Lake Apopka New Year's Drive, Part 1

Another year, another trip to Lake Apopka. I am really starting to enjoy the fact that I get there right as the gate opens and can be one of the first, and then the first, to be out on the drive. Gives me time to get to birds before others and snag some shots before the traffic scares anything off. Like this American Bittern that strode upon the stage just after sunrise.



The first American Alligator of the morning cruises the canal.



While more begin to hunt near the Pumphouse.



Red-winged Blackbirds are easy to spot through out the drive.



You can see and hear them calling all day long.



Ospreys are busy having breakfast as soon as the Sun has come up and can be found atop most phone poles.



I spotted this Limpkin along the edge of the road and followed it to an open space just up ahead.



There it revealed it had breakfast, too, and tried to position the snail shell to extract the tasty snail inside.



It let me watch the whole time even though it was still weary of my clicking camera.



Around the bend, a Snowy Egret prowled along a branch.



You can never have too many shots of Great Blue Herons. Especially when they let you get right next to them in the early morning light.



Wilson's Snipe are typically very skittish and you usually see them fly off in front of you when you walk through their hiding places. For some reason, I found a pair on the side of the drive that decided staying still was a better choice.



I guess they figured that those few blades of grass were disguise enough.



Common Gallinule are copious and as hard as I try I can't resist a shot now and again.



Another more showy Snowy Egret wades into shallow water in search of a snack.



A Red-shouldered Hawk called from one of the few manmade items on the back part of the drive.



A few Savannah Sparrows can be found flitting through the green grasses right along the road but seldom pause for a good shot.



Most of the Eastern Phoebes I saw today were so busy feeding that I couldn't get many good shots. This one stayed still for a little bit for me.



One final Red-shouldered Hawk was perched in a snag at the last turn out of the drive.



I am still trying to find the reported Gray-headed Swamphen. I have missed it on the previous 5 times around. The day is young so why not have one more try before heading home? Part Two is next!

Visiting the Baby Barred Owls

Finally got a chance to go check on the baby Barred Owls that were born next to my backyard at their reported new location down the street at the Greenwood Wetlands. It did not take long for me to find them across the bridge in the Cypress trees.



The first baby Barred Owl I found was looking at me for a couple of seconds but was much more interested in the Red-winged Blackbird flying back and forth across the creek.



I began looking for the other owl when a Great Blue Heron tried to sneak around behind me to go to a new fishing spot.



The other baby was a few tree to the West just relaxing.



Now that I made another contact with my kids, I headed closer to the lake to see what else was around. A Common Gallinule glided out into the open but was not too sure what to make of my presence.



Off to my left, I could see a small flock of Wood Ducks hunkered down among the Cypress knees. How can you ever resist a shot of male Wood Ducks when you get a chance?



Suddenly, an Anhinga bobbed up from the water during its search for breakfast.



I knew there was a family of Limpkin with chicks in the area but I never found the brood. Eventually, I did find one of the adults in the reeds near the willows.



Heading home, I was surprised to see a Raccoon scurrying around the stream below the owls. At least they are not around our house as much as they used to be.



I will have to go back again to try for the Limpkins when I can and there may be even more sights to see. Just need the time.

Searching the 'Neighborhood'.

A little bit of time on my hands this morning so where to begin? A stop by Lake Lancaster is always on the list and I was hoping for some remaining warblers in better light but didn't have much luck. Instead, I saw a Limpkin fly from across the lake to my side so I wandered in that direction as it headed to the lawns across the street from the water. Not a typical place for a Limpkin but who am I to judge?



Didn't feel like LaCosta Wetlands would be too productive so I stayed a bit closer and went to Demetree Park for a quick look. Only a few warblers in the oaks but I was pleased to see a good number of Swainson's Thrushes foraging in the shaded areas along the small boardwalk.



These thrushes were right on schedule, migration-wise and were busy grabbing some sort of berries about 50 yards out from my position.



Back to Lancaster for one more try. I could only get a very orange looking Prairie Warbler in focus for a brief moment. It was feeding at a crazy fast pace.



I keep meaning to stop and walk Lake Davis to get a better look at our young Mute Swan but I kind of liked this view from the van as it floated behind a parent. Feathers are starting to turn white.



Time's up. Back to business and coding. More migrants are on the way.

Limpkin and Red-shouldered Hawk

Not much time to bird today. I had a full schedule. THe main task was to get over to Lake Lotus and haul gear from one side of the river to the other in preparation for Earth Day. It was fairly quite but I grabbed a shot of one of the Limpkins before I headed home.



