Jay Watch Luncheon

It was time for the annual Jay Watch Appreciation Luncheon which gives all of the Jay Watch volunteers a chance to get together and hear the results of their hard work from the Summer counting in the heat. It is held in a different place every year and this year it was at Archbold Biological Station. Archbold does a ton of research on land, plat, and animal conservation and other scientific studies.

It also in the home for a large group of Scrub Jays. Sadly, we didn't get to see any of them today but I always wanted to get a chance to see this spot. Carolyn joined me and we took a stroll along one of the trails before the speakers began for the day. I might revisit this blog post to add the flowers we discovered but for now just the couple of birds we saw. There really was not much activity at all today. Near the beginning of the trail we did have an Eastern Phoebe perch atop a branch.



I was hearing some odd call in the scrub as were neared a turn in the path but I could never locate the bird making the sound. I would have searched harder if not for the sudden appearance of a Red-headed Woodpecker flying to the snags next to us. It took a few minutes but I waited long enough for this striking bird to get into the right light as it spend most of the time hiding behind the trunk.



Out on the other trail we had another Red-headed Woodpecker fly in from gathering acorns. This one was an immature bird.



So, no Scrub Jays but nice to spend the day with my wife, meet up with some old birding friends, and enjoy a wonderfully frosted cake after lunch.



I will try to get back out some day to just go birding. I hear there are other good spots just miles away from here to also find the Jays.

Mead Cruising

Another month has flown past without much birding. Sigh. Job hunting has been more interesting and I had a couple of interviews in the past couple of days so I figured I owed it to myself to hit Mead Botanical Gardens today to relax. Interviews seemed to go well. We shall see how things turn out. Meanwhile, out to get some fresh air.

I was thinking I might not find too much today. Things were quiet and on my first stop just inside the gardens I found a Red-shouldered Hawk perched near a reliable birding spot. There would not be any warblers around here for a while.



Soon, I was at the cement bridge and was starting to hear more birds. I quickly had a male Black-throated Blue Warbler right in front of me but he would never leave the shade for a better shot.



Farther up the trail I got to the wooden bridge and was happy to see an approaching female Black and White Warbler. She raced around the tree limbs and paid little attention to me as she hunted some morsels for breakfast.



I moved along up the creek and started hear something in the trees but I could not locate the source. I was not even paying attention to the closer side of the creek when I realized that I was standing next to a juvenile Anhinga. Like, 6 feet from me! I had to back up to get this shot with the zoom.



Usually, Anhinga fly off when you get as close as, say, 40 feet. This bird was just afraid of me at all. I have never had that happen before. I got a few more close-up shots and then thanked my new friend for the opportunity to hang out for a few minutes before I headed up the trail.



Nothing else caught my attention up along the boardwalk or through the the Butterfly Garden so I decided to head home. I took a slight detour toward the pavilions and was totally surprised by a flash of black and white. A Red-headed Woodpecker swooped up in front of me and landed on a nearby tree. Too bad the light was in the wrong spot.



I tried to maneuver into a better spot for a shot when a Red-bellied Woodpecker zipped in and chased the other bird away. What to do? Take a shot of the new arrival, of course.



Nice to have an unexpected bird this morning. I will be sure to start making more bird runs soon. Starting to feel more secure. I am sure one of the interviews will pay off and then I will have a lot less birding time during the weeks. Having a job, though, is still Priority 1. I will take the birds where and when I can for now.

New Red-headed Woodpecker!

Made another check on the Bald Eagle nest but still can't get any views of the chicks yet. Just Momma sitting there as tiny heads moved back and forth.



Trying for a new angle, I drove to the other side of the tree when a flash of black and white flew past me. I have seen that flight pattern and coloration before but never here. I pulled closer and the bird flew to a farther pine tree but my guess was now confirmed. It was a Red-headed Woodpecker!



Red-headed Woodpeckers do breed out at Wekiwa Springs and we started seeing them at Mead Garden and now here. Seem to be spreading South.



