Viera Wetland Detour

I was headed home after the first day of Jay Watch and figured that since I was in the area, or closer than I might be in a long time, I veered South to check out Viera Wetlands near Melbourne, FL. There have been reports of sightings of Fulvous Whistling Ducks the past few days and I hoped for at least a distant glimpse.

I first swung around the Click Ponds and came upon a huge flock of birds, mostly Roseate Spoonbills.



Closer to the shore, a Snowy Egret waits for a meal.



The small pines that line the right side of the cells held a few Fish Crows resting and searching the area for opportunities.



I scanned the cells for the ducks. Not much on the beginning side but a few Moorhens and a nice Great Egret posing on a palm stump.



Swinging around the far side turned the light the wrong way but I couldn't resist still trying for a decent shot of the local Limpkin.



Throw in a badly lit White Ibis and it bookends that side of the drive.



Flying overhead, an Osprey zoomed in a circle and landed on one of the dead trees and constantly looked back and forth for the next fish to appear.



The most surprising moment of the trip was when a doe and fawn appeared right in front of me on the drive. The doe quickly crossed the road and waded into the cell.



The fawn was not so sure about this move and stayed on the fence side. I was hoping it would cross, too, but it just kept to the tree side and refused to. So, I had to get a poor shot through the windshield.



Once I passed the fawn, it circled back to join its mother. Once it was safely behind me I continued my search. A flash of blue caught my eye and soon found a feeding Purple Gallinule. It would never come into view more than this, though.



Resting on a culvert, an Anhinga sized me up.



I wasn't really looking for Least Bitterns but we all know they are there. Once one showed itself in the reeds I just had to slow for a few shots.



At one point, it seemed to be saying, "Farewell!" as I headed out of the wetlands for the drive home.



Alas, no Fulvous Whistling Ducks for me. I will have to try some other place at some other time in the future.

Cruising the Viera Wetlands, Part 4

To wrap up the Viera trip I will include a few extra shots of birds and last minute snaps.

There was another Moorhen family hanging to the edges of the cells with even younger chicks in tow.



The Boat-tailed Grackles were browsing the edges of almost every cell but they really seemed to like the lily pads.



However, they also hung out in the reeds.



We were wrapping up our tour of the wetlands so I decided to make the most of my IS lens test and jumped out of the car to get some test shots of other things besides birds. Since I was close to the Grackles and lilies, why not?



I didn't even notice until I got home and looked at the shots that this excellent metallic green bee was in one shot. By the way, if you drag these images to your desktop you will be able to view the images at twice the size seen here.



I was really impressed with the result from the IS with this Duck Potato flower.



Finally, time to chase dragonflies! There were skittish versions in blue...



...and red!



Despite the copious swarms of bugs, we had a great time and came home with a bunch of great photos. Next trip will be in the Winter when the mosquitoes are few and the ducks are plentiful.

Cruising the Viera Wetlands, Part 3

During my early visits to Viera Wetlands I found a lot of birds in the Winter but I don't recall ever seeing any Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. The past couple of years, though, they have been all over the place!

I love these little ducks and we were lucky enough see them up close as they waded and flew over head. In fact, they were flying across the sky as soon as we drove into the entry of the wetlands.

Over in the bird gathering we discovered earlier there were several ducks keeping to themselves or flying from spot to spot.



You would think these guys could get along as they are of the same stripe but sometimes squabbles would erupt!



Time for a test of the IS lens with flight shots. The ducks would circle several times before coming to rest and often flew right over my head.



Even at a distance, those white wing feathers really pop out.



I had a great time hanging with the Black-bellies and could have burned through tons of shots.



However, we had more water to explore. It seems that this species will be here for some time to come. So I will end Part 3 here and finish up the tour with a few more birds and other nature next.

Cruising the Viera Wetlands, Part 2

Part 2 of this Viera Wetlands trip will focus on herons and the like as there were plenty around.

First up was a nice close view of a Great-blue Heron watching closely for its next meal.



Around the bend we found a great concentration of birds in one spot. Many herons, woodpeckers, and Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (which will get their own entry in Part 3) but I loved this view of a Great Egret in the trees high above the rest of the group.



The reduced size for the blog doesn't do it justice but there was another along the way that allowed a much closer opportunity.



Beneath the first Great Egret I heard a familiar sound. A Red-bellied Woodpecker was moving up and down the palm trunk.



Ugly to some, beautiful to me. Wood Storks always grab my attention where ever I find them.



Often overlooked, the Tri-colored Herons were abundant in several areas of the wetlands.



Just when I thought we would strike out on the resident Limpkins we found one quietly moving through the reeds.



End Part 2. Next up, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks!

Cruising the Viera Wetlands, Part 1

For the first time in a long time I headed out for an actual birding day. We had hoped to view the shuttle launch before dawn but it was scrubbed for a second time due to a hydrogen leak.

Oh, well. Off to find some birds at Viera Wetlands. There are a lot of photos to share so I think I will split this up into several installments.

Met up with a long-time friend, Cindy Nowlin, who was kind enough to let me borrow her IS lens for a couple of spins around the cells. Maybe it was more of a sales pitch because after using it compared to my normal lens (which I bought from her years ago), man...

Mosquitoes were fierce today, but not far into the drive there was a great chance to view the first Least Bittern of the morning.



Nearby, a White Ibis in full breeding colors kept a close watch on our cars cruising by.



Some bird chicks were still in evidence and were well represented by Common Moorhens pecking at the vegetation as they headed toward their parents.



Perhaps to stay far enough away from the jaws of predators like this alligator.



Thus ends Part 1. Tomorrow, I will show off the herons.