Called To Mead Garden

I was just minding my business doing chores and some grocery shopping when Marcus called me to say there were more birds showing up at Mead Botanical Garden than there had been in a quite a while. I had a feeling but decided I would stay close to home. Oh, all right.

By the time I arrived most of the activity had abated. There were only a couple of warblers by the creek. As I stepped out into the open to scan the oaks a noisy Red-shouldered Hawk zoomed in and circled us before moving off into the distance.



I decided to check out some other areas and as I rounded a corner I spied a shadowy bird feeding in the grasses. A female Painted Bunting was eyeing me nervously so I had to stop and could only get a dark image but it was good enough for an ID.



Down by the big Cypress, the activity was picking up. Problem is that most birds here stay in the understory which keeps them in near darkness. My camera has a barely functional flash so I usually have to wait on the outer edges and hope for something to fly out there. Luckily, a male American Redstart did me a favor. Only very briefly.



Our main attention was on a female Yellow Warbler. She was almost always buried in leaves or on the far side of the trees so we had to wait it out for quite some time before even getting the slightest full glimpse of her.



As we waited, that male American Redstart continued to bounce from branch to branch and I managed one more shot.

It reminded me of the first time I ever saw a Redstart. I was standing on the front walk trying to get shots of birds at the feeder many years ago. As I watched the Titmice and Cardinals a male Redstart dropped from the trees and landed on a branch mere feet in front of my face. I was so awestruck that all I could do was stare and say aloud, "American Redstart...". The camera was in my hands at the ready but I only watched in wonder. Seconds later it was gone. It would be a couple more years before I ever got a shot of one.



I needed to head home to do more chores so I went out on the boardwalk for one look when a couple of Common Yellowthroats bolted into view. This young male stopped in front of me to preen and allowed several shots before vanishing into the brush.



Still love these birds and we have been banding a lot of them at Lake Lotus the past few weeks. Just another walk in the park but it is getting busier.

Painted Bunting

I have mentioned the Painted Bunting in the Wekiva post from to day but wanted to share a couple more shots in this post just for more "Ah!".



A perfect rainbow from Nature.



"Who's that behind the big eye?"



Brief but exciting.

Exciting Day at Lake Lotus

This morning at Lake Lotus was excellent. I was going to add some stuff in this spot but it got so big that it is best to head over to the main Wekiva site.

Head to the Wekiva blog here to see the owls and one Painted Bunting Shot. More Bunting shots will follow on this site.

A New Year of Birding Begins

What is one to do when just informed that his company is folding just before the end of the year? Go birding, of course!

So, I headed over to the general Apopka area to see what I could see and clear my head on the first day of the year. Never did find the recently reported Ash-throated Flycatcher but I did find plenty of birds to keep me busy and bring a smile here and there.

First stop, Lust Road. This is a favorite spot for birders which may cease to be in the near future. Highways are being built all around and are basically eliminating the "Kingbird Roost" already. For now, there are still a number of birds to be found along this edge of Lake Apopka.

You can almost always find a Painted Bunting trying to avoid detection near the gate along the ditch.



White-crowned Sparrows are found year-round along the southern edge of the fence at Lust Road. You can see them darting here and there and when you do get a chance to photograph them they are usually sitting on the fence in the shrubs.



Nothing else of notice here so I headed over to the Ranch Road area in Astatula on the northern edge of the lake. I want to see if the Say's Phoebe was still hanging out. It took a while to find anything interesting there but I was happy to see several Bluebirds out in the distance. Finally, though, I did notice a spec out on a far-away fence. It was the Say's.

It hardly ever gets close to the road so the best I could do was get a couple shots as it swooped for insects before settling on the fence again.



One of the tell-tale ID marks for the Say's is the black tail feathers. They show up nicely here.



OK, that bird checked off and time to see if anything was along Ranch Road and Clay Island. On the way to Clay Island I noticed that a parcel next to the Scrub Jay habitat is being developed. Not good. I don't see the Jays in their usual hang out. Just before the parking area I do find a large flock of Black Vultures arguing over a dead animal.

Pretty in their own way.



I didn't walk too far at Clay Island but did have a long encounter with an Osprey trying to find a spot to eat a small fish. My favorite shot of this bird in flight.



Later, it decided to land on the telephone poles and offered a few more great views.



Just after the Osprey settled in for a snack, a Turkey Vulture glided by.



On the way back out of the Clay Island area, I heard a lot of bird noise near the parking lot. Titmice, doves, and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers fed along the tree line but I was more interested in the Golden-silk Spider inspecting its web.



I headed back toward home and stopped in the Scrub Jay area for a final look. Fortunately, the family popped up to say 'hi' for a few minutes. Still safe for now.



I still say that these birds should be the Florida state bird. Gorgeous.



On the way to the house I swung past my former work place to say hello to any Hooded Mergansers that winter there. I found one drake who almost made me forget that I won't be seeing them anytime I want anymore.




Home at last, and what better way to end a New Year's Day than have a visit from our Flying Squirrels right after dark.



Now to get on with the task of finding new work. A new year might just offer a new direction.

Buntings, Ahoy!

One of our banders, Lane, has just returned from a trip to Boston for her birthday. During various emails and conversations she has recently been lamenting the fact that she has never seen a male Painted Bunting. Only females. They are pretty but mainly green to nondescript. Males, on the other hand, are a brilliant rainbow of the animal kingdom.

While checking nets I noticed a bright red belly of a bird in net #9, a very popular spot for our Lake Lotus birds. I couldn't immediately tell what it was but knew it must be special. That color red is not present in resident birds.

The closer I got, the more other colors began to be noticed on this struggling bird. There it was: a male Painted Bunting!

I hurried back to the banding table in hopes that Lane was still there. Then I delivered her the belated birthday present and let her band it.



This place could be a Bunting bonanza. The other birds banded this morning, obviously, paled in comparison.