Jaywatch, 2016, Pt. 2

My 2nd day at Buck Lake for the Jay Watch this year. Many known faces and a few new ones as we gathered for the group photo before heading out to our check points.



Once I settled in to my first point I took a bit of time to move up the trail during one of the in between call playing sessions. I was mainly looking at the trees but as I headed back to my starting point I gazed down and noticed a Black Bear paw print in the road! They looked fairly fresh. It rained last night so these prints were probably from not too long ago. They lead directly to...my check point flag and disappeared into the scrub. Gulp!



Along the road were a few flowers including a native pink spiderwort also called Roseling (Cuthbertia ornate).



At my next check point was was positioned to look back toward the rising Sun and to where I was not long ago. I began to play the call files and noticed several silhouettes approaching me. Could they be a family of Scrub Jays? No. A family of Eastern Towhee with two adults and several newly fledged young.



We passed this stalk of flowering Palmetto on the way back to our initial check points and I was glad we had a chance to come back by it again so I could get a photo.



I even got to walk past it as we headed toward the truck and get an even closer view. Never saw such a stalk before.



Our driver, Pete, did find our one Jay of the morning.



My next two stops were in areas not that common for the Jays so I always look for more flowers like the Loblolly Bay.



My final point had a good number of Asters blooming at the edge of the roadway.



A pretty scene for the end of the day. These areas are burned periodically to clear the way for a Jay friendly environment. Snags still stand above the lush new growth and tower into the sky.



Only one Scrub Jay in our transect. I recall many more in this area years ago so it is kind of sad. We will see how the data compiles later in the year. Hopefully, the birds are gaining ground in different areas.

Jaywatch 2016, Pt. 1

Oh, how I was dreading this year's Jay Watch. We are doing it a bit later than in past years and we have been under very humid and hot weather for a week. Fortunately, the morning was not too bad and we even had a bit of a breeze to keep things a little cooler. Plus, we ended fairly early. Not too bad. We gathered for a group photo just before heading out to the survey areas.

Always easy to spot me in my beard and banding uniform.



My group began at Site 41 in the area well known for a reliable group of Jays. The first one jumped up to check us out right away.



Another bird (unbanned, we determined after a lot of looks and scoping) stayed high in a snag and was joined by another bird as we surveyed the area.



The most curious Florida Scrub Jay came down to check us out. It only has a single Federal aluminum band. I decided to call it Silver. I didn't notice until later (we are really focused on band colors) that this bird was molting in tail feathers.



One of the first Florida Scrub Jays I remember at Buck Lake was a bird with mostly green bands. I was wondering where it was when she finally popped into view. Two Kelly Green bands plus the metal band leaves me calling her Kelly.



We went to our next site points and Kelly and Silver, here atop a pine, followed us down the road.



We headed farther down the check points to gather Susan from her spot and I noticed a Jay coming up behind here. Turned out it was Silver once again, following us even farther along the way. Those molting tail feathers give it away, too.



I was hoping to get a good shot in the open and Silver complied.



Kelly soon joined us, too. These were the only Jays we had on our transect but it was nice to get some good clear shots to share with the group.



The next spot found me beginning to play the taped calls to attract more jays. Soon, I saw a Swallow-tailed Kite circling overhead. We have to stop playing calls so any juveniles bring themselves into view as any predators are around. Kites will take a young bird when they can.



No trip out to the scrub is complete without me getting a shot of Tar Flower blooming. They are waning right now but still beautiful.



I finished my point a bit ahead of others and started toward the truck for pickup. Susan (one of our banding volunteers) was winding up her spot at that point.



We found a few Gopher Tortoises along the side of the roads and Maria, head of the Jay Watch here, moved it to the scrub. I didn't realize it but I heard rustling and had to investigate. There it was, plowing through the underbrush.



Only one family to record but I was happy to get some shots along the way. Tomorrow, I will be in another transect at Buck Lake and hope to find more Jays.

Jay Watch 2015, Part 2

The second morning of my Jay Watch duties found me at the Lake Monroe Conservation area at dawn. Once I signed in and gathered my gear I dod a bit of exploring in the parking lot before we started. One shot I missed since it was so quick was an adult Bald Eagle that flew straight past us on the road about 10 feet off the surface. Then it was gone.

Instead, I had to settle for an illuminated Spiny Orb Weaver and its web.



Gaura is a Florida native but I don't see it too often. It was all over this little lot.



Eastern Towhees are always calling out on this property but I could never get in a good position, lighting-wise.



Once I turned around I did have perfect light for the Rusty Lyonia.



One pf my favorite flowers out in the scrub is the Tar Flower. I always make a point of trying to find the best bloom while I am searching for Jays.



My point shift was over so I walked up toward the next point. Out in the distance was a single Florida Scrub Jay feeding around the vegetation. I played the Scrub Jay tape quickly and the bird flew our way. Too bad it was the only one I would see today but the photos do prove it is an unbanded bird.



At the next count point I found some Lyonia sporting its small white blossoms.



Loblolly Bay flowers are hard to miss. Especially once you get nearer to thicker forest on property.



Out in the more open areas out here we know there are not any Jays here but there are other birds that come through like Great-Crested Flycatchers perching on any high snag. Sometimes we find Blue Birds and we had several Bachman's Sparrows flying by.



I was putting my clipboard down and prepared to play my Jay calls when I noticed this pink bloom in the middle of some rather barren ground. Not sure of the species yet. Most likely one of the Sabatia family species.



