Lake Apopka North Shore Drive, Pt. 1

I have been waiting to get out to the new Lake Apopka North Shore Drive. Folks have been reporting fun birds but the drive is only open Friday-Sunday and my weekends have been a bit too crazy. Today I finally got my chance to head out.

I wanted to get there as soon as it opened and was greeted by a nice bright Moon before dawn in downtown Orlando on the way to the drive.



The beginning of the drive is at the end of Lust Road where many birders have gone for years but as far as you could go was the gate which is now open and has a new sign welcoming visitors.



Many carloads of birders were already on the Drive ahead of me. At the first little job was a very boisterous Black-necked Stilt family. Every time the chick would wander a bit too far, Mom would start calling loudly for all to stay away.



Eventually, the Black-necked Stilt chick would return to a parent's side to feed closer. I tried to get some shots of the parents attempting to shoo off a Glossy Ibis to no avail. The Ibis didn't seem to care too much about the fuss.



The best thing about the Lake Apopka North Shore Drive is that it heads due West for most of the time so the lighting is perfect in the early morning.



Dragonflies were all over at daybreak. Occasionally one would light atop a swaying grassy stalk.



Green Herons were flying across the drive all morning but never settled in for a photo. Tricolored Herons were a bit more cooperative.



Common Gallinules were also abundant but you don't often see one sitting up on an exposed branch!



Looking over the edge of the road I spotted an Anhinga making a catch and had to strain over the passenger seat to get a snap.



I was actually surprised I didn't see too many American Alligators out today. I have seen more hiking the North Shore in the past. Some BIG ones in some of the canals.



Great Blue Herons prowled the edges of the water but I didn't see any score a breakfast on my rounds.



Red-winged Blackbirds were beyond counting. They were all over with most males calling and defending territories.



Not a lot of vultures around this morning but I did have a nice close fly-by of an adult Turkey Vulture.



This early in the morning the Ospreys were feeding and feasting all up and down the Drive. I will devote another post exclusively about Ospreys soon.



Most of the vegetation is weedy shrubs, grasses, and Cattails but every now and then a splash of color would appear like the white Moon Glory blossoms.



Down by the Pump House turn a female Anhinga rested on a structure across the water.



I decided to take the righthand turn past the Pump House not knowing there was another stretch closer to the lake. I would take that portion of the drive next time around. This lane was fairly bird free and the only big bird I spotted first was a Limpkin. Too bad I could only get a shot through the wind shield.



On the opposite side, a wet male Anhinga tried to stay out of view.



At the end of this northerly drive I started to see Barn Swallows swooping over the canal at the bend. As I turned to head toward a flock sitting on wires ahead I noticed a Great Blue Heron sunning in the roadway. It is always fun to see this behavior.



Just past the heron, a pair of Roseate Spoonbills were crossing to reach the canal and fields to the North.



The Barn Swallows here were copious with only a few resting on the wires. Many more were feeding and returning to nests under a small bridge over the canal. I ended up with a lot of swallow photos (with a rather interesting discovery) that warrant them their own post in the future, as well.



The final bird shot on this pass was a female Red-winged Blackbird that was searching through the grasses for a snack.



I thought of just heading home then but, as mentioned earlier, I found that there was another spur of the Drive so I swung back around to take one more pass and hoped for some interesting shot. Glad I did. Stay tuned...

2014 CBC in St. Pete, Part 2

Part Two. Still at the duck pond and among the Mottled Ducks and all of their hybrids we found a male Blue-winged Teal trying to blend in.



Over on a culvert, a Tricolored Heron was soaking in the morning light.



As we passed the Tricolored we spooked an unseen Green Heron which flew off to the side of the waterway across from Maximo Park. It perched in a mangrove in harsh backlight but I will take it for now.



We circled around the boat slips and passed through the gates but not before noticing another new species for the morning. A few Eurasian Collared-Doves were busy trying to stay unseen but I managed a few shots just the same.



