Seems my blogging posts might take longer to gear up again, after all.
I finally got a new full-time job! So, that is a good thing. The birds will begin again, I am sure of it.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Where are Those Eagles
Well, I was hoping to add a bunch of Bald Eagle shots this month after they had returned and appeared to be setting up house. Since my last post on them I have been unable to spot them again. I drive through the cemetery nearly daily and I have not seen them.
Hope they haven't abandoned the site.
Hope they haven't abandoned the site.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Mead Bird Walk
Been too busy over at the banding site to post much personal stuff. If you ever see this page kinda go fallow it means I have been spending more time catching birds more than photographing them. You can always check out that site (updated weekly) if you need a fix.
To see our weekly reports, just head to my Wekiva Bird Banding Station blog.
Today, I did have to fulfill a promise made way back to lead a walk on behalf of the Orange Audubon at Mead Garden. They are raising awareness of birding in general and the special place that is Mead Garden.
Unfortunately, since I was leading and helping novice birders locate and identify birds, that shot is about all I could manage. We did have an excellent day with loads of birds all over the garden to keep smiles on everyone's face.
October is a busy month for birds in Florida. Hopefully, I can make it out to just enjoy.
To see our weekly reports, just head to my Wekiva Bird Banding Station blog.
Today, I did have to fulfill a promise made way back to lead a walk on behalf of the Orange Audubon at Mead Garden. They are raising awareness of birding in general and the special place that is Mead Garden.
Unfortunately, since I was leading and helping novice birders locate and identify birds, that shot is about all I could manage. We did have an excellent day with loads of birds all over the garden to keep smiles on everyone's face.
October is a busy month for birds in Florida. Hopefully, I can make it out to just enjoy.
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Bald Eagles on the Nest
Been a while since I posted here but I have been posting at my other blog about our banding efforts just to the North. After dropping the youngest at school, I headed back over to Greenwood Cemetery to see what might be around. Palm Warblers are back in the area and it is great to start hearing them chip as they move through the trees. Seems they are sticking near the lakes and I found a new Pied-billed Grebe so the ducks should be moving in soon. Fall is here.
I was also pleasently surprised to find that the Bald Eagles were actually on the nest today. They seemed to be eating a fish up there. Before I could get a group shot, one of the birds flew off but they were both there tending the sticks between bites of breakfast. The other bird is actually tucked down behind the nest edge.
Here is a closer view of the remaining eagle. A nice find on the way home.
Shouldn't be too long before we start seeing the next brood!
I was also pleasently surprised to find that the Bald Eagles were actually on the nest today. They seemed to be eating a fish up there. Before I could get a group shot, one of the birds flew off but they were both there tending the sticks between bites of breakfast. The other bird is actually tucked down behind the nest edge.
Here is a closer view of the remaining eagle. A nice find on the way home.
Shouldn't be too long before we start seeing the next brood!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Momma Returns
I swung through Greenwood Cemetery on the way home and found that the female Bald Eagle has returned to join the male found last week.
Um...yay! Should be a new brood starting soon. Fall is here!!
Um...yay! Should be a new brood starting soon. Fall is here!!
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Bald Eagle Back at the Cemetery
Sorry for the lack of posts but there has not been much of anything happening around here during the last few weeks. Even our banding results have been very low. So, just a quick post for today to get September started.
We had a dismal day at the banding site. One Red-eyed Vireo. That's it! Seems Tropical Storm Lee cause current migrating birds to circle west through Texas. Sigh. Not that early September it super busy for us. That will come next month.
I did find at least one interesting sighting of note, though. On the way home I decided to swing through the cemetery to see if I could hear any warblers. Nothing. Tons of Northern Mockingbirds and Starlings instead. But up in the pines...
One of the Bald Eagles has returned! I haven't seen them since their last brood fledged and they left before the Summer.
Time to start Eagle Watch and prepare for the big push of Fall migrants!
We had a dismal day at the banding site. One Red-eyed Vireo. That's it! Seems Tropical Storm Lee cause current migrating birds to circle west through Texas. Sigh. Not that early September it super busy for us. That will come next month.
I did find at least one interesting sighting of note, though. On the way home I decided to swing through the cemetery to see if I could hear any warblers. Nothing. Tons of Northern Mockingbirds and Starlings instead. But up in the pines...
One of the Bald Eagles has returned! I haven't seen them since their last brood fledged and they left before the Summer.
Time to start Eagle Watch and prepare for the big push of Fall migrants!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Viera Wetland Detour
I was headed home after the first day of Jay Watch and figured that since I was in the area, or closer than I might be in a long time, I veered South to check out Viera Wetlands near Melbourne, FL. There have been reports of sightings of Fulvous Whistling Ducks the past few days and I hoped for at least a distant glimpse.
