Lake Davis Shorebirds Revisited

The variety of shorebirds arriving at the local lakes continues to surprise. Feeding along side the Solitary Sandpipers was a Spotted Sandpiper now.



Killdeer continues to patrol the area, protecting there territory and I bet a nest hidden somewhere. I haven't seen it yet but the behavior of the adults seem to verify it. Like this wounded display presented to me as I was trying to get Sandpiper shots.



I left them to their living space, trying to lead a neighborhood cat out with me.

Great Weather. If You're a Gannet!

Well, that was a long couple of days. But typical of my forays into camping trips.

A strong front was moving in and the winds at Jetty Park picked up significantly after we arrived. By noon they were clocking 25 mph with higher gusts making the tent set-up...interesting. We were situated on a higher point next to the Jetty Park canal where the ships move in and out of the area and the wind seemed to be focused right at that point.

By night they continued but we managed to get a fire going for some smores just as the light rain were dragged along for the party. We spent the night in an on and off sleep as the tent shook in random bursts until morning. The next night was more of the same minus the rain.

Ah, camping.

The only birds who seemed to enjoy the weather were the pelicans and the Northern Gannets. I had hoped that the high winds might push some other birds on shore but there were not even any traces of warblers and very few gulls. Resident Turnstones hugged the jetty but other than that I had to settle for a family of Mockingbirds and a flock of Cedar Waxwings.

At least I would manage to get my best Gannet shots up until now. I rarely get out into the ocean anymore so they are still a seldom seen bird for me. The last time I had a really good look at a Gannet was when we had one get hooked on our trolling lures nearly 20 years ago.

That is a whole different story but wass the first time I ever actually held a bird. Who would have guessed I would do so regularly at this point in life during banding? Not me.

Over the course of the next two days I saw many Gannets feeding just inside the canal and every now and then I could get the camera to auto-focus on one. They moved so fast with the strong winds.



That adult was often cruising the shoreline but there were also birds in every plumage variation along the way. Like this in-between version.



Joining the throng were a lot of juvenille birds.



I guess some pictures of seldom seen birds was better than nothing. Maybe the winds provided that so I shouldn't be too upset. Would have liked to have had more little birds on their way North, though.

My, What a GROSbeak!

How to make your family a bit perturbed.

We had packed up the car for our camping trip, the kids were in their seats, we were ready to drive off but I decided I had better check that I had locked the backdoor one more time.

I reached for the key to lock the door I had actually forgotten to lock and stopped in my tracks. A black-winged bird had flown down to the tray feeder. Then another. The white belly and red breast were unmistakable. Two Rose-breasted Grosbeaks had found our house and right when I had to leave.

I ran back to the front of the house, reached into the running car, muttered there was a bird out back and hurried back inside. I knew the eyes of my family were rolling and sighs were expelled but this was the best view of these birds I had ever had. But with so little time I only managed to lean out of the backdoor and get at least a confirming shot.



I would have loved to stay and try for better light or angles but we HAD to get going. Later on, the oldest, who was suppose to be at a different overnight camping trip got a migraine and asked to come home. Which meant I had to actually drive back home, pick him up, and head back to the campsite.

As we rounded the lake to make it back toward the highway and the coast I noticed a Black-necked Stilt and a couple other birds. I had the camera with me so I stopped quickly and jumped out for a few shots to ID later. I was surprised to find later that one of the birds I was seeing was a Stilt Sandpiper!



Nice addition to the growing list of new birds at the lake.

Off to high winds for the weekend.

Solitary Sandpiper

Got a report from fellow neighborhood birder, Jeff. He was interested in the earlier swan story but he also reported a couple other birds in Lake Davis. One really jumped out at me: Solitary Sandpiper.

I was on the way home a couple nights before and thought I had caught a glimpse of a bird that was shorebird shaped out of the corner of my eye. I had to be home at a certain time so I had no time to stop. Luckily Jeff tipped me off because I had about forgotten about it.

