Greenwood Wetlands. Toad, Anyone?

I was attempting to relocate the Night Herons from the other day but they are hidden from me every visit since. Guess I will just have to see what else there is to see. There were some White Ibis feeding around the area but I was figured I have gotten enough of them already. Fortunately, there was a juvenile Wood Stork resting in the shadows.



Over on the airport side of the wetlands an Osprey was sitting atop a cypress tree and made a pass at a fish before changing its mind and flying in my direction. There is an active nest right across the highway.



Then, an entire flock of White Ibis flew in and landed a few feet in front of me.
Oh, alright.



I continued my search but today I would only find just about every other member of the heron family but not the elusive Night Herons. The bridge on the cemetery side was currently the hunting ground for a Great Blue Heron.



On the way back to the van I was watching a Great Egret. It seemed to be tracking something near the water. Maybe I could get a shot of it with a fish.



However, it surprised me. It wasn't a fish it was after but a dragonfly. Just plucked it right off the weeds.



The Wood Stork was moving along the edge of the water but paused in the dappled shadows to allow me some shots. So much duck weed floating around these days.



I was lining myself up for a portrait shot of the stork when I noticed a White Ibis off to me left. I could tell it had something large in its bill and it was heading toward the water. Ibis typically eat small prey but this was a lot bigger. When I got close enough, I could tell it was a toad.



When birds get some larger food items they often take it to the water and get them wet. Probably easier to swallow. After a few dips in the lake the toad was not putting up a struggle. Just not facing in the right direction.



Another dunking and reposition and it looks like the inevitable is near.



Gulp! One full Ibis.



I approached the bridge back to the parking lot and noticed a Tricolored Heron underneath staring intently at the flowing water.



It was still there waiting for something to float by but I never saw it attempt a stab while I was there. Didn't even acknowledge my presence.



I didn't want a White Ibis day but they had other plans. That's the way it goes sometimes.

Walking Lake Davis

Following my walk around Greenwood Wetlands (yesterday's post) I headed over to Lake Davis. Didn't expect too much but I had heard about a nest with eggs so I thought I would check it out. As soon as I exited the van I heard and saw a very busy Northern Parula.



Along the shoreline a Tri-colored Heron kept pace with me and stopped in front of me several times. Perhaps it want its photo taken? Oh, alright.



Speaking of Tri-colored Herons, I spotted a trio of chicks over on the island. I could get no closer and zooming in in Photoshop makes me think that they are heron chicks. Hmmm...



I look to my left and a small flock of Rock Doves (Or are they back to Pigeons again? Still Rock Doves to me.) struts along the sand.



I am surprised to still be finding American Coots around. Found two today. They are usually Winter birds for us. One year we had one bird that remained at Lake Davis year round and I don't know why more do not.



Up ahead, a male Anhinga dries its wings in the Sun and tells me, "Close enough..."



Most of the way around the lake now and I find the introduced flock of Chinese Geese. They usually hink and approach you but today this one just sat calmly near the sidewalk? Could this be where the eggs are? Seems like an odd place to lay eggs.



No. I find one near the water and as I look under a Cypress tree I see many more. Though that doesn't look like a good set-up for a nest. Someone or something must have scattered them. Guess we won't have goslings around this year.



Finally, my tour is about complete. The last bird to strike a pose is a single European Starling foraging around the lake. Though a non-native species, I do admire their colorful feathers from time to time.



Been quite a while since I walked the whole perimeter of the lake. Bird life is still going strong.

Still Checking on the Solitary Sandpiper

Back to the Solitary Sandpiper. As I drove up to the spot I noticed the Tri-colored Heron I posted about a few days ago. This time, instead of hunting it was preening on the banks.



Soon, I relocated the Sandpiper off to my right.



Maybe it is getting used to me a bit. It did let me move a little closer today but still kept a careful gaze in my direction. I love that white eye ring.



A few more shots and then I would take my leave. Glad this bird has decided to stay. Must be something good to eat in that mud.



Back to the left, the heron settled down on the grass to rest. It even let me head down the hill to get some really close shots.



Might have to use that for a desktop calendar for next month.

A Nice Walk Home

Had to take the van in for brakes and the wife had to head to work. The garage bays were so backed up they couldn't even look at it until another 2 hours. It was a nice morning, around 50-ish degrees. I decided to walk 2.5 mile home. I had wanted to stop by a spot, anyway.

Along the way back I found a few Mourning Doves on the fence around the local airport.



There wasn't much around the park I checked out. Just some Palm Warblers and Gallinules. There were a couple of Glossy Ibis that flew in which was special but otherwise...so I headed home and decided to check out the wetlands along the way.

The flock of 30 or so Ring-necked Ducks were still there and I was able to get a singled out shot of one of them. Like this one a bunch.



Right after that shot I headed in the direction of the house and noticed a lot of movement near the larger pond. Seemed a big feeding flock was moving through. Mostly Palm Warblers. Armed with the new lens, I tried for a shot or two. I was not disappointed.



