Kraft Azalea Park, Again.

A new Monday and another trip to Kraft Azalea. Still a lot of breeding birds and still not a great place to get good light at 11 AM. I tried. I liked this weird light on this Great Egret.



Nearby, another bird displays up in the branches.



Almost constantly, other birds bring in twigs to build up their nests. Nearly angelic.



Wood Ducks are always present but rarely accommodating. Best I could do as this pair rushed out of the weeds.



Saving the best for last, I did have some interesting light on this bird displaying before I left.



Kind of repetitive, but I probably will be back not too long from now. Heard an owl calling but could not located it.

Quick Tour

Doing my usual Canvasback check just to keep a running tab of how long she stays. Plus, I take a few minutes to run through a couple of areas along the way.

First up, probably my favorite female Mallard on Lake Davis. She is almost tan and has raised some broods here over the years. Easy to spot among the other local Mallards. Love the reflections.



Sitting out farther from shore was the remaining Canvasback, also easily spotted when she sits on the surface.



Though the Great-blue Herons are not uncommon, sometimes they don't like being stared at. This one was more concerned about searching for food. Keeping up with the reflection theme for a bit.



Took a swing through the cemetery after a report from Marcus that the Coyote is still there. Really? Yep.




Looking a little skinnier than when it was first found.

Canvasback Duck Persists

Well, I guess this is pretty nice. Some birds stop, feed, and bolt in a day. This one is finding a comfy spot for at least a few days.

The female Canvasback is still on Lake Davis and bobbing around quite nicely.



She hangs near the Ring-necked Ducks on the southeast shore of the lake. Sometimes you need to sit for a few minutes to see her as she drives so much and can really hold her breath!

How much longer will she grace us with her presence?

Canvasback Duck

Finally!

I have been speculating that there should be an appearance of a Canvasback Duck on Lake Davis for a couple years. We first had some just to the North a few years ago so why should they avoid this spot where I have been finding Redheads and even White Pelicans this season?

Just got a request for information if there really was a Canvasback on Lake Davis as was reported to a web post since I live just a few blocks away. Been awaiting this moment for so long, it seems.

I picked the boys up from school and headed home, telling them to keep an open eye on the ducks. Shortly, I spotted her.



Yes!

As we had to head home to get homework started I was happy with a pretty good ID shot in a couple of minutes. I will head back later for more shots if she sticks around. Ducks are gearing up for their trip back North soon.

Launch of the X37B

The Air Force launched is secret mission of the X37B today. Having just watched Discovery liftoff just last week the difference in 'awesome' was quite apparent. However, I was pleased to be able to make out the actual shape of the Atlas V and its payload even from so far away.

Here is a sequence showing the launch.



Still, nice to see a launch at any time.

Another Visit to Kraft Azalea Park

Weather was perfect but things were very busy at the cemetery so I ran back over to Kraft to see what was what. Same stuff, basically but a lot more folks there taking pictures of the Egrets. I headed to the lake first to see about Wood Ducks. Yep, still there. Several males and a couple females scooting back and forth. Males were very vocal.



Nearby, a female rests on a bit of culvert concrete.



Still not in a great spot for Egret photos but I did get some display shots today. The birds begin either by shifting some nest material or by doing a quick preen and then begin to spread those feathers.



Next, they rock a bit and begin to lean back.



The nexus of the display is having their heads all the way back to their backs.



And...relax...



Unfortunately, there are signs that things are not totally peaceful in the rookery. We had a storm blow through yesterday and either the winds, careless footsteps, or predators have knocked a few eggs from the nests.



Out near the street we finally get to see a bird in full view.



Under the oaks we get a close-up look at the green that comes in on breeding birds. Spectacular.



Can't wait to get back out there next week.

Kraft Azalea Park

After an email from an old connection reported more White Pelicans on another nearby lake I finally made it to Kraft Azalea Park. Been past it a time or two but never stopped by. Now that I know it is a couple minutes from school it may have to become my new lunchtime stop! As the name suggests, there are a lot of Azalea bushes in the park weaving around beneath massive Cypress trees on the shore of Lake Maitland.



There were several White Pelicans hanging out with hundreds of Double-crested Cormorants out on the lake but it didn't make for a very interesting picture. Skittish Wood Ducks were closer so I tried to get a shot.



What I really wasn't expecting was the large numbers of Great Egret and other birds nesting in all of the oaks near the street. Many were displaying while other gathered sticks to add to their small nests.



It is a beautiful sight but there branches are often in the way so getting a clear shot is not easy. Plus, the angle of the light at this time of day makes shooting from the park toward the street difficult since the sun is blaring straight at you.



A great little spot to take a break and do a little bird watching. Bet it is fun during peak migrations. Later, after grabbing the boys from school and heading home, we found the Pelican has returned for a while back at Lake Davis.

Discovery's Last Launch

So, we've come to the end of a long viewed site. Space Shuttle Discovery successfully launched after a long repair job. This is the final time she flies into orbit. This was the view through a cloudy sky from downtown OTown.



