Jaywatch 2016, Pt. 1

Oh, how I was dreading this year's Jay Watch. We are doing it a bit later than in past years and we have been under very humid and hot weather for a week. Fortunately, the morning was not too bad and we even had a bit of a breeze to keep things a little cooler. Plus, we ended fairly early. Not too bad. We gathered for a group photo just before heading out to the survey areas.

Always easy to spot me in my beard and banding uniform.



My group began at Site 41 in the area well known for a reliable group of Jays. The first one jumped up to check us out right away.



Another bird (unbanned, we determined after a lot of looks and scoping) stayed high in a snag and was joined by another bird as we surveyed the area.



The most curious Florida Scrub Jay came down to check us out. It only has a single Federal aluminum band. I decided to call it Silver. I didn't notice until later (we are really focused on band colors) that this bird was molting in tail feathers.



One of the first Florida Scrub Jays I remember at Buck Lake was a bird with mostly green bands. I was wondering where it was when she finally popped into view. Two Kelly Green bands plus the metal band leaves me calling her Kelly.



We went to our next site points and Kelly and Silver, here atop a pine, followed us down the road.



We headed farther down the check points to gather Susan from her spot and I noticed a Jay coming up behind here. Turned out it was Silver once again, following us even farther along the way. Those molting tail feathers give it away, too.



I was hoping to get a good shot in the open and Silver complied.



Kelly soon joined us, too. These were the only Jays we had on our transect but it was nice to get some good clear shots to share with the group.



The next spot found me beginning to play the taped calls to attract more jays. Soon, I saw a Swallow-tailed Kite circling overhead. We have to stop playing calls so any juveniles bring themselves into view as any predators are around. Kites will take a young bird when they can.



No trip out to the scrub is complete without me getting a shot of Tar Flower blooming. They are waning right now but still beautiful.



I finished my point a bit ahead of others and started toward the truck for pickup. Susan (one of our banding volunteers) was winding up her spot at that point.



We found a few Gopher Tortoises along the side of the roads and Maria, head of the Jay Watch here, moved it to the scrub. I didn't realize it but I heard rustling and had to investigate. There it was, plowing through the underbrush.



Only one family to record but I was happy to get some shots along the way. Tomorrow, I will be in another transect at Buck Lake and hope to find more Jays.

Swallow-tailed Kite at Work

I was heading back to my desk when I start hearing someone calling, "Andrew! Andrew! Andrew!!" from down the hall. Emilie was looking for me to report a Swallow-tailed Kite out over the parking lot. I wandered out with her and the bird was there just along the tree line that decided our office spot from another.



Emile was elated to see this bird right here and was jumping up and down with joy to see a Swallow-tailed Kite so close.



That elation was soon changed as we watched as the Kite swung around and dived an oak. Northern Mockingbirds scattered as the bird dove in and tried to grab chicks from a nest. Emily began to yell, "Nooooo!" Her joy was quickly turning to terror as this raptor tried to find a meal.



The Kite was not successful in grabbing a bird but continued to soar around the area as I got shots.



Another Swallow-tailed Kite soon joined in and they swooped along in the poor light in the mid-morning.



It has been a while since I have had a Swallow-tailed Kite this close and was thrilled to get some photos during a brief break from work.



This pair must be nesting nearby. Wonder where? Great to have them close by. Unfortunately, I have no windows to see what is happening outside so it was nice to have an alert to go see them.



I had to talk Emily down. Circle of Life, and all. Birds gotta eat. At least she got to be happy for a bit. Maybe I should sneak a desktop onto her computer? Nah. That would bring too many bad vibes.

Mead Garden Walkthrough

It had been a long time since I had a chance to drop in at Mead Botanical Gardens so it was time for a stroll. It was not too bird since we are deep into July but the first bird to greet me was a juvenile Northern Mockingbird.



Over in the newly installed rocky area behind the new amphitheater a turtle basked in the morning sunshine.



How long has it been since I have been here? Long enough for them to build a giant pond and build a restored section to the boardwalk. And no one who knows me and is alway here tells me this?!?



The section from the Butterfly Garden all the way to the marshy area has been redone. The new section is wide enough for wheelchairs to comfortably pass through but is narrows to the old section pretty quickly.



Since I was not seeing many birds I decided I would head back to the car. By the time I made it to the main pond I spotted a Swallow-tailed Kite having a snack high above me.



Finally, I spotted one of the resident Barred Owls up in the palm trees before I exited the gardens.



Hoping that that newly built boardwalk section is a hint of things to come. I miss the old boardwalk very much.

Jay Watch 2015, Part 1

It's that time again! Back out into the Summer heat to count Florida Scrub Jays. This weekend I was stationed at Buck Lake Conservation Area near Mims, Florida. Always nice to meet up with old and new friends and hopefully get some shots of the Jays and other discoveries in the scrub.