Palm Warblers are nearly ever-present during the Winter. They flit back and forth all over the place in most habitats, including urban settings. Funny thing is, most are Western Palm Warblers like this. The Eastern, or Yellow, version is found in much smaller numbers and usually out in fields. I love Palm Warblers.



I was happy with that Palm shot so I headed down the sidewalk. Then I saw the Tri-colored Heron lurking in the reeds. Alright.



Yeah. I am going to enjoy this lens. And more birds along the way.

Lake Davis Tour

It has been a rough two weeks since I had to send my binoculars in for repairs. I was really itchy for the first few days but managed to survive. Just picked them up this morning so I decided to see what I could find at the lake. It was fairly interesting.

Noticed some Moorhens down by the shore. One adult and 2 chicks but this female Anhinga got a bit noisy and made approaching the Moorhens move into the reeds.



That's OK. I knew that there were more babies around the way so I moved along. I found the Wood Duck family right where they were yesterday when I planned this visit. Mama herded the young ones toward the lake while keeping a watch out for predators.



Out on the lake there was an older juvenile male swimming around.



I spotted something walking around in the reeds. A Least Bittern! The first I have ever seen at Lake Davis. Unfortunately, I could not get a shot as it quickly hid on the far side toward the lake. Dang.

Suddenly, a flock of Fish Crows began vocalizing just down the way. They were flying around wildly and then I saw one fly out towards me with what appeared to be an egg in its beak! More crows were flocking around where that crow came from so I moved over there to see if they were raiding some bird's nest. Once at the party, I saw a couple of crows actually digging in the soil. Seems they had found a turtle nest and were digging them out for a snack.



Interesting. Wish I could have caught one of them removing an egg but they were not so brave when I was closer to the action. I noticed movement behind me near the road. It was a Mallard family! Really cute ducklings and Mama.



They took little notice of me and I soon found out why. They were all chasing midges they were resting in the grass. The little ones were snapping away like mad, all the while getting closer to me. They were moving so fast I could barely keep them in focus.



At one point they were almost on my feet.



Here is a cropped shot highlighting the midge which was about to become lunch.



I still had the Bittern stuck in my head so I headed back down to try for a shot. I did see it again but it moved away once more. Just around the reeds was a pair of resting young Wood Ducks at the shore.



I also liked this one showing a bit more wing color.



The first family was emerging back from the water and began to preen. This time they didn't care if I was there or not. Mama often shook out her feathers between cleanings.



It was really cute to watch the ducklings run underneath Mama whenever she would move to a new spot.



Nearby, a Tri-colored Heron fed in the swallow waters.



Time to head home. One the way back to the van I had a Rock Pigeon drop down and show off its amazing plumage.



I will have to stop back soon to see if I can get a shot of that Bittern.

Earth Day at Lake Lotus

We didn't catch a lot of birds but at least we caught them when the crowds were there.

Always a fun day to be outside celebrating Earth Day at Lake Lotus. You can view the blog post with a lot of photos on my other site at that link.

Enjoy!

One Last GBBC Count for the Year

The Great Backyard Bird Count ends today so I had to head out early and get in one more report. I took the camera along just in case but didn't really plan of using it for some reason. Turns out I used it quite a bit.

Ring-necked Ducks are thinning out as we head toward Spring but it was nice to find a Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker around the lake. Can't recall seeing the feathers so pretty before.



Finished the count at Lake Davis and headed over the Lake Lancaster. Hasn't been a lot of birds there of late but I knew I could add at least a few more species. I always seem to forget about certain birds that are so common like Boat-tailed Grackles. Until they turn and catch the sunlight.



Just feet away was a Tri-colored Heron feeding amongst the Mallards.



Started hearing loud calls soon afterwards and first thought someone grabbed themselves a Peacock. Then it dawned on me that it was a Limpkin creating all the racket. Then it flew in near me for verification. I couldn't get a good shot through the tree branches so I had to settle for a Little Blue Heron in another part of the tree being extremely quiet.



That count done, it was time to swing through the Greenwood Cemetery to check on the Bald Eagle nest. As I have mentioned before, I was trying to get a shot of one of the chicks. I did see that there are definitely two chicks in there but only one was up in the open.



The adults flew back and forth dropping off fish for the chicks and I managed to get a shot of one of the adults taking off back to gather more food.



While awaiting the return of the adult Eagles, I noticed some movements of Pileated Woodpeckers around the area. They eventually headed over to the tree where the eagles had the nest before. This now dead tree is currently the home of the woodpeckers and I hope to get some shots of the chick in the future. For now I settle for the female peaking out of the nest hole.



Just above the nest hole were a pair of European Starlings trying to figure out if they could find residence in another cavity in the same tree.



As I waited for the woodpeckers to return I was greeted by the calls of a Northern Mockingbird just under the dead tree in a shrub. It allowed me close approach to get some shots.



So close that I could get action shots of it singing away. Awesome views, awesome songs. Spring is here. Finally.



What will reveal itself next? Still waiting for the Robins and Waxwings.