Our Ghost and Someone's Been Scalped!

For the past few years we have a had at least one Gray Catbird hang around until late in the season. Some years there are more than one and I would like to think they are breeding somewhere in the back brush but I have never been able to confirm it.

Just when I thought this year's version had flown off it appeared on the back deck all quiet-like.



Seems to be the new routine. Stay out of sight all day and then pop out to grab a few snacks, a drink of water, and then back into the shadows.



It always gives me a little glance and hops around before disappearing.



Meanwhile, back at the kitchen feeders, a Red-winged Blackbird showed up. My oldest boy spotted him first and remarked that it had white on its head. I grabbed the camera to check and it turns out not to be white but feathers on the top of its head are missing!



Seems like our little friend got scalped somehow.



Appears to be healthy otherwise. We wish him a speedy recovery.

New BirdCam Goldfinches

WIth all of the new Goldfinches moving back in, I set up the BirdCam over near one of the sock feeders to try my luck. Always worry that this big tripod and camera being so close will scare something off but the birds always seem to accept it being there.

We missed a bunch of Goldfinch sightings during the beginning of the year so I couldn't watch the molting males this year so it was nice to see really bright males arriving all of the sudden.



The females are still around, of course, and we are now up to over a dozen birds at the feeders. Hopefully, more will follow before heading North.



They must be hungry as fights are breaking out when finding a place to feed.



Most of the time they just feed in peace.



I am so happy they are back to add some color to the beginning of Spring.

Ft. DeSoto and Another Lifer

That time of year when the early warblers start heading up the Florida coast by the end of March. Word has been that the trees were 'dripping' with Hooded Warblers for a week but were starting to thin out. I had not even figured on being over there today but after our family day at the beach I was allowed to run over for a short time.

Dad and I got there just after sunrise. I really wanted to get a shot of the sun rising above the Sunshine Skyway as I have been doing the past couple of years but...oh, well. We still had birds to find. Worse still, I had forgotten my binoculars.

For the Hooded Warblers, we would not need them. They were still showing a strong presence at the East Beach area even at dawn.



They filled the trees. They were calling all over. They were dropping on the ground for food right in front of us.



They were even foraging in branches at eye-level. My camera was acting up so it became hard to get some easy shots but I can live with the ones I did get.



Could have stayed at East Beach all day but we actually had a couple other birds on the list for the day. We headed to the Mulberry Trees to see if the reported Blue-winged Warbler was around. No sign of it but we did get a first of the year Worm-eating Warbler feeding among the palm fronds.



We vowed to stop back to check here again later but we wanted to get over to the North Beach side to hopefully get a view of the rare bird spotted here: a Brown-crested Flycatcher. We looked around for a bit. More Hooded Warblers. Then a group of birders huddled in one spot. Could it be the flycatcher?

Nope. I had forgotten the Great-horned Owls had set up a nest here, too. Might as well take a quick shot though I was really not interested that much since I see owls all of the time, it seems.



We decided to circle back around the parking lot side to make sure we covered all of the trees before heading back to a spot another photographer said he had seen the bird we were after but it had disappeared not long ago. At least I got to see one of the first Yellow-throated Warblers of the season grabbing a bite.



Heading toward the beach again, I was distracted by blackbirds and then a flock of Waxwings. Soon, I noticed my Dad motioning to me to come over. I had given him some things to look for (size, color, etc.) regarding the flycatcher and it seemed that he had caught the suspect bird flying into a Brazilian Pepper bush. Two different birds, in fact.

Soon, the bird we were focused on, which was busily preening, took off to a nearby branch. This seemed to be our bird! The best shot I got was this but it is the Brown-crested Flycatcher! My second Life Bird for the weekend. Nice. The bird was fast, though.



Later, I got a better shot of it as it flew from branch to branch around the area. A very nice bird to have added to the Florida list!



