I have already made a couple of blog posts on the banding blog so I encourage you to go here and here to see all the birds we encountered.
Showing posts with label Orlando Wetlands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orlando Wetlands. Show all posts
Saturday, February 20, 2016
2016 Orlando Wetlands Festival
Time for our next outing at the Orlando Wetlands Festival with the banding crew. Last year was a blast with our biggest capture rate ever at that location. This year's take was a little lower but there were some great birds banded and many more seen.
I have already made a couple of blog posts on the banding blog so I encourage you to go here and here to see all the birds we encountered.
I have already made a couple of blog posts on the banding blog so I encourage you to go here and here to see all the birds we encountered.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
2014 Orlando Wetlands Festival
Where the last few weeks go? Past me too quickly, that's where. Finally, our first off-site banding for the year out at the Orlando Wetlands Festival. I have a whole other post over at the banding blog that focuses more on the visitor interaction if you are interested and you can see that by clicking here.
I also wanted to show some shots that were not on that post by adding them to my regular birding blog. I didn't take many shots as I was busy banding birds and giving info to the visiting public and thought I would share here. So...
For many years, we have been doing banding demonstrations at the Orlando Wetlands for their festival. The wetlands are a pretty amazing spot between Orlando and Titusville and is primarily used to treat waste water as it leaves residential homes around the area and is cleaned up before it reaches the St. John's River. It is a wide expansion of land and marsh and draws many bird species throughout the year. This year, they are modifying some of the ponds and a large amount of new birds are feeding throughout the property.
The forecast was for ZERO rain for the day but wind. By mid-morning a ranger reported a storm coming in. Great. We had to close the nets for a while and I took the opportunity to do a little walking about for bird watching. I was very happy to see large numbers of Blue and Green-winged Teal near the shoreline. I have a bad track record of getting good shots of these birds as it always seems that when I see them it is when there is poor lighting. I tried anyway.
Even worse, when I got back to look at the photos I realized that I had neglected to reset my camera from when I was taking indoor shots of my oldest during a concert. Tons of noise. Blech.
The storm began to clear and the winds picked up in earnest and led to Black Vultures taking wing in the gloom.
Black Skimmers rested along a bank out in the pond. They are not often seen this far inland.
Just to their right were some terns. Royal and Forster's loafed along the other birds.
Just in front of the Terns and Skimmers were several Dowitchers, Long-billed, I think.
As I was watching the ducks and other species American Coots began to go crazy and call out in alarm and spooked most other lake birds. What? A shadow drifted overhead and I was greeted with the sight of a Bald Eagle on the hunt.
While the ducks and Coots headed for cover the other species didn't take much notice. The Sandhill Cranes continued to forage out in the marsh.
White Pelicans were seen way out in the waters beyond the Cranes and ducks.
With the water levels down, up to 200 Roseate Spoonbills have been seen in the area. I only found a few and got only one shot on my trek.
Hunkering down in the growing wind, a Snowy Egret
Nearby, a Great Egret hopes for the increasing crowds to move along.
I noticed a different kind of Ibis out in the distance. A White-faced Ibis was sitting calmly out on the flats. A rare bird from year to year.
The sunshine began to work its way in and I tried for some more shots of the Green-winged Teals.
If only I had the setting correctly set. I love to see Green-winged Teals, especially so close by.
I did a bit more searching and found some Gadwall and even a Northern Shoveler trying to stay hidden from prying eyes.
Later in the morning, a huge flock of White Pelicans soared overhead.
Finally, an American Robin stopped by the banding table for a quick view before we had to leave for the day.
The festival is always an interesting day but I hope that next year we have less wind and more captures during our stay. Time to get all the poles back for the next banding day next Sunday.
I also wanted to show some shots that were not on that post by adding them to my regular birding blog. I didn't take many shots as I was busy banding birds and giving info to the visiting public and thought I would share here. So...
For many years, we have been doing banding demonstrations at the Orlando Wetlands for their festival. The wetlands are a pretty amazing spot between Orlando and Titusville and is primarily used to treat waste water as it leaves residential homes around the area and is cleaned up before it reaches the St. John's River. It is a wide expansion of land and marsh and draws many bird species throughout the year. This year, they are modifying some of the ponds and a large amount of new birds are feeding throughout the property.
The forecast was for ZERO rain for the day but wind. By mid-morning a ranger reported a storm coming in. Great. We had to close the nets for a while and I took the opportunity to do a little walking about for bird watching. I was very happy to see large numbers of Blue and Green-winged Teal near the shoreline. I have a bad track record of getting good shots of these birds as it always seems that when I see them it is when there is poor lighting. I tried anyway.
Even worse, when I got back to look at the photos I realized that I had neglected to reset my camera from when I was taking indoor shots of my oldest during a concert. Tons of noise. Blech.
