First Fall Migrants

The usual suspects today but we were surprised by a couple of 'early' migrants. The season is underway! Unfortunately, we are also in the midst of a lovely heat wave. Sweating commenced at 6:20 AM and increased with every movement.

I was hoping for some Yellow Warblers today. They always seem to get captured when I am NOT there if at all. I had to settle for a different yellow: Prairie Warblers. At least there were 15 of them.

Other birds we banded were Eastern Towhees, Brown Thrasher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Red-eyed Vireos. The real surprise was what seemed like a very early Ovenbird. Then another.



Later, checks of the records showed a slightly earlier account. August 3rd. Ten years ago.

As we took the nets down to end our agony of sweating I got to net 4 which was holding another Prairie Warbler and a female Black and White Warbler. Nice end to the count.



We were going to take next week off but with the Ovenbirds and Warblers in evidence we decided to start the full banding season now.

Yippee!

A Jewel in the Hand

I decided to take a stroll around the net lanes to take photos that represented the area as is was that morning. Talk is that there might be a prescribed burn at some point to maintain the scrub environment and I want to have a before/after set of shots if it does happen.

The action was slowing down for the morning so I figured it would be an uneventful walk but at least I could get the series of photos done if the fire was set when I wasn't there.

I was pleasently surprised to find a bird in net 14. From a distace it could have been a migrating Warbler. Once I got closer, however, it was something even more exciting. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird!



There have been several caught in the nets in the last few weeks but I was not fortunate enough to be around when they flew in. A year and a half ago there was one in a net right near me while I was extracting another bird nearby. By the time I made my way to the Hummingbird it was partially through the net and was able to have its wings free enough to assume a kind of proper flight.

As I was reaching for the bird it powered itself at full speed, pulling the net taught and managed to pull free just before I could close the net around it. It was a sight I will never forget.

Now I had another in the net but this time she was perfectly aligned in in the folds so she could not get through the small openings of the mesh.



Since this was the first Hummingbird I had ever held it was a little difficult to figure out a proper grip. You can't grab them by the legs like other land birds. They are too small to hold without injuring them. Even if you can find their legs through the feathers!

But I did manage an awkward series of positions. At one point it even stuck its tongue out at me. "You shall never take me alive!"



I took it to a spot where it hopefully would not re-enter another net on release and let it go. With a slight buzzing sound of its wings it flew off back into the oak scrub and we wrapped up another morning at Wekiva.

Now we have a couple of weeks off. Time enough to rest up before the onslaught of Fall migration.

Cardinal Vices

One of the early lessons I learned when I began volunteering at the Wekiva Banding Station was to keep one's fingers away from any Cardinal's beak. Of all of the birds we net and band the Cardinal has one of the hardest and persistent bites of any of the local land birds.

Chickadees and Titmice will try to go for your cuticles, Vireos and Warbles will nip at anything they can snag, and Thrushes and Wrens will just stare at you and wait for any sense that you are relaxing the least bit to try and fly out of your hand but a Cardinal...? They hope to take some of you with them by the time they are released.

I heard a few chips out of net 10 and headed over to see if there was a bird there and we did have our Cardinal of the morning. After deciding which way the bird flew in the next step is to make sure you can get their head secured so you don't end up bleeding before it is even out of the net.

It was close, but I managed to only get a slight snap. This feisty female was all set to continue heading in the direction she was originally heading in. I got her back to the table and processed her.

I usually don't mind a good bite and my boys delight in seeing or hearing of some bird biting the heck out of Dad. However, the last Cardinal I banded a few weeks ago really made me step up my attention to how hard they can bite. That one was a young bird and it about tore me up.

Once they grab hold, they can sometimes apply a bite so fierce that you start to rethink this whole banding thing.

Take a needle-nose pliers and attach it to a nice soft portion of the skin just outside the edges of your fingernail. Now press down. Hard. Keep going. Harder. Until the tears start to well up.

That is a Cardinal bite.

Think you can just pull away? Give the pliers to your friend and ask them to do it and not to stop until you punch them to make them stop. Make sure it is a real friend. One who might actually fear the strike.

The only other defense you have while banding these amazing birds is to offer them an alternative in place of your tender flesh. Luckily, out in the scrub environment, there are a lot of small twigs from the surrounding oaks. When used successfully it should look thus:



Note the lack of blood. Plus the firm grip around the bird's neck to prevent movement to latch on to me.

This is one of my favorite shots of late. The same day, I got home to hear the calls of a new Cardinal chick at home calling for HIS mom to feed him.

Word to the wise. Towhees can bite almost as hard.

Almost.