I stopped by after I dropped the kids off at school and, sure enough, shorebirds were feeding on the now exposed parts of the lake bottom not far from the sidewalks. Whether it is due to the new mud and flies or winds or the drought drying up other feeding spots, I don't know. I had never noticed shorebirds around Lake Davis in the past.

Now, here was a Life Bird. No, two! A pair of Solitary Sandpipers.



The birds were rather skittish and as soon as I got past a certain point from the sidewalk they would fly a bit farther down the new beach. I vowed to come back at a later date to try again. These shots are actually from the future! Taken a few days after this blog date. I was going to put up worse ones. Whew!



Other shorebirds are showing up, too. Killdeer, Yellowlegs, and Black-necked Stilts. But these Solitary Sandpipers and pretty cool. Love that white eye-ring.



We need the rain but a lowered water level attracting shorebirds is actually kind of nice.

Trail Walking Wekiva

With a front moving in for the weekend, threatening to cancel Sunday's banding, I was thinking of heading over to Ft. DeSoto. I figured it may be a tad crowed (later reports said as many birders as birds!) and I knew I would have to work late and have to drive early.

I decided to stay close to home and check out some trails at Wekiva I hadn't fully explored. There was an earlier report of fledging Great-horned Owls down the trails and I wanted to find them.

It was a pretty hot day but I knew I needed to get in about 5 or more miles to get where I was headed. Not a problem. Most of the hike is in the shade.

Usual suspects were around and first of the season Red-eyed Vireos made an appearance half-way through the hike. Lingering warblers and singing sparrows. When I got to the area that the owls were suppose to be, however, I found little.

I was choosing which way I should head on a new trail when I saw a white-tailed deer to my right. It watched me warily and moved on. I decided to head down that way farther and soon found a break in the brush, apparently created by animals walking through.

Following that, it opened onto the shore of Lake Prevatt. Not much of a lake left. A bit of a pond and a few mud holes and a LOT of dried mud. I walked out onto the lake bed and as I rounded a clump of bushes the far side of the lake was teaming with deer. At least 12. Another deer flushed off to my left.

Soon, a bird also flushed from the bushes to the left. It turned out to be a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron! It flew over to where the deer were, near a mud hole. I followed to try and get a closer shot.

Once I got closer to the mud I began to notice a few tiny heads around the edge of the mud where the last of the remaining vegetation. Baby alligators! First a couple, then several. I stopped walking when I noticed the series of dark bumps resting in the wettest part of the mud. Mama was keeping watch and began to push herself deeper in the muck when she sensed me approaching.

I would have to change direction. I respect the power of gators enough to know better than to mess with one protecting young.

I got back onto the main trail and headed around the other side of the lake. There I found a few tom Turkeys out on the lake bed checking me out. Suddenly, 4 more popped up around the other corner. More surprising was that a couple of them decided to leave the lake bed and walked right past me.



Time was running out for my hike so I headed back. Nearing the net lanes again, I heard some birds scolding around the bushes near the trail ahead. Out popped a Pine Snake right in front of me! I was trying to get a shot of it but it turned and fled back into the scrub. The birds continued to scold and some warblers appeared before me.



I can't remember seeing female Pine Warblers before but here she was, down out of the high branches to chase away this 4 foot snake. A male joined her, as did Gnatcatchers, Prairie Warblers, and a Titmouse.



I didn't find anything spectacular today but at least I got some shots of the Pine Warbler. The most important event would happen a bit later. This long walk in 90 degree heat sealed my decision that had been brewing for years.

Time to cut off this ponytail.

Easter Waxwings

One final day with the visiting in-laws and we were all together for Easter Sunday. Of course, I managed to squeeze in a little birding along the way.

The most fun site of the day was a flock of Cedar Waxwings feeding on the Loquat fruit in the tree across the fence. There were around a dozen birds and they were basically oblivious to me as they fed.



