Yellow, Anyone?

Finally! Some birds out in the open!!

As I rounded the curve at Lake Lancaster around 5 PM I could tell it was going to be fun. Every few seconds little bursts of yellow emerged from the oak branches, hovered in the air for a moment and returned to cover. A nice flock of warblers was feeding big time. Might be my best chance to get a descent shot of a Yellow Warbler.

I could see them pretty much perching in the open as I exited the van.



Yellow Warblers were definitely at the top of my list for trying to get a good photo but I was also distracted by the equally large numbers of Prairie Warblers. How can I pass them up?



The birds zipped in and out of the oaks and sometime moved down to different sets of trees. I had to walk back and forth along the street but the birds were more interested in grabbing bugs than worrying about me. Which was good because I started getting the best shots of these warblers for me...ever.



So much yellow. At times I had to force myself to chase a singular bird so I wouldn't loose a potentially good shot.



Besides the oaks, the birds were taking turns jumping over to the magnolias across the street. They swooped over my head and went to work on the leaves once there.



Soon, I noticed one other species lurking in the lakeside of the trees which had its own patch of yellow. A Yellow-throated Warbler.



The only other thing I wish I could add here would be the sharp calls and the snapping sound of bills the birds made as they fed all around me.



Even if I never get this opportunity again with Yellow Warblers I can just sit back and stare at this photo and everything will be right with the world...

Saturday Cruising

Just going to a couple spots I haven't stopped by in a while. First, I need to check on the Yellow Warblers I found yesterday near the lake. They are still there but still in the shade. Just can't get them out on the edges and my flash just won't work for now.



Last month I posted about a Muscovy family walking between the lakes. Looks like the predators have been busy. Where there were once nine ducklings then I can only find one remaining. It is getting pretty big, though, so maybe it will make it to adulthood.



I decided to head over to Demetree Park to see if any warbler were enjoying the short boardwalk they have there. Seemed pretty quiet when I arrived but I did chat with an Anole for a quick minute before heading on.



Next to the main lake stood a Wood Stork who was not too sure about my intentions.



There were a few warblers along the boardwalk like Common Yellowthroats and I did find my first Black-throated Blue Warbler of the season. Red-eyed Vireos called along the treetops. However, I was a tad more interested in another bird down in the creek. A wind-blown Green Heron.



Hard as I tried, I could not get a side angle on this bird that did not include those pesky branches. It was so intent on hunting that even when I walked back and forth, crouched down low, or leaned out over the rail it did not even pay me one second of thought. I can live with the branches in the way. Love that stare.



Off to La Costa Wetlands to see if any ducks had found a resting spot there. There was not much around, actually. Even the locals were scarce here. A few Chimney Swifts chirped overhead and a Cooper's Hawk was chattering in the Cypress trees. But ducks? Not yet.

Rain was moving in so I picked up my step and moved back toward the van. Just before the last bridge, a family of Northern Mockingbirds chased one another around the palms and holly trees. I managed to get a juvenile peeking around its lunch. Birds love these berries and I hope to find a lot of species in this park this Fall and Winter.



A small mix today. Fronts are still deciding where to go. Not complaining as they have been responsible for guiding tropical storms away from us this year. Counting down to Fall.

Birthday Birds

My special day so I took leave of work in hopes of finding some new birds. Maybe that Sandpiper will still be around. Nope. Oh, well. Still have time to do some bird watching after getting the kids to school.

Fortunately, I found a nice feeding flock of Yellow Warblers on the way home. Got a decent shot of one up in the shade of the branches.



I was just mentioning to a friend a few days ago that I hardly ever see Yellow Warblers for any period of time during migration. They seem to swing through quickly and then disappear. Today must be a lucky day as they are feeding all along a local lake.



I was happy enough to have those shots to add to the collection and headed home to start processing other shots and settle in for a little relaxing. I almost put the camera away on the way back but I had to get it quickly as I rounded the curve at Lake Emerald and saw that the light was perfect and a couple of nice subjects came into view along the stand of Cypress.



Not sure if I like that vertical view of these Wood Ducks or the horizontal crop. Either way, it is nice to have them in a tree (thus, their name) instead of just on the water.



Backing up just a bit, I was able to get a full shot of the female. Sweet.



Not a bad start to my birthday. A lot of things to do before the day is over. Maybe I can grab a few more views before dark.

Solitary Sandpiper. Really?

