Chasing (and missing) a Gull at Fort DeSoto

This will be a long post. Bear with the length to see some interesting shots and a couple cool bits of information on migrating birds.

Once Dad and I finished our looking at Redhead ducks up the road, it was time to hit the beaches of Fort DeSoto and try to find a new Life Bird. A Franklin's Gull had been reported for a couple of weeks and this was my one chance to find it. Last year, my after-Xmas present was going a bit farther South the get the Razorbills at Anna Maria Island. A new Life Bird this year would be a nice end to the year.

First, we decided to stop off at the North Beach and look for anything that might be in that area. Most of this stretch is closed for the breeding season but you can walk down much of it now. Our first bird to greet us was a foraging Reddish Egret prancing along the interior before the shoreline.



I then turned my attention to the waves and soon spotted an American Oystercatcher walking in the water. Always a striking bird.



American Oystercatchers are not a new bird for me but I have had trouble getting good shots of them on my visits. This birds did not seem to mind my presence as I approached and scanned for other birds.



Off to my left a Sanderling braved the waves and a wandering photographer (me) and probed for food under the sand.



Soon, beachcombers approached and were agitating the birds which led this Willet to fly up and land next to me. Thanks (?) beachcombers!



Time to head to the pier and search for the gull. We scanned the first flock of birds on the Bay beach but it was just a mix of local gulls and terns. Then we headed to the Gulf beach and saw a promising flock resting. Except for these two Ring-billed Gulls having a quarrel.



We examined all the gulls one by one. There were many Ring-billed Gulls like this juvenile.



Adult Ring-billed Gulls were also well represented.



Then we came to this dozing bird. Could this be our Franklin's Gull next to the Forster's Tern?



Alas, no. It was just a Laughing Gull trying to fool me.



Dad needed a bite to eat so we headed up to the snack bar before returning to the flock to do more searching. More birds were flying in and some were busy feeding along the waves like this Forster's Tern.



Suddenly, a small flock of Red Knots dropped into the waves next to us.



I soon noticed that a couple were banded! Red Knots are studied a lot as their numbers have been in decline so I made sure to get shots so I could report the band numbers later.



When I got home and processed the photos I reported them and discovered that both birds were originally banded in this area and have been migrating back and forth for many years.



I figured we had struck out on the gull we were after. All that was left to photograph was a few Ruddy Turnstones.



The clouds were finally breaking as we headed out. I always like to make sure I get some sort of flower shots while I am out and the Beach Sunflower would be just fine for the records.



On the way home we decided to make an attempt to find a Whimbrel which I was told years ago about it always being near the bridge. On the Inter-coastal side there were plenty of Red-breasted Mergansers.



I noticed a white patch on one of the birds meaning it had to be more rare bird. A Bufflehead or two were diving midway out. Thanks for the photo bomb, Herring Gull!



Nearby, a Brown Pelican remained positioned in front of a fisherman. Hoping to snatch a meal, no doubt.



Way out in the waves I could just make out a black and white bird. Turned out to be a Common Loon.



We switched our search across the road to the Gulf side but only found a few more Loons but a pair of diving Horned Grebes was a nice way to round out the visit.



So, we headed home feeling some disappointment for striking out on the Life Birds. However, we did have a fun time. Out back, a pair of House Finches were at the feeder.



Something spooked them into the tree and only then could I tell that the male was a seldom seen yellow variant. House Finch males are usually a purple-ish red but I have had yellow and orange variants at our house before.



Rain is forecast for tomorrow. Not sure if I will chase another Life Bird or not.

Common Goldeneye

Twitch!

I was winding down my work for the day when I saw a post from a fellow birder reporting a great bird just located in closer to the Disney area. I figured I could beat the traffic so off to find it. It was reported in a small retention pond along with a Lesser Scaup. When I got there, I saw the Lesser Scaup right away. No sign of the other bird.



Then I noticed a ripple behind a drain cover so I headed in that direction. Soon I was staring at a Common Goldeneye!



Though 'common' in other areas, these birds are a rare treat for us in Florida.

With that bird in the 'bag' I headed nearby to check again on the Buffleheads where they were earlier. A few females were still in the other pond.



A couple of great birds to see before heading home on a Thursday. Saturday, I head off to band Sparrows again on the west coast.

Inland Buffelhead

Funny how things work out sometimes.

I had a chance to get my son to school and then head to work early. This meant I would be about an hour early. Not a bad thing in our business. Once I neared work, I check for my office keys and noticed they were not there. I was switching out cooler contents and left them at home. No one would be able to let me in until more than an hour as I am the first to arrive 95% of the time.

What to do? I remembered reading a post about some fun birds not terribly far away. I had over an hour to kill. Driving, it is! Mind you, I only glanced at directions to this spot and then decided I would never have time to visit there since my hours stretched from early light to zero light. I drove on on instinct. Fortunately, I remembered the street name and finally found it as I was about to give up. Then, as I rounded the curve, I spotted the bird I was after out of the corner of my eye. A male Bufflehead!



There are usually reports of Bufflehead along the coast of Florida during the Winter but I always miss seeing them. I had to go to the West coast to find my Lifers. Now, I have 3 in a tiny retention pond in Central Florida and not far from Disney!



The bird even did a little stretching so I could get and nice view of the wing pattern.



Along with the Bufflehead were about 35 Lesser Scaup and a few Hooded Mergansers.



Circling and diving for food was a pair of Forster's Terns.



Time to head to work. A little forgetfulness lead to a nice encounter with an infrequent visitor and really made my day get off to a wonderful start. Maybe I should forget my keys more often...

St. George Island Vacation, Pt. 1

We headed to the Panhandle for a much needed vacation and I hoped for some new birds along the way. That ended up not happening but there were a lot of birds to keep me searching, nonetheless.

We stopped for lunch at the western side of St. George Island before heading to the campgrounds. While we waited for our pizza to cook, I noticed a large flock of birds calling across the street. I had to go check it out.

Many, many Brown-headed Cowbirds were there on the lines.



Probably the most exciting find was right at our campsite.

We were set up in one of the many areas around the grounds. Our site was backed up to some shrubs that were growing in very moist ground. Part of the area there actually had made a small pond of water that we could see through the branches. I looked through to spy what might be in there and, too my complete surprise, there was a Clapper Rail!



I had only seen one of these before in the early dawn at Cape Canaveral and it was pretty dark. Here was one right in afternoon light paying very little attention to me. Could signal a good birding trip, after all.

Not long after that, our fellow campers, longtime friends, settled in and broke up some firewood. Turns out that one of the logs was filled with termites. Upon releasing them, birds flew in from the surrounding bushes and hungrily devoured the insects.

Most successful of these birds was this Eastern Towhee.



Joining him were several smaller birds and this Gray Catbird.



We had to get ready for dinner soon but we took a quick walk to the beach on the intercoastal side of the island. Not much there as it was high tide but I did spot something out in the waves.



A nice flock of Bufflehead ducks rounded out the arrival here before Thanksgiving.

The boys had a great time walking the beaches and picking up trinkets and we steeled ourselves against the thought of a very chilly night to follow. Tomorrow, we would hit the main beach and explore some more.