Four Degrees of NOPA-ation

Now in the middle of Summer, the babies are to be found all over Wekiva. Most of our netted birds were recently fledged birds of several species. Species included Blue-grey Gnatcatchers, Northern Cardinal, and Tutfted Titmouse. We also managed to capture a Carolina Chickadee and a pair of Carolina Wrens. The Wrens were recaptured residents, one of which revealed a very evident brood patch.

The most interesting catches were a series of young Northern Parula. None of them had the same feather pattern and the last of the day had us stumped for a few minutes. It was definitely a Parula from the top side but it displayed no yellow on the throat or breast which is almost always referenced in the literature.

Here are the 4 birds we captured, in order. Note the different molt patterns.



None of us had ever seen a Parula with NO yellow on the breast. Time to ask an expert. I contacted a friend well versed in all things birdy in Florida, Bruce Anderson, co-author of "The Birdlife of Florida".

Part of his response: "It appears that molting occurs independently in two regions: the throat and the breast. So the bird with the creamy breast and white throat just hasn't begun the breast molt and is perhaps younger than the others and a female."

Mystery solved! We knew it WAS a Parula but wondered if it were some aberation. Nope. Just growing up a bit differently.

Reported sightings of Warblers entering the state are encouraging. Seems a slightly early migration push is on. Hoping next week's banding efforts bring us more yellow in the nets.

New Screech Owl

Took a quick walk outside after dark just to check for any activity.

Got lucky with an adult red-morph Eastern Screech Owl perched over the tray feeder. I got pretty close and it finally turned its head my way after a few seconds.

I rushed back inside to grab the boys so they could get a look but it had flown off before we got back out.

This is definitely a different bird than the one spotted June 20th. Hopefully we have a whole family roaming about and clearing away the rodents.

No picture this time.

White-winged Dove

Now that Summer is settling in, nothing to exciting is hanging around. However, the wife did ask about the description of White-winged Doves during the day.

Later, as I walked into the kitchen, I took a habitual glance out of the window and the White-winged was perched on top of one of the feeder pole.

"THERE is a White-winged Dove!", I remarked to her and never had to grab the books for a definitive, textbook description. The real thing outside the window teaches so much faster than fancy book readin'.

Backyard Flurry

We have had a pretty good year for young birds around the house this season though no nests were actually found on the property. In fact, there seems to have been a second clutch of Cardinal babies this year as I remember when the first were actively feeding at the feeders and for a few weeks now there are a couple of other youngsters fighting for space.

The count so far is the Cardinals, some Tufted Titmice, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Downey Woodpeckers, Mourning Dove (the all too approachable chick from a couple of months ago was taken by the Cooper's Hawk), and a new Blue Jay.

Today, there was a flurry of activty all through the backyard and the adjoining yard which featured many House Finches and a very curious Brown Thrasher. I have banded many Thrashers at Wekiva and this one seemed much younger than any I have previously held over the years. It foraged in several spots as I watched into the afternoon.

On one check on the side yard after I filled the kitchen-side feeder, this female Downey Woodpecker was too busy searching for food to care much about my wanderings.



At one point, around noon, we had Grackles, Mourning Doves, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Titmice, and House Finches all trying to claim a space on the three feeders there.

Just across the yard, Great Creasted Flycatchers worked the oaks and Turk's Turbans. One was definitely a newly fledged bird.

Not a bad way to end the month of June.

Smiling Bird Finally Photographed

A story from National Geographic. A bird that looks like it is smiling was rediscovered and finally photographed.

Read on.

Our Very Own Screech Owl

The day began with an interesting visitor. A rather larger rodent was inpecting the squirrel feeder. In broad daylight!

I headed out, grabbing a broom handle I keep just outside the backdoor that I use to move the squirrels along if they are hogging the feeders from the birds. The rodent bolted as soon as I hit the back deck and I could not relocate it.

I vowed to buy a trap on the way home and take care of the situation.

As night fell, I armed the trap and decided to set it up near the squirrel feeder. Just after I laid it down I stood up and glanced to ward the backyard. There was a shape sitting atop the tray feeder pole. It seemed about Mourning Dove size and color in the dim light. Doves? Awake at this hour?

I turned to head in for a camera just in case it was what I was starting to figure out. I pre-focused inside the house knowing my small digital wouldn't get a look in the near total darkness and headed back out out. I took one shot but it was horribly out of focus. I needed a flashlight to try and add to my chance of a shot. I headed back.

My wife had now gotten to the backdoor following my excited footsteps. When I tried to point out the bird behind me I turned and the shape was gone. I asked for a flashlight.

Moving down toward the tray feeder I could barely make out the shape now in the laurel tree just past the deck. Yep. A Screech Owl! I tried a couple of shots but the best I could manage was this.



Seems I might not need that trap after all. I had a much better one right here. This was the first time I have ever seen a Screech Owl in this area. Farthest south in town at all.

Let the hunting begin, little owl. Eat up!

