Tierra Verde Duck Ponds

The previous post was put up first since it had more birds in it but the morning started with my desire to chase down the hundreds of Redhead ducks reported at the Tierra Verde Duck Ponds in the past few days. Dad decided to join me and we stopped there early but the ducks were not there. There was only a Ring-necked Duck and a Red Breasted Merganser.



As we scanned the ponds we did start to hear a familiar call. A small flock of Nandy Parakeets. They squawked as they flew past and then disappeared. With no other ducks around we headed to Ft. De Soto as posted previously.



Once we finished up our survey at the beached, we headed back toward home. On the way, Dad mentioned that he thought there were birds flying off to his right. I glanced over and it seemed like a small set of clouds. Another glance suggested a moving flock but while driving at 55 mph it was hard to discern. But it did start to look like birds. I thought shorebirds.

Suddenly, they grew closer. We could see it was a big flock of larger birds and it seemed for sure it was ducks. They flew right over us and turned toward the ponds. There were all of the Redheads dropping into the ponds right over our heads and into the water! An amazing sight I will never forget. Once we parked and looked over the area all of the ducks were before us.



The raft of Redhead shifted back and forth and there was a moment when a few were undecided on which part of the flock to join. Instead, these few ducks swam toward us and gave a great shot right in front of us.



Most of my objectives were met but I had also heard that there were also a couple of American Wigeon seen the other day. I wanted to add them but could not spot them. I finished taking shots of the Redheads and then said it was time to move on. As we headed back to the car I noticed a pair of ducks with a white patch and froze. It was the American Wigeons joining the other ducks right on queue! Score number two! Finding Wigeon in Florida anywhere is a great find.

I had them at Lake Apopa earlier and now on the other side of the state. Sweet.



Still missing the gulls I was after but my main birds were found today. Best of all, I got to share them with my Dad. Perfect morning complete.

A Better View of the Redhead Pair

The Redhead duck pair are still out in the lake with the Ring-necks. This time I caught them awake in more interesting light.



Not a lot of variety this year so I will have to settle for these pretty little waterfowl.

Redhead Makes for a New Winter Sighting

Been a slow year at the local lakes. Everywhere else, too, as I have pointed out in the past. Some years we have hundreds of Ring-necked Ducks and dozens of Lesser Scaup in one spot but this year I might find as much as 70 total. We do have a pair of Northern Shovelers hiding for most of the day but no other interesting things. Yeah, I love a few Blue-winged Teal, but...

I headed out to get groceries and scanned the small flock and finally found a new species out on the lake. A pair of Redhead. Trying to stay hidden while resting but I see you!



Still have yet to get any neighborhood Goldfinches, Gadwall, or Cedar Waxwings. Sigh. Guess I will take what I can get.

Chasing (and missing) a Godwit at Fred Howard Park

So it was twitch time. With the predicted heavy rain still far off in the Gulf and with a couple hours to spare thanks to my understanding wife, we made a bee-line for Fred Howard Park to look for a possible new Life Bird: A Bar-tailed Godwit. I wasn't even going to try but a post came through that the bird was there now and we arrived in less than 90 minutes at the described location.

We arrived and, as Dad paid the entry fee, I jumped out to scan the flock in the area where the bird was not long ago. The bird...was not there. All we found were a few Marbled Godwits hanging with Willets on the beach.



We decided to walk around the parking lot and take a rest stop. The most obvious birds were Red-winged Blackbirds feeding along the vegetation.



Laughing Gulls were resting on top of the restrooms so I had to take a quick close-up while I could.



The rain was beginning to move in on us, wave after wave, as we rounded the western edge of the park. Not much there but a Semipalmated Plover.



Back by the initial flock the best I could discover was a Wilson's Plover. Not too bad, but not the bird I was after.



I had thought I saw a possible candidate bird as we drove in so I opted to go back and see if it was THE bird. Nope. Just another Willet. I had to retreat to the car as the rain increased and we watched another Semipalmated Plover along the embankment.



On the opposite side of the road I spotted a few Common Loons coasting in the gloom.



Not willing to conceded defeat yet, we headed back and the flock had shifted to the other beach. Right by the road was a small flock of Short-billed Dowitchers in the seaweed.



People were crossing the beaches and flushing the resting flocks, especially the hundred Black Skimmers just looking for a place to relax.



