Lots of Locals

Stopped by Mead Garden. Again. Still hoping for a lot of bird activity. I actually got! However, they were all local birds.

One of the rules to birding: Follow the sound of the Tufted Titmice. Many other birds tend to hang with them, probably for safety reasons. Titmice are good at spotting danger. One of the reliable species that is in those feeding flocks this time of year is the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.



Some folks I know don't like Blue-gray Gnatcatchers simply because they are not the warblers they seek. I think they are a lot of fun to watch and hear.



The Tufted Titmice I mentioned were here in the Southern Elderberry behind the pump house but it seems like they are taking a break. Time to preen.



I just missed the shot of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird that flew in for a quick moment. Up in the dead snag on the edge of the vegetation, a Red-bellied Woodpecker explored for food.



I didn't find anything the the 'Waterthrush Zone' but I spotted a dove slipping quietly into the shrubs behind the bird feeders. Hmmmm. The wings didn't whistle like a Mourning Dove... I waited quietly and soon a White-winged Dove emerged to land on the feeder and size me up. Can't recall seeing them here before.



I will take a morning full of local birds rather than no birds at all.

Walking Baldwin Park

I keep trying to remember to get over to Baldwin Park. It was this time last year that I found young birds all around the neighborhood. It seems that nesting might have started later this year. Or earlier. Whatever. I found no babies today. I did find some interesting adult birds, though.

A pair of Northern Mockingbirds were making weird movements above the shrubs. They would hop up and down and then do their foraging wing postures giving them a "bring it on!" pose.



The main attraction for me was trying to find any Purple Martins. It took a while but one of the feeding adults came into view, twittering away. One of those fast moving subjects that take many tries to get a shot of in flight.



For the first time ever, for me, one of the Purple Martins landed on top of a pine tree. I have shots of them flying and on Martin houses but until now I had none in a more natural setting. This bird preened up there for 20 minutes and let me walk pretty close to the tree.



Closer to the pond on my right, a female Red-winged Blackbird popped up and was making sure I was not a threat and kindly posed on a Canna.



I had seen Mourning and Eurasian Collared-Doves in may spots around the neighborhood but on the tree behind the Martin was a larger dove. A White-winged Dove was walking back and forth along the branches but did not fly off like they normally do. I bet there is a nest nearby but I didn't want to stress the bird if that was the case so I got my shot and moved away to wait for Martins at the house.



10 minutes later a pair of Purple Martins circled and then both came down to the shaded side of the house. They have one compartment for themselves but I could not see any babies in any of the apartments.



I had seen the male that was on the pine tree come down and land of the sunny side so after the pair flew off to feed I made my way around the shrubs to view the bird in better light. he was sitting in the sunshine but had emerged from an apartment he has picked out.



He must have been sleepy. He yawned several times.



He would then survey the area in all directions and I left him still sitting there and headed home.



I will have to check back a little later to see if any new young are around. Maybe on Memorial Day.

Backyard Birding

I have been missing the BirdCam since it was beat up a bunch in the Spring. I blame the owls. It kept being knocked over so I just gave up. I decided to be the cam myself. Birds were feeding in numbers so I sat on the back steps and waited.

The Gray Squirrel leaning back against the tree trunk just snacked on a peanut and ignored me.



I was mainly trying to get shots of the Red-bellied Woodpeckers that have been busy feeding hungry youngsters. So much so that they are hitting every feeder at will and even chasing off the doves to get what they want.



It is often difficult to see the 'red-belly' unless they are hanging with that belly exposed. Both the male and the female seem to focus on peanuts or the fruit bits that only Gray Catbirds seem to also enjoy. Of course, the Catbirds have been gone for months.



Blue Jays also are busy with their kids. But the young Jays are big enough now to feed themselves.



The entire family swarms around the feeders once I get shelled peanuts placed out there. Otherwise, they will grab a few sunflower seeds or forage elsewhere.



They will also pick out the shelled nuts from the tray feeder or pry them from the peanut cage-like feeder.



At the back of the yard, one of the many juvenile Cardinals take a sip from the bird bath. We currently have a 2nd Cardinal brood in the yard which fly around with their earlier fledged siblings.



The next day I peered out the backdoor window to see a White-winged Dove waiting to sneak in for a bite.



Just a normal Summer day around the feeders.

Baby Doves

One of my added stops on my lake rounds is a little church near the retention pond where I have had good luck with birds this year. On one stop early in the year I noticed a pretty good sized flock of White-winged Doves. I usually have a couple in my year during breeding season but this flock was interesting. So, I keep a look out for them when I can.

I drove into the parking lot today and noticed a lot of doves flying over to the fence along the smaller retention pond. I had limited time so I just took a bunch of shots of the birds before moving on. Here, an adult White-winged basks in the sunlight.



As I was going through the shots I noticed something I didn't out in the field. There was a baby in the mix!



And another, and another...I was too busy squinting against the sunlight to really take it in before. This flock is definitely breeding over here. Sweet!



Better still, I also got shots of more babies. These Mourning Doves were mixed in with the White-wings.



Young doves have feathers that are much more scaly looking and smooth out as they grow older.



More species to add to the confirmed breeding section of the Bird Breeding Atlas!

Work Birds

Winds that were gusting over 20 mph yesterday dropped off overnight. Should be a little better for birds than my walk yesterday. Just outside the office front door was a singing Northern Mockingbird sitting on the peak of the roof. I will get back to this bird in a few minutes.



I headed across the street and through the parking lot and found a White-winged Dove up on the wires. Their numbers are increasing all over the area. I have been finding flocks of them closer to home.



As I mentioned, the winds were down. Less wind means more bugs. More bugs means...yep...more birds. At least the bug catching kind. One of those was in the field and grabbing insects and perching on wires. A Great-Crested Flycatcher was flying back and forth. It took me a few minutes but eventually this bird let me approach quite closely. So close that I managed one of my favorite Great-Crested Flycatcher shots ever. Despite the man made objects in the picture.



It gave me the once-over more than once but it was more concerned with locating its next snack. Body language helps, too. Birds dig me.



Behind me, a Northern Cardinal perches in between insect searching for its begging brood.



Once I got into the woods, things got a bit more quiet. There was a very loud White-eyed Vireo flying around but it would never give me a clear view. They typically stay in the center of the foliage so you hear them a lot more than actually seeing them. There were also a few Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and a Brown Thrasher calling and one very bright Pine Warbler that was at the tops of the pine trees (of course).

Back to work and more on the Mockingbird I started things with. Let's try this. Here is a map of the office and locations where the birds from this post were seen. The White dot (bottom-left) is where I took the White-winged Dove shot. The Yellow dot was the Great-crested Flycatcher. The Red dot was the Cardinal. The Green line is the trail I have made through the woods. The Orange dot is my desk. The Blue dot is where the Mockingbird sings everyday.



So, this Mockingbird showed up over a month ago. Looking over my computer I can see a small oak tree. The center of the tree has a branch sticking straight up without leaves. The bird has been singing from various spots around the building but mostly right in front of me. Mockingbirds are our state bird. I see them everyday. I decided to try for a shot since it had been taunting so long. I stepped outside and took some photos. I am happy I did.



I have another version with the bird in full-throat but I will make that into a wall hanging at some point. My next task is to try and capture its behavior of late. It sings and sings and then jumps into the air, flapping, and then settles back onto the branch. It did so twice while I took my series of shots but I only got this one.



Really pleased with the shots today. Extra sharp and extra close. I will head back out first thing in the morning!

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.