Easter in Winter Park

I wrapped up our Sunday bird banding and got prepared for celebrating Easter with the at the in-laws. I got ready and ushered our youngest into the car and headed toward Winter Park. I left a little early because I had a mind to make a stop along the way.

When we reached out destination I was surprised to see a number of Mourning Doves feeding on grass seeds next to the road.



More surprising was another bird that dropped in next. A bright red House Finch!



A nice find but I was here to see the birds a little higher off the ground. I have not had time to visit the Purple Martins this year and now was the perfect time. Not sure if it was the best time for them. Seems like some argument was taking place.



I stepped out of the car to try for some closer shots and, of course, the only rain cloud around opened up. I was glad to see several apartments being occupied. Last year I only recall one pair.



The Purple Martin let me get even closer for a nice pose. What a handsome bird.



Then over to the family to spend some Easter time and get ready for lamb. I have to take a walk out toward the lake to see what I can find. The lawn next to the lake was accented with various flowers popping through. I have always had a thing for pink Oxalis.



Over to the right, a single bright yellow Cow-pea poked through the turf.



I recall Frog Fruit (Carpet weed) from my youth and used to watch the bees flit from flower to flower.



Water Hyssop is found near water sources throughout the area but is so small it is sometimes overlooked.



Up on the dock having a drying stint, a male Anhinga kept a close watch on me.



On the opposite side of the dock a stalk of Duck Potato waved in the breeze.



Dragonflies chased one another and occasionally grabbed onto more swaying blades of vegetation in the water.



Once the Anhiga flew off I headed out onto the dock to get a couple of more photos. Spatter Dock sends up closed yellow blossoms above the lake surface.



I am also fond of Water Lily blossoms. I have to get a shot of one every time I spy them in the distance.



We always hear of Dollar Weed and how hard folks try to get rid of it from lawns but they have very interesting flowers. It is called Pennywort, too.



You often find Pickerel Weed in roadside ditches of in swampy wetlands but they also turn up on the shores of lakes.



Finally, I left the lake to head back inside. I was wondering where more birds were but there was a group of skiers out on the water so they probably chased most of them away. At least a Pied-billed Grebe popped up for one last shot.



A nice Easter day, including that excellent lamb dinner.

Looking Along Lake Berry

I had to spend some time in Winter Park today and took the free moments to walk along the shore of Lake Berry. There were not a lot of birds around but I did find some things to shoot over an hour here and there. I could hear warblers in the oaks but they were not in any real good positions for a photo. I had to settle for a Yellow-rumped (Myrtle sub-species)Warbler in the grass before much else was to come.



I had to work hard to find any other warblers but did get a quick look at a Yellow-throated Warbler feeding through the leaves.



I started hearing Red-winged Blackbirds calling and tried to ease closer in hopes of getting a shot of one. Suddenly, one of the males rose up to take a look at what I was up to.



Even in bad light, it is nice to view these birds and hear their calls. I grew up in Florida and Red-winged Blackbird calls are part of my earliest memories.



Looking over toward a dock, I found another familiar sound. The call of a Wood Duck. A male was very weary of my approach but I got a couple shots before it joined others of its species soon afterwards.



At the end of another dock, a male Anhinga in breeding plumage was drying its wings.



I had to go back inside for a bit but when I came back I spotted a Tricolored Heron moving in to feed near the shore. It flew toward me and I tried a bunch of different exposures for a good picture.



This Tricolored Heron was also in breeding plumage and didn't mind me standing next to the water as it searched for minnows.



A female Red-winged Blackbird looked on as I shot the heron and I got as close as I could for a good ID view.



I had been monitoring a Green Heron in different positions for quite some time before it decided to get close enough for a better angle. I wasn't even aware of it at the time, but I ended the morning shoot with my favorite shot of the day as it was climbing around the pads.



Green Herons are one of my most liked lake birds. They are often secretive and having them wander around at close range is always a treat.

Not too bad for a lakeside visit.

Birding in Between Presents

Spent the morning opening presents at home and then went off to edition 2 at the in-laws. They live by a lake so I always have to take a break to look for birds down along the shore when I can. The first trip out did not reveal much but there was at least a Pied-billed Grebe in the lily pads.



Looking up, I saw a Great Egret drifting by but not stopping for a better photo.



I did also note some specks approaching from the center of the lake and it turned out to be my first Ruddy Ducks of the season.



