Another Green-winged Teal Visit

Had a nice surprise while touring the lakes. A pair of Green-winged Teal were visiting Lake Emerald. More of a pond just off the through street.



They were feeding right at the shoreline not far from the curb.



They didn't seem to mind me too much. They finished probing the mud and then just swam about in front of me.



I finally had the good fortune to have some awesome light. Usually, I find them when it is raining or super cloudy.



But even in poor light , I love to find them. They are so rare, especially in a downtown. environment.



The head feathers of the male always blow me away.



Took a quick run through the cemetary and the Bald Eagle chicks are now up on the edge of the nest. It won't be long before they start to 'branch'.



TK

Green-winged Teal

Early in the season I found a few female Green-winged Teal in the lake but haven't noticed them lately. This I discovered from a Facebook friend that a male was now out there. I swung by and, sure enough, there he was. I tried for a couple of shots before a jogger flushed it and other teal to the other side of the lake.



For some reason I always thing that Blue-winged Teal and Green-winged Teal are the same size. Looking at this shot you can tell that Green-wings are much smaller.



The male headed up to shore to join a female. I am starting to see that I have damaged my lens somewhat, Any shots taken at the full 300 mm distance are definitely not in sharp focus any longer. Sigh.



Time for a little drink of water.



Here is a good example why Green-winged Teal are named that. The green really flashes when she turns to the light just right.



One last shot of the male as he picks through the leaf litter.



Despite my slightly crippled optics I finally got some pretty good shots of a male Green-winged Teal. All of my previous opportunities were shrouded in rain and clouds. I will have to check back in with this pair soon!

Winter Ducks Returning

My travels around the lakes is finally paying off as the first of the Wintering waterfowl begin to make it back to Orlando. American Coots are the easiest to spot at a distance as their white bills seem to shine even in the daylight.



Blue-winged Teal flocks are trickling in. They are usually the first wintering ducks to arrive.



I was watching from the street as I first scanned the lake bank and even from a distance could tell there were some different birds mixed in with the Blue-wingeds. My guess was correct that I had spotted Green-winged Teals here, too. The larger bird on the left is a female Green-winged and the bird on the right is a female Blue-winged. Compare the small green feather in the wing with the blue on the bird above.



I usually don't find too many Green-winged Teal here. These are probably the first on Lake Davis for me. They are pretty secretive and I always get them on days with horrible weather and lighting. Especially the males.



Today there were only female Green-winged Teals. But three of them is a good total.



Looking forward to more arrivals. Bring on the ducks!

2014 Orlando Wetlands Festival

Where the last few weeks go? Past me too quickly, that's where. Finally, our first off-site banding for the year out at the Orlando Wetlands Festival. I have a whole other post over at the banding blog that focuses more on the visitor interaction if you are interested and you can see that by clicking here.

I also wanted to show some shots that were not on that post by adding them to my regular birding blog. I didn't take many shots as I was busy banding birds and giving info to the visiting public and thought I would share here. So...

For many years, we have been doing banding demonstrations at the Orlando Wetlands for their festival. The wetlands are a pretty amazing spot between Orlando and Titusville and is primarily used to treat waste water as it leaves residential homes around the area and is cleaned up before it reaches the St. John's River. It is a wide expansion of land and marsh and draws many bird species throughout the year. This year, they are modifying some of the ponds and a large amount of new birds are feeding throughout the property.



The forecast was for ZERO rain for the day but wind. By mid-morning a ranger reported a storm coming in. Great. We had to close the nets for a while and I took the opportunity to do a little walking about for bird watching. I was very happy to see large numbers of Blue and Green-winged Teal near the shoreline. I have a bad track record of getting good shots of these birds as it always seems that when I see them it is when there is poor lighting. I tried anyway.



Even worse, when I got back to look at the photos I realized that I had neglected to reset my camera from when I was taking indoor shots of my oldest during a concert. Tons of noise. Blech.



The storm began to clear and the winds picked up in earnest and led to Black Vultures taking wing in the gloom.



Black Skimmers rested along a bank out in the pond. They are not often seen this far inland.



Just to their right were some terns. Royal and Forster's loafed along the other birds.



Just in front of the Terns and Skimmers were several Dowitchers, Long-billed, I think.