The storm began to clear and the winds picked up in earnest and led to Black Vultures taking wing in the gloom.
Black Skimmers rested along a bank out in the pond. They are not often seen this far inland.
Just to their right were some terns. Royal and Forster's loafed along the other birds.
Just in front of the Terns and Skimmers were several Dowitchers, Long-billed, I think.
As I was watching the ducks and other species American Coots began to go crazy and call out in alarm and spooked most other lake birds. What? A shadow drifted overhead and I was greeted with the sight of a Bald Eagle on the hunt.
While the ducks and Coots headed for cover the other species didn't take much notice. The Sandhill Cranes continued to forage out in the marsh.
White Pelicans were seen way out in the waters beyond the Cranes and ducks.
With the water levels down, up to 200 Roseate Spoonbills have been seen in the area. I only found a few and got only one shot on my trek.
Hunkering down in the growing wind, a Snowy Egret
Nearby, a Great Egret hopes for the increasing crowds to move along.
I noticed a different kind of Ibis out in the distance. A White-faced Ibis was sitting calmly out on the flats. A rare bird from year to year.
The sunshine began to work its way in and I tried for some more shots of the Green-winged Teals.
If only I had the setting correctly set. I love to see Green-winged Teals, especially so close by.
I did a bit more searching and found some Gadwall and even a Northern Shoveler trying to stay hidden from prying eyes.
Later in the morning, a huge flock of White Pelicans soared overhead.
Finally, an American Robin stopped by the banding table for a quick view before we had to leave for the day.
The festival is always an interesting day but I hope that next year we have less wind and more captures during our stay. Time to get all the poles back for the next banding day next Sunday.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
We Had a Great Time at the Festival
We had to switch out banding on Sunday to spend all day Saturday giving banding demos at the Orlando Wetlands Festival. Not a bad trade. Click the image below to see the whole report on my banding blog for the details.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Hunting for a White-faced Ibis
Sit back for a longer-than-usual post but tons of photos...
Visitors to Orlando Wetlands Park near the city Christmas found a White-faced Ibis the other day. I grabbed my one shot to get out there today and found many exciting things to photograph. One the drive in down Wheeler Road I caught a glimpse of a bird in the trees. I ground to a halt and hit reverse, scrambling for the camera as I did so.
A nice light-morph Red-shouldered Hawk! Awesome view from the car window.
Once I parked, I headed down the berm paths toward the Ibis location. Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers were criss-crossing back and forth as they always do this time of year. As the sun warmed the air, Turkey Vultures took flight right over the trees and into my view.
Some even relaxed on the snags as I passed.
Looking beyond the vultures I could just make out a circling mass far, far overhead. Every now and then their feathers would catch the sunlight. White Pelicans!
I walked on toward the reported Ibis spot, scanning every bird I could out there in the very windy, lily pad covered water. No luck yet. However, a huge flock of birds up ahead. Blackbird? Maybe. But why were they flocking into the Wax Myrtles and back out again?
By the time I got closer, the flock broke up a bit and I could tell they were smaller than Blackbirds. They were thousands of Tree Swallows!
They were gathering in this spot, circling around and then swooping into the trees. It seemed to me that they were eating the fruits of the Wax Myrtles. I thought these guys ate bugs exclusively.
With the large flock just over my head I felt I could reach out and grab one at any time. It was difficult to get any single bird in the view finder. Thats what cropping is for, I guess.
Suddenly, the birds would break off from the trees and dip down to get drinks of water from the surrounding ponds. They would then fan out across the park. After a short while they would begin to regroup again.
I like this interesting shot. Note the bird in the left center flying with its head rotated all the way around!
Then it was back to the foraging. Over and over. I could have stood there all day long. However, I needed to get back to Orlando. This flock transfixed me so much that I had to force myself to keep checking the time. I stopped shooting after almost 300 images.
Oh, yeah. I finally got home and checked my images that I took of a couple of ibis way out near the tree line. One of them turned out to be what I was really after today. The White-faced Ibis.
Success with a new Life Bird and a morning filled with awe.
Visitors to Orlando Wetlands Park near the city Christmas found a White-faced Ibis the other day. I grabbed my one shot to get out there today and found many exciting things to photograph. One the drive in down Wheeler Road I caught a glimpse of a bird in the trees. I ground to a halt and hit reverse, scrambling for the camera as I did so.
A nice light-morph Red-shouldered Hawk! Awesome view from the car window.
Once I parked, I headed down the berm paths toward the Ibis location. Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers were criss-crossing back and forth as they always do this time of year. As the sun warmed the air, Turkey Vultures took flight right over the trees and into my view.
Some even relaxed on the snags as I passed.
Looking beyond the vultures I could just make out a circling mass far, far overhead. Every now and then their feathers would catch the sunlight. White Pelicans!
