Traveling Around the Neighborhood

Have hardly had a chance to bird since the first of the year. If it weren't for space related things my January would be pretty vacant, blog-wise. I was going to go out to help round up sparrows on the west coast but a forecast of bad weather lead them to cancel the event. So, on this gloomy morning I decided to at least drive around the neighborhood.

This season has been so quiet I was wondering if I would find much but it actually was pretty bird. I was watching a small flock of Ring-necked Ducks at Lake Weldona when I saw a Tricolored Heron out of the corner of my eye spearing a fish. I edged the car up slowly but hoping fast enough to get some snack time shots.



It took several tries to get the fish off of the bill before the bird was able to swing the prey around and gulp it down.



While I was snapping shots of the heron a feeding flock of Western Palm Warblers were flying just above ground level to snatch up insects. Only one would stop long enough for a portrait.



I discovered another little retention pond between a local church and some homes up the road and add it to my loop check from time to time. As the rain creeped back over I noticed a wet Belted Kingfisher. Usually they fly off on any sort of approach but this one just stared through the chainlink fence.



On the other edge of the pond, a Pied-billed Grebe dove and bobbed near the shore.



I then remembered a few ponds near a hotel toward the airport and headed over to check for any ducks. Total disappointment. Nothing in the ponds. However, when I got back onto the road to head back home I noticed some large shapes along the sidewalk. I turned toward them and tried to figure out what they were. I was almost up to them before I realized they were Wild Turkey!



I was not expecting them here closer to the airport but here they were. Four females grabbing seeds along the roadway before disappearing into the bushes.



On the way home I made my way around the high school to check the feeders at a home I have checked over the years. There was a bit of activity around but what made me stop in my tracks was the color blue. There shouldn't be any birds with blue feathers except for Blue Jays. I could never get them in better focus in this low light.



I raced home to do some research and found they were Blue Waxbills, a member of the cordon-bleu finches from Africa. They most likely escaped form some home but it was weird to see 6 of them in one flock. I tried to refind them when the clouds cleared but I never saw them again.



Not a bad morning check. Quite full of little surprises. Hoping I can get out more but we are getting into festival season so my weekends are pretty booked for a while. At least those involve birds.

Turkey are Coming Back Out

As I headed out of work today I rounded the back curves of the area and nearly ran into a few Sandhill Cranes. Guess they are back in breeding mode. Not to much father up the road was another flock. Turkey. A small flock of females.



Now I will have to wait a short while for the males to join the flock.

The Great Backyard Bird Count for 2013 is February 15-18th.
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Turkey (and Spoonbill) Surprise

Leaving late from work but there was still enough light for a quick check of the ponds and creek around the corner. I was pleasantly surprised! Down in the creek area I noticed some Spoonbills in the creek near the bank.



I swung through the parking lot to get a better angle and was met with another surprise. A small flock of Wild Turkey were pulling seeds from the grasses under the power line towers.



Back near the creek, I took a few more Spoonbill shots. I have plenty these days but I love to get documentations of any birds, especially ones that are seldom seen here.



Just past the creek on the way out I noticed yet another Turkey heading toward the other parking lot. Brings the total to four for tonight. Nice!



Glad I took the long way towards home. Again.

Lake Lizzie

I had half a day to fill so I headed over to a new spot for me. Lake Lizzie Nature Preserve is near St. Cloud, Florida. The preserve has a few trails but I only had time to take the shortest route. I was looking for reported Red-headed Woodpeckers but I did not find them. In fact, there was very little activity at all.



So, determined to finish the loop trail, I took time to check out the other offerings like flowers. Seems like the Tar Flowers are in full bloom. This flower gets its name due to the sticky substance that occurs on the back side of the petals.



Numerous bat houses dot the area, which were part of an Eagle Scout project. One of them hangs on a tree next to a little observation deck that extends into the marsh that approaches Lake Lizzie, itself. This must be more interesting when the water is back. Currently, we are far behind on our rain totals.



