Lake Birds

A rather quiet trip around the lakes today but I did get some species of interest. Out on Lake Davis, a small flock of Lesser Scaup rested out in the center of the water. Wintering duck numbers have been rather low this year.



A lone male Mute Swan drifted close to the shore.



Another lone male. This time a Ring-necked Duck.



A single Ring-billed Gull rested as well. Everything seems so sleepy this morning.



Even this male Wood Duck next to Lake Cherokee. Just kind of sleep walking around on the grass.



Perhaps they will be more active next time I visit.

Search for Ducks

I took a little drive around the lakes today to see what I could find. Most of the Winter ducks have headed back North so I wasn't expecting too much but I was surprised to find a few remaining ducks in the neighborhood. The first was a Ring-necked Duck all alone on the back side of Lake Lancaster.



Over on Lake Emerald, a couple of resident Wood Ducks were relaxing near the storm drain. The female was down in the weeds, nibbling away.



The male Wood Duck was standing guard above.



This is Tabebuia time. The showy trees are in full bloom. The brilliant flowers only last a few days before dropping to carpet the ground below.



Out on Lake Terrace, a small flock of Lesser Scaup still lingered near the fountain.



Still checking for any signs of Bald Eagle chicks at the cemetery but I only found one adult high in a pine.



This is probably the last time I will see any migrant ducks for the season. Have to wait for their return in the Fall.

Common Goldeneye

Birding forums were blasting the fact that an uncommon bird was being seen up in Seminole County but I was still in St, Pete. Hopefully it would stick around a bit for me to take a look. I have seen Common Goldeneyes before but maybe I could get a better photo than than the few I got years ago.

Fortunately, the bird did stick around. Unfortunately, the day was really foggy. Just my luck. When I first got out to the pond the bird was quickly found but way out in the middle of the water.



I checked the other ponds in the area but didn't see too much. I almost headed home but changed my mind and went back to the first pond. This time the Goldeneye was close to shore feeding with the other ducks like Lesser Scaup.



I got a few more shots but was cursing the fog.



Still, they were better shots and that was my main reason to go out so I can't complain too much. As soon as I got home the fog clear. Of course.

Almost back home and the full Sun gave me a good view of a pair of Red-tailed Hawks that were wondering if they could get the last remains of a squirrel without getting hit by a car themselves.



One more quick lake check and then I am done.

2014 CBC in St. Pete, Part 2

Part Two. Still at the duck pond and among the Mottled Ducks and all of their hybrids we found a male Blue-winged Teal trying to blend in.



Over on a culvert, a Tricolored Heron was soaking in the morning light.



As we passed the Tricolored we spooked an unseen Green Heron which flew off to the side of the waterway across from Maximo Park. It perched in a mangrove in harsh backlight but I will take it for now.



We circled around the boat slips and passed through the gates but not before noticing another new species for the morning. A few Eurasian Collared-Doves were busy trying to stay unseen but I managed a few shots just the same.



How can you miss the call of Parakeets? Once we got to the edge of the road around the ball park we found a flock of Monk Parakeets on the grass foraging so Becki and I had to make our way over for a chance of getting a photo or two. We don't get these in large numbers in Orlando as they do her around St. Pete.



The Monk Parakeets here are nesting under the numerous Osprey nests in the stadium lights and make themselves known quite loudly. I love this shot of this one from the lawn.



Nearby, European Starlings were feasting on things on another part of the lawns but soon turned to drink form a puddle along the road.



On the way out of Eckerd College we had a great view of a Wood Stork in a retention pond near the parking lots.



Our last stop of the day was at Dolphin Cay. We all had high hopes on this spot. It is a gated community but we had access and all maps seemed to be promising. Boardwalks through a mangrove marsh. A beach on the water. A few ponds. Sadly, the boardwalk only offered up a few birds and the beach held less. Only a pond in the center of the development added to our list. It was full of Lesser Scaup.



The males reflected in purple and greens while the females flashed their whites and browns.



Resting along the edge of the pond was a very accommodating Double-crested Cormorant.



All we found down at the beach was a ghost. A lone Gull footprint along the shore.



We tried a couple more ponds along the golf zones and then settled down to take a full count before our day was over. A nice Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud formation (thanks, Peg!) ended our day before we all headed home.



The final St. Pete count was 157. OK for what the year has been. It has been higher but there really are not a lot of birds around this season. Another CBC down. I always look forward to the next one!

Hiking the Little Big Econ Trail

Our niece and nephew from the Northwest are in town and one of the things that was scheduled was a hike in the Little Big Econ to show them some Florida wilderness. I have a lot of photos to share so bear with it.

We stopped at a local restaurant to eat before our trek and then headed to the trailhead and get in a few (nearly six miles) hours of discovery.



We made our way through the small wooded area and emerged along the trail and approached the Econ River.



The kids headed straight for the water's edge and I took in the view at our first stop.



We continued along and I made a glance back to where we first touched the water. It is interesting to think of how we just left the parking area not long ago and were now in the depths of an Old Florida vista in just a few minutes.



The boys were ahead of us and were suddenly interested in something in the palmettos.



Don't know how they spotted it, but a nice, fat Cottonmouth was sunning under the vegetation and just sat and watched as we moved along. Zoom lenses are as close as I need to get today.



We continued to follow the Orange blaze and watched our step.



I was looking hard to find any plants in bloom but they were few and far between. I finally found some Tickseed in one sunny spot.



We made another trip down the banks and then tried to figure out how to get back up and out.



I love seeing the views of the rivers in Florida but the trail made it more difficult than I had hoped. I had to take some side routes to get through the plants and lean out for some nice shots.



I was mentioning that we needed to remember to get a shot of all the cousins in a shot when they decided to stop along the trail and got all bunched up perfectly. Hard to beat Christmas Eve in Florida while most of the country deals with cold.



While the group continued down the trail, I stepped down for another shot of the river as it made yet another bend.



My main goal, however, was to try and see what was making all the racket in the trees. Best I could find was a Tufted Titmouse busily feeding in the branches.



One of the many wooden bridges we crossed along our route.



Reaching the end of the stretch of this trail, everyone took in the scenery before we had to head back.



Of course, I had to scale the banks and get another shot before continuing.



Not too much to see on the way back but I found this moss interesting.



Hiding in the shadows, an Orchid has gone to seed but still grabbed my attention. I have only seen this species a couple of times over the years.



The kids were well ahead of me and David when I heard rustling in the scrub. I stopped and explored for a minute and found what I expected. A Black Racer was slinking through the bushes and waited for me to get a nice close-up.



We made the turns back up the trail and enjoyed a few more spectacular scenes as we tried to catch up to the cousins who were making a good clip back to the lot.



Back to the start as the Sun drops lower in the sky.



Turns out that our visitors wanted to see an actual American Alligator and Uncle David knew that there were some at Black Hammock not far away on Lake Jesup, so we headed over for a look.



American Alligators are a normal part of life in Central Florida but here we could only view the ones in captivity.



The wind was really whipping now and as we looked out over the lake we spied a Lesser Scaup feeding not too far away before the next airboat tour headed out.



Time to head home. In the parking lot, a Raccoon was busy raiding the dumpster near the cars.



Overall, a great day for a hike in the woods and excellent to have so many family members sharing in the fun. Tomorrow is Christmas and we will see everyone again before some head back to the chilly confines of the Seattle area. This was my first trip to the Little Big Econ Trail and I hope it will not be my last.