Catching Up with Random Birds

Starting to realize that some of my photos are piling up without getting posted. Usually just a shot or two and then I get a group that feels like it needs posting first. So, before I get too behind, I thought I would just offer up a mix from the past two weeks.

I took a trip out to Demetree Park one Saturday but did not find a lot of birds that morning. I did see a few Pied-billed Grebes and I managed to sneak up close to shore while one was diving and got a couple close pictures.



The thing I like most about this bird is it appears to be a juvenile based on the bill colors. When they are born Pied-billed Grebes have mottled bills that turn gray and blue-gray as they age.



My first American Goldfinch shot of the year was taken at Mead Garden after our banding day the following day.



Back at work the next week, I took a lunch walk and found this Northern Mockingbird guarding its tree in the small stand of woods across the street.



Still waiting for a sighting of both Bald Eagles. I keep worrying that the other bird had not arrived at all but I got a report that someone got a shot of them mating so he is here somewhere. Whew.



Back at Mead a week later and I caught a brief glimpse of the Rufus Hummingbird still hanging out. If we can keep these nice temperatures then perhaps it will stay all through the Winter.



American Goldfinch numbers are increasing sine they put feeders in the butterfly gardens. They are a joy to hear but this one seemed to give me a foul stare in the shade.



The Goldfinches are feeling rather at ease around the people wandering through. They are on the feeders and all over the weedy edges below.



They all seem nicely crisp. There are a lot of females and few brighter males coming and going.



I waited for a while to get this shot. Wanted a nice profile away from the feeders. Moments later and the bird was off to feed.



Now I just need the flocks to hit my yard. I have plenty of food waiting!

Lake Davis Mystery Solved: Redhead

I posted this photo the other day and wondered what species it might be. The birds all around are Ring-necked Ducks but what is that center one?



On the way home the next evening I spotted a pair of ducks across the lake as I was counting the other ducks. Hmmmm...



Driving to the other corner of the lake, I could get a bit closer to those ducks but someone was letting their dogs get a little out of hand and it was causing the ducks to begin moving farther out in the water I managed a shot of the mystery ducks and got home and posted to some friends. Looking at the images later, blown way up, it was easier to see these were female Redhead Ducks!



Yay! Something besides the Ring-necked Ducks. Not that I mind them.

Another interesting find was made just before I spotted the Redheads. There were six Blue-winged Teal on the edge of the other flocks. Big deal? Oh, yeah! In all these years of watching this lake I have never seen Blue-winged Teal on it that I can recall. They usually go to other lakes for some reason.

Now they are here. I am happy. Maybe this is a sign of more interesting things to come this season. Feathers crossed...

Barber Park Gulls and Grackles

Time for another trip to Barber Park. Maybe there will be some interesting ducks by now. Not a lot of time to check the entire park but can definitely get to the front pond. The ducks there are still the same old resident Mallards and Muscovy but there are now more Ring-billed Gulls than the time I stopped by and the light was a little better as the Sun was beginning to set.



Most of the Ring-billed Gulls were along the shore and didn't mind people as they walked the sidewalk by them. Though they do keep a sideways watch on us.



I don't always try for too many flight shots but when the gulls are in a small area like this, with a strong enough breeze, they make pretty easy targets.



I did find a few Ring-necked Ducks in another pond but only a few. As I was about to get back in the van, a flock of male Boat-tailed Grackles flew in and began posing and calling.



Imagine my surprise when these displays began to transform the birds into the undead! I have witnessed eagles and hawk make this change but not blackbirds.



Soon, a female Boat-tailed Grackle landed in the same tree. A good looking bird but I was worried for her safety. Did she not see the zombie bird nearby?



Ah, I see. She was already in the middle of her transformation!



Not wanting to be overtaken by this growing group of monsters, I got back to the van and found my escape. Perhaps I should alert the media...

Neighborhood Discoveries and Mystery

December already? Just another day to take the lakes tours to see what is arriving. A lot of Ring-necked Ducks are finally showing up and stay through the night. When they first begin to get here from the North they gather in the lake in the evening and then disperse by morning. Where do I go? No clue.

Now, the numbers reach near 200 birds in flock groups all around the lake. Most are in crisp plumage but some look a little...muddy.



