." but he decided to take flight as I snapped. I think I like this shot even better than the one I was hoping for.



As usual, you loose count of the number of Common Gallinules at some point. Still a bunch of juveniles around.



I was pleased to have a couple of Common Ground Dove around, especially at this spot. They are typically seen near the end of the drive.



Hunkered down on the bank of a canal was a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron.



Male Red-winged Blackbirds are always calling from branches all over the property.



Just below him was a young American Alligator prowling though the water as the rain began to fall.



Can't recall seeing so many Bladderwort blooms out here. Perhaps I was never here at the right time. There were large rafts of them all over the back stretch.



Just before the last big turn heading toward the swallow area, a female Boat-tailed Grackle hopped up to take a look around.



Not too much farther along, a Pied-billed Grebe surfaced with a tadpole.



It spent most of the time flinging it around and diving back under water to retrieve it again. It then began to thrash it about to tear off smaller piece. Made me smile for some reason. It was really shaking that thing!



Once it made a small enough collection of pieces it began to eat them one by one.



A juvenile Little Blue Heron paused for a moment before continuing to forage along the road.



Another Black-necked Stilt family was feeding a bit farther into the Marsh with the parents flanking their chick as they picked through the grasses.



This shot reminds me of an Audubon painting the way it is posed.



I really was happy with this shot of the juvenile Black-necked Stilt. The background was perfect and those feathers are just to so pretty.



In between showers, a Rainbow weakly appeared for a minute or so before being swallowed up again.



Speaking of swallow, I was finally at the area where the Barn Swallows nest and many adults were there with juveniles in tow. I didn't even try for a flight shot today. Not in these conditions.



A relaxing tour of the property. Happy with some of the photos. Missing Dad.

Labor Day at Lake Apopka

Labor Day was upon us and I heard that the Lake Apopa North Shore Drive would be open as it is for Federal holidays. I asked my wife if she would like to go with me and she surprised me by saying, "Sure." Not easy to give up a morning to sleep in and we would have to be there by sunrise. Best time to bird, ya know.

We arrived right on time. I was expecting a line of vehicles since it was a holiday but I think we only counted 5 other cars during our entire trip. Weird. Also, kind of weird was the last time I came out it was one Osprey after another on the poles. Today they were replaced by Red-shouldered Hawks. Our first was calling like crazy as the Sun rose behind us.



A bit farther ahead we found another Red-shouldered Hawk. That thing resembling an emerging alien is the birds talon as it holds its leg close to itself.



A surprise awaited us on the first curve. A juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron posed in the morning light just perfectly.



Last month I hardly saw many Great Blue Herons. Today they were spaced every 500 yards!



Our first American Alligator was lurking near the first heron.



We finally discovered one Osprey enjoying breakfast on the telephone poles but it was the only one of the day.



More American Alligators prowled the basin behind the pump house.



I almost missed the Bald Eagle sitting on the far side of the basin before we headed around the next bend.



All of last month's young Common Gallinules are reaching the teenage look.



I failed to get a shot of the numerous Green Herons flying by in July but we had one try to hide in plain sight next to the road today.



A young Red-shouldered Hawk was perched atop some bushes but was winding what the noise was below it. It was a Limpkin which disappeared into the shadows before a photo could be had.



There were a lot of Yellow and Prairie Warblers flying around feeding but this is the best I could capture as they were moving super fast in search of insects.



I was anxious to get to the spot where all of the swallows were congregated on my previous visit. As we approached I thought I was spotting a Life Bird up on the wires. I have seen a couple of Bank Swallows (right) but never got a shot. To the left is a fluffy Barn Swallow told by the forked tail feathers.



The bird I was after I spotted through the windshield and managed to get one shot as the clouds moved in the cloak the scene. My first ever Cliff Swallow located center-right.



A Shiny Blackbird has been here for a while but I forgot to try for a photo last time.



Among the swallows, I found a single Purple Martin in the group.



Trying to be a little artsy with a silhouette of Swallows against the clouds.



One of Carolyn's favorite birds, a Glossy Ibis, perches along the roadside.



Yet another Red-shouldered Hawk was at the end of the line sending us on our way home.



Not a bad drive on a quiet holiday. We will definitely be back. Maybe a little sleeping in in between, though.

Moss Park

It took me awhile to get through the photos from last weekend so this is posted a few days after the event, but...done. My wife's company picnic was scheduled for this past Saturday and the event was held in Moss Park. Nice place. We have camped there before. Only problem is that it is like dropping a kid in a candy store. Birds are always around here so socializing becomes more of a formality for me once I start seeing and hearing birds. Selfish? Yes. I am working on it.

As soon as we got out of the car I could see scores of birds flying around the lake. I was already twitching. Once we made introductions and had lunch I went off for a little hike. As soon as I neared the edge of the lake the bird sound was raucous. The main species flying by were Wood Storks.



Turns out that the small island just across from the shoreline was teaming with wading birds nesting. A lot of Wood Storks were there but the edges of the island were covered with White Ibis nests.



There were also Anhinga and Double-crested Cormorants but I was more pleased to see a Black-crowned Night Heron join in with the crowd. I do recall seeing a lot of these birds the last time we were out here.



I came off the dock and began to head to the North, following the sounds of Boat-tailed Grackles. They would not stay in good light for me but flowers were more accommodating. Right next to the dock was a nice spread of Rhexia.



Just around the bend were a scattering of Yellow-eyed Grass swaying in the light breeze.



Tucked next to the reeds I spotted a clump of Bog Buttons. I did not relocate the Sun Dews I remember from years ago.



Standing higher were shocks of a variety of St. John's Wort.



Another yellow flower was there but I can't recall the name as of yet.



Back to the birds! My next goal was to find where the birds from the island were heading for food. They were going to a shallower part of the lake to the North. The storks and Ibis were flying over to gather food for chicks...



...and then head back in short order.



The White Ibis are in full breeding plumage and are just as active.



One of the birds we always remembered from our previous camping trip was the Sandhill Cranes that can be quite bold in searches for food. They even try to steal food from your picnic tables! This family was wandering around a large gathering leading their new colt through the pavilions.



The colt took it all in stride as kids tried to follow it around the campgrounds.



I headed back to the company event hearing Pine Warblers near the gathering. I kept seeing them flying high in the pines and finally had a closer look as an adult brought some food down to a juvenile.



Once the meal was consumed, the adult Pine Warbler flew off for more and the juvenile fluttered its wings and called for more.



Near he table, a family of Tufted Titmouse swooped in and began calling loudly. Was I in the way of something or were they warning of some other danger? I never found out.



As I was about to put the camera away I noticed another bird flitting through the branches. I couldn't tell exactly what it was immediately but by the time I went through photos and asked for thoughts from a friend I can only conclude that this is a late 1st Spring Blackburnian Warbler! Not a common sight here this time of year.



I made one more walk near the parking lot to see what was in a fenced in area and had a pair of Great-Crested Flycatchers hunting around the moss. It is called Moss Park, after all.



A nice morning of discovery today. Next time, have the company event indoors and I will be all full of meaningful conversation. Until I spot something outside the windows...