Shots like these were not that easy, though. They kept hanging upside down or ended up behind leaves while looking for that perfect slice of fruit. Every now and then they were argue with one another.



A great site to have around. Won't be long before the larger flocks depart.

Monk Parakeets, No Foolin'!

A few days earlier, Paul emailed that another birder was reporting some nesting Monk Parakeets not too far from my house. By the time I could have gotten there that night it would ahve been near dark so I planned on trying for them after banding.

Directions placed me at an intersection with a convenience store on one side and a power substation on the other. Since I have seen parrots and parakeets hanging out at substations around Tampa/St. Pete I decided that must be the best place to look. The direction didn't pinpoint any one exact spot.

My main concern in these times of paranoid officials was who was going to jump me once I started scanning such a structure with binoculars. There have been many reports of birders being detained or questioned intensely by Men in Black just because they were staring in the direction of some government structure or another.

Luckily, I didn't have time to look too hard.

As I approached the the intersection I heard a loud noise behind me, away from the substation. I tracked the noise to a telephone pole located just behind the store. Whew.

The light was bad as it was noon and the birds were up in the transformer on the pole. The only spot to stand was next to a ditch in order to see the birds. There were 4 shapes that I could make out and the nest was obvious. After a few minutes, one of the birds walked out to the edge of the nest.



A minute later another pulled a stick out to the edge and tryed to place it in the right spot.



I have been meaning to track down Monk Parakeets for years but never found a chance. Nice to have them even closer this time.

Meanwhile, the morning banding session yielded the usual suspects, including this beautiful male Prairie Warbler.



We checked out the nest boxes again and now there were 4 eggs in the nest. As we approached, there were 2 Bluebirds in the area, one of which was the bird we banded the week before.



Not a bad April Fool's Day. No tricks.

A Few Minutes of Awe

We had a chance to sleep in for once. If you consider sleeping in having the youngest walk in the room and ask for stuff every 15 minutes. At least it didn't start until after dawn.

Before it got too hot I hurried outside and was going to just get rid of the leaves on the deck but figured since I was out there I might as well mow. The birds weren't that happy that I set out food and then made it all noisy but it had to be done. As soon as I completed all the yard work I was going to do I sat on the back steps to enjoy the breeze and relax.

That's when the high-pitched sounds grew and grew in the oaks at the back of the yard.

Suddenly, Cedar Waxwings fluttered out from the treetops and landed near the feeders and in the cherry laurels. I was under one of those and the birds were seaching the branches for any remaining berries left over from the Robin feasts. There were a few out on the tips of most branches.

There I sat as Waxwings were literally 2 feet in front of my face and over my head, their weight dropping them down directly in front of me over and over again. The calls filled my ears, nearly drowning out the American Goldfinches that seemed none too happy with the intrusion.

Me? I soaked in every last view I could get of these beautiful birds. They will be leaving soon.

This Year's Model

Goldfinch numbers have been lower than the previous years but there are still enough around to keep me happy. The top numbers at any one time has peaked at around 30 birds. Way down from the 100-plus last year and 60-70 the previous year.

The birds this year seem a bit more picky about which feeding station they prefer. Fourtunately, one of the favorites is right outside the boy's bedroom. Every now and then they perch in the Firebush while waiting for a chance to feed.



The males are even more selective. They are mainly staying far in the back of the yard or outside the kitchen window where the screen makes photographing them less than satisfying. The females are still pretty. Their gold is working its way into the plummage, too.

Eastern Bluebird Surprise

Ask and you shall receive?

At the end of the last post I had mentioned that we saw many Bluebirds along the trip to and from Crystal River but I was unable to get any shots of them. Except for one right outside the hotel room that is verrrrrrrrrry far away. I showed the photo to the wife and said that I really needed a good shot of a Bluebird again.

The last shot I even got of a Bluebird was years ago in Winter Park. I never saw them in that area anymore.

