Birding in Largo

We went over to see my sister and niece before they left the state for a new life in Virginia. We had a nice pizza dinner and talked awhile before retiring for the night. The next morning I got to head out for a little birding before we returned to Orlando. My Dad and I went looking for Towhees at Walsingham Park but only heard them so no photos like I was hoping for.

Following the call of an Eastern Phoebe we instead ended up under some oaks with a mall feeding flock of warblers. The branches made for difficult IDs but finally a bright Prothonotary Warbler was in view.



Next we headed over to Walsingham Botanical Garden as Dad was searching for some ideas for plants to get that attract pollinators.



The entire collection of Milkweed was being consumed by voracious Monarch caterpillars.



In another part of the gardens we found some adults scattered about flowering trees and shrubs.



I remembered that we were not far from Largo Nature Preserve so we drove over and took a walk through the nature trail that goes through a small forest of oaks and other plants like native Wild Coffee. In a short time we were surrounded by birds. I have never seen so many White-eyed Vireos in a single day ever.



More Prothonotary Warblers were high in the trees. Previously, I had only seen 3 Prothonotary Warblers in my life. Today we found 4.



While we were craning our necks to ID warblers a Gray Catbird popped up directly across the boardwalk railing and then flew off just as quickly.



A Pine Warbler grabbed a caterpillar along one of the branches and thrashed it about before stopping to feast.



Suddenly, a wave of birds came in near to the ground. By the time they were close enough we could see that they were Hooded Warblers. They were moving so fast it was difficult to get a shot. This female paused on the log for a couple of seconds before heading deeper into the underbrush.



We rushed along the boardwalk in hopes of intercepting them but they stayed just ahead of us and did not make for a sharp image. this male only stopped to enjoy the Crane Fly it snagged.



He gave me a few seconds more of that pose and then was gone into the shadows.



If it weren't for a trip home to make we would have stayed even longer but it was time to move on. As we got to the end of the boardwalk we saw that an Osprey was flushed away from its perch by another visitor. The bird had a large fish in tow and landed on the nest platform ahead of us before flying of again.

Down along the path, pair of Mourning Doves watched us anxiously but didn't fly off.



Just as we were about to head to the car I spotted the Osprey making a return. It still had the fish as I saw it dive behind the trees. It seemed like it found a private spot to continue lunch so I quickly hurried over to see if it was in view. Yes!



I got to spend several minutes getting shots as the Osprey fed upon the large bass it had gotten form the pond below. Even with the harsh backlighting (and no flash) I was able to get some nice action photos.



One more species was back near the doves on my way out. A Double-crested Cormorant sat quietly even when I walked pretty close. Smile, Blue-eyes!



The boardwalk through the woods was not yet built the last time I was here when the Nature Preserve was first opened years ago. Now I know where to come for migration the next time I am in town.

Walsingham Park in the Rain

Heavy rains were forecast for the day but they weren't too bad so I headed over to Walsingham Park to see if anything was on the water. There was not of birding activity as I drove in but after I parked and walked to the playground I could see a lot of birds in feeding flocks streaming across the pines and oaks. Most were Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers so I decided to not chase them too hard in poor light and with sprinkles moving in.

I scanned the main lake and found a male Anhinga trying to dry out on a Wax Myrtle branch in the wind.



Behind me, in a pine tree, a Palm Warbler was busy grabbing bugs when it could.



I continued to check the edge of the lake when a sudden rush of Yellow-rumped Warblers moved through. I took up a spot under a palm tree and waited for a photo op to arrive. Again, the lighting was poor but seeing so many birds feeding in the trees made it fun to watch. Most were females like this one.



Every now and then a male would swing by to feed before moving along. Note how he is transitioning to his Spring colors already.



Another female Yellow-rumped Warbler inspects the Wax Myrtles, a favorite tree for them which also gave them their initial name.



Moving on, I was hearing Gray Catbirds but they were being too shy for a photo. Soon, I began to hear another sound I was trying to ID. I knew it from the past but it had been a while. Then it hit me. Eastern Towhee! I tracked the sound and in a couple seconds, a female emerged from the scrub.



I spotted the male hiding in the back but had to wait a bit more for him to come out into the open.



Eastern Towhees are primarily ground feeders and you sometimes only know they are there by hearing them scratching on the soil to find seeds and such. I stayed stationary for a couple more minutes and they began to forage right in front of me along the roadside.



We used to catch Eastern Towhees at my old banding site and I really miss this species. They bite like crazy but they are amazing to watch and to hear. Did you know they are actually sparrows?



I moved down to the next parking lot to see if I could find anything else hiding on the lakes before heading out but only saw some gulls and Red-winged Blackbirds before a Northern Mockingbird jumped up onto the top of a dead snag.



Then I heard another bird calling. A bit different from before but it turned out to be another male Eastern Towhee on territory. It continued to call as I got into position for a new shot.



One last picture of the Towhee before heading back to base.



Finally, the only other birds near the reeds were a couple of Common Yellowthroats and a few American Coots.



While I did not find any ducks as I had hoped, it was a nice quick stop near my folks house. The rain is lighter than predicted. Should I make another run at a Life Bird before going home to Orlando? Hmmmm...