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.



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.



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.



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.



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



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.



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.



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



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.



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.



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



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...



...or to the left?



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



Up in the pines was a lone Anhinga just relaxing.



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.



This one is definitely an older bird



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

St. Pete Birds

Our oldest is in the marching band at UCF and since the football team was in the Bitcoin Bowl this year we had to get him over to St. Pete. One of the events the day before the game was a Battle of the Bands which was held on the beach at the hotel. I took a ton of photos of the event but also noted the birds in the area, of course. Before we headed down to the beach, a few Black-hooded Parakeets noisily passed overhead.



In the slow rolling surf, a Laughing Gull stayed out of the way of the passing crowds.



I have never had one give me the stare down before.



Off to the right, a Herring Gull picked along the rack line.



Finally, a Ring-billed Gull joined in for a few minutes as the music got louder and louder.



The UCF Marching Knights won the battle and the band then enjoyed some activities and then rested before the game. A fun event. I might have a chance to find more birds before we head home on Saturday in between Christmas time.

2013 CBC in St. Pete, Part 1

Headed over to do yet another Christmas Bird Count to help my friends Don and Lorraine Margeson. We were joined this year by Jeff Miller and our task, as always, is to find as many bird species as possible from before dawn to sunset in the Saint Petersburg area. A front was moving in and bird sightings in general have been down this year but we head out every year no matter what the weather or bird activity and do our best.

While Don and Jeff did the dark hour at a nearby sewage plant, Lorraine and I headed to a roosting spot to try and get the fly out counts near the edge of Weedon Island State Preserve. Thousand of Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, and European Starlings flew out just before sunrise. We also tallied some gulls and a Cooper's Hawk and scored a single Prairie Warbler (our target warbler for the morning) before heading back to the house for breakfast.



We downed some doughnuts and counted from their 4th story deck and prepared to head out to our next destination. Black-hooded Parakeets (now an established and countable Florida species) were flying around in small flocks. These guys fly by so fast and made for a difficult flyover subject but I had to try.



I don't know why, but I am always drawn to the Hybiscus flowers in the back of Don and Lorraine's yard. We don't have this type in Central Florida. I just find them cool.



Don, Jeff, and I covered the neighborhood as Lorraine tended to the dogs and looked for birds around the house areas next. We got some new birds, including Spotted Sandpiper and Blue-headed Vireo but came up short in the mangrove region. On the way back to the house, Jeff spotted a very fat Cuban Tree Frog on a neighbor's jacuzzi. These guys are invasive, non-native critters that eat our local frogs. We would have disposed of it but had little time and inclination to kill something today.



Now that the daylight was in full force we all headed over to our next stop. The sewage plant. Birders know that numerous bird species hang out around these facilities so we always check them for any good finds. Seems the plant has a new display out front. Not sure how I feel about a dolphin flying out of treated wastewater, but...



Just before dawn, Don and Jeff witnessed a Barn Owl capturing a rabbit so we had hoped to refind that bird and maybe some sparrows. Jeff and I trumped through the weeds and flushed a ton of Palm Warblers but no Savannah or Grasshopper Sparrows we were seeking. There was a nice surprise Roseate Spoonbill wandering around the berms, though.



We finally found a sparrow species as we made our rounds. In one patch of water and reeds we coaxed up several Swamp Sparrows and Lorraine had the right angle on this one.



Our molting Spoonbill was still in the area and made several odd gestures as we approached. Probably trying to warn us off. An interesting display to watch but it was not too concerned by our presence.



For the first time ever, we were granted an opportunity to climb to the tops of the filtering tanks to see if we could spot any birds resting in the structures. We always see birds landing in the holding tanks (we think 'yuck!') and have always wondered what might be hidden from view.



The easiest species to see at any treatment plant along the coast are gulls and the most abundant species here today were Ring-billed Gulls. This trio just stared as we walked by.



In the past, ducks have been spotted dropping into the tanks which is the main reason we wanted to get up there and look. There were a few Mallards in this particular tank but we did score a few Mottled Ducks before they flew off as we got to the top of the stairs.



Must...not...touch...shiny...controls...



We were over the final clarifying tanks but off to the other side the gulls were enjoying the swirling waters of another pre-treated spot.