How can you miss the call of Parakeets? Once we got to the edge of the road around the ball park we found a flock of Monk Parakeets on the grass foraging so Becki and I had to make our way over for a chance of getting a photo or two. We don't get these in large numbers in Orlando as they do her around St. Pete.



The Monk Parakeets here are nesting under the numerous Osprey nests in the stadium lights and make themselves known quite loudly. I love this shot of this one from the lawn.



Nearby, European Starlings were feasting on things on another part of the lawns but soon turned to drink form a puddle along the road.



On the way out of Eckerd College we had a great view of a Wood Stork in a retention pond near the parking lots.



Our last stop of the day was at Dolphin Cay. We all had high hopes on this spot. It is a gated community but we had access and all maps seemed to be promising. Boardwalks through a mangrove marsh. A beach on the water. A few ponds. Sadly, the boardwalk only offered up a few birds and the beach held less. Only a pond in the center of the development added to our list. It was full of Lesser Scaup.



The males reflected in purple and greens while the females flashed their whites and browns.



Resting along the edge of the pond was a very accommodating Double-crested Cormorant.



All we found down at the beach was a ghost. A lone Gull footprint along the shore.



We tried a couple more ponds along the golf zones and then settled down to take a full count before our day was over. A nice Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud formation (thanks, Peg!) ended our day before we all headed home.



The final St. Pete count was 157. OK for what the year has been. It has been higher but there really are not a lot of birds around this season. Another CBC down. I always look forward to the next one!

Purple Martins and Spotted Sandpiper

The oldest had to attend a luncheon at church some I hauled him out and since I was waiting I remembered that the Purple Martins should be back at Baldwin Park nearby. When I first arrived there were no birds to be seen.



I wandered around a bit until I spotted a bird circling overhead. A Purple Martin for sure. She flew in quickly and I approached quietly as she went inside the apartment. As soon as I focused on the hole she bolted out straight toward me.



Not too much later, Papa flew in and surveyed his territory.



Once the lunch was finished, we headed home and I finally found a shorebird at Lake Emerald. A Solitary Sandpiper was feeding, as its name implies, alone.



In the middle of the quickly evaporating lake, a Tricolored Heron pants to regulate its temperature in the warming afternoon.



Nice to have a couple of new birds for the year.

Looking Along Lake Berry

I had to spend some time in Winter Park today and took the free moments to walk along the shore of Lake Berry. There were not a lot of birds around but I did find some things to shoot over an hour here and there. I could hear warblers in the oaks but they were not in any real good positions for a photo. I had to settle for a Yellow-rumped (Myrtle sub-species)Warbler in the grass before much else was to come.



I had to work hard to find any other warblers but did get a quick look at a Yellow-throated Warbler feeding through the leaves.



I started hearing Red-winged Blackbirds calling and tried to ease closer in hopes of getting a shot of one. Suddenly, one of the males rose up to take a look at what I was up to.



Even in bad light, it is nice to view these birds and hear their calls. I grew up in Florida and Red-winged Blackbird calls are part of my earliest memories.



Looking over toward a dock, I found another familiar sound. The call of a Wood Duck. A male was very weary of my approach but I got a couple shots before it joined others of its species soon afterwards.



At the end of another dock, a male Anhinga in breeding plumage was drying its wings.



I had to go back inside for a bit but when I came back I spotted a Tricolored Heron moving in to feed near the shore. It flew toward me and I tried a bunch of different exposures for a good picture.



This Tricolored Heron was also in breeding plumage and didn't mind me standing next to the water as it searched for minnows.



A female Red-winged Blackbird looked on as I shot the heron and I got as close as I could for a good ID view.



I had been monitoring a Green Heron in different positions for quite some time before it decided to get close enough for a better angle. I wasn't even aware of it at the time, but I ended the morning shoot with my favorite shot of the day as it was climbing around the pads.



Green Herons are one of my most liked lake birds. They are often secretive and having them wander around at close range is always a treat.

Not too bad for a lakeside visit.