Spoonbills Visit Orlando

Yesterday, I stopped by Lake Davis to snap some shots to combine to make a panorama-type composite to show the low lake level. Today we started to get some rain storms move through so on the way home I decided to swing around and see if I could notice any rise in the waters.

It was still raining lightly and nearly dark as I arrived at the lake but out on 'bird island' I could make out some larger shapes congregating there. I got the binoculars out and pulled closer.

Beside the black and white Woodstorks there was a slightly smaller bird and definitely PINK! Really?!?

By the time I was able to park just past a stand of cypress trees the bird had begun to forage. Indeed, it was a Roseatte Spoonbill right here in the backyard neighborhood!



Lake Davis continues to surprise this year.

Spoonbills generally hang out around the coasts and rarely make a stop this far inland. A nice addition to the color palette during this quiet beginning to Summer.

Let it rain...

NOTE: I am a bit behind on my posts, though I have a few drafts still waiting in the wings that date back to the start of June. Be sure to check back later and scroll down for any other June sighting I haven't entered yet. Hopefully, I can catch up before the end of the month!

Last and Least

Another set of strong east winds seem to have brought in a few more shorebirds to downtown Orlando.

A small flock of Least Sandpipers was feeding at the southern edge of the lake today. This time I was able to get a quick photo.



Also, finally saw a few fuzzy Killdeer chicks nearby. Looks like they made it through the foot traffic and cats and dogs.

Scrub Jay Surprise

In the past, there were sighting of Florida Scrub Jays on the Wekiva Springs State Park property. Over the years the sights decresed and it was believed that the Jays had moved on. No reports were made for a year or more.

Near the end of our banding day today, however, we had a very pleasant surprise.

I was checking on the other volunteers since they hadn't returned for a while and found them out at net 24, the net at the end of the net lanes. They were struggling to remove a larger bird as I approached. It was immediately clear to me that this bird was indeed a Florida Scrub Jay.

In fact, Susan asked as I walked up, "Is this a Scrub Jay?!". Yep. Being a threatened species, we are supposed to let them go instead of banding them, but Bob Wheeler was in the groud today and had JUST gotten his permit to band this species for a project he will be working on in the future.

I got the bird out of the net and we all giddily headed back to the table to unveil our prize.

I handed the bag to Bob and announced that he should have it as he was the only one allowed to deal with it. All of the other folks stared at me with bewilderment.

Once he reached in and removed the bird, the quizzical expressions turned to stunned smiles. Wekiva's first Scrub Jay to be banded!

Bob determined that the bird was a female and this is consistant with dispersal movements of this species. Once a territory is established by a family and a new bird has to move on, it moves to a new area to start a new family. Can she be setting up stakes for a new colony here in Wekiva?

I hope so. Plans have been rumored to begin a series of prescibed burns in the park to make the conditions ripe for new growth. Perfect situations for Scrub Jays.

Time will tell.

I took her back to the area where she was caught, took a quick photo and released her. She flew to a nearby bush and preened for a bit and I headed back to the task of getting the nets down for the day.

Other Shorebirds inland

No pictures this time but I swung around the local lakes and added the following shorebirds to our neighborhood totals for the year: Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, and more surprising a couple of Semipalmated Plovers.

With little to no rain, however, the lakes are nearly dry beds and I bet the shorebirds will abandon all the local lakes soon. Time for these birds to get up north, anyway.

Lake Davis Shorebirds Revisited

The variety of shorebirds arriving at the local lakes continues to surprise. Feeding along side the Solitary Sandpipers was a Spotted Sandpiper now.



Killdeer continues to patrol the area, protecting there territory and I bet a nest hidden somewhere. I haven't seen it yet but the behavior of the adults seem to verify it. Like this wounded display presented to me as I was trying to get Sandpiper shots.



I left them to their living space, trying to lead a neighborhood cat out with me.

Great Weather. If You're a Gannet!

Well, that was a long couple of days. But typical of my forays into camping trips.

A strong front was moving in and the winds at Jetty Park picked up significantly after we arrived. By noon they were clocking 25 mph with higher gusts making the tent set-up...interesting. We were situated on a higher point next to the Jetty Park canal where the ships move in and out of the area and the wind seemed to be focused right at that point.

By night they continued but we managed to get a fire going for some smores just as the light rain were dragged along for the party. We spent the night in an on and off sleep as the tent shook in random bursts until morning. The next night was more of the same minus the rain.

Ah, camping.

The only birds who seemed to enjoy the weather were the pelicans and the Northern Gannets. I had hoped that the high winds might push some other birds on shore but there were not even any traces of warblers and very few gulls. Resident Turnstones hugged the jetty but other than that I had to settle for a family of Mockingbirds and a flock of Cedar Waxwings.

