Lake Birds

A rather quiet trip around the lakes today but I did get some species of interest. Out on Lake Davis, a small flock of Lesser Scaup rested out in the center of the water. Wintering duck numbers have been rather low this year.



A lone male Mute Swan drifted close to the shore.



Another lone male. This time a Ring-necked Duck.



A single Ring-billed Gull rested as well. Everything seems so sleepy this morning.



Even this male Wood Duck next to Lake Cherokee. Just kind of sleep walking around on the grass.



Perhaps they will be more active next time I visit.

American White Pelican Frenzy

My Saturday jaunt around the lakes turned out to be much more eventful than I had ever dreamed. I am used to seeing a few white dots far out on the lake as the Mute Swans are typically around, but as I came up to Lake Cherokee I could see an entire flock of white dots at the far North end. I diverted from my planned route and got to the opposite side of the lake where I discovered a huge flock of American White Pelicans!



The Pelicans were in there tight formation moving toward the reeds to trap prey to feast upon.



Once that supply was exhausted they floated away from the shore for a bit. A woman from the neighborhood had also noticed the activity and came out with a point and shoot and asked me about what they were and we chatted for a while. Then I headed closer to the lake to get shots of other species that had gathered to join in.



Beside the inlet pipe, a Snowy Egret waited for leftovers.



Nearby, a Wood Stork stood stoically with a feather stuck to its bill.



The American White Pelican suddenly changed direction and headed back toward my spot. I count just over 100 in this shot but I never got a full field view with the zoom lens.



Wading into the reads, a Great Egret watched for a chance to snatch a meal.



The Pelicans went from calm to frenzied as they rounded up the next school of fish.



The Mute Swan pair are usually kind of the bullies around the lakes but they knew to back off from this mob.



A Double-crested Cormorant soon surfaced from under the rush having grabbed a bite for itself.



Seeing the commotion around the corner, another American White Pelican flew in to join in on the feeding.



I started to scan the skies and more Pelicans were still coming in from distant locations.



One after another flew in and I could still see spots up in the air coming in from far away. The biggest flock we had last year was 16 that moved all around the city. This was group approaching 200!



Appearing sated for the moment, I decided to head to my other planned destinations but I couldn't resist one more shot back toward Orlando proper.



I circled Lake Davis and found it a bit more calm but still full of interesting birds. The usually fiesty Swan Geese were chilling under the shade.



A wary female Wood Duck decided I was safe enough to swim past toward the geese.



Convinced I was OK, too, the male Wood Duck soon followed. On another local lake there is a pair with several ducklings. So glad we have breeding Wood Ducks in the neighborhood. One of those birds I wanted to see as a kid and never thought I could almost trip over them in Orlando.



Tree Swallows were out feeding and, as usual, they are a challenge to photograph as they move so fast and bank and turn in a millisecond.



This is the only other shot of 40 that came out OK.



While I was shooting the swallows a male Blue-winged Teal floated by to head over to the shade.



Near the center of the lake, a few Bonaparte's Gulls loafed on the surface. Very few of the more typical Ring-billed Gulls. Nice to have these hanging around for a while.



Moving away to the other lakes I had a nice soaring Red-shouldered Hawk over Lake Emerald.



Behind Lake Weldona in the neighborhood was a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk perched on the corner.



I headed home and rounded Lake Cherokee again and found the American White Pelican flock feeding again.



I was ready to get back but got one more shot of the hungry birds still gorging. A nice mix of adults but mostly juveniles. FYI, the adults are the ones with the rounded bump on their bills.



A productive morning. Let's see how long these birds stick around this year.

Search for Ducks

I took a little drive around the lakes today to see what I could find. Most of the Winter ducks have headed back North so I wasn't expecting too much but I was surprised to find a few remaining ducks in the neighborhood. The first was a Ring-necked Duck all alone on the back side of Lake Lancaster.



Over on Lake Emerald, a couple of resident Wood Ducks were relaxing near the storm drain. The female was down in the weeds, nibbling away.



The male Wood Duck was standing guard above.



This is Tabebuia time. The showy trees are in full bloom. The brilliant flowers only last a few days before dropping to carpet the ground below.



Out on Lake Terrace, a small flock of Lesser Scaup still lingered near the fountain.



Still checking for any signs of Bald Eagle chicks at the cemetery but I only found one adult high in a pine.



This is probably the last time I will see any migrant ducks for the season. Have to wait for their return in the Fall.

Mead Garden Wood Duck

I needed to get out at least one day the the Great Backyard Bird Count so I headed over to Mead Botanical Garden and counted what I could. I was really pretty quiet. So much so that I only took a few pictures and most of them were of this drake Wood Duck that flew into the pond as I was walking toward it. There were a few other Wood Ducks along the creek but I guess he just wanted some alone time.



That was just fine by me. I love Wood Ducks. Typically they are very skittish and swim away even if you are just driving close in a car. This guy just took his time drifting toward and across from me as I took photo after photo.



Maybe I was taking too many photos because I got the "Really?" stare as he drew up along the weeds. Yes, really, Mr. Wood Duck. One of those things I do.



I think he would stayed there for some even closer shots but out of the back of the pond a flock Mallards began to swim towards him and he decided to not mess with them so he bid me adieu.



Little minutes like that make up for the lack of other birds. Any day.

Saturday Morning Wood Ducks

I awoke with my sinuses threatening to spoil the morning so I headed our for a drive around the local lakes and some fresh air. There was not a lot of bird action but on the way back home I spotted a pair of Wood Ducks at Lake Emerald. The Sun was just about in the right position to stop and try for a photo or two.



The female Wood Duck was on top of one of the nest boxes at the water's edge.



Several times, she would peer inside the box opening and then right herself again. Made me start wondering if they are looking for a nest, which would seem kind of odd for this time of year. However, I see new Muscovy ducklings on another lake so maybe in these warm climates they nest most of the year.



The entire time the female was exploring the box, the male Wood Duck kept watch from below on the water. Sunlight highlighted the colors on one of my favorite birds.



Better yet, my sinuses had cleared. On with the day!

Visiting the Baby Barred Owls

Finally got a chance to go check on the baby Barred Owls that were born next to my backyard at their reported new location down the street at the Greenwood Wetlands. It did not take long for me to find them across the bridge in the Cypress trees.



The first baby Barred Owl I found was looking at me for a couple of seconds but was much more interested in the Red-winged Blackbird flying back and forth across the creek.



I began looking for the other owl when a Great Blue Heron tried to sneak around behind me to go to a new fishing spot.



The other baby was a few tree to the West just relaxing.



Now that I made another contact with my kids, I headed closer to the lake to see what else was around. A Common Gallinule glided out into the open but was not too sure what to make of my presence.



Off to my left, I could see a small flock of Wood Ducks hunkered down among the Cypress knees. How can you ever resist a shot of male Wood Ducks when you get a chance?



Suddenly, an Anhinga bobbed up from the water during its search for breakfast.



I knew there was a family of Limpkin with chicks in the area but I never found the brood. Eventually, I did find one of the adults in the reeds near the willows.



Heading home, I was surprised to see a Raccoon scurrying around the stream below the owls. At least they are not around our house as much as they used to be.



I will have to go back again to try for the Limpkins when I can and there may be even more sights to see. Just need the time.