In Between Cub Scout Nature Walks...

I was volunteered to give Nature Walks for groups of Cub Scouts and their parents through parts of Mead Garden all day today. Despite having my camera slung over my shoulder for over 8 hours, I barely took any shots. I was too busy pointing things out to take many photos.

However, I did have a few minutes during lunch and a few minutes once the walks were over and actually got more things on the card than I thought I did. In fact, I almost forgot that my fellow Mead birder friends pointed out a bird to me as I was making my way back for the next group. The first Eastern Wood Pewee of the season. Not the best shot but it counts!



During my lunch break I found my sandwich in the cooler beset by ants. Sigh. Off to circle the lake. More walking instead of relaxing but I can't resist the urge to find something while I am out. At the amphitheater I saw a bird dart into the Virgina Creeper berries. Turned out to be a female Summer Tanager. From below...



It didn't take long, though, for a bunch of Red-eyed Vireos to fly in and chased the Tanager away. Then they stood watch for a bit.



Down by the lake, a few Ibis, Titmice and herons rested along the shoreline and in the shrubs. I liked this pose of a Tricolored Heron up on the old dead tree over the water.



I headed around the shore and was surprised by a movement at my feet. It was a frog. More surprising was that it did not hop directly into the water as most frogs do. I had to do a little research and discovered this is a Florida Leopard Frog. Neat. I love the way the skin looks painted.



This little fella even let me get up close and personal for a more interesting view. It never even tried to move any further.



On the far side of the lake (OK, so it is really a large pond...) a number of Red-eared Sliders were sunning on the logs. Most jumped back into the water as kids ran by but the largest paused to look me over.



On the way back to get some more checklists for the next group of Cubs I saw the only raptor we would see all day. A Red-tailed Hawk circled high above and then off into the distance. Didn't even hear a Red-shouldered Hawk today. Weird.



I was being distracted most of the day by some birds that were enjoying the Beauty Berry shrubs on the first part of the Nature Walk. Just inside the shade where the shrubs were growing, warblers and thrushes scattered every time we walked through. It was driving me crazy because I knew I could get some shots if it weren't for all the humans in tow.

So, at the end of the day I packed up and made a quiet walk back to the spot. The light had changed so it was all shade but who can complain when you can hangout with Black-throated Blue Warblers enjoying an afternoon snack?



My feet were killing me by the end of the day but a bunch of warbler shots certainly give me enough lift to make it back home.

Chimney Swift Party

During my nightly round of the neighborhood I stopped by the church to count ducks. Instead, I was distracted by another species of birds. Chimney Swifts were massing overhead and calling. Always tough to get a clear shot of these birds but I singled one out as dusk was closing in.



While I was tracking the birds I couldn't help but notice the nice cloud formations off to the East. I waited a few moments to let the plane move into a spot for scale.



The view to the south revealed pileus cloud caps being formed and destroyed by the towering clouds below.



Oh, yeah. Swifts! So, I had to move out into the parking lot to get a full view of the swifts circling and calling. I took a few frames trying to get as many birds as I could in the shot. I counted later and, like this shot, the highest number I could get in the frame was 45 birds. There were many more with them.



Most Chimney Swifts have already migrated out of Central Florida and headed to the south. All I can figure is that this is a large migrating flock gathering together for a joint journey. Fly well, little Swifts!

A Different Bald Eagle

Just another run through the cemetery to check on the Bald Eagle. I was actually surprised to see an eagle at the nest. Usually at this time of year they stay off to the side in the pines where I took the photo the other day. When I got home at looked at the photos I had a bit of a surprise.

It is not one of the adult eagles. It is a 3rd-year bird! Notice the coloration of the head feathers. Bald Eagles do not get their full white heads until the 4th year.



I do recall one of the fledged birds hanging with the parents an extra long time a couple years ago. Wonder if this one continues to follow the parents around all year or if this some new bird checking out the area. I prefer to think the former.

Over at one of the retention ponds, a long Blue-winged Teal was resting along the waterside.



I have counted from 1 to 33 teal at a time over the days. Strange how they move around. Soon, this pond and a few others will host dozens of teal and Ring-necked Ducks for the Winter.