A young Laughing Gull landed as we were about to leave making for an easy subject.



Then, how can I resist a clear shot of a Ring-billed Gull sitting just feet away? A common bird in Florida but any chance for a good shot, right?



Being a guy, I can't resist a good roaring flame. There are a couple of pipes that burn off the Methane produced by the waste being treated. It is sometimes hard to see but a little animation shows it pretty well. Pardon the hand-held composition.



Just before we left the treatment plant to get to our next count areas we spotted a few European Starlings on the wires. I have only seen a juvenile on web cams so it was nice to get one with an adult in person.



We will stop for lunch and then canvas the remaining areas on our route. Stay tuned for Part 2!

St. Pete CBC, 2011

Ready for the tale? CBC stories last a while. Kick back.

I had the pleasure of joining long-time friends and birding activists Don and Lorraine Margeson for their crew on this latest St. Pete Christmas Bird Count (CBC). I have been helping out for years in other areas but it was nice to hang out with them and see some new territory in the county. We did very well with species and numbers counts. The weather was perfect! The past two years were rather cold and miserable so it was excellent to dress for the warm weather and go bird counting.

Don and I did some pre-dawn birding in the neighborhood and scored 5 Screech Owls and other local birds in the dark. Later, we gathered as the Sun rose and began to grab the birds we knew were around before sweeping the general area. The main bird we needed to add was the Lark Sparrow that Don first found last year. It returned this year and it was a Life Bird for a couple of us.



I caught a few shots with my ailing lens in the harsh morning light, but at least they were good enough for ID shots.



I have had a Lark Sparrow before on the East coast of Florida but it hid until I drove away so I heard it and saw it from my rear view window then. Now I had it right in front of me. Next year I should be better armed.



Don and I went through the water treatment plant right before dawn and recorded more birds along the way before heading back to his house to gather forces with Lorraine and Marianne before heading out into the light of day. From their house we tallied a lot of birds flying out into the area as the sun rose.

Our next stop as a group was back at the treatment plant to try and flush birds from the grasses and to listen for others passing overhead. here, Don and Danny Sauvageau watch the edge of the marsh for sparrows. Danny pegged some incoming Green-winged Teals soon afterwards.



I beat the bushes as the rest of the crew stayed up top and after I spooked an otter in the reeds, I got a shot of one of the seen Marsh Wrens around the pond.



In small waves, Black-hooded Parakeets would sail overhead. There have been reports of flocks over 500 in number in the area lately. Can't imagine the noise.



Taking more time to get a fix on the birds we were searching for, Lorraine and Marianne help track down our Grasshopper Sparrow for the day.



We recorded many more species along the way but this moment was interesting. An Anhinga with a fish impaled on its bill was moving along a retention pond. Not only does it seem that the bird can't really get the fish down its throat but what you don't see is the Great-blue Heron and Great Egret stalking the Anhinga to steal the fish. It was fun to watch.



Next, back to the house for lunch and a look around. We found a Hermit Thrush, American Redstart and other birds along the way. Plus, White Peacock butterflies were everywhere.



On the way to pick up lunch, we stopped by a housing development. On the way in we spotted a bunch of water-loving birds but didn't stop to photograph them. Fortunately. most of the same species were right a around the corner, including a remarkable flock of nearly 300 Lesser Scaup.



One of the birds near the entrance and now here was a White Pelican.



One of the fun parts of CBCs is grabbing all the little unseen ponds along the way. At one such stop we found gulls, Ring-necked Ducks, and a few Pied-billed Grebes.



Our final territory for the day was the golf course. We tallied up even more species while waiting for carts and then headed out around the course as our day was rapidly coming to a close. Fortunately, we racked up some more good birds for the count. In the weedy areas were Song Sparrows and Prairies Warblers.



One of our 9 Loggerhead Shrikes posed long enough for a nice photo.



As you try to get every bird counted by the end of the day, even a Northern Mockingbird counts as a nice find.



As does another Anhinga around the course.



We still managed to grab a few more species out on the golf course, including House Finch and this nearly hidden White-winged Dove. Every species counts!



We ended up shy of the past few years counts but the weather was way different all across the country. Results will still be pouring in from other sites and soon we will get an overall view of bird patterns in North America. Can't wait for the results. Can't wait for next year, either.