Off in the distance a pair of women on horseback were winding their way through the scrub. A couple of times they halted for a while but I couldn't tell why. By the time they passed me I said Hello and they said, "Wow, they aren't scared of you!" and they rode on. Turns out those pauses before was as they tried to go past the others in my party the horses spooked and would not go directly past the ladies. Go figure.



I was watching a Northern Mockingbird when suddenly a Brown Thrasher emerged from the scrub to pose for a bit.



Several of these large stalked plant came into view. I have know idea what they are but they always intrigue me.



A really close inspection revealed a small batch of purple blooms at the top.



A very large ant came scurrying past me as the morning wore down. It looks kind of like a velvet ant but...not.



My last count point was pretty quiet but there was a very small dragonfly that landed next to me.



As I headed up the trail I was finding much larger dragonflies swaying in the rising breeze.



Around the corner was a plant full of seed heads. Kinda pretty.



Swaying around with the dragonflies was a small patch of tall Yellow-eyed Grass. My last photo of the day.



We headed back in the truck to the parking lot and said our good-byes. Rain was moving in as I headed home. There are other spots I could have visited but this year I am too tired to stand in the heat any longer. I will be back out to count again next year, after all.

Jay Watch 2015, Part 1

It's that time again! Back out into the Summer heat to count Florida Scrub Jays. This weekend I was stationed at Buck Lake Conservation Area near Mims, Florida. Always nice to meet up with old and new friends and hopefully get some shots of the Jays and other discoveries in the scrub.

While the instructions for our procedures were given to the new volunteers I spied something more interesting. Up on one of the powerless I spotted a Great-Crested Flycatcher. A few minutes later it actually stuck its head into on end of the large pipes and then flew back to perch. Another flycatcher arrived and then the two seemed to have a bit of a quarrel leaving the original bird sitting on the wire. I can only surmise they have a nest in that pipe. Cool.



The group leaders seem to have finally nailed down how to get group photos of the daily volunteers. Used to be they would wait until the end of the morning but by then either half the group has gone home or is just too exhausted by the heat. Now we get the shot before heading out for the counts.



I had the closest count points with Jane and Maria (who runs the event on this side of the state). Approaching our first count point I spotted a pair of jays on a dead tree snag. We had to walk past the birds to get on the best side of the morning sunlight. Shortly after we settled in with our binoculars to get the leg band data. Soon, one of the Florida Scrub Jays flew among us, grabbed something from the ground and found a spot to cache it in the sand.



It then hopped up into small tree right in front of me allowing me some nice shots.



Maria had been looking for a photo that showed the pattern on the back of adult Florida Scrub Jays and our bird was happy to oblige me as I moved behind it and I got some excellent shots. Turns out that this shot serves a duel purpose as it is also a good example shot of tail molt.



That bird flew back to the tree but the second one soon replaced it, again, right in front of me. This is a good shot of the leg bands on this bird which would be recorded Silver/Black/Mauve.



We moved off to survey some other points before returning to this general area. I played my jay tapes and a pair of Florida Scrub Jays flew in from a quarter mile away. Took a few minutes to confirm but it was the same pair we hung with earlier.



While I was positioning myself in the oaks for the best angle I could get of the Jay above me a juvenile Northern Mockingbird flew in to see what all the fuss was.



The next set of points was near the large ditch that cuts across the property. It stays a bit more damp and typically have some interesting flowers blooming like one of our species of St. John's Wort.



Tucked down in the grasses, a few Rhexia swayed in the gentle breeze.



A yellow flower I have yet to identify caught my eye as I headed back to the roadside to meet my ride.



Once I got settled a flash caught my eye up in the blue. First the sky was totally blue but suddenly an area of white would appear like a rotating advertising sign an disappear again. Wood Stork flock I figured but I took a shot just to document it. I thought that the Anhinga following at the bottom of the flock was interesting, too.



Once I got the image on the home computer I was a bit more than surprised. Those weren't Storks. They were American White Pelicans! I am use to seeing them only in the Winter but I guess some do stick around sometimes according to records. Just a pretty rare sight for June.



I play my first round of Jay calls per instructions then have to stop before the full minute was up. A Swallow-tailed Kite was flying right toward me. Kites have been known to prey upon young birds so we try not to attract any jays when raptors of any kind are in sight. The Kite eventually headed out over the tree line and I played the tape for one more round before my time was up.



Grasshoppers were constantly flying out of the way of my step at every stop. This one posed for a nice morning shot in the road.



It was taking a while for Maria to get me for the next round. Maybe she had a bird or two at her stop. As I waited I spotted a small dot on the horizon, high in the sky. Didn't seem like a Red-tailed Hawk to me so I snapped a few shot to take home and analyze. Turned out to be a Short-tailed Hawk, another excellent bird for this time of year. I have only seen a few of theses birds ever and never got a shot as clear.



Maria finally headed down to get me reporting that she did, indeed have a bird at her area. It seemed to be unbanded so we hurried back with my camera to try for documentation. Sure enough, an unbanded Florida Scrub Jay panting in the warming morning.



The scope was brought out for a closer view and to verify there were no bands on this bird.



No more birds for us on our remaining spot but I am sure some of the other teams had some. Tomorrow is Part Two at Lake Monroe. Hopefully, we can keep the nice breeze around. It wasn't as hot as I had feared it was going to be today