Today, as I checked the nets while banding at Wekiva, I rounded the back loop of nets and saw a bird in the lower panel. At first, I was surprised by the color of the bird. We don't get many medium-sized birds with blue feathers. My first thought was that it might be a Scrub Jay. Some do live within the park.

I got closer and the other colors became more evident. Not a Scrub Jay. A Bluebird!



There are many nest boxes set up around the park and some years there are successful clutches of eggs resulting in chicks. Last year, there were no eggs in any boxes. When the chicks do hatch, they are banded in the nest. Adult birds don't end up in the nets.

Until today.

Even better, one of the nearby boxes had two eggs inside and another Bluebird leaving the scene. Maybe this signals the return of babies to the park.



Beautiful bird.

Seaside Sparrow

Without much of a chance to do much birding I was looking forward to our short vacation trip to Crystal River. I had been mentioning I would like to check out a spot there some day, even if it meant I drove up alone some morning to get there at dawn. To get that out of my head, the wife chose it for a family trip.

Weather outlook was pretty good and I was getting prepped to find a new Life Bird: Seaside Sparrow. I made tape loops of the bird's calls and songs and studied these and images to make sure I wouldn't casually miss what might be a quick glimpse of this small bird.

As we headed out, the weather reports were taking a turn for the worse. If I were lucky, the front would stall and leave some time for warm birding. If not, winds were scheduled to pick up behind the front and the temperatures were forecast to drop rapidly.

I wasn't lucky.

The front came through very quickly, bringing high winds, rain, and impending temperatures in the 40s by morning. I hadn't considered that last part and neglected to bring any long-sleeved shirts or jackets. Just a Kissimmee Prairie T-shirt and thin pants as I figured it would be hot and muggy. Oh, well.

Headed out to be at the beach at dawn and found slightly lower winds but it was around 40 degrees. Brrrr.

Out on the beach, Skimmers, Laughing Gulls, Black-bellied Plovers, and Sanderlings were flowing in from the Gulf to rest in the shelter afforded by the beach and a few dunes and marsh. Very few other birds were in evidence.

I was told that there was a section of the marsh just before the beach that the sparrows were usually found. I headed over with tape recorder, camera, and binoculars in hand and stepped out in to the harsh winds whipping up past the shore instead of standing next to the road. I was told that playing the tape from the road would bring up some sparrows but the wind was getting so strong that I doubt anything heard my playback.

Into the Spartina Grass I sloshed. I figured going after the birds was going to be my only chance. Fortunately, it only took a few minutes to start hearing the birds call. Soon a few sparrows were darting out of the grass just feet in front of me.

I finally found one bird keeping very still but singing as it held on to the swaying grasses. Getting my camera to focus on a small waving blob in the high wind was proving to be a task but I did get my first Seaside Sparrow!



I knew there were several more in the area. I could hear them talking to each other as I slowly made my way around the marsh. The only other chance for a photo was of this birds looking toward the sun as I was deciding I was tired of freezing.



I tried many other birding spots in the surrounding few miles but never heard any other Seaside Sparrows. In fact, there were not to many other birds found anywhere since they were hunkered down, waiting for a better day. The only other birds in abundance during the trip were Bluebirds which lined CR 44 all the way to Crystal River.

Couldn't get a shot of them, though.

Cardinal Visit

We were grinding out pages here at work when I heard, "Drew! There is a bird over here right next to the window!" Like I am interested in birds or something...sheesh.

I didn't tell Chandler at that moment but I was quite impressed when he did a dead-on Northern Cardinal as we walked across the building to see the bird. Indeed, that is exactly what it was.



This silly bird was standing on the very thin window ledge and calling like crazy. It stayed there for a while and barely seemed to acknowledge me as I leaned in close for a photo.

It left soon afterward to hang out with the other Cardinals here. They breed in the bushes all around the office complexes and I can't wait to hear the demanding chicks in the next couple months.

Orlando Wetlands

I had heard from some birders that they had seen a Gull-billed Tern out at Orlando Wetlands so I thought I had better get out there. It was seen in a part of the Wetlands I had never been over to. Just didn't even know it was there. I always stayed so focused in the main sections.