Still no Bar-tailed Godwit. Dang. Time to give up. Rain was still coming. On the way home, we made a stop at a water treatment plant where we noticed a TON of ducks on the ponds there. Dad stopped the car and I got out in the pouring rain to get some shots for later processing. Most ducks we have ever seen in one spot ever. I am guessing 6,000 Redhead.



The shot above is just one frame of a couple of dozen I took of the entire scene. I made panoramas of each side but am not sure how to present such a large photo here. I did make sure to take a closer shot of one very lightly colored Redhead before I had to escape the rain. My camera was getting too wet.



We headed home. Life Bird #2 missed for the trip. Oh, well. According to later forum posts, the Bar-tailed Godwit headed North and was spotted miles away and even returned to the first spot after we got back to Orlando. Thanks, Godwit. No year-ending new birds for me. Guess I will just have to gear up for local birds next week.

Tierra Verde Birds

Word had it that there was a special bird out at Fort DeSoto. Since we were nearby for the next segment of Christmas I decided to head over and see if I could find it. Dad tagged along and we took a quick stop before the park to scan the duck ponds on Tierra Verde along the way. An earlier report said there were hundreds of Redhead ducks but today we only found a few dozen.



Still, it is rare for us to get them in Central Florida so it is always fun to see any Redhead during the Winter. This spot has them every year. There was also a report of a Widgeon being here but we could not find it.



The next pond over had a few more Redhead and few Red-breasted Mergansers.



Hopefully this fog will clear once we get to the beach a few miles away...

Lake Davis Scores Redhead Again

I was heading home from a long day after banding (see previous post) and wanted to just go home. Right. I had to swing around Lake Davis this afternoon to see if anything was around. It has been very quiet there lately but you never know. I turned onto the drive and in about 3 seconds said aloud, "Redhead!". The light was right and, even at a distance, one could not miss that glowing sheen. He brought his lady friend along with him, too.



I could tell he spotted me as I parked and got out of the van. I moved slowly and only moved closer when he dove under water. Once he was submerged, I walked a few feet closer and waited for a better shot. Weird thing was that an American Coot began to walk straight toward me. Dig those feet!



Coots don't usually do this. They are rather skittish even in large numbers in the local lakes. I have no idea why these couple of birds walked toward me unless they are becoming acclimated to being fed along with the local ducks. Again, I love those feet. So weird to see them on land.



I got closer to the Redhead pair and the female was not sure what to make of me.



Another nice surprise, a Common Gallinule decided I was no threat and walked right over to me just like the Coots. Both of those birds are hard to get exposed correctly with their blacks, whites, and reds. Today was a nice score of both species.



The male Redhead surfaced agan fairly close and I got one more decent shot before he decided to head back to the center of the lake. Later in the evening, I headed home and saw both birds still feeding in the same area of the lake.



I wanted a shower more than anything after a 12-hour day, but who cannot stop for an encounter like that?

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Better Duck Shots

I got just a bit of sunlight before heading out of town and was able to get a better shot of the Gadwall pair.



I was looking for the Redhead ducks and they were not seen on the water. On the walk back to the van I found the male lounging with some Mallards and Blue-winged Teal. Finally, a shot of a Redhead to write home about.



Now off to the St. Pete Christmas Bird Count. Up before dawn, walking and search for 12 hours and head home. What will we find this year?

Lake Davis Ducks. Gadwall!

Van is acting up so I have to detour and see if it is major. This and that. On the way home, I scan Lake Davis for ducks in the continuing gloom (where is the Sunshine!?!) and see that most of the ducks are hanging out in the protected area to the North, staying out of the wind.

I step out of the van without my camera and within 10 seconds curse myself for knowing better. A new duck is out here and it is not what I was expecting at all. I hoped there would be some special find, but...a Gadwall!?!



Sure looks like a Gadwall. Granted, I have only just found my first one last year at Merritt Island but that kind of image tends to stick with you.



Steep forehead. White patch. Dark rump. Boring plumage. Yeah. Gadwall. Oh, I hate this overcast.



Here is the closest shot I have with one of the two (!) birds with a female Ring-necked Duck. Ring-necks are always the most obvious Winter ducks for us in Orlando.



I tried to get to the far side of the flock in hopes of the Gadwalls moving over in that direction when I noticed another new addition to the gathering ducks. A male Redhead!



He has joined the pair of females that have been around for a few weeks now.



He was busy feeding near the shore but was still a bit skittish if I even tried to advance closer.