Time to count the birds. Again. "Don't you ever get tired of it?" Not really. Over a the church pond I was greeted by a Little Blue Heron in the parking lot. I different angle for once.



I tallied the usual suspects and was about to leave as the sun was setting and I needed to head home. Then something caught my eye hiding behind a tiny branch. A Solitary Sandpiper!



I can't recall ever seeing this species on their way south. They usually stay on the coast going down Florida. I do expect Solitary's in the Spring on the way home when they stop by our local lakes.



We have had a lot of rain and the lakes are full so there is not a lot of shoreline of flat areas that sandpipers like. Good for the arriving ducks. Just wasn't expecting this fella.



I will check to see if it is still around in the morning but I bet it heads out overnight. Nice that it gave me a little bit of its time this evening.

Common Yellowthroat

The weather is beginning to change. I can feel it deep down. Even a few points off the humidity make the outdoors in Central Florida tolerable. Either that or the pull of migrating birds makes me think that.

I have been staring at my computer at work pretty intently for the past few days. The humidity is really down a bit and my legs could use a stretch. Time to reinstate the lunchtime walk over to the trees.

The fresh air was nice but there weren't a lot of birds around here at midday. I searched the wooded edges of the buildings and heard Mockingbirds and Cardinals but not much else. Finally, I did have a nice surprise when a female Common Yellowthroat hopped up out of the palmettos and onto a branch right in front of me.



Pretty little thing. I used to see Common Yellowthroats all over Central Florida nearly year round. Now it seems that they are in decline as it usually takes migration to bring any of these small warblers into view.



However, I have seen several in this little patch of woods and suspect they might be living here. That would be nice. But kind of weird as you usually find them closer to water and this spot is landlocked. The closest water in half a mile away. In all directions.



So, I will keep an eye out as we move along. Maybe I can find signs of breeding next Spring. Thanks for the photos, Ms. Yellowthroat!

Blackburnian and More at Mead

Despite the lackluster day yesterday, I decided to return to Mead primarily because there was a sighting of a Black-billed Cuckoo a few times in the past few days. I need that one for my collection.

We have been having rain off and on but I guessed I might have enough time before the next round after our banding morning. Rain has been good for the lakes, THey are way up and about back to normal levels.



No luck on that bird today but things were a bit more birdy and gave me many opportunities for photos. Once I arrived, I headed into the wooded area near the parking lot but only managed to find some Carolina Wrens and a pair of Cardinals. The male posed nicely in the shade.



I spent some time behind the amphitheater to see if the Cuckoo might be hiding there where it was last seen. Instead, all I found were some Redstarts. Then, another bird flashed through the branches but kept to the back of the oaks. It was an Acadian Flycatcher!



I swung down the river's edge and onto the boardwalk. No birds here so I stopped to get a shot of the Primrose Willow blossoms. They are invasives but I do love these flowers.



Fairly quiet until I approached the butterfly garden. There I found the Mockingbirds in the trees and flying about.



Many of the younger birds were grabbing berries when they could but I was more interested in the adult perched up in the watch tower.



As I admired the Mockers, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher drifted in and gave me a gaze before heading on.



This was followed quickly by a female Cardinal who brought her own food to snack on. She was a bit damp and undergoing some molting but I still found her pretty. In a birdy kind of way...



Besides the Flycatcher earlier, the most interesting birds were found as I made my back to the parking lot and found a few fellow birders staring at the trees. Turned out a feeding flock was moving through there and there were many Blackburnian Warblers in the flock.



I haven't seen too many Blackburnian Warblers in my life so it was nice to have this bunch around for some photos. Even though the sky was fully overcast and the light was poor.



Even got a pair together in one shot.



Here is that same scene cropped to show the lower bird better.



We tried to follow the flock but they dispersed. I got to end the day with a cuddly moment before heading home. A Rabbit was out on the grass, nibbling away.



Not a bad walk in the park, eh?

Get That Cat Outta Here!

Different time of day to check on the Teals but I wanted to see the place in better light. As expected, there was only a couple of Teal but not much else here around midday. In the smaller pond there were a couple of Wood Ducks in alternate (non-breeding) plumage.



Near the shore of the bigger pond was a Little Blue Heron. A Snowy Egret was up on the railing that surrounds the drain. A few Mallards hung out in the center of the lake.



Suddenly, the peaceful scene was exploded by the shriek of the Snowy Egret just as I was taking the shots of the heron. I glanced up to see a flash of white and then noticed something that really surprised me. A cat was all the way out on the railing!



