Belted Kingfisher

Another spin around the lakes and still not much out there. But right at the end of my loop I spotted a Belted Kingfisher on the level pole right near where there Cooper's Hawk was wading the other day.



Though I couldn't get a clear front view, I think this is a male. I tried to swing around for a closer shot but another car drove in and the combination of two vehicles spooked him and he flew off. I don't see Kingfishers in this lake often so it was at least a nice surprise.

Wading...Cooper's Hawk?!?

On the way home for the store I headed around my usual loop through a neighborhood to look for ducks. Only a few and they were on the opposite side of the lake. Just before I got to the exit of the subdivision I spotted something in the water. A Cooper's Hawk was actually in the lake up to its backside!



I have seen other birds wading in the shallows of lakes and ponds but seeing a hawk doing this was...weird. Perhaps it was preparing for a bath or just wanted to cool off. Bet I don't see this type of thing again soon.

Walking the Lakes

The kids were off for the holiday so I took the chance to wander Lake Davis since I didn't have to drive back and forth to schools. I also wanted to see if anything of interest was out there during this gloomy morning. Nothing new but there are now over 100 Ring-necked Ducks around during the day. I can count many more resting on the lake after dark.



I headed West and found a few Anhinga either in the trees or near the ground. For some reason I can never resist silhouette shots of these diving birds.



A little farther along I spotted a White Ibis. This bird has an injured wing an has been hanging around the lake for several years. One woman even wanted to capture it and take it to rehab but that failed but this bird seems to being doing fine, otherwise.



I rounded the western edge of Lake Davis, avoiding the construction crews, and ended up in a patch filled with warblers. The most numerous were Palm Warblers. This one seemed to be fascinated with finding bugs around the barricades.



There were also a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and I was looking forward to getting my first good shot of one this season but could only get backlit versions. At least it is a start and they will be around for many more months.



Along the lake's edge there were several Eastern Phoebes. They are calling all around the area this year. and we have banded many at our bird banding site this Fall.



Near the Eastern Phoebe was another Palm Warbler on its own which took time preening on a Cypress Tree before beginning to feed again.



Who can refuse a shot of the Mute Swans while walking around? I see folks stopping to get out and take photos of them all the time. Mom and baby drifted out in front of me to rest a bit before going back to foraging.



Later in the day, I headed out to do some shopping which always leads me to go around Lake Terrace to see if any ducks have returned. For some reason they are not hanging out much this year. What did surprise me as I neared the lake was a big flock of Vultures. Most of the ones on the ground were Turkey Vultures feeding on something that may have been bread.



Soon, Black Vultures began circling in, too and I got a few shots of them in flight before they began to compete with the Turkey Vultures.



Not a bad days work of photography but I would sure love some new ducks arriving before too long.