I mentioned earlier that I finally had Blue-winged Teal on Lake Davis for the first time that I can remember a few weeks ago. There were 4 busily feeding near the shore near the Redhead trio.



Time to head back home to get ready for my trip to the Christmas Bird Count in the St. Pete area. A sudden splash alerted me to a Pied-billed Grebe digging into the muck to forage.



Florida currently is seeing a lot of Razorbill sightings on both coasts and maybe, just maybe, some of us can get them in the record books tomorrow. Looking like the local lakes could be just as interesting this year, too!

Redheads at Dusk

Oh, I planned on getting some better shots.

I was on my way to the store and the sun was setting but there was plenty of light to scan for the Redhead ducks. I had just stopped and figured I would check out the larger flocks floating off shore figuring the birds would be there. Instead, I was surprised to see that they were by themselves right next to where I parked.

I hopped out to get a quick shot but was interrupted by a couple walking their dogs.



They said, "Oh, are you here to take photos of the hurt swan?" Wha...? They expressed concern since the swan was feeding in the water but its foot was held out above the water. Must be injured, they assumed.



My old Sea World tour guide computer switched back in gear and I had to explain that swans (as well as seals and sea lions) regulate body temperature by rafting, the process of holding an appendage out of the water to either warm or cool the blood flowing through it and that changes the internal body temperature of the animal. The swan was fine, I said, but I would keep an eye on it tomorrow.



I managed to pass on some knowledge but missed any good light. Oh, well. Always another opportunity tomorrow. Maybe.

Lake Davis Mystery Solved: Redhead

I posted this photo the other day and wondered what species it might be. The birds all around are Ring-necked Ducks but what is that center one?



On the way home the next evening I spotted a pair of ducks across the lake as I was counting the other ducks. Hmmmm...



Driving to the other corner of the lake, I could get a bit closer to those ducks but someone was letting their dogs get a little out of hand and it was causing the ducks to begin moving farther out in the water I managed a shot of the mystery ducks and got home and posted to some friends. Looking at the images later, blown way up, it was easier to see these were female Redhead Ducks!



Yay! Something besides the Ring-necked Ducks. Not that I mind them.

Another interesting find was made just before I spotted the Redheads. There were six Blue-winged Teal on the edge of the other flocks. Big deal? Oh, yeah! In all these years of watching this lake I have never seen Blue-winged Teal on it that I can recall. They usually go to other lakes for some reason.

Now they are here. I am happy. Maybe this is a sign of more interesting things to come this season. Feathers crossed...

Ruddy Ducks Decide to Join In

It has been a quiet year for Ruddy Ducks on Lake Davis. We usually have quite a few in the flock but it took until today to actually see any this season. But, there were few out there as I looked for the Redhead again.



The Redhead is still there. Quite a good span of time for our rare visitor!



Hoping the Ruddys will stick around for a while, too.

Return of the Redhead

Happy New Year!

The Redhead that was found a bit ago disappeared for a while but was found again. The light was right but the camera was wanting.



I need a new lens...

Redhead on Lake Davis

It has been a few years since we had one in downtown Orlando so it was a nice surprise to get a call from a fellow birder who spotted a Redhead duck out on the lake among the hundreds of Ring-necked Ducks that arrived for the Winter.

I have been checking the flock everyday in hopes of finding something different but this is the first different bird spotted. I hurried out but it was getting dark so all I could get was a pretty good ID shot.



Nice!

Redhead: Early Christmas Present

I have been staring at the neighborhood lakes for years in hopes of discovering something in the Winter months that wasn't a Ring-necked Duck. The Northern Shoveler was nice earlier in the month but this is even better.

I swung by Lake Cherokee during some last minute shopping and noticed a few Ring-necked Ducks swimming in my direction. I turned my attention back to a cypress tree to ID the warblers feeding there. Then I looked back at the other ducks.

A Redhead had popped up next to the Ring-neckeds! Better yet, they were all getting closer!!

They were all moving closer but toward a shady spot that the ducks favor near one of the benches. Problem was there would be less light and I was on the wrong side of the trees to see them there. I needed to move to the other side for a shot but I knew this would make them swim back out toward the center of the lake.

Having little choice, or time, I went for it and managed a pretty nice shot.



A bit later, they started feeding near some reeds and drove along the shore to try another angle. Not bad. Even got a fair picture to the Ring-necked Ducks for once.



Time will tell if we have a new Winter resident or if it will just take off soon.