Mom's Feeders

We headed over to Mom's to sort through Dad's clothing and other belongings to see if we could recycle stuff before getting the rest to Goodwill. A somber 4 days but we managed to have some enjoyable times here and there. One of the last things Dad did before weeding and passing away was filling the feeders. If we visited and I noticed that they were empty I would head out to fill them and get water in the bird bath.

Mom mentioned that she had not filled the feeders since because she never saw any birds out there so it was not really worth it. Besides, she is busy enough. I figured I had to fill them as the rains approached to see what would show up. It rained for 4 solid days afterwards.

It didn't take long for birds to start returning to the feeders after they were loaded. Kinda like, "Where was that old guy who fed us? Yay! Food!!". House Sparrows and other birds began streaming into the yard. I enjoyed trying to examine the sparrows to see how many were juveniles like this one who was picking at grasses in between feeder visits.



Blue Jays were soon to follow and there was an entire family. Juveniles were everywhere of many species but the Jay kids were super hungry for most days.



House Sparrows have never been uncommon at the house when the feeders are full but I was amazed by the numbers on this visit. At one point of the last day there were at least 50 flocking through and perching everywhere.



Out front at feeder #2, a juvenile Mourning Dove stayed on the ground picking up the spilled food. You can tell young doves with their feathers looking more like scales instead of a smooth, uniform brown.



Even juvenile Boat-tailed Grackles joined in at a couple of times. It was difficult to get that iridescent shine in the rain but this one works for me.



Another juvenile House Sparrow perches on the feeder pole waiting for a turn to grab more food.



A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird was seen many times but I never had the camera in my hands when she was out in the open. I had to settle for a blurry shot through the window as she rested in the Crepe Myrtle.



Despite the heavy bands of rain, once we had a small break the House Sparrows decided they needed a more thorough washing in the bird bath.



There were several other species that flew through. There were Eurasian collared doves, Red-winged Blackbirds, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and Starlings. On the final day, a Tufted Titmouse braved the mass of birds and took a chance at getting to the feeder.



When things got too crazy, it would retreat to the Crepe Myrtle and wait for the next opportunity.



We were packing the car to head home and I put the camera in the front seat. I decided to look out back once more and a juvenile Cooper's Hawk flew in to try for a birds meal and landed in the yard. I headed back to the car to retrieve the camera hoping for the raptor to still be around. It did stay but flew up to the power lines to keep watch.



The fun part about juvenile Cooper's Hawks is that they are not afraid of much. Too inexperienced. I got 30 close-up shots before we headed back to Orlando.



So, we got through the first wave of help to clean out Dad's stuff. We also got some good birding in the yard and saw Star Trek (I recommend it). I told Mom not to worry about keeping the feeders filled. They went through 3 fillings while we were there but they are fine on their own. Clearly.

By the way, I call it 'bird bait' and not bird seed. We only use it to bring bird to us. They are just fine on their own.

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...

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.

Birding in Largo

We went over to see my sister and niece before they left the state for a new life in Virginia. We had a nice pizza dinner and talked awhile before retiring for the night. The next morning I got to head out for a little birding before we returned to Orlando. My Dad and I went looking for Towhees at Walsingham Park but only heard them so no photos like I was hoping for.

Following the call of an Eastern Phoebe we instead ended up under some oaks with a mall feeding flock of warblers. The branches made for difficult IDs but finally a bright Prothonotary Warbler was in view.



Next we headed over to Walsingham Botanical Garden as Dad was searching for some ideas for plants to get that attract pollinators.



The entire collection of Milkweed was being consumed by voracious Monarch caterpillars.



In another part of the gardens we found some adults scattered about flowering trees and shrubs.



I remembered that we were not far from Largo Nature Preserve so we drove over and took a walk through the nature trail that goes through a small forest of oaks and other plants like native Wild Coffee. In a short time we were surrounded by birds. I have never seen so many White-eyed Vireos in a single day ever.



More Prothonotary Warblers were high in the trees. Previously, I had only seen 3 Prothonotary Warblers in my life. Today we found 4.



While we were craning our necks to ID warblers a Gray Catbird popped up directly across the boardwalk railing and then flew off just as quickly.



A Pine Warbler grabbed a caterpillar along one of the branches and thrashed it about before stopping to feast.



Suddenly, a wave of birds came in near to the ground. By the time they were close enough we could see that they were Hooded Warblers. They were moving so fast it was difficult to get a shot. This female paused on the log for a couple of seconds before heading deeper into the underbrush.



We rushed along the boardwalk in hopes of intercepting them but they stayed just ahead of us and did not make for a sharp image. this male only stopped to enjoy the Crane Fly it snagged.



He gave me a few seconds more of that pose and then was gone into the shadows.



If it weren't for a trip home to make we would have stayed even longer but it was time to move on. As we got to the end of the boardwalk we saw that an Osprey was flushed away from its perch by another visitor. The bird had a large fish in tow and landed on the nest platform ahead of us before flying of again.

Down along the path, pair of Mourning Doves watched us anxiously but didn't fly off.



Just as we were about to head to the car I spotted the Osprey making a return. It still had the fish as I saw it dive behind the trees. It seemed like it found a private spot to continue lunch so I quickly hurried over to see if it was in view. Yes!



I got to spend several minutes getting shots as the Osprey fed upon the large bass it had gotten form the pond below. Even with the harsh backlighting (and no flash) I was able to get some nice action photos.



One more species was back near the doves on my way out. A Double-crested Cormorant sat quietly even when I walked pretty close. Smile, Blue-eyes!



The boardwalk through the woods was not yet built the last time I was here when the Nature Preserve was first opened years ago. Now I know where to come for migration the next time I am in town.