Bronzed Cowbird at Newton Park

Twitch alert! There was Bronzed Cowbird reported over by Lake Apopka at a place called Newton Park. Never heard of the spot but needed that species for my Life List. I headed over and wandered around Nice little park right on the waterfront but a storm was on its way from the far side of the lake.

I saw some blackbirds around the information sign and headed that way. They were feeding on the ground and suddenly one of them started making a call I had never heard before. Found them! However, as I got the camera up for a shot something flushed them all toward the mobile homes to the North. Dang. After a few minutes of waiting a single female returned and landed in a tree above my head.



Tried of waiting for them to return, I decided to take a walk around. I circled around toward the direction the birds flew and looked back at the pier and made a mental note as to how far off the rain was.



A Palm Warbler was still hanging around. Molting into Spring colors nicely.



A baby American Alligator swam by. I was surprised I did not see any larger ones as this lake is full of big gators.



The Cowbirds were still out of view so I went back to the pier and decided to walk out to the end.



Tree Swallows were flying by in larger numbers but they were banking so quickly that it was hard to even get one in frame.



A lone Bonaparte's Gull rested on a barrel not far from shore. I noticed another bird beginning to wander the park and could tell he was going to head out to me. He introduced himself as Leo and we went back to shore to search for the Cowbirds again.



As we approached the mobile home area a few grackles and Red-winged blackbirds flew in to a lawn. I also noticed a couple of smaller birds with them. The Bronzed Cowbirds were back and feeding on the grasses. One pair actually let us get quite close for some shots.



Male Bronzed Cowbirds are interesting. When they make their calls they raise the feathers around their head and neck forming a hood.



I could never get the full display in my shots. Always clicked a bit too slowly.



This was the best I got. Love that sound they make when calling. Leo and I parted ways as the rain was even closer. At least we both got our Life Bird for the day.



The Tree Swallow flock increased to hundreds and they began flying through the reeds and cattails feeding on midges. They were flying even more swiftly now but I tried to get any in focus. There were so many and flying so fast that I could never pick a particular subject.



Eventually I just stopped trying for a single bird and just set a focal point and hoped I could get anything worth keeping.



Finally, a single bird in focus. But the rain was getting closer so I turned to leave.



Behind me, I heard a weird kind of croak. I reversed course and suddenly a Purple Gallinule climbed up right in front of me and then disappeared just as quickly.



A perfect ending to a twitching day. I headed home in the rain and had a little smile on my face. I look forward to a day out there with better weather.

American White Pelican Frenzy

My Saturday jaunt around the lakes turned out to be much more eventful than I had ever dreamed. I am used to seeing a few white dots far out on the lake as the Mute Swans are typically around, but as I came up to Lake Cherokee I could see an entire flock of white dots at the far North end. I diverted from my planned route and got to the opposite side of the lake where I discovered a huge flock of American White Pelicans!



The Pelicans were in there tight formation moving toward the reeds to trap prey to feast upon.



Once that supply was exhausted they floated away from the shore for a bit. A woman from the neighborhood had also noticed the activity and came out with a point and shoot and asked me about what they were and we chatted for a while. Then I headed closer to the lake to get shots of other species that had gathered to join in.



Beside the inlet pipe, a Snowy Egret waited for leftovers.



Nearby, a Wood Stork stood stoically with a feather stuck to its bill.



The American White Pelican suddenly changed direction and headed back toward my spot. I count just over 100 in this shot but I never got a full field view with the zoom lens.



Wading into the reads, a Great Egret watched for a chance to snatch a meal.



The Pelicans went from calm to frenzied as they rounded up the next school of fish.



The Mute Swan pair are usually kind of the bullies around the lakes but they knew to back off from this mob.



A Double-crested Cormorant soon surfaced from under the rush having grabbed a bite for itself.



Seeing the commotion around the corner, another American White Pelican flew in to join in on the feeding.



I started to scan the skies and more Pelicans were still coming in from distant locations.



One after another flew in and I could still see spots up in the air coming in from far away. The biggest flock we had last year was 16 that moved all around the city. This was group approaching 200!



Appearing sated for the moment, I decided to head to my other planned destinations but I couldn't resist one more shot back toward Orlando proper.



I circled Lake Davis and found it a bit more calm but still full of interesting birds. The usually fiesty Swan Geese were chilling under the shade.



A wary female Wood Duck decided I was safe enough to swim past toward the geese.



Convinced I was OK, too, the male Wood Duck soon followed. On another local lake there is a pair with several ducklings. So glad we have breeding Wood Ducks in the neighborhood. One of those birds I wanted to see as a kid and never thought I could almost trip over them in Orlando.



Tree Swallows were out feeding and, as usual, they are a challenge to photograph as they move so fast and bank and turn in a millisecond.



This is the only other shot of 40 that came out OK.



While I was shooting the swallows a male Blue-winged Teal floated by to head over to the shade.



Near the center of the lake, a few Bonaparte's Gulls loafed on the surface. Very few of the more typical Ring-billed Gulls. Nice to have these hanging around for a while.



Moving away to the other lakes I had a nice soaring Red-shouldered Hawk over Lake Emerald.



Behind Lake Weldona in the neighborhood was a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk perched on the corner.



I headed home and rounded Lake Cherokee again and found the American White Pelican flock feeding again.



I was ready to get back but got one more shot of the hungry birds still gorging. A nice mix of adults but mostly juveniles. FYI, the adults are the ones with the rounded bump on their bills.



A productive morning. Let's see how long these birds stick around this year.

On a Breezy Saturday

Drove out early this windy morning to clear my stuffy nose. It was gray and a bit chilly but just enough to wake me up quickly. I headed to Lake Cherokee first and quickly spot white spots circling over the wavy water. One bird was a Bonaparte's Gull. Don't often see them around here.



Flying around with it was a Forster's Tern. We do see a few of them every Winter but nice to see both of these in one morning.



Nothing of note on neighboring Lake Davis or the other lakes so I ended my spin by heading through the cemetery. Finally, the eagles were around this time. As I got in focus Momma began calling as something passed overhead.



Ah, it was Poppa on his way to the roost tree with no food.



He seemed to be listening to instructions from the nest for a minute.



Message understood. Back off into the sky to pick up breakfast.



Meanwhile, Momma sat patiently. We should be seeing chicks in the not too distant future.



At least I got to see them for once. They are always away when I come by. But since we probably have eggs or newly hatched birds there it should be a lot busier.

Gull and Dove

Before I get to the Merritt Island post(s), I forgot about a couple new birds for the year. The first bird I saw when I got to the Jay Watch luncheon was a Bonaparte's Gull that was hanging out on a sand bar. They are one of our Wintering birds and are sought after by birders every year. Didn't even have to look hard for this one.



Leaving the luncheon, I stopped by a little park along the highway just to check it out. As soon as I stepped out of the van I saw two birds in a tree. That position is contrary to their name: Common Ground Dove.



You can find the tiny Ground Doves in various habitats but they are very skittish and are difficult to photograph. I was happy to get them in a calm mood for once. Such a cute little thing.