While the instructions for our procedures were given to the new volunteers I spied something more interesting. Up on one of the powerless I spotted a Great-Crested Flycatcher. A few minutes later it actually stuck its head into on end of the large pipes and then flew back to perch. Another flycatcher arrived and then the two seemed to have a bit of a quarrel leaving the original bird sitting on the wire. I can only surmise they have a nest in that pipe. Cool.



The group leaders seem to have finally nailed down how to get group photos of the daily volunteers. Used to be they would wait until the end of the morning but by then either half the group has gone home or is just too exhausted by the heat. Now we get the shot before heading out for the counts.



I had the closest count points with Jane and Maria (who runs the event on this side of the state). Approaching our first count point I spotted a pair of jays on a dead tree snag. We had to walk past the birds to get on the best side of the morning sunlight. Shortly after we settled in with our binoculars to get the leg band data. Soon, one of the Florida Scrub Jays flew among us, grabbed something from the ground and found a spot to cache it in the sand.



It then hopped up into small tree right in front of me allowing me some nice shots.



Maria had been looking for a photo that showed the pattern on the back of adult Florida Scrub Jays and our bird was happy to oblige me as I moved behind it and I got some excellent shots. Turns out that this shot serves a duel purpose as it is also a good example shot of tail molt.



That bird flew back to the tree but the second one soon replaced it, again, right in front of me. This is a good shot of the leg bands on this bird which would be recorded Silver/Black/Mauve.



We moved off to survey some other points before returning to this general area. I played my jay tapes and a pair of Florida Scrub Jays flew in from a quarter mile away. Took a few minutes to confirm but it was the same pair we hung with earlier.



While I was positioning myself in the oaks for the best angle I could get of the Jay above me a juvenile Northern Mockingbird flew in to see what all the fuss was.



The next set of points was near the large ditch that cuts across the property. It stays a bit more damp and typically have some interesting flowers blooming like one of our species of St. John's Wort.



Tucked down in the grasses, a few Rhexia swayed in the gentle breeze.



A yellow flower I have yet to identify caught my eye as I headed back to the roadside to meet my ride.



Once I got settled a flash caught my eye up in the blue. First the sky was totally blue but suddenly an area of white would appear like a rotating advertising sign an disappear again. Wood Stork flock I figured but I took a shot just to document it. I thought that the Anhinga following at the bottom of the flock was interesting, too.



Once I got the image on the home computer I was a bit more than surprised. Those weren't Storks. They were American White Pelicans! I am use to seeing them only in the Winter but I guess some do stick around sometimes according to records. Just a pretty rare sight for June.



I play my first round of Jay calls per instructions then have to stop before the full minute was up. A Swallow-tailed Kite was flying right toward me. Kites have been known to prey upon young birds so we try not to attract any jays when raptors of any kind are in sight. The Kite eventually headed out over the tree line and I played the tape for one more round before my time was up.



Grasshoppers were constantly flying out of the way of my step at every stop. This one posed for a nice morning shot in the road.



It was taking a while for Maria to get me for the next round. Maybe she had a bird or two at her stop. As I waited I spotted a small dot on the horizon, high in the sky. Didn't seem like a Red-tailed Hawk to me so I snapped a few shot to take home and analyze. Turned out to be a Short-tailed Hawk, another excellent bird for this time of year. I have only seen a few of theses birds ever and never got a shot as clear.



Maria finally headed down to get me reporting that she did, indeed have a bird at her area. It seemed to be unbanded so we hurried back with my camera to try for documentation. Sure enough, an unbanded Florida Scrub Jay panting in the warming morning.



The scope was brought out for a closer view and to verify there were no bands on this bird.



No more birds for us on our remaining spot but I am sure some of the other teams had some. Tomorrow is Part Two at Lake Monroe. Hopefully, we can keep the nice breeze around. It wasn't as hot as I had feared it was going to be today

Surprising Swallow-tailed Kite Find

It has been a pretty bird-less couple of weeks for me. Just not much out there this time of year but I have been checking the local lakes everyday. Today I had to head over to the banding site for one of our Summertime weeding chores before we begin banding birds again in August. As we headed out toward the middle of the net lanes I could hear a strange kind of chirping that I could not identify right away.

Once we got more out in the open we could see them. Ten Swallow-tailed Kites roosting in the snags above us!



A pair of Swallow-tailed Kites nested here earlier in the year and we knew the two chicks had hatched. At that time there was only one additional Kite hanging around that we could tell.



A couple of weeks ago, Richard and Christine reported that they found seven in this same spot.



I am thinking that this is one of the chicks as it is so fluffy.



I consider this another candidate since it has a bunch of tan on the feathers instead of this solid white of the adults. But I am no Kite specialist...



As I carried on with my hacking and weeding I heard the calls again. Upon looking up, I noticed all of the Swallow-tailed Kites soaring above me. Seven were riding the thermals in a spiral while three others circled closer to my head.



I haven't had a good opportunity to photograph Kites in flight in a long time so I was thrilled to get a few shots in today.



This bird was even preening as it flew!



A minute later and the Kites gave out a series of calls and joined together before zipping off to the East to forage. Another day in paradise.