We left over a dozen photographers which had now gathered in the same spot and headed back to the Mulberries before heading home. Still no Blue-winged Warbler but there were many Cedar Waxwings in the trees grabbing fruit.



They perched in one tree and then would fly over to the fruiting tree to grab food before flying back to the other tree again. Always fun to watch.



Last bird of the day was dancing around the mulberries. A bright male Summer Tanager! The fruits are not yet ripe there but in a couple weeks time these trees will be full of black berries and very hungry birds.



Wish I could be there, but...

Cinnamon Teal

We had to head over to the coast to visit the parents before Easter and the night before we left there was a report of a rare bird in a newly opened park in Largo, FL. Eagle Lake Park used to be private property but the county purchased the land and converted it to a very nice park.

The report was that a Cinnamon Teal was sighted just inside the park entrance so my wife and I swung in as it is near the parent's house. No teal. Barely any birds at all in fact. Dang.

Next morning I figured that since it was so close I would run over at dawn to check again. There were already a few photographers around the small pond so I guessed I was in the right place at the right time. Success!



The Cinnamon was hanging out with several Blue-winged Teal as reported earlier. A gorgeous bird in the early morning light.



The views were brief, however, as something got the birds all stirred up for no apparent reason and they all bolted, one after another, and headed over us toward the East.



The bird has not been reported again since. Glad I decided to loose a little sleep to get a new Lifer.

Another Peek Out of the Window

Started propping the kitchen window screen in hopes of seeing the Bunting clearly. A no-show today, though I did hear it out back so it is around. So I shot a couple of other views. Mourning Doves can look nice and pretty up close with the DSLR.



Better news, the Goldfinches are starting to appear in larger numbers after a quiet time through the cold Winter. They are even coming to this side of the house now.



The experiment under the feeders with the BirdCam did not net any results so it might be time to try the thistle socks next.

Back to the Seed Feeder

Switched back to the regular seed feeder to see if the Bunting would show up there again. Don't think it will. It is hanging out more in the back and then making a quick stop under the feeders before returning to the brush.

However, the doves are back. Of course.



At least there was a visit from one of the Cardinals.



Maybe I should set up under the feeder. Hmmmmm...

Peering Through the Window

With a nice turn in the weather I can finally prop the kitchen screen open to get a clear view of the feeders there and hopefully get a shot of any passing birds. Today I was able to get a shot of the Indigo Bunting feeding on the ground below the feeders.



More blue to follow!

Red-winged Blackbirds Return

I can tell when the Red-winged Blackbirds are breeding down the road. Not by sounds or by visiting but by when they return to my feeders.

I moved the Birdcam back to the kitchen side feeders to see if I could get another shot of the Indigo Bunting. Instead I heard the loud, some would say grating, call of a Red-winged Blackbird. I checked around and found one in the backyard and another over at the kitchen side.

Luckily, I got a couple shots on one through the BirdCam before the doves chased it away.



Interesting site: I watched from inside as one of the blackbirds actually fought back from the wing flicks of a dove by hissing at the dove. Good to see someone fighting back.

Molting Indigo Bunting

During a recent severe storm I noticed a very wet bird at the kitchen feeder. After several inquiries to friends, none of us could tell what the bird was even with photos. We could tell the bird was injured so I decided I would try to capture the bird to determine the species ID.

The next day I saw the injured bird and set a net up in the yard (I band birds at a local spot so I have the equipment and license) and after only an hour I did catch the bird in question. Turned out the be an American Goldfinch in pretty bad shape but it was flying fine so I released it.

At the same time, I also managed to capture our Indigo Bunting just 2 feet down in the net!



As you can see, he is undergoing big-time molting right now into his bright blue, Spring plumage. I released him back into the bushes and can't wait to watch him as he changes before heading back North. Stay tuned!

Tufted Titmouse

There we go. Much better. An actual bird at the frog bird bath. One of our Tufted Titmice!