Next to the observation deck is a small stretch of boardwalk that makes for a pretty view into the woods.



Back on the dirt trail one has to side step a lot of Robber Flies. They like to buzz around you but they are looking out for other insects to eat.



Where the land becomes a bit more moist, Sabatias bloom in many spots.



The one surprising find today was made while I was trying to get some flower shots. I was setting up a shot and them heard a kind of cluck and them the unmistakable sound of a large bird taking off behind me. As I spun around, I saw a Turkey hen and several chicks flying away from me and into the woods. One of the chicks didn't make it as far but landed in a tree nearby. You can just make it out. I was trying not to frighten it more so I moved on.



Regaining my pace, I found some more interesting flower displays.



I will return here, probably in the Fall. A lot of interesting habitat to explore and I bet the migrants love it. Beside the Turkey, my most surprising find was on the way home. Along a busy road and down in a small retention pond I saw something out of the corner of my eye that made me find a place to turn back. A Sandhill Crane had built a nest in this tiny spot.



Hope it doesn't flood if we get the expected rains next week.

Still Watching Turkeys

Another day leaving work, another great view of the local Wild Turkey flock that have been hanging out for the past week. Timing and light were more in my favor today. Plus, the birds did not seem as concerned when I slowed for shots. The Toms were still vigilant and now there are at least 8 birds in this flock hanging out. Colors are still as vibrant as ever.



I even managed to get a shot of the male and female in the same shot which I really like.



I love having this quick little set of encounters before my long drive home.Though it does make me hungry...

Gobble, Gobble.

Well, that was a surprise.

I left work just before sundown. There are few open places in the industrial space where our office is located but there is a pond nearby that I check from time to time. As I approached it tonight I noticed a large shape near a hedge surrounding a parking lot. I slowed and drove closer and discovered it was a female Turkey!



The bird moved under the hedge so I drove into the parking lot for a better view. Then I saw another turkey. Then another. Then another... Six in all, including two Toms. The birds moved back across the road and into a grassy area. It took me a while to get into a good shooting angle but I finally got one of the Toms in the light.



Beautiful feather colors that you don't think about. Turkey are rather abundant in Florida just not usually in such urban areas. Go figure.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A blast from the past when I was starting to get into photographing birds. This was using the old 500 mm mirror lens out on Canoe Creek Road.



Turkey tastes gooooood.

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Kissimmee Prairie Sparrow Roundup

Finally time for a little Kissimmee Prairie sparrow round-up again after having to miss the last date. This round-up was fairly typical but did bring a few surprises.

As I was loading up the van at 4:30 AM, I glanced up at the telephone pole at the end of the neighbor's driveway for some reason. Even in the near dark, I could tell that there was some other shape atop the pole and quickly grabbed the binoculars. Definitely the shape of an owl!

Barred Owls and even a few Screech Owls have started showing up nearby but this one looked much larger. I attempted to focus on the dark shape and hoped I could get at least some ID from the shot. To my surprise, it turned out to be a Great-horned Owl! The first I have ever recorded in this area.



I found this to be a good sign for the day to come and headed off 3 hours to the south.

I arrived near the front gate right at dawn and listened in on the waking birds around me. I was pleased to hear an American Woodcock over the morning calls of a distant rooster. I tried to get a recording of the Woodcock but it soon ceased calling but I did begin hearing another call that seemed very strange.

I managed to get some recordings of it by sticking the tape recorder out of the van's window but I could not find the singer. It was totally new to me, almost robotic. Maybe I had found some new sparrow to add to my list.

I stepped out of the van and decided to play the call back toward the brush and see what might happen. TO my surprise, the birds flew directly toward me. They were not anything new to me, though. Turned out to be Eastern Towhee's, a male and female, and the male started his strange call again just 4 feet in front of me!

I am used to Towhee calls, but this one seemed to have a completely new and alien dialect.



I usually take my time driving toward the banding site and I still find the abandoned farm house an interesting sight.