On the way, I swung back through the church and found one of the Red-shouldered Hawks back up on the fence.



It was looking all around for any movement and ignored me as usual. It seemed to eventually spot something out over the retention pond and took off.



Time to help the school band pack up there rummage sale leftovers and get a bit of sleep before the Earth Day fun. Hopefully, the rain will clear out before then.

Some Migrants Found

My one day off. The winds have shifted from North to South meaning I bet most migrants took off already but I need to do some checking. First stop? You know. Lake Lancaster. The Limpkin family I reported about a while ago have moved down to the bend toward the lake since their original home is even more dried out and snails are more plentiful in the new spot.



The area has the same birds as yesterday but I like this Solitary Sandpiper shot better than yesterday's.



The Mallards are also looking a bit more colorful today.



Unlike yesterday, I can hear a loud noise over at the Great-blue Heron rookery. An adult was flying in and now I can see the young birds. They aren't little at all! I was looking at juveniles but they were already almost as tall as the adults. I completely missed the newly-hatched stage. Now they fight with each other as the adult keeps its food in its belly, for now.



Once I snapped out of that revelation I began looking for warblers in the oaks. The were several Western Palm Warblers but I was looking for what I saw as I left my house. Moments later I spotted one. A Blackpoll Warbler. This one has a nice juicy spider.



Unfortunately, this is how we see most Blackpoll Warblers this time of year. From below. When they do come out they aren't there long. At least they are easily recognized by their bright yellow legs.



I wanted to get over to Mead Garden so I didn't try to wait all morning for a clearer shot. I was hoping for more warblers over there. I did have to swing by Lake Emerald on the way and quickly came to a halt as I was driving past. Could that be? Yep. My first Spotted Sandpiper of the year!



It caught my eye immediately for some reason. It was feeding near one of the many Little Blue Herons like this immature bird. Little Blue Herons are born white and then get mottled before turning solid blue. Looks almost like it got splattered with paint.



I was trying to get some closer shots of the sandpiper while the herons in the water stayed statue still. What's a boy to do? Click. I have the entire reflection in the shot but wanted to get more detail in the bird for you, dear readers.



The Sandpiper was very jumpy and stayed exactly the same distance from me until it decided to fly back across the lake (OK, barely a pond by now) and landed on an exposed log. Not a bad mix after a million shoreline shots.



I get carried away. It is a nice new migrant, after all. But I need to get to other spots! I will try again for the closer shot of the sandpiper at another time.

Lake Lotus Recon

I headed over to Lake Lotus to do a little recon before tomorrow's Earth Day event to make sure we had clear areas for the mist nets and to get in some plain old bird watching in the park for once. It didn't disappoint. On my walk from the tram lot I happened upon a Mexican Poppy in a disturbed spot along the way. These poppies are not originally natives but do occur from time to time and are in most Florida flower guides.



Along the boardwalk I found a caterpillar. It looked pure white in the overcast light but when I got home the photos definitely show a more green cast. Anyone have a clue?



As I made it out to the lake, I found a Great-blue Heron in an interesting pose.



The lone American Coot is still near the pier. Not really 'lone'. I found 5 more on the far side of the lake later on.



I had heard that the Limpkins had a successful brood and found them near the heron. First Mom and a chick.



Then I heard another sounding off a few yards away.



When I took that shot I did not realize that there were actually a small group of alligators a few feet away! I heard from another birder that momma Limpkin was busy pecking at the baby gators after one made a move toward one of the chicks.



But Ms. Limpkin should take care. 20 yards away was Ms. Gator.



On the other side of the pier, a Common Gallinule wades through the vegetation.



Just before I exited the pier, I noticed a white figure soaring behind the treetops. Moments later, a Swallow-tail Kite came into view against the darkening skies.



Making my way around the boardwalk I made a surprise discovery near the "Window on the Lake' observation area. A big female gator resting on the shore.



Time for a close-up! Probably the most beautiful gator I have seen in a long while.



Farther along, at the entrance to the back cove, Purple Gallinules foraged through the lily pads across the way.



Leaving the boardwalk I found a Northern Parula singing and preening near the parking lot.



I made a few more detours on the way home and found a few more birds. Near a restaurant, I found a Common Grackle but it was not too ready for a good shot.



Around the corner, an American Crow posed for one of the best shots of this species I have ever gotten. Nice.



Finally, a family of Mallards feeds in Lake Mendsen. I was looking for some other surprises, but...



Not bad. Storms are on the horizon and hopefully we can get the Earth Day events in without a wash out!