I first swung around the Click Ponds and came upon a huge flock of birds, mostly Roseate Spoonbills.
Closer to the shore, a Snowy Egret waits for a meal.
The small pines that line the right side of the cells held a few Fish Crows resting and searching the area for opportunities.
I scanned the cells for the ducks. Not much on the beginning side but a few Moorhens and a nice Great Egret posing on a palm stump.
Swinging around the far side turned the light the wrong way but I couldn't resist still trying for a decent shot of the local Limpkin.
Throw in a badly lit White Ibis and it bookends that side of the drive.
Flying overhead, an Osprey zoomed in a circle and landed on one of the dead trees and constantly looked back and forth for the next fish to appear.
The most surprising moment of the trip was when a doe and fawn appeared right in front of me on the drive. The doe quickly crossed the road and waded into the cell.
The fawn was not so sure about this move and stayed on the fence side. I was hoping it would cross, too, but it just kept to the tree side and refused to. So, I had to get a poor shot through the windshield.
Once I passed the fawn, it circled back to join its mother. Once it was safely behind me I continued my search. A flash of blue caught my eye and soon found a feeding Purple Gallinule. It would never come into view more than this, though.
Resting on a culvert, an Anhinga sized me up.
I wasn't really looking for Least Bitterns but we all know they are there. Once one showed itself in the reeds I just had to slow for a few shots.
At one point, it seemed to be saying, "Farewell!" as I headed out of the wetlands for the drive home.
Alas, no Fulvous Whistling Ducks for me. I will have to try some other place at some other time in the future.
I first swung around the Click Ponds and came upon a huge flock of birds, mostly Roseate Spoonbills.
Closer to the shore, a Snowy Egret waits for a meal.
The small pines that line the right side of the cells held a few Fish Crows resting and searching the area for opportunities.
I scanned the cells for the ducks. Not much on the beginning side but a few Moorhens and a nice Great Egret posing on a palm stump.
Swinging around the far side turned the light the wrong way but I couldn't resist still trying for a decent shot of the local Limpkin.
Throw in a badly lit White Ibis and it bookends that side of the drive.
Flying overhead, an Osprey zoomed in a circle and landed on one of the dead trees and constantly looked back and forth for the next fish to appear.
The most surprising moment of the trip was when a doe and fawn appeared right in front of me on the drive. The doe quickly crossed the road and waded into the cell.
The fawn was not so sure about this move and stayed on the fence side. I was hoping it would cross, too, but it just kept to the tree side and refused to. So, I had to get a poor shot through the windshield.
Once I passed the fawn, it circled back to join its mother. Once it was safely behind me I continued my search. A flash of blue caught my eye and soon found a feeding Purple Gallinule. It would never come into view more than this, though.
Resting on a culvert, an Anhinga sized me up.
I wasn't really looking for Least Bitterns but we all know they are there. Once one showed itself in the reeds I just had to slow for a few shots.
At one point, it seemed to be saying, "Farewell!" as I headed out of the wetlands for the drive home.
Alas, no Fulvous Whistling Ducks for me. I will have to try some other place at some other time in the future.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Jay Watch, 2011
The Saturday after we returned from our Alaska trip I had to go out for the annual Jay Watch out at Buck Lake. This marks my 5th year doing Jay Watch and it is always a fun, though hot, couple of days. Our task is to locate as many Florida Scrub Jays as possible and hopefully discover some new juvenile from any year's nesting season.
We use tape recorders to play Jay calls to bring the birds closer so we can register bands and count any birds in the surrounding areas around specified locations throughout the property. Unfortunately, we did not locate any juveniles this year. We did find a lot of the banded adults and even a nest that indicates that they at least tried, however.
After our first stop I found a flower I had not seen before. Neither had anyone else. Weeks later we found a match. A Florida Milkweed (Asclepias feayi) that was not known to be there in the past. A great find!
On the second day, I found a couple of jays at point 4. The first in was an adult that sat at the top of the oaks.
Another bird flew in and it turned out to be a female. Easy to tell once she began to do the typical 'hiccup' calls that only the females do.
It was nice to capture this behavior happening right before me.
On one of the last stops I relocated a bird that I got good shots of last year. Still here and healthy.
One more shot before we end the year's surveys.
Results will be tallied by the end of the year and then we will have another meeting to get those results of all of the volunteers from all over the state.
We use tape recorders to play Jay calls to bring the birds closer so we can register bands and count any birds in the surrounding areas around specified locations throughout the property. Unfortunately, we did not locate any juveniles this year. We did find a lot of the banded adults and even a nest that indicates that they at least tried, however.