This other part is just across the road you drive in on as you approach the parking lot. How I missed it all these years, I don't know.

Got there at dawn and made my way across the berm from the parking lot. I did hear a Virginia Rail in the cattails so at least I would have one Lifer no matter what. As directed earlier, I took a turn at the Red-shouldered Hawk's nest and crossed to the other side of the road.

Up a slight incline there was indeed a whole other world over here! I wouldn't have time to walk all of the trails but decided to at least head around the main pond/lake in front of me. Once the sun was up and just after a sundog display, I turned around to face the wetlands for this shot.



There were a lot of Palm and Myrtle Warblers along with scores of Boat-tailed Grackles. Small flocks of Blue-winged Teal and Hooded Mergansers moved nervously from shore to shore. No Gull-billed Tern in sight.

I did manage to find a few Green-winged Teal and a few Lesser Yellowlegs. A Forster's Tern cruised overhead. Ibis foraged in the swallow water. Away from the water was very few birds sounds in the bushes.

Most evident were Common Yelllowthroats and every now and then a Savannah Sparrow or Catbirds would make a brief appearance.



There was a warbler type bird that flew out across the path as I rounded the far side of the water. I tried to track it down but could never get a clear look before it vanished into the woods. I had to settle for a curious Swamp Sparrow instead.



My time was up so I had to walk faster back to the car. Next time I hope to make it around a few more trails. I always consider a day at the Wetlands an excellent way to spend some time. Might have to take the bike next time to cover more ground.

Washington Oaks Finds

The Florida Parks service was having a little shindig for volunteers in the district and this year it was honoring the 1 millionth volunteer hour, give or take a few, at Washington Oaks Park near Ormond Beach. I was looking forward to seeing what the ceremony might be like and to try and get in a bit of birding.

Even if you never make it into the main part of the park, my favorite part of this area is the beach with its coquina rock formations, shells, and the occasional fun bird sighting. Today we even found a starfish, I think and Armored Star, that I let the youngest hold as it crawled across his hand. We decided not to hold any of the numerous jellyfish that the wind had pushed on shore.



After making that first beach investigation it was time to head into the park proper and check the activities. We were given a schedule of events and lunchtime and headed off to look around. I had high expectations for some good birds in this part of the park but there was very little activity all day. A few expected birds but nothing too exciting.

Once lunch and the ceremony speeches were concluded the boys were getting bored. Time to hit the beach one last time. They headed toward the rocks while I was more interested in a large gull seen as we crested the dunes.

I followed it down the beach a while and tried to get some photos to ID later and it finally allowed me to slowly get in range. Turns out it was my second ever Greater Black-backed Gull. This time a juvenile.



I finished getting more shots and was turning to join the family when I noticed a black shape in between the waves. It was moving fast and the waves were crashing quickly, making a good view difficult. A few minutes later, the bird moved closer to shore and revealed itself.

A male Red-breasted Merganser!



I have read reports of them along the eastern coast in the past but always managed to miss them. The last time I had seen this species was out in Washington State. A very pleasant surprise!

Made up for the common birds seen all day.

Really Ruby-crowned Kinglet

One of the first Ruby-crowned Kinglets I ever saw was at Mead Garden and the crown was what gave it away for me since I had never seen one before. Out at Wekiva, we band a LOT of Kinglets. Most them are females so we don't get to see the crowns.

We even had one last winter that had only ONE ruby feather indicating it was a young male.

This morning we captured one of the most ruby of all the male Ruby-crowns I have ever seen.



Can't mistake that ID!

Nashville Warbler

Once a month for the past couple years, there has been a census count for the birds that frequent Mead Garden in winter park. I try to get to as many as possible but those darned Scouts keep coming up with things to do!

However, I did manage to return for the February count to meet up with birding friends and count some birds. Waxwings and Robins were in full force as were American Goldfinches. We managed to find all of the resident Woodpecker species and most other expected birds for the Garden.

