Courtney Campbell Causeway

It's the day after Christmas so time to head out in search of more birds in the Tampa Bay area. I figured I had not been down Courtney Campbell Causeway in years so why not check it out? Wow. Time has surely changed the causeway. Most of the beaches I remember are now rock walls and bike trails! Oh, well. Let's see what is out here in the wind today.

There are a couple of drives that take you off the main road and travel along the water's edge. A lot of the way the view is obscured by mangrove and other plants but there are some openings. One of the first birds I found was an American Oystercatcher up on a rock. One of my favorite birds on the Gulf Coast.



Once the sunlight came through the clouds it was super bright and lit up a Yellow-crowned Night Heron as I rounded a bend. I couldn't believe how many of these herons were out here today.



There were not a lot of birds on the bay side as the wind was really strong, coming in from the south. A Herring Gull was just standing in the water making weird calls over and over.



A few Willet browsed the shore which was littered with too much trash.



Back on the other side a few Horned Grebes dove for food and flew along the boat wakes. Love those red eyes. I couldn't get a shot of the Common Loon I saw on both trips of this side.



I had to peek through the mangrove branches to get a final shot of another Yellow-crowned Night Heron before I headed back to the family.



Later in the afternoon my Dad and I stopped over at George C. McGough Nature Park to look for birds. There were only a few warblers around and, oddly, all but one nest box in the woods was full of honey bees! We were just about to get back into the car when I spotted a Red-shouldered Hawk in the distance. Of course, I had to see how close I could get. Pretty close, it turns out.



I took a bunch of shots and ended up with some different exposures. Not sure if I prefer the one above or below better. Whaddaya think?



Back home I stepped outside to start testing the new camera I got for Christmas. A Nikon CoolPix that I will be using primary at the bird banding site as the old Olympus is reaching the end of its days. I was coming around the corner of the house and was happy to see a sundog lighting up in the distance. Better still, I knew I could get a Mourning Dove silhouette in the same frame. Sweet.



Even though I was disappointed that the causeway has much less beach now I did get some fun shots for the day. Where to go tomorrow before heading back to Orlando? Hmmm...

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.

Washington D.C. Birds

Back from our trip to Washington D.C. where we had a great time, even in the cold temperatures and the first measurable snow they have had in over 2 years. We got to as many sights as possible in 5 days. Our hotel was a few blocks from the Capitol building and we walked all over the place.



I had to restrain myself from actually 'birding' and enjoy the family and the sites. I haven't been back here since the Bicentennial year. We wanted to get the boys here before they got too old and off to college or elsewhere. But not having my binoculars for nearly a week was causing an itch in my brain a lot. Birding was on the back burner. But, it is something I do. Even while driving, sitting at work, walking into a store, anytime I can see or be outside. So, I did get some birds among the 1,600 photos I took.

One bird you can't miss is the American Robin. Whether they live here or are just returning, they were scattered all over the Mall, either on the grasses or laughing from the trees.



I was really interested that there were several birds that were banded! I think I saw 5 or 6 birds with multiple color bands.



The other birds you can't miss are House Sparrows (I even saw a few of those banded) as they chase one another through the hedges and leafless trees.



As we walked from the Jefferson Memorial across the inlet to the Tidal Basin I noticed a bird down below. We have Horned Grebes in Florida in the Winter but it is nice to add them to this list.



From the bridge, I could see another grebe off in the distance but is was close to the path heading to the other memorials. I hurried down and got a close view. Wow. A Horned Grebe transitioning into the next molt! We don't get that in Florida.



A small flock of Canada Geese flew over us but I barely got them in the frame. Later, we saw a couple from the tour bus.



We wandered through the FDR memorial next. It was much bigger than I thought it was. Most of the way through, there was a nice clump of trees toward the water and birds started calling all over. I wandered over, being tempted by an Eastern Phoebe.



Pulling me closer to the trees was a Song Sparrow that landed off to my right. Another nice find.



A bird began calling from the branches and I got even closer. A small figure was fluttering and gleaning insects. I was very surprised to see a Golden-crowned Kinglet in front of me! We hardly ever get them in Central Florida.



It was difficult to get a shot through the holly leaves but exhilarating.



Heading toward the Korean Memorial we noticed a shadow speed past us. It quickly emerged from the tree, swooped over the grass and landed in a tree up ahead. This Cooper's Hawk made an easy target as it sat a few yards off of the crowded sidewalk.



We made our way toward the Lincoln Memorial and I noticed a bunch of small birds hopping around on the grass. Dozens of them were advancing across the area and I finally got myself into a good poition to figure out what they were. They turned out to be Slate-colored Juncos.



I had the Oregon sub-species out West so this was a nice add to my Life List.



Finally, another species that is all over the area is the Common Grackle. You can easily dismiss these guys as they fly in on any easy opportunity to scoop up food like this popcorn at the National Zoo. However, they are hard to ignore when they catch the sunlight just right.



Not a bad set of photos during a 'non-birding' trip! I am over my binocular withdrawal. Now I have to sort through the rest of the photos for posterity.

New Lake Bird and Hungry Migrants

As I headed home, I noticed a bird that was definitely not one of the usual members of the community. It was very white. Most of our wintering ducks are dark. I tried and tried to wait for it to come out of its resting position but it never would.



This bird had me confused for the entire time. I posted the shots to the birding blogs and the call was unanimous. This was a Horned Grebe! Not a first for me in life but a first for our Lake Davis since I have lived here.



The Sun was setting and I was about to head out when a hungry flock of birds moved in. Most of them were Robins. Light was dropping out fast but I tried a few shots. They were feasting on palm berries next to the lake.



Joining in with the Robins were a few Starlings.



But Robins stole the brief show. Another couple of big raids and the entire species will head out to the North.



Glad I was there to witness it again this year.