As I was watching the ducks and other species American Coots began to go crazy and call out in alarm and spooked most other lake birds. What? A shadow drifted overhead and I was greeted with the sight of a Bald Eagle on the hunt.



While the ducks and Coots headed for cover the other species didn't take much notice. The Sandhill Cranes continued to forage out in the marsh.



White Pelicans were seen way out in the waters beyond the Cranes and ducks.



With the water levels down, up to 200 Roseate Spoonbills have been seen in the area. I only found a few and got only one shot on my trek.



Hunkering down in the growing wind, a Snowy Egret



Nearby, a Great Egret hopes for the increasing crowds to move along.



I noticed a different kind of Ibis out in the distance. A White-faced Ibis was sitting calmly out on the flats. A rare bird from year to year.



The sunshine began to work its way in and I tried for some more shots of the Green-winged Teals.



If only I had the setting correctly set. I love to see Green-winged Teals, especially so close by.



I did a bit more searching and found some Gadwall and even a Northern Shoveler trying to stay hidden from prying eyes.



Later in the morning, a huge flock of White Pelicans soared overhead.



Finally, an American Robin stopped by the banding table for a quick view before we had to leave for the day.



The festival is always an interesting day but I hope that next year we have less wind and more captures during our stay. Time to get all the poles back for the next banding day next Sunday.

Green-winged Teal in the Shade

My ride home has become so predictable that even when it is getting dark I still wiggle my way through the neighborhoods to check for anything special on any of the lakes and retention ponds. This evening I did find a good one but it was pretty deep in the shade. A female Green-winged Teal.



Still waiting for a male to show up. This shot shows a little flash of green which gives the species its name.



On to the next pond!

Winter Ducks Returning

Our 'Winter Ducks', as I term them, are returning in numbers all of a suddens. Teals have been speckling the small ponds here and there but I never consider the Winter Ducks here until the Ring-necked Ducks arrive. Maybe due to the fact that this is the first year I have found Teal in the background before.

Not far from one store I visit I have been monitoring Blue-winged Teal. Some days there might be 2, somedays 40. Tonight I got to one pond as the Sun was setting and gave me some interesting lighting. I am pretty pleased with this shot of a Male Blue-winged Teal.



Blue-winged Teal do dominate the arriving flocks but there are other birds tucked in there, too. The Blue-wingeds have a white patch near their bill but there is also a couple of Green-winged Teal in there. Note the center bird that has no white near the bill and a bit more green in the rear. Can't wait for the males to arrive for some extra color.



Best of the bunch tonight was a Ring-necked Duck diving just to the left. Nice and close and not minding my approach.



I drove home around Lake Davis and actually found 59 more Ring-necked Ducks. They are back and right on time. Now we wait for the odd birds to show up.

Spin Around the Neighborhood

A beautiful March day. Time to scan the neighborhood lakes to see what is around. First stop, Lake Lancaster where I find a Limpkin wandering around the rapidly drying lake in search of food.



On the South side, a few Fish Crows rested on the wires next to the lake.



I took a breath and turned to head back to the van and noticed a clump of white in the grass. Closer inspection revealed a Wood Stork resting by the water.



Suddenly soaring into view, a Turkey Vulture passed over head riding the nice breeze.



A few turns later brought me to Lake Weldona. This little hidden lake hosts some interesting birds from time to time but none so surprising to me today as one of the adult Bald Eagles resting and bathing in the water. Guess it wanted a break from the group of photographers that have been stationed under their nest for the past few weeks. I hardly even drive by anymore. Too depressing. Excellent to spend some quiet time, just the two of us.



Until he turned into a zombie! I escaped without harm quickly!!



Now, I was thinking about the eagle nest at the cemetery so I drove through looking for my other favorite sight. Luckily, the Coyote was there in the shadows again.



On the way out of the grounds, the Northern Mockingbirds are nesting and being very visible at eye level.



Finally, a quick drive around Lake Terrace. Would the Green-winged Teals still be there this late. Yep. First sighting found it with a Ring-necked Duck.



A bit later it appears to be with the female. Such a gorgeous duck.



Chores are calling but not a bad set of shots for 30 minutes of cruising.