At least I would manage to get my best Gannet shots up until now. I rarely get out into the ocean anymore so they are still a seldom seen bird for me. The last time I had a really good look at a Gannet was when we had one get hooked on our trolling lures nearly 20 years ago.

That is a whole different story but wass the first time I ever actually held a bird. Who would have guessed I would do so regularly at this point in life during banding? Not me.

Over the course of the next two days I saw many Gannets feeding just inside the canal and every now and then I could get the camera to auto-focus on one. They moved so fast with the strong winds.



That adult was often cruising the shoreline but there were also birds in every plumage variation along the way. Like this in-between version.



Joining the throng were a lot of juvenille birds.



I guess some pictures of seldom seen birds was better than nothing. Maybe the winds provided that so I shouldn't be too upset. Would have liked to have had more little birds on their way North, though.

My, What a GROSbeak!

How to make your family a bit perturbed.

We had packed up the car for our camping trip, the kids were in their seats, we were ready to drive off but I decided I had better check that I had locked the backdoor one more time.

I reached for the key to lock the door I had actually forgotten to lock and stopped in my tracks. A black-winged bird had flown down to the tray feeder. Then another. The white belly and red breast were unmistakable. Two Rose-breasted Grosbeaks had found our house and right when I had to leave.

I ran back to the front of the house, reached into the running car, muttered there was a bird out back and hurried back inside. I knew the eyes of my family were rolling and sighs were expelled but this was the best view of these birds I had ever had. But with so little time I only managed to lean out of the backdoor and get at least a confirming shot.



I would have loved to stay and try for better light or angles but we HAD to get going. Later on, the oldest, who was suppose to be at a different overnight camping trip got a migraine and asked to come home. Which meant I had to actually drive back home, pick him up, and head back to the campsite.

As we rounded the lake to make it back toward the highway and the coast I noticed a Black-necked Stilt and a couple other birds. I had the camera with me so I stopped quickly and jumped out for a few shots to ID later. I was surprised to find later that one of the birds I was seeing was a Stilt Sandpiper!



Nice addition to the growing list of new birds at the lake.

Off to high winds for the weekend.

Solitary Sandpiper

Got a report from fellow neighborhood birder, Jeff. He was interested in the earlier swan story but he also reported a couple other birds in Lake Davis. One really jumped out at me: Solitary Sandpiper.

I was on the way home a couple nights before and thought I had caught a glimpse of a bird that was shorebird shaped out of the corner of my eye. I had to be home at a certain time so I had no time to stop. Luckily Jeff tipped me off because I had about forgotten about it.

I stopped by after I dropped the kids off at school and, sure enough, shorebirds were feeding on the now exposed parts of the lake bottom not far from the sidewalks. Whether it is due to the new mud and flies or winds or the drought drying up other feeding spots, I don't know. I had never noticed shorebirds around Lake Davis in the past.

Now, here was a Life Bird. No, two! A pair of Solitary Sandpipers.



The birds were rather skittish and as soon as I got past a certain point from the sidewalk they would fly a bit farther down the new beach. I vowed to come back at a later date to try again. These shots are actually from the future! Taken a few days after this blog date. I was going to put up worse ones. Whew!



Other shorebirds are showing up, too. Killdeer, Yellowlegs, and Black-necked Stilts. But these Solitary Sandpipers and pretty cool. Love that white eye-ring.



We need the rain but a lowered water level attracting shorebirds is actually kind of nice.

Trail Walking Wekiva

With a front moving in for the weekend, threatening to cancel Sunday's banding, I was thinking of heading over to Ft. DeSoto. I figured it may be a tad crowed (later reports said as many birders as birds!) and I knew I would have to work late and have to drive early.

I decided to stay close to home and check out some trails at Wekiva I hadn't fully explored. There was an earlier report of fledging Great-horned Owls down the trails and I wanted to find them.

It was a pretty hot day but I knew I needed to get in about 5 or more miles to get where I was headed. Not a problem. Most of the hike is in the shade.

Usual suspects were around and first of the season Red-eyed Vireos made an appearance half-way through the hike. Lingering warblers and singing sparrows. When I got to the area that the owls were suppose to be, however, I found little.

I was choosing which way I should head on a new trail when I saw a white-tailed deer to my right. It watched me warily and moved on. I decided to head down that way farther and soon found a break in the brush, apparently created by animals walking through.

Following that, it opened onto the shore of Lake Prevatt. Not much of a lake left. A bit of a pond and a few mud holes and a LOT of dried mud. I walked out onto the lake bed and as I rounded a clump of bushes the far side of the lake was teaming with deer. At least 12. Another deer flushed off to my left.

Soon, a bird also flushed from the bushes to the left. It turned out to be a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron! It flew over to where the deer were, near a mud hole. I followed to try and get a closer shot.