My favorite part of the count is to go out on the boardwalk which has been suffering from neglect since Hurricane Charley torn through our fair city. Jeanne didn't make things better. Only part of the walk is open for the general public but we are aloud to head into the more dangerous portions for the count.

Local birding expert Bruce Anderson and I chose to brave the closed portion of the walk while others waited near the butterfly garden. We tallied up all Waxwings and Robins and a few hawks as we made our way around the back portion of the walk.

Staring out across the Primrose Willows, Bruce called out that he had an Orange-crowned Warbler in front of us. I almost didn't look since we had a couple of those already but I slowly glanced up to check it out anyway. I noticed an eye-ring and for some reason exclaimed, "No, it looks like a Nashville!"

Granted, I had never seen one in person but I do stare at a lot of books. Nashville just seemed exactly what it was. Bruce and I looked for a little longer and he agreed with me. The eye-ring was that noticeable even from the distance we were from the bird.

Remembering I had a camera with me, duh, I tried a couple shots but was not sure they would turn out that well with the bird about 25-30 yards out. I was right.



Nonetheless, it was enough to confirm this uncommon bird in Central Florida. After I posted about the birds to the lists, there were a couple of other sighting of the same bird before it left the area.

I remembered to bring my copy of Bruce's book, The Birdlife of Florida, with me and asked him to sign-it for me. He wrote to "...remember our Nashville Warbler" and I will tape this photo next to that.

Any day with a Life Bird is a good day.

Berries for the Masses

Decided to take a walk around the office park. Don't get a chance to do that too often and with the temperatures at a very comfy level, why not?

One of my favorite stops has become across the street from our office. It has a larger pond that is divided by a roadway between parking lots. Part of the pond goes underneath a parking structure and the Hooded Mergansers use that part to hide from anyone or thing it fells is looking a bit too hungry.

On the northern edge of the pond is a row of Brazilian Peppers and just beyond that lies part of Lake Destiny. This time of year, the peppers are loaded with berries. In turn, they are full of birds.

I usually walk past the peppers and loop around behind them to view the lake and continue on with my walk back to the office. Today the birds were flying out right in front of me so I stopped and got the camera ready.

The majority of the birds were Myrtle Warblers who were greedily swallowing up berries as quickly as possible. Making it difficult for them was a very territorial Northern Mockingbird who would chase any Warbler it saw stopping on a branch. This was what was causing the birds to fly out in front of me.

Eventually, a few Waxwings signaled their approach with their high calls and landed among the branches above and next to me. They seemed to be trying to blend in and avoid the Mockers detection. It worked for a while and the Waxwings could manage a few gulps before being found out.

I thought it would be easy to get some shots of these close birds and, indeed, they were landing in plain view just feet from me. Excellent opportunities! Better than I ever have had. Camera up, press the shutter to focus, bird GONE!

Every time the Waxwing would come into focus, the Mockingbird would dive in and chase it off. This went on for almost an hour. I did finally get one photo that actually looked like a Waxwing but it was not easy.



I could have stood there all day had I not had work to do and a family to get to later. The number of Myrtle Warblers was impressive and the Waxwings were and added treat. Goldfinches called from the trees in the parking lot.

Time to break the spell and head back across the street.

Hammond's Flycatcher

A report was posted to the lists about a Hammond's Flycatcher out at Hal Scott. Several reports were filed over the next few days saying some had relocated the bird, some doubting the ID, some swearing by the ID. I thought I wouldn't go after it as it was the middle of the week and I couldn't find time to head out there for days.

Specialty birds rarely hang around for too long. But the reports kept showing up. What the heck? Might as well go for it.

Detailed directions through the Hal Scott area were provided. Head down this path. Go past THIS rock. Stop at THIS lone orange tree, etc. I wasn't familiar with this part of the preserve but I would have my directions in hand.