I walked on toward the reported Ibis spot, scanning every bird I could out there in the very windy, lily pad covered water. No luck yet. However, a huge flock of birds up ahead. Blackbird? Maybe. But why were they flocking into the Wax Myrtles and back out again?
By the time I got closer, the flock broke up a bit and I could tell they were smaller than Blackbirds. They were thousands of Tree Swallows!
They were gathering in this spot, circling around and then swooping into the trees. It seemed to me that they were eating the fruits of the Wax Myrtles. I thought these guys ate bugs exclusively.
With the large flock just over my head I felt I could reach out and grab one at any time. It was difficult to get any single bird in the view finder. Thats what cropping is for, I guess.
Suddenly, the birds would break off from the trees and dip down to get drinks of water from the surrounding ponds. They would then fan out across the park. After a short while they would begin to regroup again.
I like this interesting shot. Note the bird in the left center flying with its head rotated all the way around!
Then it was back to the foraging. Over and over. I could have stood there all day long. However, I needed to get back to Orlando. This flock transfixed me so much that I had to force myself to keep checking the time. I stopped shooting after almost 300 images.
Oh, yeah. I finally got home and checked my images that I took of a couple of ibis way out near the tree line. One of them turned out to be what I was really after today. The White-faced Ibis.
Success with a new Life Bird and a morning filled with awe.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Banding at the Wetlands
We were part of the Orlando Wetlands festival again this year. This time, though, they parked all of the vendors at nearby Fort Christmas.
To see my other blog about the day head here.
To see my other blog about the day head here.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Orlando Wetlands
I had heard from some birders that they had seen a Gull-billed Tern out at Orlando Wetlands so I thought I had better get out there. It was seen in a part of the Wetlands I had never been over to. Just didn't even know it was there. I always stayed so focused in the main sections.
This other part is just across the road you drive in on as you approach the parking lot. How I missed it all these years, I don't know.
Got there at dawn and made my way across the berm from the parking lot. I did hear a Virginia Rail in the cattails so at least I would have one Lifer no matter what. As directed earlier, I took a turn at the Red-shouldered Hawk's nest and crossed to the other side of the road.
Up a slight incline there was indeed a whole other world over here! I wouldn't have time to walk all of the trails but decided to at least head around the main pond/lake in front of me. Once the sun was up and just after a sundog display, I turned around to face the wetlands for this shot.
There were a lot of Palm and Myrtle Warblers along with scores of Boat-tailed Grackles. Small flocks of Blue-winged Teal and Hooded Mergansers moved nervously from shore to shore. No Gull-billed Tern in sight.
I did manage to find a few Green-winged Teal and a few Lesser Yellowlegs. A Forster's Tern cruised overhead. Ibis foraged in the swallow water. Away from the water was very few birds sounds in the bushes.
Most evident were Common Yelllowthroats and every now and then a Savannah Sparrow or Catbirds would make a brief appearance.
There was a warbler type bird that flew out across the path as I rounded the far side of the water. I tried to track it down but could never get a clear look before it vanished into the woods. I had to settle for a curious Swamp Sparrow instead.
My time was up so I had to walk faster back to the car. Next time I hope to make it around a few more trails. I always consider a day at the Wetlands an excellent way to spend some time. Might have to take the bike next time to cover more ground.
This other part is just across the road you drive in on as you approach the parking lot. How I missed it all these years, I don't know.
Got there at dawn and made my way across the berm from the parking lot. I did hear a Virginia Rail in the cattails so at least I would have one Lifer no matter what. As directed earlier, I took a turn at the Red-shouldered Hawk's nest and crossed to the other side of the road.
Up a slight incline there was indeed a whole other world over here! I wouldn't have time to walk all of the trails but decided to at least head around the main pond/lake in front of me. Once the sun was up and just after a sundog display, I turned around to face the wetlands for this shot.
There were a lot of Palm and Myrtle Warblers along with scores of Boat-tailed Grackles. Small flocks of Blue-winged Teal and Hooded Mergansers moved nervously from shore to shore. No Gull-billed Tern in sight.
I did manage to find a few Green-winged Teal and a few Lesser Yellowlegs. A Forster's Tern cruised overhead. Ibis foraged in the swallow water. Away from the water was very few birds sounds in the bushes.
Most evident were Common Yelllowthroats and every now and then a Savannah Sparrow or Catbirds would make a brief appearance.
There was a warbler type bird that flew out across the path as I rounded the far side of the water. I tried to track it down but could never get a clear look before it vanished into the woods. I had to settle for a curious Swamp Sparrow instead.
My time was up so I had to walk faster back to the car. Next time I hope to make it around a few more trails. I always consider a day at the Wetlands an excellent way to spend some time. Might have to take the bike next time to cover more ground.
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