Once I got closer to the mud I began to notice a few tiny heads around the edge of the mud where the last of the remaining vegetation. Baby alligators! First a couple, then several. I stopped walking when I noticed the series of dark bumps resting in the wettest part of the mud. Mama was keeping watch and began to push herself deeper in the muck when she sensed me approaching.

I would have to change direction. I respect the power of gators enough to know better than to mess with one protecting young.

I got back onto the main trail and headed around the other side of the lake. There I found a few tom Turkeys out on the lake bed checking me out. Suddenly, 4 more popped up around the other corner. More surprising was that a couple of them decided to leave the lake bed and walked right past me.



Time was running out for my hike so I headed back. Nearing the net lanes again, I heard some birds scolding around the bushes near the trail ahead. Out popped a Pine Snake right in front of me! I was trying to get a shot of it but it turned and fled back into the scrub. The birds continued to scold and some warblers appeared before me.



I can't remember seeing female Pine Warblers before but here she was, down out of the high branches to chase away this 4 foot snake. A male joined her, as did Gnatcatchers, Prairie Warblers, and a Titmouse.



I didn't find anything spectacular today but at least I got some shots of the Pine Warbler. The most important event would happen a bit later. This long walk in 90 degree heat sealed my decision that had been brewing for years.

Time to cut off this ponytail.

Easter Waxwings

One final day with the visiting in-laws and we were all together for Easter Sunday. Of course, I managed to squeeze in a little birding along the way.

The most fun site of the day was a flock of Cedar Waxwings feeding on the Loquat fruit in the tree across the fence. There were around a dozen birds and they were basically oblivious to me as they fed.



Shots like these were not that easy, though. They kept hanging upside down or ended up behind leaves while looking for that perfect slice of fruit. Every now and then they were argue with one another.



A great site to have around. Won't be long before the larger flocks depart.

Monk Parakeets, No Foolin'!

A few days earlier, Paul emailed that another birder was reporting some nesting Monk Parakeets not too far from my house. By the time I could have gotten there that night it would ahve been near dark so I planned on trying for them after banding.

Directions placed me at an intersection with a convenience store on one side and a power substation on the other. Since I have seen parrots and parakeets hanging out at substations around Tampa/St. Pete I decided that must be the best place to look. The direction didn't pinpoint any one exact spot.

My main concern in these times of paranoid officials was who was going to jump me once I started scanning such a structure with binoculars. There have been many reports of birders being detained or questioned intensely by Men in Black just because they were staring in the direction of some government structure or another.

Luckily, I didn't have time to look too hard.

As I approached the the intersection I heard a loud noise behind me, away from the substation. I tracked the noise to a telephone pole located just behind the store. Whew.

The light was bad as it was noon and the birds were up in the transformer on the pole. The only spot to stand was next to a ditch in order to see the birds. There were 4 shapes that I could make out and the nest was obvious. After a few minutes, one of the birds walked out to the edge of the nest.



A minute later another pulled a stick out to the edge and tryed to place it in the right spot.



I have been meaning to track down Monk Parakeets for years but never found a chance. Nice to have them even closer this time.

Meanwhile, the morning banding session yielded the usual suspects, including this beautiful male Prairie Warbler.



We checked out the nest boxes again and now there were 4 eggs in the nest. As we approached, there were 2 Bluebirds in the area, one of which was the bird we banded the week before.



Not a bad April Fool's Day. No tricks.

A Few Minutes of Awe

We had a chance to sleep in for once. If you consider sleeping in having the youngest walk in the room and ask for stuff every 15 minutes. At least it didn't start until after dawn.

Before it got too hot I hurried outside and was going to just get rid of the leaves on the deck but figured since I was out there I might as well mow. The birds weren't that happy that I set out food and then made it all noisy but it had to be done. As soon as I completed all the yard work I was going to do I sat on the back steps to enjoy the breeze and relax.

That's when the high-pitched sounds grew and grew in the oaks at the back of the yard.

Suddenly, Cedar Waxwings fluttered out from the treetops and landed near the feeders and in the cherry laurels. I was under one of those and the birds were seaching the branches for any remaining berries left over from the Robin feasts. There were a few out on the tips of most branches.

There I sat as Waxwings were literally 2 feet in front of my face and over my head, their weight dropping them down directly in front of me over and over again. The calls filled my ears, nearly drowning out the American Goldfinches that seemed none too happy with the intrusion.

Me? I soaked in every last view I could get of these beautiful birds. They will be leaving soon.

This Year's Model

Goldfinch numbers have been lower than the previous years but there are still enough around to keep me happy. The top numbers at any one time has peaked at around 30 birds. Way down from the 100-plus last year and 60-70 the previous year.

The birds this year seem a bit more picky about which feeding station they prefer. Fourtunately, one of the favorites is right outside the boy's bedroom. Every now and then they perch in the Firebush while waiting for a chance to feed.