After our first stop I found a flower I had not seen before. Neither had anyone else. Weeks later we found a match. A Florida Milkweed (Asclepias feayi) that was not known to be there in the past. A great find!
On the second day, I found a couple of jays at point 4. The first in was an adult that sat at the top of the oaks.
Another bird flew in and it turned out to be a female. Easy to tell once she began to do the typical 'hiccup' calls that only the females do.
It was nice to capture this behavior happening right before me.
On one of the last stops I relocated a bird that I got good shots of last year. Still here and healthy.
One more shot before we end the year's surveys.
Results will be tallied by the end of the year and then we will have another meeting to get those results of all of the volunteers from all over the state.
Monday, August 15, 2011
One More Visit to Lake Davis
One more chance to get use to the rental lens before the Alaska cruise so I head back to Lake Davis. As soon as I arrived, Momma Mallard brought the young ones up for a rest and feeding.
Out in the lake, some older Mallards watched me with care.
A few Wood Duck chicks drifted by just off shore.
Then an older one slid into view. Love the feathers.
I worked the shoreline to find more birds and had a nice White Ibis wander close to me.
Introduced years ago, the Chinese Geese have been hanging out in the same spot for the past few months. They are quite obvious as they start honking and advancing toward anyone who strays too long.
Just above the geese was an Anhinga in the Cypress tree.
Then we headed off to the other side of the country for our excellent adventure. You know what happened there.
Out in the lake, some older Mallards watched me with care.
A few Wood Duck chicks drifted by just off shore.
Then an older one slid into view. Love the feathers.
I worked the shoreline to find more birds and had a nice White Ibis wander close to me.
Introduced years ago, the Chinese Geese have been hanging out in the same spot for the past few months. They are quite obvious as they start honking and advancing toward anyone who strays too long.
Just above the geese was an Anhinga in the Cypress tree.
Then we headed off to the other side of the country for our excellent adventure. You know what happened there.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
So, a long time since I posted about the local birds but I had to get through the Alaska trip. Now I have to catch up on the local fare. Before we left on the trip I took the rental lens on a tour of Mead Garden and Lake Davis to get a feel for it.
Off to Mead. Near the ampitheatre I could hear come Carolina Wrens darting about and tried to get a shot of one deep in the bushes.
I decided to head down the creek path to see if anything was interesting down there. Not many birds so I focused on some of the flowers. First up was a nice Button Bush, still in bloom.
A little farther up the trail, the Ginger is in full bloom, too.
Up by Pennsylania Avenue, a pair of Wood Ducks swam in the creek.
Back at the pond, another male Wood Duck rested in the shade.
Mead is always a nice stop but time is short and I need to swing by Lake Davis. Sunning along the shore was an Anhinga.
Finally got an OK shot of the Common Moorhen chick before it headed into the reeds.
The Mallards are growing up nicely and the lens does a nice job capturing a pose.
Some of the ducklings are still grabbing at midges from the grasses.
I decided to try out the lens for getting a range of whites and this Great Egret made a good subject.
On the eastern side of the lake, another Anhinga rests on the culvert.
So far, I am impressed with the rental lens. Just getting use to the zooming action but, as seen in all of the trip posts, it works just fine. Wish I could afford to actually own it!
Off to Mead. Near the ampitheatre I could hear come Carolina Wrens darting about and tried to get a shot of one deep in the bushes.
I decided to head down the creek path to see if anything was interesting down there. Not many birds so I focused on some of the flowers. First up was a nice Button Bush, still in bloom.
A little farther up the trail, the Ginger is in full bloom, too.
Up by Pennsylania Avenue, a pair of Wood Ducks swam in the creek.
Back at the pond, another male Wood Duck rested in the shade.
Mead is always a nice stop but time is short and I need to swing by Lake Davis. Sunning along the shore was an Anhinga.
Finally got an OK shot of the Common Moorhen chick before it headed into the reeds.
The Mallards are growing up nicely and the lens does a nice job capturing a pose.
Some of the ducklings are still grabbing at midges from the grasses.
I decided to try out the lens for getting a range of whites and this Great Egret made a good subject.
On the eastern side of the lake, another Anhinga rests on the culvert.
So far, I am impressed with the rental lens. Just getting use to the zooming action but, as seen in all of the trip posts, it works just fine. Wish I could afford to actually own it!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Bainbridge Island Family Reunion
We headed to Bainbridge for our family reunion. I decided to get my birding fix in early so, after making greetings with everyone, I headed out for a quick walk around the area to see what was going on. I missed a chance to get a shot of the Glaucous-winged Gull dropping shells to open them but the bird did settle in for a rest of the beach.