I was hoping that they would come closer but something spooked them and they soon headed back out into the safety of the open waters for the rest of the day.



I was called back inside for a family photo and the opening of presents. Then we had to wait a while before eating so I headed back out to the shore. Soon, the Pied-billed Grebe emerged again and began feeding near the dock.



I had hoped that the bird would get away from the post of the dock but it soon quickly dove down and brought up something special.



An afternoon crawfish was in the bird's bill! You never know what might be lurking under the water.



Gulp!



Many Palm Warblers were feeding along the fence line and I finally managed to sneak over and get a closer shot before they dove back into the hedges.



Then I got an unexpected shot. A female Belted Kingfisher flew in, unaware of my hiding place. I will take it!



Time for dinner. Afterwards, I went out one more time and looked for more birds. Instead, I had another interesting view. Sundogs were beginning to form to the North around the quickly setting Sun. I like how this seems like a prehistoric fish.



Waiting for the next one to the South, I focused on some thicker clouds until a more fully spectral display tried to form.



The dark was fast approaching and it was clear that the human activity would not allow any better bird findings. So, I had to be satisfied with a closing image of a pair of fisher-folk before the last of the rays were gone.



Another year of the end Christmas was upon us. We would end our evening at the Living Nativity soon and then our family had to prepare for a few more days of presents across the state. Not too bad for gifts at the lake.

Weekend Herons

We had a weekend visit with the Grandparents and the cousins so I tagged along in the light rain as the boys headed for a swim. I got some shots of the kids and then, once the rain passed, I took a walk around the edge of the lake. There was not a lot around in the gloom but I headed over to a Great Blue Heron standing near the dock.



I continued down the dock for a bit to try and get a better angle on the Great Blue. Suddenly, my attention was grabbed by movement beneath me from under the dock. A Green Heron flew out in front of me.



I will trade an elusive Green Heron for other herons any day! Not that I don't love the others just as much. You just don't get a lot of Green Herons out in the open.



Only a White Ibis was around the lake. It seems someone decided to cut down the dying tree that contained Red-bellied and Downy Woodpecker nest only last Memorial Day. Leave the dead trees alone, people. If they are not threatening human Life or property, they are homes for insects, mammals, and birds.

Lake Berry Pelicans

A loud dawn chorus gave way to a pretty quiet banding day. If you want to check out those results you can head there by clicking on the photo below (page will open in a new window).



Back home I saw a few warblers around like a couple of Black-throated Blue Warblers. They were moving like crazy so I was lucky enough to get a clear shot as one grabbed something on the ground before taking to the mid-story again.



It was time to head to the in-laws for dinner. Their home is near the shore of Lake Berry in Winter Park which occasionally holds some nice birds. Today would be no different, but I had to search the oak trees first. There were Parulas, Cardinals, Blackpoll Warblers, and another warbler I could not ID. Fortunately, I managed to snap one photo in its direction and managed a pretty clear shot. Later, I could tell it was a Cape May Warbler.



I turned my attention to the lake and made my way to the aluminum dock to scan the area. As soon as I got to the end of the dock I flushed a Green Heron I could not see from the walk out. Dang. That would have been a good shot. I then got semi-obsessed with getting a shot of that bird. It was not long before I got another shock. A Brown Pelican was gliding toward and past me out of nowhere.



This nice looking adult was a great surprise. Brown Pelicans are sea birds and seldom found inland on freshwater lakes but it does happen at times during the Winter months. This seems really late in the year for such a sighting. This bird was making high dives from one end of the lake to the other in between gulping breaks to swallow its catches. Here is one example of a fishing run. First, the prey is sighted and the bird breaks from its cruise to turn for the dive.



Then it appears the landing gear are coming down. A slide into the water and scoop around for dinner?



Nope! Head first at full speed!!



Finally, a massive splash as the rest of its body catches up with its head where it settles in before tossing its head back to swallow the fish it has trapped in that pouch.



The adult takes to the air again.



There was also a juvenile that joined the adult. Note the overall brown where the adult has the white cap.



The juvenile had a different fishing method. It would do more wading and dipping, often stealing fish from the feeding Double-crested Cormorants. Sometimes, it would make some lower glides before stabbing the water on the way down. I caught one such moment.



Being called to dinner. Oh, I did get my Green Heron shot just before I left the shore.



Brown Pelicans in Winter Park in the late Spring. Go figure.