Another Trip to Mead While I Can

I had another chance to run out to Mead Botanical Gardens today for a brief stroll. I was wondering if there would be more opportunities to get some shots of the Myrtle Warblers again but also to find out what else was around. On the way in I found a Great Blue Heron as I did last week and a couple of House Finches flying through as the Sun rose. Still nothing super exciting.

On the remaining part of the boardwalk that the public can access I found a small change of color in the park. Some of the marsh is populated with Maple trees. This small specimen was showing its red leaves in the old lake bed.



Last week I circled the old boardwalk from the North end. Today I thought I would try from the South. I could see some warblers moving about but the first bird that came close to me was a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.



The flowering plants are still putting on a show and the Honey bees are visiting the Duck Potato flowers throughout the area, loaded with pollen on their legs.



Approaching the snags, a Red-bellied Woodpecker flew in to inspect a crevice for an early breakfast.



I finally found the Myrtle Warbler flock just beyond most of the Wax Myrtles and they were sticking to the shadows for most of the time. Eventually, one bird perched in the light for 20 seconds and then quickly followed the other members of the flock back into hiding.



I love Climbing Purple Astor. In some spots it grows to over 6 feet tall but here it stays close to the surface and was blooming with gusto. Many insects were feeding on the nectar like this White Peacock butterfly.



Close by, another Honey bee takes its turn on a flower.



I was almost off of this stretch of the old boards and was wondering why I hadn't spotted a Swamp Sparrow in the past couple of weeks. They are usually reliable on this last bend. Then, one jumped up in front of me and I got a poor shot before it zoomed back into hiding in the vegetation.



I began to head back toward the car and cut around the Education Center. Just as got to the back of the original amphitheatre a pair of women were passing by and I heard one say, "Oh, look. A snake!". It took me a few seconds before I saw the Black Racer tucked down in the leaves beneath the Azaleas.



Crossing the wooden bridge by the pond can sometimes lead to an interesting discovery. Today, a White Ibis was feeding in the water just below the rails which made for an interesting shot in close-up. Who can resist those cool blue eyes?



I turned to my right on the bridge and spotted a female Anhinga up on the old snag, a leftover from the 2004 hurricanes.



Then a couple of interesting things occurred as I was on the last walk out of Mead. When I got to the cement bridge that divides the ponds from the creek, I spotted some ripples in the water. Large ripples. Undulating ripples. From past experience I knew it had to be Otters.

Otters can be found throughout Orlando if you are paying attention. They use all of the creeks, culverts and drainage systems to travel from lake to lake. They could be along a river or creek shore just as well while moving through to the next large body of water. My first shot of an otter was just ahead along the creek that I got many years ago. I could tell they were heading in that direction so I jogged up ahead of them to be in place for some photos.

A couple of minutes later and I could see the ripples moving toward me and I froze with my camera in position. Soon, they emerged from this deep section of water and scanned for danger.



One of the family of four took the lead and went to the shore opposite side and did its own scan of the surroundings.



Since I wasn't moving, except to click off a couple shots, they relaxed a bit and began to hunt in the bend of the creek and every now and then breach the surface chomping on some tasty treat.



They still wanted to head up the creek but they were sure something was different. Even though I was barely breathing they could sense something was watching.



Another otter dove down and grabbed a larger bite of something and crunched loudly in front of me.



Eventually they braved the shallow spot just in front of me and went southward toward the next lake. It was am awesome 10 minutes in the company of these remarkable mammals.



Since I had come in through the woody edge to the creek I decide to go back out that way. Maybe I could reach the otters again before the went under the fence just below the lake. I took a slight turn to the right and was about to jump over some roots when something caught my eye just ahead of me.



Once my eyes focused on where I was going to jump to it became clear this was not the way to go. A large bank of grey was wedged in the roots in front of me. Spend enough time in the woods and you should know what this is. A massive Yellow Jacket hive! The biggest above ground one I have seen in person. A couple more misplaced steps and I would have been in a world of hurt.



I was once swarmed at our bird banding site and also while doing nest box checks in the woods around Zellwood but both of those Yellow Jacket nest were fairly small and only had one small ground entrance. This thing was loaded with entrances and buzzing hornets.

Since I am the only lunatic to venture into that part of the grounds I figured I didn't have to alert the media. Not long ago a father and son had their dog stir up a nest and the humans ended up in the hospital for a week from all the stings that they received. Fortunately I saw them first. I just want to look for birds in peace.