Swainson's Thrush and Friends

Hopped over to Mead after our banding session. It was fairly quiet at Lake Lotus so I wanted to see if the conditions were the same across town. Pretty much.

Down by the creek I did find a Great Egret posing nicely on the Cypress tree.



Things were slow all the way around the gardens. I headed out on the boardwalk and could barely hear anything moving about. The only movement I found was a Bird Grasshopper along the railing.



On the way out of the area I swung by the amphitheater for one more look. As I arrived I could see some Red-eyed Vireos flying out of the Virginia Creeper berries so I look for other birds there. Luckily, a Swainson's Thrush popped up out of the Camphor trees and looked over the grounds.



Glad I stopped there. This is a pretty good look at a Swainson's as they are either way up in the trees eating berries or hiding in the underbrush.



A little reward on a quiet afternoon. Seems like there are more Swainson's Thrushes around this Fall than last. Nice.

Pileated Woodpecker

We had a slower than expected day at the banding site so I headed over to Mead Garden to see if the same held true there. Pretty much. The usual Mead gang was there and reported that there was not a lot of activity at all.

Fortunately, I got easily distracted by a Pileated Woodpecker that flew in close to me. It was searching for food from tree to tree and let me get fairly close.



Why move around to check the hole when you can just twist your neck all the way around?



Over at another limb our bird finds a tasty grub. Yum!



I love watching these big woodpeckers fly from spot to spot. There have been breeding pairs here for many years. This is the male as indicated by the red patch behind the lower mandible.



I almost didn't get any good shots. Several Blue Jays were harassing the woodpecker every time they thought there was an easy snack to grab away.



Now off to the rest of the Garden to see if there are any more fun finds. Bet I can find a couple despite the quiet.

Hangin' Around the Tiki Room

I was looking for something in the archive a few days ago and noticed that last year I had Bald Eagles returning in September. For some reason I thought it was October! So, I need to make some tours of the cemetery. When I got over there I found one bird in the pine just like all the previous Falls.



I bring up the Tiki room because looking at these photos reminds me of those clicking, clacking mechanical birds in the The Enchanted Tiki Room down the road at Disney. Seeing that large, waxy-looking bill and unblinking eyes while the bird seems to pant in the afternoon heat just makes this bird look unreal.



But, the Tiki Room songs never started and the bird eventually turned all the way around on the branch. Guess it is real, afterall. Now we wait for the second part of the pair to arrive and then we go on baby watch. Yay!

Blue-winged Teal and Clouds

A couple of interesting sightings this evening. First off, it is nice to see more and more Blue-winged Teal coming into the area. They are now even on another pond a few blocks away. But at the main pond I happened to get a shot of one of the ducks displaying their namesake wings.



The sun was setting but there were storms all around the Orlando region. I had to pick up the kids from practice and as we pulled up to the house I looked skyward. Mammatus!



Mammatus Clouds are formed when cold air over a cloud deck drops through and forms 'breast clouds' on the underside of that cloud deck. They are more common up North so it is always nice to see them in Central Florida.

Always someting interesting if you just look around!

Things from Mead I Forgot

As I was reviewing my latest post from Mead Garden I started thinking, "Hey, didn't I have a bunch of other birds on that card from that visit?" and when I got a chance I dove back into the folder. Oh, yeah. A few more birds that deserved mention. Just as well, that post was getting long enough.

So, here are those other (almost) forgotten birds from a few days ago.

In the oaks next to the azaleas by the pond, a group of us enjoyed watching and listening to a Yellow-throated Vireo. Though it was way up there, you could still feel the cute raining down on you.



Don't know how I forgot to post the Common Yellowthroats. They were the reason I headed down along the creek in the first place. You could hear them back in the woods and when I neared the creek bank they were swarming as thick as the insects they were devouring.



Problem with hungry warblers is that they move even faster than they normally do. Getting clear shots was a fun chore.



Both sexes and all ages were represented in the feeding flock. We have been banding a lot of them the past two weeks out at Lake Lotus.



Dropping in from above were several Yellow Warblers. A couple began to feed at eye level along the Southern Elderberry bushes. I got a few OK shots (and I will probably never best the ones from last week) but I like this shot of one nibbling away on the flower stalks. Different, at least.