Moving on, I drove down the road to see what else might be up before I had to help with the net array. Down near the campground, a flock of turkey crossed the road and passed in front of me.



Off in the distance, I noticed some Savannah Sparrows out in the grasses and I had to head over to join the arriving crew. THere was an impressive amount of volunteers for the day, each hoping to find some new bird for their lists and some close-up photos of seldom seen species.

Most of the birds captured were fairly typical. The most exciting point of the day, however, was the Yellow Rail we flushed on one of our early rope drags. It flushed just feet in front of us a few times before heading toward the net directly in front of me. I jumped the rope line in hopes of getting a good capture but the bird dropped into the bottom panel of the net and rolled out and managed to escape across the road from us.

Luckily, we all got great looks as it flew just a couple of feet above the scrub several time. Life Bird for all of us!

We recorded many Bachman's, Grasshopper, and Savannah Sparrows as well as a couple of Sedge Wrens before we had to call it a day. Not bad.

On the way home back out of the park, I got a good dose of Loggerhead Shrike views before I prepared for the long trek home.



I also had a 'warning' from a Northern Mockingbird not long before that.



Though we didn't get as many sparrows as we had hoped, any day with a great Life Bird is a good one.

Trail Walking Wekiva

With a front moving in for the weekend, threatening to cancel Sunday's banding, I was thinking of heading over to Ft. DeSoto. I figured it may be a tad crowed (later reports said as many birders as birds!) and I knew I would have to work late and have to drive early.

I decided to stay close to home and check out some trails at Wekiva I hadn't fully explored. There was an earlier report of fledging Great-horned Owls down the trails and I wanted to find them.

It was a pretty hot day but I knew I needed to get in about 5 or more miles to get where I was headed. Not a problem. Most of the hike is in the shade.

Usual suspects were around and first of the season Red-eyed Vireos made an appearance half-way through the hike. Lingering warblers and singing sparrows. When I got to the area that the owls were suppose to be, however, I found little.

I was choosing which way I should head on a new trail when I saw a white-tailed deer to my right. It watched me warily and moved on. I decided to head down that way farther and soon found a break in the brush, apparently created by animals walking through.

Following that, it opened onto the shore of Lake Prevatt. Not much of a lake left. A bit of a pond and a few mud holes and a LOT of dried mud. I walked out onto the lake bed and as I rounded a clump of bushes the far side of the lake was teaming with deer. At least 12. Another deer flushed off to my left.

Soon, a bird also flushed from the bushes to the left. It turned out to be a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron! It flew over to where the deer were, near a mud hole. I followed to try and get a closer shot.

Once I got closer to the mud I began to notice a few tiny heads around the edge of the mud where the last of the remaining vegetation. Baby alligators! First a couple, then several. I stopped walking when I noticed the series of dark bumps resting in the wettest part of the mud. Mama was keeping watch and began to push herself deeper in the muck when she sensed me approaching.

I would have to change direction. I respect the power of gators enough to know better than to mess with one protecting young.

I got back onto the main trail and headed around the other side of the lake. There I found a few tom Turkeys out on the lake bed checking me out. Suddenly, 4 more popped up around the other corner. More surprising was that a couple of them decided to leave the lake bed and walked right past me.



Time was running out for my hike so I headed back. Nearing the net lanes again, I heard some birds scolding around the bushes near the trail ahead. Out popped a Pine Snake right in front of me! I was trying to get a shot of it but it turned and fled back into the scrub. The birds continued to scold and some warblers appeared before me.



I can't remember seeing female Pine Warblers before but here she was, down out of the high branches to chase away this 4 foot snake. A male joined her, as did Gnatcatchers, Prairie Warblers, and a Titmouse.



I didn't find anything spectacular today but at least I got some shots of the Pine Warbler. The most important event would happen a bit later. This long walk in 90 degree heat sealed my decision that had been brewing for years.

Time to cut off this ponytail.