I was counting all the ducks for my list for the day and noticed what appears to be a different type of duck. Sides are a different color than the majority of bird but I would really have liked to have it raise its head for me. Sleeping ducks are hard for me to ID since we don't have a lot of time to get good at Northern ducks. I will have to try for a better look at this mystery duck tomorrow.



Along the shore, White Ibis feed in large numbers. This one was busy searching inside for hidden treats.



Mute Swans have settled in of the past month or so. I think we are up to at least 6 by now. They have gotten completely relaxed lately.



Though they are not native birds, it is kind of nice to have them around.



Off to scan the cemetery for eagles. I don't see any, but when I round the back corner...Coyote!



Haven't seen her in quite a while. I figured she was gone for good. Maybe she is getting ready for breeding? Don't know much about Coyote biology. Time to find out!

Butterflies, Warblers, and Cormorants

Continuing my walk form the previous post, I took my leave of the Loggerhead Shrike and spent a few minutes trying to get some butterfly pictures as I continued home. Small wings fluttered all of the side of the road in the short-cut grass leading to the airport property. I just had to wait for them to rest from their zig-zag flights near me. The first critter to stop for a couple seconds was a Fiery Skipper.



One of the more common butterflies I could make out were loads of Ceraunus Blues. It has been a while since I have taken butterfly shots. I need to get back to that. One fun thing to notice is the differences in the inner- and outer-wing patterns. When open, a Ceraunus Blue can be seen as blue.



When the wings are closed, as is often the case, they take on a gray appearance like many other small butterflies.



The other copious species in the area were Dainty Sulphers. These guys seem to never stop flying but for only a split second.



I couldn't pick out any other species (except for the White Peacocks which I am kind of bored of right now) so I continued on to Colonel Joe Kittenger Park. This park was opened a few years ago and has a little playground, a couple benches and a pavilion that has speakers under the roof that plays sounds from the control tower at the airport just across the way. There is a fence that surrounds a retention pond (which I have never seen filled with water) that sits in the middle of the park property. Today, everywhere I looked near the fence I saw Western Palm Warblers.



They love to feed in the grasses and zip into the chain-link fences. Some of my first ever photos of Palm Warblers is of them in fences. I love it. Makes them visible in various poses.



I could have taken Palm Warbler photos all afternoon if I had the time. Heading back toward home, I finally could see downtown Orlando come into view. Almost there.



I decided to cut through Greenwood Cemetery and check for ducks. Instead, I heard a Belted Kingfisher flying by, saw an Osprey chase off a Red-tailed Hawk, but the roadside pond held no ducks. Resting on an unseen perch in the water were Double-crested Cormorants.



These guys had very crisp feather patterns but I also love their bright faces so I provide a closer crop for you. I also dig that dotted circle around their bright blue eyes.



Here are the other two birds. Notice the darker adult on the left.



Soon, my walk home was complete and it was time to find out if the car was ready. Turns out it was just the battery, after all. Now I can do the lake checks later.

Airport Loggerhead Shrike

What a way to start the day after Thanksgiving. I wen tout to the van to do my lake checking and "CLICK-CLICK-CLICK" is all I get. AAA claims it is the alternator so I get it jumped and drive to the Sears. They doubt it is the alternator. I leave the van and begin walking home. It is only just over 2 miles and the weather was perfect. Might see some birds along the way.

Not too much until I got to the edge of the airport. There I saw a couple birds wrestling on the grass. Just seeing gray and white, I assumed they were Mockingbirds. Nope. Loggerhead Shrikes. One stayed on the fence and the other flew off. I walked over slowly and the remaining bird and I hung out for a while.



It was fun standing on the edge of a busy street side and the end of the airport runways watching this little bird hunt for food. It would scan the air and the ground between me and fence and suddenly...



...jump off the edge.



There, only about 6 feet or so away from me, it would double check the grass up close. Still amazes me that I am staring at the same spot and only see grass and a few butterflies but the Shrike sees something.



Only once or twice did it even appear that this bird even paid me any attention.



Then, pluck!, it snatches a caterpillar and heads back to the barbed wire.



It began trying to do the signature motions of the 'butcher bird' by thrashing the prey against the barbs in an attempt to impale it for eating.



However, it never succeeded in that endeavor and often stopped between tries. It finally gave up and swallowed the insect whole.



