Mute Swans

About a month ago my son said that he saw a single cygnet Mute Swan on his walk home. I kept checking but could never rewind it. This morning, as did my usual lake check, I saw the swans over by Lake Cherokee. Papa was on watch by the sidewalk.



Down in the shade were Mama...and TWO large cygnets! Seems they have been back and forth and hiding out in the reeds when I have been cruising by.



They appear to be the only young of this year's brood. Last year there were seven. Fun to see a couple of them around, at least.

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.

American White Pelican Frenzy

My Saturday jaunt around the lakes turned out to be much more eventful than I had ever dreamed. I am used to seeing a few white dots far out on the lake as the Mute Swans are typically around, but as I came up to Lake Cherokee I could see an entire flock of white dots at the far North end. I diverted from my planned route and got to the opposite side of the lake where I discovered a huge flock of American White Pelicans!



The Pelicans were in there tight formation moving toward the reeds to trap prey to feast upon.



Once that supply was exhausted they floated away from the shore for a bit. A woman from the neighborhood had also noticed the activity and came out with a point and shoot and asked me about what they were and we chatted for a while. Then I headed closer to the lake to get shots of other species that had gathered to join in.



Beside the inlet pipe, a Snowy Egret waited for leftovers.



Nearby, a Wood Stork stood stoically with a feather stuck to its bill.



The American White Pelican suddenly changed direction and headed back toward my spot. I count just over 100 in this shot but I never got a full field view with the zoom lens.



Wading into the reads, a Great Egret watched for a chance to snatch a meal.



The Pelicans went from calm to frenzied as they rounded up the next school of fish.



The Mute Swan pair are usually kind of the bullies around the lakes but they knew to back off from this mob.



A Double-crested Cormorant soon surfaced from under the rush having grabbed a bite for itself.



Seeing the commotion around the corner, another American White Pelican flew in to join in on the feeding.



I started to scan the skies and more Pelicans were still coming in from distant locations.



One after another flew in and I could still see spots up in the air coming in from far away. The biggest flock we had last year was 16 that moved all around the city. This was group approaching 200!



Appearing sated for the moment, I decided to head to my other planned destinations but I couldn't resist one more shot back toward Orlando proper.



I circled Lake Davis and found it a bit more calm but still full of interesting birds. The usually fiesty Swan Geese were chilling under the shade.



A wary female Wood Duck decided I was safe enough to swim past toward the geese.



Convinced I was OK, too, the male Wood Duck soon followed. On another local lake there is a pair with several ducklings. So glad we have breeding Wood Ducks in the neighborhood. One of those birds I wanted to see as a kid and never thought I could almost trip over them in Orlando.



Tree Swallows were out feeding and, as usual, they are a challenge to photograph as they move so fast and bank and turn in a millisecond.



This is the only other shot of 40 that came out OK.



While I was shooting the swallows a male Blue-winged Teal floated by to head over to the shade.



Near the center of the lake, a few Bonaparte's Gulls loafed on the surface. Very few of the more typical Ring-billed Gulls. Nice to have these hanging around for a while.



Moving away to the other lakes I had a nice soaring Red-shouldered Hawk over Lake Emerald.



Behind Lake Weldona in the neighborhood was a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk perched on the corner.



I headed home and rounded Lake Cherokee again and found the American White Pelican flock feeding again.



I was ready to get back but got one more shot of the hungry birds still gorging. A nice mix of adults but mostly juveniles. FYI, the adults are the ones with the rounded bump on their bills.



A productive morning. Let's see how long these birds stick around this year.

When Swans Attack!

A woman up the road at Lake Concord have been raising Mute Swans for years. Once she has too many or can't handle them se releases them into the wild. A lot of birders don't like that since they are non-natives but I don't think there is too much they can do about it at this point. The dang things have pretty much established themselves in the nearby neighborhoods.

Right now it seems like it must be breeding time. The pair in Lake Cherokee are getting all fluffy .



I counted as many as 6 in the area today so when a stranger drops in our Lake Davis pair kick them out.



Once the rival has been ejected it takes awhile to come back in for a landing.



The city introduced Chinese Geese to many parks years ago and they live side by side with the swans but this male wanted nothing to do with the goose. The goose knows it and is swimming as fast as possible in the other direction. Check out the wake!



The goose was not going fast enough, though. The swan flew over and appeared to be trying to drown the thing. It eventually escaped.



Some other ducks moved around the argument and headed toward shore. I noticed then that one was a Northern Shoveler. Haven't been too many around this Winter.



So, a little excitement in the neighborhood. Now I wait and see if we get any signets this year. Two years ago they had their first. Last year there were 7.

Walking Lake Eola

On this beautiful Valentine's Day we had a lot of the family all in one place and decided to take a walk around Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. We had yet to see all of the art installations that now ring the lake and its famous fountain and swan-shaped paddle boats. We entered from the west side next to the little noticed Sperry Fountain



What most do notice is the little 'bird island' which is constantly decorated by Double-crested Cormorants.



In the past, the only swans at the lake were Mute Swans which the paddle boats are modeled after. A few are still around but so are many other species brought in a few years ago.



Hanging out in the tree branches over the water were a few White Ibis catching a few rays.



The first art installation we got to was the Muse of Discovery located next to the amphitheater.



I was surprised to find a very tolerant male Anhiga up on the wall next to the sidewalk. Out in the wild, Anhinga usually fly off on approach. This guy let me get within 5 feet!



Soon we were at the piece of art I was looking forward to: Take Flight. A flock of silvery birds soaring over the water.



Just before you reach the pagoda, another fountain sits in a small pond. It has been there as long as I remember and is called Fantasy Swan.



The Sun was setting so the main fountain, the Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain was in high glare but still pretty.



On the northern edge of the lake property is another installation: Union. It is a kinetic piece that has curved blades that rotate in the wind.



Most of the other introduced swan species were down at this end of the lake. A Black Swan swam up to the wall looking for a hand-out. These birds have actually bred here in the past.



Trailing behind was one of the Black-necked Swans.



Speaking of breeding swans, the Whooper Swans were sitting on a nest right on the edge of the lake.



Ah, a common sight for me when out. I end up taking so many pictures and have to often catch up to the family. At least they tolerate my constant clicking.



The next installation is a really cool forced perspective piece called Monument in Right Feet Major. There is hardly an uninteresting angle to shoot this statue.



Just across the way in the roundabout is the towering Cedar of Lebanon made of metal and mirrors.



We passed the final installation: Centered and then decided to stop for some pizza.



Bellies full, it was time to make the final leg of our hike as twilight settled in and the Eola Fountain began its light show.



A great stroll around the lake. I will try to get back to find some new angles and there are two installations away from the lake that I will have to capture.