2016 St. Pete CBC, Part 1

That time of year again! Time to head to St. Pete to count as many birds as we can in our selected count circle for the Christmas Bird Count. This year I was assigned to Area #5 in the very urban St. Pete area near Tropicana Field. Being so city like, we didn't get some species I would have expected nearly anywhere else (no Carolina Wren?) but we managed to get some nice birds along the way.

We began at Crescent Lake before dawn searching for owls in the neighborhoods. No luck. Right at dawn we returned to the lake park and started counting every thing we could see. Besides the huge number of Muscovy and Domestic duck all over the Northern side, we had a Wood Stork on a tree as the Sun rose just behind the treetops.



Nearby, a few Green Herons lurked in the shadows.



As we tried to ID a warbler in the underbrush we flushed a Black-crowned Night Heron that flew out to rest next to the stork.



There were other species added to the list but this little Gray Squirrel insisted on getting its photo taken. Fine...



Small flock of wintering duck were scattered around but we decided to come back later when the light was better for some photos. They will appear in the next post. For now, we headed to Coffee Pot Bayou to the roosting spot of Brown Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants. There were a lot but I enjoyed having a couple right next to the road for some good shots.



We also spotted a Roseate Spoonbill trying to hide in the mangrove roost and numerous Anhinga.



Next, we headed to the beach as the tide was low and we hoped to get some good shorebirds to add to the list. Killian took up a spot on the end of a jetty to record bird numbers as Jim called them out while peering through his scope.



Many birds, like this Dunlin, were close enough to not need a scope.



There were a lot of Least Sandpipers in the close flock. I can't recall having so many shorebirds stay so close to me. They usually scatter upon approach. I guess this area is so full of visitors that the birds take little notice.



If something else would startle the flock they would quickly return right next to us.



There was a nice gathering of birds loafing farther down the beach so we headed in that direction. Along the way, a Eurasian Collared-Dove strolled the beach as a Loggerhead Shrike sat atop a light pole.



Our main target was counting the 65 American White Pelican jammed at the edge of the sand spit. There were also scores of terns and Black Skimmers behind them.



A Reddish Egret soon flew in and began its dancing through the shallow water in search of a meal.



We also spotted a single Herring Gull resting with a few Laughing Gulls and some Royal Terns.



We were hearing Monk Parakeets near the parking lot and Killian found them on our second trip out here. They were in a tree right over a few folks getting in some training. Not a care in the world.



Most of the Monk Parakeets were by themselves but I liked this cute pair getting their feathers blown about in the breeze.



Then they would snuggle and preen one another.



But, we needed to head to our next stop which was a small park by a boat slip. Not too much around but a Northern Mockingbird, some Mytle Warblers, and few White Ibis.



Finishing up our first areas so quickly, we decided to head to the golf course a little early. We were told to return later, however, as a lot of golfers were still arriving and they thought it would be better for us to return in the afternoon. OK. Time for lunch and then back to look for a Sapsucker and other birds at the lake.

We thought the golf course might not hold that many birds, though, so we weren't totally enthused about it anyway. Boy, would we be in for a surprise. All that in the next post!

Space X Launch

Finally a launch set near dark. Always more interesting. This evening was the latest night launch of Space X.



Best part of a launch near sunset is the interesting lighting that makes the vapor trail glow in orange.



This close up shows the separation of the booster from the payload portion of the rocket. They successfully landed the booster rocket back at the coast, too!



A little scale shot as a plane crossed my field of vision with the rocket in the background.



The juvenile Wood Stork a few feet away from me could not care less about me or the launch.



Rushing back to watch the booster landing.

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.

Wood Stork

Not much time to bird besides my weekly banding jaunts. So, here is a Wood Stork near the house before dark.



Yep. Just a Wood Stork. I still flash back to trips heading home to our house in the Keys and Dad saying how rare it was to see them back in the 70's. Their numbers were so low that they were teetering on the brink. Now they have rebounded nicely and can be found all over Central Florida and elsewhere. Love them.

Back Walking Mead Garden

With migration picking up I had to head back out to Mead Botanical Garden at least for a little while. Once I stepped out of the car I noticed a bird very high in the trees and tried to track it. It suddenly took oft the south but landed on an exposed branch. It wasn't until then that I realized it was a Scarlet Tanager! Not very common this time of year.



As I reached the bend in the creek I was greeted by a large Great Blue Heron trying to nap.



Over at the pond I searched for warblers but all I could see was a Red-eyed Vireo. At least it was a passible photo for once. They fly so quickly behind leaves while feeding.



High above us, another Great Blue Heron peered out across the landscape.



I searched for the Acadian Flycatcher I saw on my last visit but instead there was only a Common Yellowthroat at the cypress trees.



Nothing else in this side of the park held my interest so I started back toward the car. When I reached the cement bridge a Wood Stork and I surprised one another. I took a photo. It sulked away into the trees.



Down along the creek, a bale of Turtles rested on a log.



I heard some loud chips up in a palm tree and after a bit of circling found a Yellow-throated Warbler racing from frond to frond in search of a meal.



A small feeding flock rushed to the nearby trees and snapped away at insects. You can hardly miss the Blue-gray Gnatcatchers as they flit about.



Tufted Titmice are usually heard first and then are rather brave about feeding close to people walking by.



A Downy Woodpecker was not grabbing bugs but caching nuts for the Winter.



I was exiting the property when I heard a lot of birds mobbing...something. Moving back inside the fence I found one of our Barred Owls just hanging around under the shade.



Numerous Yellow Warblers were yelling at the owl but hard to get in the best light.



I headed home but swung through the cemetery just for a check. Look who I found. Our Bald Eagles are returning to the nest.



A fun walk but not too many interesting things. Started and ended on high notes so I guess I can't complain.