Which is fine by me! Red-headed Woodpeckers fun birds to watch.



Lurking below was a Yellow-shafted Flicker, another woodpecker that has been breeding here for years.



I hope this isn't the last time I see our new bird species in the cemetery.

Returning to Mead Botanical Garden

I got a chance to return to Mead Botanical Garden after a long absence due to job searching. I really wanted to try for a shot of the Red-headed Woodpeckers now that the skies had cleared and the winds died down a little.

I began my usual path through the park passing the newly planted Camillias but found nothing. Not much was in sight or calling until I neared the cement bridge where a call caught my attention. It was a male Black-and-White Warbler. It was feeding in the branches overhead so close that I could barely get it in the camera's zoom range but I repositioned myself and waited for a better shot and was finally rewarded.



Marcus and Larry arrived soon afterwards and we wandered a bit. Larry and I decided to go out on the old section of boardwalk to see if we could locate the Red-headed Woodpecker out in the wetlands which had not been seen for a while. We first found 6 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Six!) chasing one another and chasing off warblers. Eventually, I spotted the woodpecker on one of the snags.



It hung out on this tree for a while near the top and finally moved lower and entered what appeared to be a nest hole. Perhaps it was always hiding there causing it not to be seen. Now we know where to look.

Now to get the other bird on the other side of the park for a closer shot when I can.

Fresh Air and a New Woodpecker at Mead

Some birders are retired and have free time to go on long trips on a whim to see birds any day. Some live near great birding spots that only require a short jaunt to see fun sightings nearly any day. Some of us have Life to deal with. Like me. Kids to run back and forth to school, chores, shopping, and job searching. Leaves precious little time to bird. Sigh.

So, after two weeks of not getting out to do any 'real' birding, I decided the reports from Mead warranted a day to get some fresh air and snag some shots today. Especially since I had to miss the Philadelphia Vireo last week and there are new Woodpeckers reported and photographed out at one of my favorite local hotspots. I had gathered all of my State requested job searches for the week and decided to take a walk.

I arrived at Mead Botanical Gardens as Marcus, a fellow birder, was getting out to refill the hummingbird feeder and he pointed out a female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in the tree above his van that he says has been there for a while. She was busy making holes in the tree for later meal chances. Despite their name, Sapsuckers don't suck sap. They make holes in bark to allow the sap to ooze out and attract insects that they then eat.



Once we got the feeder filled I wanted to head straight over to the spot where a Red-headed Woodpecker has been taking up residence and storing acorns after drilling out a hole in a nearby dead stump. We looked around a while before the bird began chirping and lead us to discover it up in the pines.



As we were watching this bird a Cooper's Hawk swooped in and landed a few feet away. This caused the Red-headed Woodpecker to hide until the hawk headed off into the neighborhood trees. It still took 20 minutes before the woodpecker felt secure enough to head out to forage. It landed on another snag far overhead.



Red-headed Woodpeckers breed up at Wekiwa Springs and were only recorded as fly-overs here at Mead. This is the first time they have been recorded staying for any length of time. I was hoping for a closer shot but with any luck they will hang around and I can get a closer shot. The fact that they are storing acorns is a good sign that they may be expanding their range, at least for now. It would be a welcome addition to the gardens.



I was wanting to add my first season sighting of Yellow-rumped Warblers to my list and we found them down by the creek. The lighting was horrible, however, so I got no pictures of them today. They quickly dispersed and were soon replaced by Carolina Wrens emerging from the wetlands.



Another bird we found along the creek was an Eastern Phoebe. As we followed its calls a Red-shouldered Hawk glided out of the shadows and landed on a fence on a property across from the gardens.



I mentioned a Cooper's Hawk before and they are still prowling the area in silence. As I was about to leave for the morning, I spotted another near the butterfly garden but it would only pause for a few seconds before being spooked by us as we walked by.



Being Halloween, spooking would seem to be the task at hand. At least I got some treats on my one day out for now.