Fortunately, when I arrived in the parking area, a few other birders were heading out for the Hammond's. I was getting my cameras together when I heard, "Here for the Hammond's?" in the pre-dawn darkness. "Yep." We were off.

During our mile-long hike we spotted Bluebirds, skittish sparrows, doves and heard Nuthatches and woodpeckers. The flycatcher spot was ahead.

We were told by another birder who had arrived on bike just ahead of us that it was seen in certain spots but usually came close to the trail. After 15 minutes standing on the trail I couldn't take it and headed into the woods toward the creek. I can hardly stand still too long.

I stopped about 100 yards from the trail and stood to listen to the surroundings. Goldfinches. Waxwings. Kinglets. I decided to try and see any of the birds I was hearing way up in the treetops for practice and found a small bird I thought was a Ruby-crowned Kinglet preening up in the branches.

Then it started 'flycatching'! Was this our target bird? Too high up to be sure so I tracked it through the branches. Suddenly, it swooped down toward the creek and foraged, 30 feet in front of me. This WAS the bird.



I got a couple shots for my collection as I was verifying it in my head. I knew I had to alert the others but feared calling out too loudly would scare the bird away. They couldn't see me easily through the trees. Even if they could they were all staring straight up!

"Over here!" I said in a deep enough register that I hoped wouldn't be too bird un-friendly. I kept a lock on the Hammond's and everyone hurriedly rushed to my spot.

Another group of birders arrived and saw our location and hurried over as well. Soon, we had 25 guys oohing and ahhing as shutters clicked and introductions were made. We tracked the bird for 30 minutes before heading out.

Some folks told me they had been out there 4 times so far without seeing the bird. Some had been there once or twice and sat for hour upon hour without seeing it. I walked out on a day I wasn't going to and found it in 15 minutes.



Dumb luck. I'll take it.

Twilight Swans

I had posted about the new swan released at Lake Davis last year. Soon after that, I didn't see it on the lake any longer and began to worry that the owners earlier fears had come through. Maybe a dog had gotten this young swan.

Time passed and I eventually saw one and then two swans at the lake. Then they, too, would be gone only to return later on. These new birds must have fully functioning wings instead being clipped. It would be an advantage over attacking mongrels.

Soon, I got used to seeing them come and go and didn't pay a lot of attention if they were gone. One evening, I had to take some film up to be processed and decided to swing by the lake on the way out. It was getting nearly dark and I thought I saw a new gull on the water so I pulled over to have a look.

On the other side of the lake the pair of swans had grown to a small flock of SIX!



The next morning, the oldest boy calls out, "Seven!". Indeed there was.

As of today, they continue to move from lake to lake in the area. I know they go across the park to Lake Cherokee which is virtually dog free but other than that I do not know.

The thrill of one morning was heading out to work and there were 4 of them flying over the tree tops, over me, and over the freeway straight for Lake Davis.

A perfect way to start the morning.

Quick Trip To Viera

Richard and Christine were giving banding demonstrations over on the coast for the Space Coast Birding Festival and today they were setting up at the Enchanted Forest. I wanted to join them and even managed to talk the boys into coming along for some outdoor fun.

On the way, we swung by Viera Wetlands to see what we could see. The Masked Ducks had moved on. There didn't seen to be a lot of special stuff there but some had seen a Cinnamon Teal and I hoped to add that one to the list. No luck on that, either.

Many other ducks were there, however, including Blue-winged Teals and Green-winged Teals.

An early swing around the Click ponds included a couple of foraging Bonaparte's Gulls which is always nice to see.



Taking our time rounding all of the cells at the wetlands, we found hundreds of Coots and Teal. I could barely make out the Green-winged Teals as they were sticking to the reeds. Suddenly, a Northern Harrier circled in and flushed everything out of one corner and into the open. At least I could see the Teal a little better now even though they were still pretty far away.



My favorite shot of the trip was this drake Northern Shoveler gettin' all Kung-fu on us.



Always something interesting out at Viera.