Finally, in between American Redstart sightings I had another nice surprise. A shadow moved along the creek and stopped pretty close to me. It was a female Black-throated Blue Warbler! I followed her as she fed among the branches for a several minutes. I pick this shot for show-and-tell.



I apologize to all of you beautiful birds I somehow overlooked in my post the other day! Won't happen again.

Work Walk

Needed a walk during lunch. Headed back around to the wooded area across the street. It was pretty productive during the Spring. Now to see if I can find anything during the Fall.

I could hear Cardinals but not much else. Suddenly a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher fluttered by and after a bug. It caught it right in front of me so I tried to get a shot. It flew off too quickly. I walked around a tree to see if it was hiding on the other side. Instead, I found Blackburnian Warbler feeding way up above me.



Heading deeper into the woods I spotted a Northern Parula feeding in a Chinese Tallow tree. It stayed in the dark shade so I looked around for some other subject. Surprisingly, I didn't have to wait long. Thrushes began to fly in right past me and gathered in another nearby tree. Most were Veery but a couple of Swainson's Thrush joined in. We have started to catch these species at the banding site so they are migrating through in good numbers.



That was it for the rest of the walk. Kind of disappointing but those 3 species were new for my in these woods. I finished out my shift and swung by the pond up the road to see if the American Coot was still here. Yep. Stayed year round. Also in the pond was a critter I hadn't seen in months.



At least it still hasn't eaten any of the regular birds!

Another Wood Duck Opportunity

Guess I am timing these runs around the lakes better these days. I actually ended up with another Wood Duck shot I like.



Gonna have to buy more picture frames...

Another Day at Mead Garden

Took a morning stroll over at Mead Botanical Gardens again today. Yeah, I end up here a lot in the Fall. For good reason. It is a magnet for migrating birds in the urban edges of Winter Park.

Things were interesting as soon as I stepped out of the van today. Over near the restrooms, Tufted Titmice were calling so I headed over to see if any other species might be feeding with them. There was a flash of some almost orange bird and I tried to get around the trees to get a better view. I could not refind that bird but up against the glare was a female Summer Tanager.



Turns out this was also the first weekend of the Mead bird walks so I met up with all my old friends. We headed toward the pond and watched thrushes and other birds. Soon, that orange bird flew in over head. A young Baltimore Oriole! I have always missed this species on my years of visits. Glad to have that off my shoulders.



The group kind of split up and I ended up wandering over to the back of the park and I went into the wooded edge of the creek. Yellow Warblers, Parulas, and Common Yellowthroats were feeding on the insects. Up in a tall Cypress tree I found a couple of Magnolia Warblers.



At the first turn of the creek I scared off a Great Egret. The Snowy Egret, however, did not perceive me as a threat at all.



Heading back toward the garden club building I paused to make an attempt at getting a shot of one of the many Red-eyed Vireos feeding all over the park. Not too bad.



Under the shade behind the amphitheater I searched for the flycatcher we saw last time out. Alas, all I could manage was a female American Redstart. At least, this time she dropped down to about eye level.



Back out in the sunlight I found more thrushes feeding up in the Virginia Creeper vines. Another bird flew in, too, and I almost dismissed it. Then I realized it was a juvenile. Mourning Doves have scaly looking feathers when they are young.



I made my way along the creek to head around the boardwalk on the way out. It was very quiet as I made my way under the Cypress stand but I was glad to get a view of a male American Redstart actively feeding. Like the female earlier, he came down low enough for a pretty good angle even if it was in the deep shade.



He bounced back and forth in from of me for a couple of minutes before taking off to the treetops.



The tour around the boardwalk was uneventful. All I could find moving was a dragonfly. It did stop for a couple seconds for a photo, though.



I walked through the butterfly garden and toward the education building. A strange sound came from the marsh and I quickly searched the vegetation. A bird flew under some leaves and I soon realized it was a Blue Grosbeak! haven't seen one of them in a long time.



The last bird of my day was a Red-shouldered Hawk surveying the property from tall trees over the old clay pit area.



A fun walk with some nice species. I couldn't get a photo of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird but that can wait until next time.