Before I left the scene the bird did a move I had not seen before. It jumped to the ground next to me, squatted, and fluttered its wings while staring straight ahead. I wasn't able to get the shots I wanted but I watched as it fluttered 2 or 3 times until another unseen bug flew up from the dirt and was quickly grabbed by the Shrike for a tasty snack.



Back to the wire and I figured it was time for me to head down the trail.



I am so glad to have so many Loggerhead Shrikes in the area again. I never tire of seeing them and watching them go through their hunting behaviors. Wonder what is awaits at the park ahead...?

Barber Park Warblers

On Thanksgiving morning I headed out to do my daily bird count around the neighborhood. The weather was very nice but the wind was up so there were not as many duck sightings as I would have liked. I figured I would head over to Barber Park since I haven't been in a long time and on rare occasions a duck or stray goose shows up. Nothing in the front pond except the local Mallards, Muscovy, and White Ibis today.

I almost left just then but thought that maybe I should check the plants and trees across the parking lot just because. Glad I did because it lead to nearly an hour of warblers and other birds. I thought I would be able to get a shot of one of the Palm Warblers on the lawn but I was pleasantly surprised that one of my best subjects of the morning was this Myrtle Warbler.



While other birds fled my advance on a stand of shrubby trees in a marshy area, this Myrtle Warbler (commonly called Yellow-rumps) paid me little attention as it hopped and gleaned its way around the ground and branches. It mainly stayed in the shade but I did get a shot in a small circle of sunlight.



This is a nice example of an adult male in Winter plumage. The bright yellow crown feathers are peeking through nicely and you can even see dark spots around the bird's brow. Females don't have those.



Even as he fed in the shade I was pleased to get some nice shots when he would stop for a couple seconds every now and then.



A beautiful warbler. Too bad we only get to see a few in Spring that reach their full colorful plumage molt before they fly back North.



I followed the path of several warblers that were heading out from the lot area and appeared to be heading toward Lake Barber on the other side of the soccer fields. In the trees near the lake there were dozens and dozens of Myrtle and Palm Warblers. I was also happy to see several Orange-crowned Warblers feeding, too. I get to hold them but rarely get natural photos of them.



Besides the large amount of feeding small birds in the trees, there were many larger birds in the sky. Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, Black and Turkey Vultures, many migrating Ring-billed Gulls, and few Bald Eagles took advantage of the strong winds.



I took a few minutes to ignore the warblers so I could try for a shot of this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Turned out pretty well, no? I only saw a couple of them in this area.



Nearby, the Western Palm Warblers were a little more secure feeding here than over on the lawn. Easy for them to duck back into the bushes if needed. Every now and then they would sit out in the sunlight to strike a pose.



I probably like this shot better but there were so many to choose from today.



Soon, the birds seemed a bit sated and they settled into the leaves for some rest and I headed home. I will have to head back again soon. After all, it is in my Breeding Bird Atlas block so I will have to do more research over the next few years.

Chipping Sparrow

To wrap up my Shingle Creek experience, I wanted to share a special bird for the day. In the previous post I mentioned that I had heard a tiny sound at the entrance of the East Pine Island Loop. The bird was in the pine trees and I could see the outline of it. I had a suspicion as to its identity but was not completely sure. I wanted a photo to confirm.

The bird quickly vanished back into the surrounding brush and I couldn't relocate it. I continued my walk around the pine island and got all my shots of the flowers in the last post. When I got to the entrance again I heard the sound again. The bird was still here and this time it landed a bit more in the open on a pine branch.

I moved slowly toward the tree and finally positioned myself in a spot almost clear of the pine needles. I was right. It as my first Chipping Sparrow of the season!



I spent a few minutes with this little sparrow before it moved back into the brush. I actually was doubting my identification when I looked at the bird on the computer at home. Chipping Sparrows are suppose to have clean breasts. This one has a bib line that is pretty prominent. Weird.



I am used to seeing a few Chippies, as we birders sometimes call them, in Orlando. I occasionally get them in the yard at the feeders but never in large numbers. I did find a lot of them in 2010 in the Palm Cemetery. So I enjoy any chance to see them and I especially like this pose.



Now to wait for them to come back to my yard this Winter. I great way to wrap up my hike sightings out in a place I am sure to revisit. For more information about Shingle Creek, head to the official site and if you are in the area, do make it a point to spend some time out there.