The males are even more selective. They are mainly staying far in the back of the yard or outside the kitchen window where the screen makes photographing them less than satisfying. The females are still pretty. Their gold is working its way into the plummage, too.

Eastern Bluebird Surprise

Ask and you shall receive?

At the end of the last post I had mentioned that we saw many Bluebirds along the trip to and from Crystal River but I was unable to get any shots of them. Except for one right outside the hotel room that is verrrrrrrrrry far away. I showed the photo to the wife and said that I really needed a good shot of a Bluebird again.

The last shot I even got of a Bluebird was years ago in Winter Park. I never saw them in that area anymore.

Today, as I checked the nets while banding at Wekiva, I rounded the back loop of nets and saw a bird in the lower panel. At first, I was surprised by the color of the bird. We don't get many medium-sized birds with blue feathers. My first thought was that it might be a Scrub Jay. Some do live within the park.

I got closer and the other colors became more evident. Not a Scrub Jay. A Bluebird!



There are many nest boxes set up around the park and some years there are successful clutches of eggs resulting in chicks. Last year, there were no eggs in any boxes. When the chicks do hatch, they are banded in the nest. Adult birds don't end up in the nets.

Until today.

Even better, one of the nearby boxes had two eggs inside and another Bluebird leaving the scene. Maybe this signals the return of babies to the park.



Beautiful bird.

Seaside Sparrow

Without much of a chance to do much birding I was looking forward to our short vacation trip to Crystal River. I had been mentioning I would like to check out a spot there some day, even if it meant I drove up alone some morning to get there at dawn. To get that out of my head, the wife chose it for a family trip.

Weather outlook was pretty good and I was getting prepped to find a new Life Bird: Seaside Sparrow. I made tape loops of the bird's calls and songs and studied these and images to make sure I wouldn't casually miss what might be a quick glimpse of this small bird.

As we headed out, the weather reports were taking a turn for the worse. If I were lucky, the front would stall and leave some time for warm birding. If not, winds were scheduled to pick up behind the front and the temperatures were forecast to drop rapidly.

I wasn't lucky.

The front came through very quickly, bringing high winds, rain, and impending temperatures in the 40s by morning. I hadn't considered that last part and neglected to bring any long-sleeved shirts or jackets. Just a Kissimmee Prairie T-shirt and thin pants as I figured it would be hot and muggy. Oh, well.

Headed out to be at the beach at dawn and found slightly lower winds but it was around 40 degrees. Brrrr.

Out on the beach, Skimmers, Laughing Gulls, Black-bellied Plovers, and Sanderlings were flowing in from the Gulf to rest in the shelter afforded by the beach and a few dunes and marsh. Very few other birds were in evidence.

I was told that there was a section of the marsh just before the beach that the sparrows were usually found. I headed over with tape recorder, camera, and binoculars in hand and stepped out in to the harsh winds whipping up past the shore instead of standing next to the road. I was told that playing the tape from the road would bring up some sparrows but the wind was getting so strong that I doubt anything heard my playback.

Into the Spartina Grass I sloshed. I figured going after the birds was going to be my only chance. Fortunately, it only took a few minutes to start hearing the birds call. Soon a few sparrows were darting out of the grass just feet in front of me.

I finally found one bird keeping very still but singing as it held on to the swaying grasses. Getting my camera to focus on a small waving blob in the high wind was proving to be a task but I did get my first Seaside Sparrow!



I knew there were several more in the area. I could hear them talking to each other as I slowly made my way around the marsh. The only other chance for a photo was of this birds looking toward the sun as I was deciding I was tired of freezing.



I tried many other birding spots in the surrounding few miles but never heard any other Seaside Sparrows. In fact, there were not to many other birds found anywhere since they were hunkered down, waiting for a better day. The only other birds in abundance during the trip were Bluebirds which lined CR 44 all the way to Crystal River.

Couldn't get a shot of them, though.

Cardinal Visit

We were grinding out pages here at work when I heard, "Drew! There is a bird over here right next to the window!" Like I am interested in birds or something...sheesh.

I didn't tell Chandler at that moment but I was quite impressed when he did a dead-on Northern Cardinal as we walked across the building to see the bird. Indeed, that is exactly what it was.



This silly bird was standing on the very thin window ledge and calling like crazy. It stayed there for a while and barely seemed to acknowledge me as I leaned in close for a photo.

It left soon afterward to hang out with the other Cardinals here. They breed in the bushes all around the office complexes and I can't wait to hear the demanding chicks in the next couple months.

Orlando Wetlands

I had heard from some birders that they had seen a Gull-billed Tern out at Orlando Wetlands so I thought I had better get out there. It was seen in a part of the Wetlands I had never been over to. Just didn't even know it was there. I always stayed so focused in the main sections.

