Turkey (and Spoonbill) Surprise

Leaving late from work but there was still enough light for a quick check of the ponds and creek around the corner. I was pleasantly surprised! Down in the creek area I noticed some Spoonbills in the creek near the bank.



I swung through the parking lot to get a better angle and was met with another surprise. A small flock of Wild Turkey were pulling seeds from the grasses under the power line towers.



Back near the creek, I took a few more Spoonbill shots. I have plenty these days but I love to get documentations of any birds, especially ones that are seldom seen here.



Just past the creek on the way out I noticed yet another Turkey heading toward the other parking lot. Brings the total to four for tonight. Nice!



Glad I took the long way towards home. Again.

Quick Trip Home

Took the extra loop home tonight. Mainly, I wanted to see if the Pied-billed Grebe was still over by the church. Yep. Even heard it calling again yesterday.



Then I swung through the cemetery just in case anything was stirring. Not to much, but I was surprised to see a hawk up in the pine tree that the Bald Eagles perch in when they are here to breed in the Fall/Winter. A Red-tailed Hawk, in fact. Red-shouldered Hawks are much more common around this area.



Pretty quiet, otherwise. We shall see what pops up next.

Sandhill Cranes Still Around

On the way home I spotted the Sandhill Crane family I had seen a few days ago. For some reason it appears that something happened to Dad. He now has four legs! Are we experiencing some sort of radioactive contamination in the water!?!



Nope. Just baby hiding behind Dad.



It is interesting to note how rusty these normally grey birds are. It is quite common, though and is attributed to diet.

Heat Back On

We had a bunch of rain, and more forecast soon, but today was nice and warm. Just a couple of birds out in the heat but worth sharing. Especially this Pied-billed Grebe which I discovered near home.

These birds are usually only Winter visitors for us. I did see a brood with a female many years ago but having them in Central Florida in July is a treat. Finally get to see them in full breeding plumage. This one was even calling which I had never heard before.



Over at Lake Lancaster, an Anhinga rested on the side of the water near the road. It was getting warmer as the day wore on and this bird gave out a tremendous yawn as I watched.



Maybe I should take a nap, too...

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.

Good Morning, Barred Owl

Finally got myself out of bed in time to get over to the wetlands just after sunrise. Look who was already there. Gail. She said she saw one of the Barred Owl right near the bridge but we couldn't relocate it quickly. She showed me where a Red-bellied Woodpecker nest hole was before heading off. I could hear the chicks but none came up far enough for a shot. I have to remember to check back soon.

On my way back to the parking lot, the Jays began to alert. Blue Jays are great at finding predators and once they find one they alert the whole neighborhood. I followed their calls to the cypress trees and soon found one of the Barred Owls on a limb over the lakeside creek entrance.



It was busy hunting and only looked at me twice. That first flashed version is OK. The light was low. I held steady and shot without it. My youngest prefers this shot, though I keep noticing the missing foot as he was adjusting his weight.



But I probably like it better, anyway. Off to work!

Breakfast for a Red-shouldered Hawk

I had some checking up to do at the banding site but on the way home I stopped by the local church to see if anything was in the big pond. Before I could get to the pond, a Red-shouldered Hawk flew up and onto the fence around the smaller pond by the parking lot.



It didn't seem to mind my presence as I walked a little closer. It was more interested in something in the grass. It hopped down and plucked a juicy little caterpillar and had a breakfast snack.



Soon after swallowing the critter, it flew off to the trees but quickly flew back into the shade on the fence. It still didn't care about me as it looked around for more prey.



Not much else in the pond. The Pied-billed Grebe is still way out there and calling but the heat is on. A nice treat before housework.

Sandhill Crane Family

I knew they had to be here somewhere.

I used to work about a mile from my current office beginning in 1994 and over the years there I would occasionally see Sandhill Cranes wandering through the parking lot, usually with chicks in tow. Seems they are still making a living here after all this time. On the way home today, I found another family group in the same area I have found Turkey earlier in the year.

I spotted the family as I made the turn but couldn't get any focus through the windshield so I tried to get the windows down and slow to a crawl. With the zoom lens on, all I could manage were some tight close-ups by then. I was trying to focus on the colt, what you call young cranes, but Dad was very weary of me. He gave me the warning eye.



Then Mom strode by shielding the colt.



Being so close, it was all I could do to try and get a full body shot in the frame but this one will do. A very healthy looking youngster.



I quickly drove up to the next open spot and turned around in hopes of a full view. The cranes worked their way around the small pond and past me again. The light was from the side but it still makes for a pretty picture.



Still amazes me that these birds find a place to breed in this area full of development. There are still a few remaining marshy areas here next to Shingle Creek and it seems to suit them just fine. For now.

Rediscovering Monks

More than 5 years ago I was given directions to a Monk Parakeet nest not too far from home. Right after I got my new lens at Christmas I wanted to find them again, if I could, for better photos. Problem was, I could not remember the place I saw them.

Some days, during my rounds of bird counts, I would take a quick detour in the direction I thought they were but I never found any familiar landmarks so I had to give up and think harder. It never worked. I was beginning to think I was going crazy, though I had photos to prove I was there before! I just never wrote down the spot.

