Hunting for a White-faced Ibis

Sit back for a longer-than-usual post but tons of photos...

Visitors to Orlando Wetlands Park near the city Christmas found a White-faced Ibis the other day. I grabbed my one shot to get out there today and found many exciting things to photograph. One the drive in down Wheeler Road I caught a glimpse of a bird in the trees. I ground to a halt and hit reverse, scrambling for the camera as I did so.

A nice light-morph Red-shouldered Hawk! Awesome view from the car window.



Once I parked, I headed down the berm paths toward the Ibis location. Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers were criss-crossing back and forth as they always do this time of year. As the sun warmed the air, Turkey Vultures took flight right over the trees and into my view.



Some even relaxed on the snags as I passed.



Looking beyond the vultures I could just make out a circling mass far, far overhead. Every now and then their feathers would catch the sunlight. White Pelicans!



I walked on toward the reported Ibis spot, scanning every bird I could out there in the very windy, lily pad covered water. No luck yet. However, a huge flock of birds up ahead. Blackbird? Maybe. But why were they flocking into the Wax Myrtles and back out again?

By the time I got closer, the flock broke up a bit and I could tell they were smaller than Blackbirds. They were thousands of Tree Swallows!



They were gathering in this spot, circling around and then swooping into the trees. It seemed to me that they were eating the fruits of the Wax Myrtles. I thought these guys ate bugs exclusively.



With the large flock just over my head I felt I could reach out and grab one at any time. It was difficult to get any single bird in the view finder. Thats what cropping is for, I guess.



Suddenly, the birds would break off from the trees and dip down to get drinks of water from the surrounding ponds. They would then fan out across the park. After a short while they would begin to regroup again.



I like this interesting shot. Note the bird in the left center flying with its head rotated all the way around!



Then it was back to the foraging. Over and over. I could have stood there all day long. However, I needed to get back to Orlando. This flock transfixed me so much that I had to force myself to keep checking the time. I stopped shooting after almost 300 images.



Oh, yeah. I finally got home and checked my images that I took of a couple of ibis way out near the tree line. One of them turned out to be what I was really after today. The White-faced Ibis.



Success with a new Life Bird and a morning filled with awe.

Another Day at the Frog Tray

I will reposition the BirdCam soon but here are a couple of dove shots to get them out of the way. A typical day has me sifting through 5-600 images. 95% of them are Mourning Doves. Every now and then one comes out pretty.



Other times we might get an action shot. Sneak attack!



Rarely, the doves clear out for a little while and allow other birds to swoop in for a quick moment like the Northern Cardinals.



Back to sifting through images...

New BirdCam Bird

Finally! Something other than doves!

One of our resident Blue Jays managed to grab a quick bite when the Mourning Doves weren't looking.



May have to move the BirdCam. I don't think too many other things are getting a chance over here.

Watching for Eagles

Took the boys through the cemetery after school to check on the old Bald Eagle nest. Not disappointed.



Will need to stop by from time to time to see if we have more babies this year. The old tree is still hanging in there after years of abuse. Finger's are crossed for a healthy brood.

House Finch and Robin

No, not a new crime fighting team. Just a couple visitors today.

Should be time for the House Finches to start appearing in larger numbers and this male is a welcome sight. It has been difficult to find them the past month or so.



Out back, a Robin eyes the birdbath. Sure, now that I moved the BirdCam.

New Birdcam Angle

I was hoping to capture some Robin images as they were flocking down to the bird bath but, alas, they did not return. Instead, I got my usual visitors.

One of the many Gray Squirrels...



...and, of course, a Mourning Dove.



Oh, well.

Robins and Waxwings

Yet another wave of Robins came through this morning. As usual, they raided the Laurel and Camphor trees and dropped down to get a drink.



A couple even managed to grab a quick bath.



Even better, they brought down some Waxwings, one of my favorite Winter visitors.



Maybe I can get some BirdCam shots at the birdbath.

Sparrows and Blackbirds

Had to make yet another trip to Largo and what would a trip over there be without watching the feeders for any interesting birds? We can always count on the House Sparrows. Today, besides just feeding near the feeder, they also stopped by the patio bench to grab a drink from an overturned flower pot.

Maybe it is just me but these sparrows on the coast are more colorful than the ones I see closer to home. Especially the females.



The males are also a bit brighter than the inland birds.



I could never find what was spooking the birds from time to time but every now and then they would all take off. Sometimes they would wait in the nearby plants and then return to feeding.



Another species that has been stopping by has been Red-winged Blackbirds. These females also appear much brighter than others I am use to.



Beautiful plumage!



Always interesting.

American Goldfinches Fade Away

Fewer and fewer Goldfinches are being seen. Hardly any caught on the cam. Are they leaving so soon?



Hope not.

Black Skimmer Feeding Near Dark

One of the more interesting sights we discovered while watching the Spoonbills was the sudden appearance of a gliding form between the mangrove banks. A Black Skimmer was feeding just before nightfall above the swallow waters.

Here, it makes a grab at the water's surface. A miss.



You can get the full view of this image by dragging it to your desktop and then you can probably tell that this grab was a success. There is a tiny fish in the bird's bill!



Once a run through this section of water was completed, the Skimmer would make a wide circle back to its starting point and would fly right towards us again and again.