A flock of European Starlings were flying around and one finally settled onto a wire near the house.
One of my favorite birds from our visit 5 years ago was a White-crowned Sparrow along the road. I headed back to where I spotted it then and, sure enough, several were still hanging around the grasses and feeding on the seeds. One of my favorite shots of the day, besides the kids and scenery, of course.
We all posed for a family photo for several cameras. So many kids! Nice to be all together.
We celebrated for a while, cooked and cracked crabs, and had a great time before heading out.
The next morning, we hurried to the airport for the flight home. Always amazing to see Mount Rainier during our drives. This is from the airport terminal as we waited for the plane.
As we wing our way from Seattle, we get one last look at the Mt. St. Helen's and other mountains and say goodbye to the west coast and settle in for the 6 hour trip back to Orlando.
It was July 4th and we wondered if we would be able to see any fireworks from our great height. We could! In several places, though we could not place exactly where we were at the time. We got home after midnight and were warmly welcomed by Oscar, our cat, moved the suitcases out of the way and went to bed. Good to be home.
Great trip. Many excellent memories. Now, time to catch up on past bird photos and prepare for the Jay Watch planned for next Saturday.
A flock of European Starlings were flying around and one finally settled onto a wire near the house.
One of my favorite birds from our visit 5 years ago was a White-crowned Sparrow along the road. I headed back to where I spotted it then and, sure enough, several were still hanging around the grasses and feeding on the seeds. One of my favorite shots of the day, besides the kids and scenery, of course.
We all posed for a family photo for several cameras. So many kids! Nice to be all together.
We celebrated for a while, cooked and cracked crabs, and had a great time before heading out.
The next morning, we hurried to the airport for the flight home. Always amazing to see Mount Rainier during our drives. This is from the airport terminal as we waited for the plane.
As we wing our way from Seattle, we get one last look at the Mt. St. Helen's and other mountains and say goodbye to the west coast and settle in for the 6 hour trip back to Orlando.
It was July 4th and we wondered if we would be able to see any fireworks from our great height. We could! In several places, though we could not place exactly where we were at the time. We got home after midnight and were warmly welcomed by Oscar, our cat, moved the suitcases out of the way and went to bed. Good to be home.
Great trip. Many excellent memories. Now, time to catch up on past bird photos and prepare for the Jay Watch planned for next Saturday.
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Violet-green Swallow
I have mentioned my desire to get a shot of Violet-green Swallows. I had hoped to find them on the last trip but we were just a few weeks early for them to return. Where do I find the first sighting? At the hotel in SEATAC. Didn't have the camera then but they are always flying so quickly it wouldn't have mattered. I saw a lot of them on this trip but usually directly overhead at high speed.
While I was making my way to the neighborhood park I saw more of the birds flying overhead and I tried to get some shots but gave up after 20 minutes. I continued my stroll and caught a bird flying to a house to my right.
The bird zoomed out after a few seconds and I could tell it was my target bird. Does it really have a nest in that attic?! I watched for a while longer and the bird returned and left just as quickly. It was a Violet-green, after-all. I spent the next 20 minutes focusing on the spot and tried to get a shot as it bolted from the nest. It was not easy. Finally, I got a shot of an adult female heading back out for food.
As I waited, I had the good opportunity to meet a couple of the Neighborhood Watch members wondering what this stranger with a large camera was doing standing in front of a house. I explained about the swallows and, luckily, one flew right past us as I was talking about them. Satisfied, they left me to my obsession.
I didn't even know it then but I even got a shot of an adult male making a trip!
My Number One bird on my Wish List for this trip finally caught on...not film...sensor? Memory card? Whatever. Mission accomplished. Annnnnnnnd relax.
While I was making my way to the neighborhood park I saw more of the birds flying overhead and I tried to get some shots but gave up after 20 minutes. I continued my stroll and caught a bird flying to a house to my right.
The bird zoomed out after a few seconds and I could tell it was my target bird. Does it really have a nest in that attic?! I watched for a while longer and the bird returned and left just as quickly. It was a Violet-green, after-all. I spent the next 20 minutes focusing on the spot and tried to get a shot as it bolted from the nest. It was not easy. Finally, I got a shot of an adult female heading back out for food.
As I waited, I had the good opportunity to meet a couple of the Neighborhood Watch members wondering what this stranger with a large camera was doing standing in front of a house. I explained about the swallows and, luckily, one flew right past us as I was talking about them. Satisfied, they left me to my obsession.
I didn't even know it then but I even got a shot of an adult male making a trip!
My Number One bird on my Wish List for this trip finally caught on...not film...sensor? Memory card? Whatever. Mission accomplished. Annnnnnnnd relax.
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