Farewell, Discovery! Landing is scheduled for March 9th. Hope to hear the booms this time.

Two more missions remain before this wonderful site is no more.

White Pelican Stops By

I was winding my way back home after getting the youngest from school when we made a very unexpected find. A White Pelican was feeding at Lake Davis! It was hanging out with a flock of Double-crested Cormorants and cruising around in the swallow waters.



I have never seen this species on a lake in the neighborhood in all these years. Sometimes they are seen flying overhead a bit farther North or closer to the coast so this was amazing. Great bird to find in a suburban town so far inland.



On the way back to the van we also found many Anhinga including this male in breeding plumage.



Nice views so close to home.

One Last GBBC Count for the Year

The Great Backyard Bird Count ends today so I had to head out early and get in one more report. I took the camera along just in case but didn't really plan of using it for some reason. Turns out I used it quite a bit.

Ring-necked Ducks are thinning out as we head toward Spring but it was nice to find a Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker around the lake. Can't recall seeing the feathers so pretty before.



Finished the count at Lake Davis and headed over the Lake Lancaster. Hasn't been a lot of birds there of late but I knew I could add at least a few more species. I always seem to forget about certain birds that are so common like Boat-tailed Grackles. Until they turn and catch the sunlight.



Just feet away was a Tri-colored Heron feeding amongst the Mallards.



Started hearing loud calls soon afterwards and first thought someone grabbed themselves a Peacock. Then it dawned on me that it was a Limpkin creating all the racket. Then it flew in near me for verification. I couldn't get a good shot through the tree branches so I had to settle for a Little Blue Heron in another part of the tree being extremely quiet.



That count done, it was time to swing through the Greenwood Cemetery to check on the Bald Eagle nest. As I have mentioned before, I was trying to get a shot of one of the chicks. I did see that there are definitely two chicks in there but only one was up in the open.



The adults flew back and forth dropping off fish for the chicks and I managed to get a shot of one of the adults taking off back to gather more food.



While awaiting the return of the adult Eagles, I noticed some movements of Pileated Woodpeckers around the area. They eventually headed over to the tree where the eagles had the nest before. This now dead tree is currently the home of the woodpeckers and I hope to get some shots of the chick in the future. For now I settle for the female peaking out of the nest hole.



Just above the nest hole were a pair of European Starlings trying to figure out if they could find residence in another cavity in the same tree.



As I waited for the woodpeckers to return I was greeted by the calls of a Northern Mockingbird just under the dead tree in a shrub. It allowed me close approach to get some shots.



So close that I could get action shots of it singing away. Awesome views, awesome songs. Spring is here. Finally.



What will reveal itself next? Still waiting for the Robins and Waxwings.

We Had a Great Time at the Festival

We had to switch out banding on Sunday to spend all day Saturday giving banding demos at the Orlando Wetlands Festival. Not a bad trade. Click the image below to see the whole report on my banding blog for the details.

Woodpeckers and the Hunting Hawk

A good flock of birds was foraging in Palm Cemetery today. Mostly Palm Warblers and Chipping Sparrows but there were also a lot of noisy Red-bellied Woodpeckers trolling through the branches. They would stop at certain spots and flick their tongues into crevices searching for bugs.



Many folks are confused by the name Red-bellied Woodpecker since they rarely see them from underneath. They generally hug the trunks of trees as they search around. Here is a blurry shot showing the seldom seen red belly.



I followed a small shape darting between shrubs and was greeted by a chirping Carolina Wren. It was difficult to get a shot through the foliage but I did get at least an identifiable snap.



As I was trying to get a shot of the Chipping sparrows I saw a quick moving shape coming out of the shadows as the birds all bolted. It was a Red-tailed Hawk flying at waist level and it passed within 4 feet of me. Once it landed, I crept up to take a few shots.



Then, it did something I had never seen before. It walked up along the branch and hopped up to the crook of the oak where a squirrels nest was in plain view. It then started stomping on the nest!



This went on for a few minutes as it tried to see if anyone was home.



An amazing behavior to witness. The hawk soon flew to another tree to preen before heading off in search of food.

Where are those Chicks?

Still hunkering down in the nest, the chicks did not show themselves today. Mama was still there standing guard.



I was thinking of taking more pictures of her but then I saw a movement to my left. Glancing over I noticed Papa soaring into view. He was zooming toward the nest and I tried to get a few shots. It wasn't until I got home and processed the shots that I noticed he was carrying in a fish!



He dropped it in the nest and then headed to another nearby Pine.
Parents are busy at work.

And I can now increase the photo size with the new blog change!

Good News from the Eagle's Nest

Last week I swung through Greenwood Cemetery to check on the Bald Eagle nest and a photographer was already there. I had a feeling that the brood had to have hatched by now so I asked if he saw any chicks yet. He reported just one.

The next day I took the boys through to the spot just to check. There were actually two little heads popping up! I didn't have the camera so I decided to come back at another time. No sign of the chicks but I did get a good shot of Mama.



Sure I will be back many more times as they grow and fledge.