I usually only seem to encounter Skimmers while they are resting and have always wanted to get a shot of them feeding because it is such a unique technique.



Could have used better light but it was fun to watch and shoot, anyway.



I also liked the trails it left on the water as it skimmed along.



A very exciting end to a nice stroll at Black Point. Never seems to disappoint me no matter when I visit.

Sora and Spoonbill from the Bird Walk

As mentioned in the previous post, here are a few shots of the birds we encountered as darkness closed in on us out at Black Point on Merritt Island. Had to bump up the ISO so there is a lot of noise but...

First up, one of the Soras that crept out of the mangroves to feed in plain view.



This particular bird gave us great views as we watched from a row of foliage next to the water.



Pretty little 'chicken'.



Nearly hidden from view we found a Roseate Spoonbill feeding among the few ducks. If only clipping branches at a park weren't illegal! Probably why it seemed to be laughing at me.



Moving to the end of the last observation deck we got better, unobstructed views.



Even in the gloom that pink really stood out well.



Beautiful birds!

Meeting Laura Erickson

A friend joined up to support the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and to get subscriptions to "Living Bird". I get to share the magazine as well as any other goodies (decals, etc.).

She received a letter letting her know that she was invited to a special bird walk with Laura Erickson during the Space Coast Birding Festival. My friend doesn't go out on too many outdoor hikes so she passed the invitation along to me. I hadn't planned on attending anything at the festival this year but since it was a special walk, why not?

Plus, I have been listening to Laura's radio shows and podcasts for years so it would be a chance to meet someone of like mind.

However, as the day approached, word of a strong front was posted and by the time I got to the meeting location the rain did begin to fall. I went inside to receive my complimentary copy of Laura's book, "The Bird Watching Answer Book", which she compiled for Cornell (thanks for the autograph, Laura!) and we all gathered to discuss if the walk would go on as planned or not.

Some folks opted out. Some wanted to go on the planned excursion to Viera Wetlands to find the Masked Duck. The rest of us stayed close and decided to try finding anything interesting at Black Point. Seeing as I had a van, I was elected to drive. My pleasure since it is a favorite haunt.

We paused at Parrish Park first to look over the resting gulls and a Black Skimmer that Laura is peering at through her scope.



Then I hurried the folks along as darkness was approaching and I wanted to get a look at Black Point before we were not allowed in. Not many birds in the first parts of the drive but I suggested that we stop at the new observation areas along the way. Here, the group finds a Sora in the mangroves.



At the farthest blind we all took in the wading birds.



I will be posting more of my bird pictures from here shortly (as this post is getting long!) but it was a pleasure meeting everyone involved even during a gloomy late afternoon with only a few handfuls of birds along the way.

Cute Posing Goldfinch

O.K., I will be done with Goldfinch posts for a while but I wanted to share just a couple more since they were so cute.



What can I say? We wait a long time for them to show up for just a few months. Can't resist.



Next, I will move on to other exploits!

Let's Do the Twist!

I posted about behaviors yesterday and today I found another image on the card from this morning. I always wonder why the Goldfinches do this from time to time.

Is the seed caught in the notch a weird way? They do this from time to time just like the hanging upside down feeding position.



Maybe just a chiropractic therapy...

Goldfinch Behavior

Here are some interesting shots from the BirdCam showing some American Goldfinch behavior at the feeders. I like finding the odd image out of the standard poses. Like this one which seems to show a female thinking, "I would REALLY like to get THAT seed waaaaaay down there!"



These birds drop in to the feeders so quickly it is hard to get any shots. If you watch them in the big picture of the whole backyard, they usually will simply drop out of the trees and onto a feeder. Every now and again they will come in from one feeder that is level with another.

Incoming!



Of course, there are always the domestic squabbles between these communal diners.



Fun to watch!

Goldfinches: Male/Female Comparison

Have been enjoying the Audubon Birdcam shots. Especially as they allow a close comparison between male and female birds this time of year. By Spring, they will be very easy to tell apart from a distance but during the Winter it becomes much more difficult.

So, here is a nice study up close from today's captures. First off, a Winter male. Note the 'jet-black' wings and the yellow head and slight yellow on the shoulders.



Females are more drab, as most females in bird species, with brownish head feathers and slightly less black wings.



Good to see so easily this way. Though I welcome them all to our yard!

A Few Goldfinches Today

Here is a close-up of one of the female Goldfinches at the Web cam. Pretty bright but a nice pose.



The boys also bellied up to the bar a bit later in the day.



Nothing special, but fun to find on the card.

A Couple of Backyard Birds

After the exciting Robin experience (see below) I headed back into the house to get some more chores done. Soon, however, I heard a loud racket out back. The Titmice were going crazy! What could be out there? Grabbing the camera, I ran out and slowly made my way around the greenhouse to peek at what could be causing the commotion.

Snake? Hawk? Who knows. I never found the subject of ire. I did find a Titmouse in the Mulberry tree, though.



Their calls of distress also brought along several other species such as Yellow-rumped Warblers, Carolina Wrens, Gnatcatchers, and a large group of Palm Warblers. Once the threat seemed to have vanished, the warblers stuck around to feed in the remaining Beauty Berries.



I enjoy having a few minutes to spend with the Palm Warblers. Very common this time of year but always fun to observe.



Now I wait for more Goldfinches to arrive and to get more shots of them with the BirdCam.