That rail is only an inch wide and smooth. Couldn't believe the cat was keeping balance after an attempt at the egret. The Snowy made it away safely and flew over to join the Little Blue.



A little unexpected excitement for the day.

A Prairie Warbler Flashes into View

I headed over to Mead Garden for a trip through in search of any migrants. For the most part I was disappointed. A Mockingbird here. A Brown Trasher there... Sigh.

I was heading out after an hour and finally saw a flash bolt into an oak. I had to work my way around the structures near the butterfly garden and I finally could tell it was a migrant. A Prairie Warbler. Jumping into photo-mode I tried to anticipate which direction the feeding track would take it.

The bird chased an insect through the branches and, surprisingly, the path took it about a foot over my head. The warbler grabbed the bug and took it to a lower limb nearby. I got out to a good angle for my few seconds of clicking.



Yes! In the open and in the Sun. Then it was off and so was I. Almost makes me forget how dead the rest of the morning was.

Kinda like golf. A whole bunch of disappointment is erased after a single good play. Weird how that happens.

Escaping the Heat

Clouds broke early and so did the shift at work. I had time to go get the oldest boy from school. The best way there is by going around Lake Lancaster and do a little birding on the way. The day was heating up nicely and the first bird I saw stopped me in my tracks. A Great Egret was cooling down by resting chest deep along the shore. Odd.



I got to my waiting spot to wait to the school bell to ring. The jays and Titmice were calling out alarms so I had to look for the cause. Probably a hawk. Yep. Deep in the shade keeping cool in its own way was a Red-shouldered Hawk.



My son and I will just head back to house and grab some AC.

Golden silk Orb-weavers

I was going back through the photos from Central Winds Park and forgot to add a couple shots in yesterday's post. Forgot my spiders!

I am starting to find some nice specimens of Golden silk Orb-weavers (Nephila clavipes) in different places. I can't recall seeing too many last year. They kinda just took a break or something. I think I am happy to start seeing them again, scary looks and all.

Found this pair along the path as I headed back to the van. Yes, I said 'pair'. If you look closely you can see both the male and female on the web. The male is only a third the size of the female. He is in the top portion of this photo.



Also in the photo is the reason for their name. They weave portions of their webs in a golden hue. The photo below shows a close-up of the web to highlight the golden strands.



These spiders just hang there and being so large they are usually easy to see and avoid. If they do get on you at least they move so slowly that they can be brushed off effortlessly. Once you stop freaking out!

Central Winds Park

I have been hearing about a park along the southern end of Lake Jessup more and more as migration ramps up. It is called Central Winds Park. Never heard of it before. I figured after our banding session that I would run out there and check it out. See how long it takes to get there, find out what it is like and time the ride home. Turns out to be a really nice area.

I had mapped it earlier and saw that there was a big open space that led to the lake. I thought that might be a good place to start. The view was promising form the parking lot.



However, once I crested the top of the lawn my heart sunk a bit. There was a fence around the pond just before the lake so I would not be able to get under those nice trees down below. I decided to walk the edges anyway in search of bids. Not a lot here but some nice Passion Vine flowers.



I made my way back up the far side and had 2 choices. Head left into some inviting oak trees or head right into a canopied path into the woods. Mysterious paths into the woods wine with me every time! Along this sun-dappled trail I found myself watching a Spicebush Swallowtail gathering nutrients from the moist soil.



At the bottom of the trail I made a startling discovery. My old friend Dexter was scanning the treetops. Hadn't seen him in person in months. He has been coming here for years and he granted me a quick tour of some good spots. While we watched Northern Parulas and a Prothonotary Warbler I noticed a nice small forest of fungus in the underbrush.



Dexter showed my an unmarked path into the trees that led us down toward the water's edge. Cypress and other trees grew tight around one another. We were in the shade finding birds and watching gators cruise out on the water.



Red-eyed Vireos and a Black and White Warbler were way up high. In the shallow water, a Cypress tree provided a nice perch for a female Anhinga.



Back on the main trail we found more species of birds. Yellow Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, more Northern Parula, and American Redstarts fed really high. The only warbler to drop low enough for a photo was a Yellow-throated Warbler that was finding insects every couple seconds.



At one point it fed along a branch and strands of moss just a few feet over our heads.



Throw in a few more local species and it was a very nice walk. Definitely a place I need to check again. Not too far from home and it seems to be a nice warbler hot spot. Beginning of next month should be excellent.