The other day, I wanted to explore the boundaries of my assigned area for the Breeding Bird Atlas. I printed out a map and drove the edges as best I could. Then it appeared! There on the southeast corner of my area I found the substation and convenience store etched in my mind from years ago. Better yet, I heard Monk Parakeets! Not (completely) crazy after all!!

That first rediscovery was during a rainy evening so photos were not so good. Today was full of sunshine. I returned and heard a lot of squawking. I pulled in and bought a soda (I find purchasing something helps if I plan on taking up a parking space for a few minutes) and scanned the wires. The first bird came out into the open.



Another soon joined it. The light was harsh at midday but I needed to get some positive IDs for the record.



A short time later, I heard squawking from the oaks across the street from the power station. A quick walk down the sidewalk lead me to a spot in the shade where it was the noisiest. It took me a couple minutes to pick out the shapes among the branches but there were a few birds moving trough.



The Monks were picking at the moss and leaves and were never out in the open as much as I would have liked but it was a relief to finally know where I could find them on future visits.



Up in the communications tower over the substation I could see a nest. This colony has survived here for quite some time. Now they can be added to confirmed breeders in my block!

Closer Swallow-tailed Kite

A couple new Swallow-tailed Kite observations today. The first bird in the morning was swooping low as I grabbed the camera and was fading into the distance as I walked outside. I can still tell that it is carrying a chick for breakfast.



A short time later, a second Swallow-tailed Kite glided in and was making dives on the other side of the building. Looked like it was trying for some prey just out of my sight. It came away empty but provided a nice close shot.



A few minutes later the bird took me by surprise by appearing over the building in an arc and flew right overhead! All I could do was aim and shoot as it buzzed past and out of sight.



These Kites begin preparations for their journey South soon. I will miss them. Though, warblers will be on the way to take their place.

Breakfast for an Anhinga

Another late-ish start for a Barred Owl hunt but what's a boy to do? I headed around the Greenwood Wetlands to search, again, for herons and owls. Along the way to the eastern edge of the wetlands I got distracted by a bird off to my left. A female Anhinga had caught herself a fish.

So, this becomes the second in our series of birds eating things at the wetlands!

Lighting wasn't great and the bird was a bit far away but I decide to see what would happen. A lot of times Anhinga will bolt when you stop near them but this was was nice and hungry and I was just far enough away. Here, it holds its prey and decides what to do next.



I just missed the toss as I found my footing. The bird was getting the fish into a better head-down position for easier swallowing. Wish I could have the whole fish in view.



Just about into position. Just needs a little more shifting.



Al...most...there...



A quick flip to the left...



Ahhhhhhhhhhh....



Gulp! Wasn't that refreshing? I was even thinking of making an animation but I am fresh out of time these days.



This morning I only had a few more minutes to find other birds. I headed down by the water, searched the cypress trees, searched the oaks, no luck. I said to myself, "Well, not today." and turned back to the sidewalk.

As I reached the top of the rise, an owl flew right past me and into the cypress branches. Looks like Papa was heading back to roost. Finally found one again!



On the way back to the van I saw the Anhinga, currently sated and resting on the cypress knees.



I try for an artsy shot before heading out.



Will I be back after I have found the owl? Why...of course! Still have to talk to baby again at some point.

Happy 4th!

I picked a new location for firework shots this year. I wanted to see the view from the Target parking lot roof but ended up above that on the apartment building parking lot roof. Hey, the gate was open. So, I set up amongst the hipsters.

I was amazed at the amount of fireworks going off in all directions. If I had known, I would have tried for some panorama test but I wanted to see how the downtown event showed up. I wasn't too impressed.



From way up there it was hard to even tell when the finale was happening. I get much better views from our back yard. Next year...

Swallow-tailed Kite Review

I posted a couple shots of a Swallow-tail Kite with a prey item under my Carolina Wren Rescue post but decided to go back through the shots again to see what I could see again. The cloudy conditions and fast moving bird made for some very underexposed shots but I tweaked some shots to get a better look at the sequence.

Here are those shots I kinda rescued from the dark.

So, we begin our tale with my first sighting of the Kite. It was far over the buildings when I first spotted it but I could tell it was carrying something in its talons. By the way things were trailing behind, I thought it was a rat. Once I saw the images I could tell it was a small bird.



It was feeding on the wing,even tearing the chick apart as it sailed closer to my office space. I decided to head outside to try for some better views out in the open.



At one point, it actually dropped the bird as I was trying for shots. I glanced over the camera and saw it swoop down to grab it again. Once I refocused it was headed in my direction.



Closer still and still pulling feathers and flesh during the glide.



I almost thought there might be two chicks in tow but I guess it was only one.



The Kite even gave out a screech as it sailed by and then continued to munch away.



Almost at the closest approach.



I could never tell what species of chick was dinner that day. It was a pretty interesting few minutes, though.



Then it was gone over the rooftops. Wish It could have been in clear skies. But we really need the rain.