Lust Road

I had to head over to Apopka to check on banding a Cooper's Hawk before it was going to be released after rehab. I didn't take any photos there but then I decided to stop over at Lust Road to see if I could find a rare bird being reported over there. A Western Tanager. A few birders were already there and reported seeing the bird a few minutes before. Just missed it.

Since I have now struck out on 3 Life birds of late, I wandered up and down the road looking for anything else to photograph. We could hear sparrows all around but most birds were staying low. Finally, a juvenile White-crowned Sparrow popped up onto the fence.



One of the other birders screamed out that there was an Ash-throated Flycatcher 100 yards from me. By the time I got there it had flown of. Now 4 Life Bird misses. All I got was a Northern Mockingbird on that walk back.



Back down by the gate I could see a Bald Eagle resting on one of the telephone poles.



The one good surprise was a pretty early male Prairie Warbler that flew in for a few seconds and then departed. A nice splash of yellow against a cold morning blue sky.



We hoped the Tanager would return but it was not to be. Other birds flew by and eventually Red-tailed Hawks took to the sky. The first in view was a darker morph adult.



It was soon joined by another individual.



This one is a very light morph variety. They decided to ride the increasing thermals instead of gracing us with closer views.



Time to head home. Over at Lake Weldona, a Great Blue Heron was wading in to search for prey.



Then a surprise at Lake Cherokee. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a large bird. By the time I rounded the corner I could see that it was a Brown Pelican but it decided to fly off before I could get a good shot. We don't get a lot of Brown Pelicans in the neighborhood but they occasionally can be found in Orlando lakes in the Winter.



Last stop before the house is almost always the cemetery. Bald Eagles were nowhere in sight but I did find the Coyote again.



Turned out to be an interesting Saturday spin but I really would have liked to get those other Lifers on my Lust Road stop. Maybe next time.

Bainbridge Island Family Reunion

We headed to Bainbridge for our family reunion. I decided to get my birding fix in early so, after making greetings with everyone, I headed out for a quick walk around the area to see what was going on. I missed a chance to get a shot of the Glaucous-winged Gull dropping shells to open them but the bird did settle in for a rest of the beach.



A flock of European Starlings were flying around and one finally settled onto a wire near the house.



One of my favorite birds from our visit 5 years ago was a White-crowned Sparrow along the road. I headed back to where I spotted it then and, sure enough, several were still hanging around the grasses and feeding on the seeds. One of my favorite shots of the day, besides the kids and scenery, of course.



We all posed for a family photo for several cameras. So many kids! Nice to be all together.



We celebrated for a while, cooked and cracked crabs, and had a great time before heading out.

The next morning, we hurried to the airport for the flight home. Always amazing to see Mount Rainier during our drives. This is from the airport terminal as we waited for the plane.



As we wing our way from Seattle, we get one last look at the Mt. St. Helen's and other mountains and say goodbye to the west coast and settle in for the 6 hour trip back to Orlando.



It was July 4th and we wondered if we would be able to see any fireworks from our great height. We could! In several places, though we could not place exactly where we were at the time. We got home after midnight and were warmly welcomed by Oscar, our cat, moved the suitcases out of the way and went to bed. Good to be home.

Great trip. Many excellent memories. Now, time to catch up on past bird photos and prepare for the Jay Watch planned for next Saturday.

A New Year of Birding Begins

What is one to do when just informed that his company is folding just before the end of the year? Go birding, of course!

So, I headed over to the general Apopka area to see what I could see and clear my head on the first day of the year. Never did find the recently reported Ash-throated Flycatcher but I did find plenty of birds to keep me busy and bring a smile here and there.

First stop, Lust Road. This is a favorite spot for birders which may cease to be in the near future. Highways are being built all around and are basically eliminating the "Kingbird Roost" already. For now, there are still a number of birds to be found along this edge of Lake Apopka.

You can almost always find a Painted Bunting trying to avoid detection near the gate along the ditch.



White-crowned Sparrows are found year-round along the southern edge of the fence at Lust Road. You can see them darting here and there and when you do get a chance to photograph them they are usually sitting on the fence in the shrubs.



Nothing else of notice here so I headed over to the Ranch Road area in Astatula on the northern edge of the lake. I want to see if the Say's Phoebe was still hanging out. It took a while to find anything interesting there but I was happy to see several Bluebirds out in the distance. Finally, though, I did notice a spec out on a far-away fence. It was the Say's.

It hardly ever gets close to the road so the best I could do was get a couple shots as it swooped for insects before settling on the fence again.



One of the tell-tale ID marks for the Say's is the black tail feathers. They show up nicely here.



OK, that bird checked off and time to see if anything was along Ranch Road and Clay Island. On the way to Clay Island I noticed that a parcel next to the Scrub Jay habitat is being developed. Not good. I don't see the Jays in their usual hang out. Just before the parking area I do find a large flock of Black Vultures arguing over a dead animal.

Pretty in their own way.



I didn't walk too far at Clay Island but did have a long encounter with an Osprey trying to find a spot to eat a small fish. My favorite shot of this bird in flight.



Later, it decided to land on the telephone poles and offered a few more great views.



Just after the Osprey settled in for a snack, a Turkey Vulture glided by.



On the way back out of the Clay Island area, I heard a lot of bird noise near the parking lot. Titmice, doves, and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers fed along the tree line but I was more interested in the Golden-silk Spider inspecting its web.



I headed back toward home and stopped in the Scrub Jay area for a final look. Fortunately, the family popped up to say 'hi' for a few minutes. Still safe for now.



I still say that these birds should be the Florida state bird. Gorgeous.



On the way to the house I swung past my former work place to say hello to any Hooded Mergansers that winter there. I found one drake who almost made me forget that I won't be seeing them anytime I want anymore.




Home at last, and what better way to end a New Year's Day than have a visit from our Flying Squirrels right after dark.



Now to get on with the task of finding new work. A new year might just offer a new direction.