This other part is just across the road you drive in on as you approach the parking lot. How I missed it all these years, I don't know.

Got there at dawn and made my way across the berm from the parking lot. I did hear a Virginia Rail in the cattails so at least I would have one Lifer no matter what. As directed earlier, I took a turn at the Red-shouldered Hawk's nest and crossed to the other side of the road.

Up a slight incline there was indeed a whole other world over here! I wouldn't have time to walk all of the trails but decided to at least head around the main pond/lake in front of me. Once the sun was up and just after a sundog display, I turned around to face the wetlands for this shot.



There were a lot of Palm and Myrtle Warblers along with scores of Boat-tailed Grackles. Small flocks of Blue-winged Teal and Hooded Mergansers moved nervously from shore to shore. No Gull-billed Tern in sight.

I did manage to find a few Green-winged Teal and a few Lesser Yellowlegs. A Forster's Tern cruised overhead. Ibis foraged in the swallow water. Away from the water was very few birds sounds in the bushes.

Most evident were Common Yelllowthroats and every now and then a Savannah Sparrow or Catbirds would make a brief appearance.



There was a warbler type bird that flew out across the path as I rounded the far side of the water. I tried to track it down but could never get a clear look before it vanished into the woods. I had to settle for a curious Swamp Sparrow instead.



My time was up so I had to walk faster back to the car. Next time I hope to make it around a few more trails. I always consider a day at the Wetlands an excellent way to spend some time. Might have to take the bike next time to cover more ground.

Washington Oaks Finds

The Florida Parks service was having a little shindig for volunteers in the district and this year it was honoring the 1 millionth volunteer hour, give or take a few, at Washington Oaks Park near Ormond Beach. I was looking forward to seeing what the ceremony might be like and to try and get in a bit of birding.

Even if you never make it into the main part of the park, my favorite part of this area is the beach with its coquina rock formations, shells, and the occasional fun bird sighting. Today we even found a starfish, I think and Armored Star, that I let the youngest hold as it crawled across his hand. We decided not to hold any of the numerous jellyfish that the wind had pushed on shore.



After making that first beach investigation it was time to head into the park proper and check the activities. We were given a schedule of events and lunchtime and headed off to look around. I had high expectations for some good birds in this part of the park but there was very little activity all day. A few expected birds but nothing too exciting.

Once lunch and the ceremony speeches were concluded the boys were getting bored. Time to hit the beach one last time. They headed toward the rocks while I was more interested in a large gull seen as we crested the dunes.

I followed it down the beach a while and tried to get some photos to ID later and it finally allowed me to slowly get in range. Turns out it was my second ever Greater Black-backed Gull. This time a juvenile.



I finished getting more shots and was turning to join the family when I noticed a black shape in between the waves. It was moving fast and the waves were crashing quickly, making a good view difficult. A few minutes later, the bird moved closer to shore and revealed itself.

A male Red-breasted Merganser!



I have read reports of them along the eastern coast in the past but always managed to miss them. The last time I had seen this species was out in Washington State. A very pleasant surprise!

Made up for the common birds seen all day.

Really Ruby-crowned Kinglet

One of the first Ruby-crowned Kinglets I ever saw was at Mead Garden and the crown was what gave it away for me since I had never seen one before. Out at Wekiva, we band a LOT of Kinglets. Most them are females so we don't get to see the crowns.

We even had one last winter that had only ONE ruby feather indicating it was a young male.

This morning we captured one of the most ruby of all the male Ruby-crowns I have ever seen.



Can't mistake that ID!

Nashville Warbler

Once a month for the past couple years, there has been a census count for the birds that frequent Mead Garden in winter park. I try to get to as many as possible but those darned Scouts keep coming up with things to do!

However, I did manage to return for the February count to meet up with birding friends and count some birds. Waxwings and Robins were in full force as were American Goldfinches. We managed to find all of the resident Woodpecker species and most other expected birds for the Garden.

My favorite part of the count is to go out on the boardwalk which has been suffering from neglect since Hurricane Charley torn through our fair city. Jeanne didn't make things better. Only part of the walk is open for the general public but we are aloud to head into the more dangerous portions for the count.

Local birding expert Bruce Anderson and I chose to brave the closed portion of the walk while others waited near the butterfly garden. We tallied up all Waxwings and Robins and a few hawks as we made our way around the back portion of the walk.

Staring out across the Primrose Willows, Bruce called out that he had an Orange-crowned Warbler in front of us. I almost didn't look since we had a couple of those already but I slowly glanced up to check it out anyway. I noticed an eye-ring and for some reason exclaimed, "No, it looks like a Nashville!"

Granted, I had never seen one in person but I do stare at a lot of books. Nashville just seemed exactly what it was. Bruce and I looked for a little longer and he agreed with me. The eye-ring was that noticeable even from the distance we were from the bird.