Love these little birds. I can't wait for their calls from outside as I work so I can race to the door and watch.



Hope for some other birds to show up!

Squirrels Love the Frog Bird Bath

O.K. Over to the other bird bath. Wonder what we will find.

Many birds visit this spot. Jays and Titmice grab peanuts and Goldfinches visit to grab a drink. Surely I have a chance to get some good shots of birds here. And, what is this? A new bird? Nope. Our Gray Squirrels also love to try and prize peanuts and often stop to grab a drink soon afterwards.



Over...



...and over, and over.



Not giving up on this spot yet.

BirdCam at the Bath

I had been noticing that every now and then I see a few birds at the back bird back. Sometimes something unexpected. So, I figured I might as well try to see what we could see using the BirdCam. I didn't get the Goldfinches or Bunting as I had hoped but I do like these two shots.

Mourning Doves generally come down to drink here and then bathe (and then drink again-yuck?) individually, but I have never seen this kind of cozy scene. Cute.



I did get one of the birds I was hoping for. Our lurking Gray Catbird ventures out rarely to drink and bathe before diving back into the bushes. And, yes, I cleaned the bowl right after this. Danged algae...



Since a couple of days trying here didn't get me too much in the way of images I like, perhaps I will move on to the other bird bath on the deck.

Northern Cardinals on Webcam

As the Mourning Doves tend to hog the feeders from time to time it is a real joy to get some new images of other birds that aren't just their backs or of them flying off as the doves approach. Here are a few of my favorite Northern Cardinals images. At least I finally got the focal length thing down!

I LOVE this shot of our female Cardinal looking up to make sure the coast is clear. You can tell the dove have been squatting there all week since the feeder is nearly empty.



Later that day, her mate joined her for a snack. It should be time to be building a nest right now and I hope it is nearby again as in the past.



Years ago, a pair of Cardinals built a nest right outside our kitchen window and I got a lot of good shots of the chicks right before they fledged. Those images are still on my original site here.

Meanwhile, back at the webcam, another appearance by the female.



Can't wait for new images as I move the cam from site to site starting tomorrow.

Indigo Bunting. Finally!

Got it!

After observing and moving the BirdCam from feeder to feeder I finally got a shot I have been waiting for.



The little guy is out back everyday but hard to find as he flits from bush to bush. I do hear him when I am filling feeders. He is lurking with a House Wren (never common in the yard) and our yearly Catbird.

Now to move the cam to the blue plate we use as a 2nd bird bath...

New Feeder, Same Birds

Time for a new feeder experiment. Got a few shots from the original feeder. Still dove-filled.



So let's get that new feeder in place. Survey says...doves...



Maybe there is hope. In the bad afternoon light I do see that a Titmouse stopped by.



Spring migration is not far off so I may just have to wait another month for a change of birds.

Shiny Dove

Since I have to stare at so many dove images I might as well pick one that is a little more interesting.

I always like seeing the iridescence that shines from the necks of males when the sun hits them right.



Maybe a new feeder will change my luck and will bring in some new species.

Some Surprise BirdCam Shots in a New Location

A while ago I noticed a nice little bird out by the frog-themed tray feeder. An Indigo Bunting. That was what promted me to try the BirdCam over there in the first place. Hoped to get it. No luck as the dove dominate.

Then I noticed the Bunting by the kitchen window. So, I moved the cam over there. More doves. However, today a dove seems like someone else approaches.



I waded through the 598 shots from the day. Dove, dove, dove, two doves, dove...boring. Wait! Is there some speck on this image? Need to zoom in.



Amazing! That speck turns out to be the Bunting! Success! Not where I wanted it but the doves wouldn't budge and the Bunting gave up after a few more frames and moved back into the bushes.



The doves did leave later in the day making room for a couple other species. Like the Blue Jays.



Then the quick stop by one of our resident Carolina Wrens.



Still, these dove images are all looking the same.