Checking the Banding Site

I decided to take a walk through the banding site today to make sure it was in good enough shape for the grand re-opening tomorrow. Yep. Looks good. Not a lot of birds around right now but still a couple to catch my attention.

I was hoping the flock of Titmice and Chickadees would come out for a picture but they stayed in the trees across the river. I had to settle with the company of a Great-crested Flycatcher. I wanted a more direct angle but I guess this one is not too bad.



A Pileated Woodpecker flew in to join the party, searching along the branches before flying off into the park.



Of course, there are always plenty of butterflies around. I have a lot of photos of White Peacocks but how can you resist their excellent color scheme for just one more?



In the morning, dark in the morning, we begin our 5th Session of banding at Lake Lotus. I will put links to those findings when they are warranted. Hoping for a great year.

St. Pete CBC, 2011

Ready for the tale? CBC stories last a while. Kick back.

I had the pleasure of joining long-time friends and birding activists Don and Lorraine Margeson for their crew on this latest St. Pete Christmas Bird Count (CBC). I have been helping out for years in other areas but it was nice to hang out with them and see some new territory in the county. We did very well with species and numbers counts. The weather was perfect! The past two years were rather cold and miserable so it was excellent to dress for the warm weather and go bird counting.

Don and I did some pre-dawn birding in the neighborhood and scored 5 Screech Owls and other local birds in the dark. Later, we gathered as the Sun rose and began to grab the birds we knew were around before sweeping the general area. The main bird we needed to add was the Lark Sparrow that Don first found last year. It returned this year and it was a Life Bird for a couple of us.



I caught a few shots with my ailing lens in the harsh morning light, but at least they were good enough for ID shots.



I have had a Lark Sparrow before on the East coast of Florida but it hid until I drove away so I heard it and saw it from my rear view window then. Now I had it right in front of me. Next year I should be better armed.



Don and I went through the water treatment plant right before dawn and recorded more birds along the way before heading back to his house to gather forces with Lorraine and Marianne before heading out into the light of day. From their house we tallied a lot of birds flying out into the area as the sun rose.

Our next stop as a group was back at the treatment plant to try and flush birds from the grasses and to listen for others passing overhead. here, Don and Danny Sauvageau watch the edge of the marsh for sparrows. Danny pegged some incoming Green-winged Teals soon afterwards.



I beat the bushes as the rest of the crew stayed up top and after I spooked an otter in the reeds, I got a shot of one of the seen Marsh Wrens around the pond.



In small waves, Black-hooded Parakeets would sail overhead. There have been reports of flocks over 500 in number in the area lately. Can't imagine the noise.



Taking more time to get a fix on the birds we were searching for, Lorraine and Marianne help track down our Grasshopper Sparrow for the day.



We recorded many more species along the way but this moment was interesting. An Anhinga with a fish impaled on its bill was moving along a retention pond. Not only does it seem that the bird can't really get the fish down its throat but what you don't see is the Great-blue Heron and Great Egret stalking the Anhinga to steal the fish. It was fun to watch.



Next, back to the house for lunch and a look around. We found a Hermit Thrush, American Redstart and other birds along the way. Plus, White Peacock butterflies were everywhere.



On the way to pick up lunch, we stopped by a housing development. On the way in we spotted a bunch of water-loving birds but didn't stop to photograph them. Fortunately. most of the same species were right a around the corner, including a remarkable flock of nearly 300 Lesser Scaup.



One of the birds near the entrance and now here was a White Pelican.



One of the fun parts of CBCs is grabbing all the little unseen ponds along the way. At one such stop we found gulls, Ring-necked Ducks, and a few Pied-billed Grebes.



Our final territory for the day was the golf course. We tallied up even more species while waiting for carts and then headed out around the course as our day was rapidly coming to a close. Fortunately, we racked up some more good birds for the count. In the weedy areas were Song Sparrows and Prairies Warblers.



One of our 9 Loggerhead Shrikes posed long enough for a nice photo.



As you try to get every bird counted by the end of the day, even a Northern Mockingbird counts as a nice find.



As does another Anhinga around the course.



We still managed to grab a few more species out on the golf course, including House Finch and this nearly hidden White-winged Dove. Every species counts!



We ended up shy of the past few years counts but the weather was way different all across the country. Results will still be pouring in from other sites and soon we will get an overall view of bird patterns in North America. Can't wait for the results. Can't wait for next year, either.