Remembering I had a camera with me, duh, I tried a couple shots but was not sure they would turn out that well with the bird about 25-30 yards out. I was right.



Nonetheless, it was enough to confirm this uncommon bird in Central Florida. After I posted about the birds to the lists, there were a couple of other sighting of the same bird before it left the area.

I remembered to bring my copy of Bruce's book, The Birdlife of Florida, with me and asked him to sign-it for me. He wrote to "...remember our Nashville Warbler" and I will tape this photo next to that.

Any day with a Life Bird is a good day.

Berries for the Masses

Decided to take a walk around the office park. Don't get a chance to do that too often and with the temperatures at a very comfy level, why not?

One of my favorite stops has become across the street from our office. It has a larger pond that is divided by a roadway between parking lots. Part of the pond goes underneath a parking structure and the Hooded Mergansers use that part to hide from anyone or thing it fells is looking a bit too hungry.

On the northern edge of the pond is a row of Brazilian Peppers and just beyond that lies part of Lake Destiny. This time of year, the peppers are loaded with berries. In turn, they are full of birds.

I usually walk past the peppers and loop around behind them to view the lake and continue on with my walk back to the office. Today the birds were flying out right in front of me so I stopped and got the camera ready.

The majority of the birds were Myrtle Warblers who were greedily swallowing up berries as quickly as possible. Making it difficult for them was a very territorial Northern Mockingbird who would chase any Warbler it saw stopping on a branch. This was what was causing the birds to fly out in front of me.

Eventually, a few Waxwings signaled their approach with their high calls and landed among the branches above and next to me. They seemed to be trying to blend in and avoid the Mockers detection. It worked for a while and the Waxwings could manage a few gulps before being found out.

I thought it would be easy to get some shots of these close birds and, indeed, they were landing in plain view just feet from me. Excellent opportunities! Better than I ever have had. Camera up, press the shutter to focus, bird GONE!

Every time the Waxwing would come into focus, the Mockingbird would dive in and chase it off. This went on for almost an hour. I did finally get one photo that actually looked like a Waxwing but it was not easy.



I could have stood there all day had I not had work to do and a family to get to later. The number of Myrtle Warblers was impressive and the Waxwings were and added treat. Goldfinches called from the trees in the parking lot.

Time to break the spell and head back across the street.

Hammond's Flycatcher

A report was posted to the lists about a Hammond's Flycatcher out at Hal Scott. Several reports were filed over the next few days saying some had relocated the bird, some doubting the ID, some swearing by the ID. I thought I wouldn't go after it as it was the middle of the week and I couldn't find time to head out there for days.

Specialty birds rarely hang around for too long. But the reports kept showing up. What the heck? Might as well go for it.

Detailed directions through the Hal Scott area were provided. Head down this path. Go past THIS rock. Stop at THIS lone orange tree, etc. I wasn't familiar with this part of the preserve but I would have my directions in hand.

Fortunately, when I arrived in the parking area, a few other birders were heading out for the Hammond's. I was getting my cameras together when I heard, "Here for the Hammond's?" in the pre-dawn darkness. "Yep." We were off.

During our mile-long hike we spotted Bluebirds, skittish sparrows, doves and heard Nuthatches and woodpeckers. The flycatcher spot was ahead.

We were told by another birder who had arrived on bike just ahead of us that it was seen in certain spots but usually came close to the trail. After 15 minutes standing on the trail I couldn't take it and headed into the woods toward the creek. I can hardly stand still too long.

I stopped about 100 yards from the trail and stood to listen to the surroundings. Goldfinches. Waxwings. Kinglets. I decided to try and see any of the birds I was hearing way up in the treetops for practice and found a small bird I thought was a Ruby-crowned Kinglet preening up in the branches.

Then it started 'flycatching'! Was this our target bird? Too high up to be sure so I tracked it through the branches. Suddenly, it swooped down toward the creek and foraged, 30 feet in front of me. This WAS the bird.



I got a couple shots for my collection as I was verifying it in my head. I knew I had to alert the others but feared calling out too loudly would scare the bird away. They couldn't see me easily through the trees. Even if they could they were all staring straight up!

"Over here!" I said in a deep enough register that I hoped wouldn't be too bird un-friendly. I kept a lock on the Hammond's and everyone hurriedly rushed to my spot.

Another group of birders arrived and saw our location and hurried over as well. Soon, we had 25 guys oohing and ahhing as shutters clicked and introductions were made. We tracked the bird for 30 minutes before heading out.

Some folks told me they had been out there 4 times so far without seeing the bird. Some had been there once or twice and sat for hour upon hour without seeing it. I walked out on a day I wasn't going to and found it in 15 minutes.



Dumb luck. I'll take it.