Another Frenzy. Now with Cedar Waxwing Goodness!

A few days ago I posted about the American Robin feeding frenzy at the cemetery. I had no idea I would experience another one so quickly! I was sitting at work noticing a lot of bird activity outside. Eventually, the stream of Robins was making me too twitchy so I headed across the street during my lunch break to see what I could find. Settle in for a lot of photos since I am having trouble editing this bunch.

I had forgotten that Brazilian Peppers were growing back there and now the berries are ripe. As I rounded the corner to the back of the woods the noise hit me. Robins were raiding the peppers big time.



Robins were all over the peppers and were even back in the woods and flying in from several directions.



Sometimes they would crowd together and other times they would wait their turn. Plenty of food for every one.



I could begin to hear a familiar high-pitched sound. Waxwings were around but it took a few minutes for them to come out in the open. I spotted my first one.



My first Waxwing of the season! But there would soon be many more.



It took them a little longer to come out of the shade but I was ready.



I was just about to get a good Waxwing shot when a Blue Jay came squawking through the crowd and flushed all the feeding birds. I would have to wait a few minutes for the birds to return. The Robins were always the first.



The Waxwings were growing more numerous and louder.



Brazilian pepper is very invasive and is spreading quickly throughout the state. In fact, this bunch of plants were not even here last year. Now they are nearly 20 feet tall and full of berries.



Secretly, I don't mind all that much. Like the Camphor most people want to get rid of, birds love the berries on but plant species. Of course, that means they get spread even faster. But, dang, it makes a pretty backdrop...



The only other problem was getting things in focus at times. The birds would flit around very quickly and at other times I would loose a shot when a Robin would land on a limb that a Waxwing was on and dip it out of sight. But then I could just take another photo of a Robin.



The next problem will be to decide which of the 200 photos I will add to the wall.



The vulture shadows also sometimes spooked the birds and they would take off, circle around and return.



I like this shot because, when viewed at full size, you can see the Waxwings tongue as he scarfs down peppers.



And how about those colors on the feather tips glowing in the light?



I think I like this shot the best since it also shows the crest, love the pose, and the color just works for me.



I am also just diggin' the feathers on Robins now that I am getting closer shots.



Frenzy Number 2 for the year. Sometimes the Cedar Waxwings feed heavily until April so I should be around some more flocks until the migration takes them all home.

Other Birds During the Robin Frenzy

The Robin post was already long enough so I decided to show the other bird shots from the same day in a separate post. I could hear a lot of other birds around but I didn't want to leave my spot and miss the Robin shots. Here are the other birds I got shots of.

As I mentioned on the previous post, I went to the cemetery to check out the status of the Bald Eagle nest. Reports are that there may already be hatched chicks and one of the eagles could be seen from the road. So yet another successful breeding season could well be on track.



I could hear Titmice, Cedar Waxwing, and saw Northern Flicker but the first bird that came into view after the Robins was a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher that stared at me for a second.



The one bird species that did surprise me was a small bird that flashed into view in a couple of directions. Chipping Sparrows.



"Chippies" show up in irregular locations in Central Florida this time of year at feeders so it is always nice to find them in the field.



Dropping down from the top canopy, a Pine Warbler spent its time browsing the Spanish Moss for insects.



Back home, I was happy to see an American Goldfinch in the backyard. They have been seen in larger numbers around this year but for some reason they haven't wanted to hang in my yard much this year. I suspect that the stray cats coming into the yard have something to do with it.



Not a bad wrap-up for a lazy Saturday.

Let the Frenzies Begin!

Figured I would swing through the cemetery to check on the Bald Eagle's nest on the way home. I noticed the female up in the tree but it wasn't an impressive view. I scanned the sky around the tree and noticed Tree Swallows flying by and thought that maybe they would circle close enough for a shot. Once I stepped out of the van, however, I was greeted by another species.

American Robins were flying in from all directions. In the next couple of minutes, I was surrounded by a large flock swarming in to grab all the Camphor berries they could get. Whether I was there or not. Birds were landing mere feet away to scoop up the fruit and I was happy to snap away for the next half hour.



There were dozens of birds in the Camphor trees grabbing berries from the branches but a lot of birds took the easier route and made their selections from the ones that dropped to the ground. Many times they would fly in for a quick snack while others browsed the ground right up to where I was standing. The males really glowed in the sunlight.



The paler females also joined in on the feast.



It hard to outshine an adult male displaying that classic Robin 'redbreast' and it was nice to get some great looks at the feather details up close.



I picked a headstone to sit upon and watched in wonder at the spectacle and soaked in the sounds at the Robins chattered and Waxwings, always unseen, made their high-pitched calls as they occupied the tops of the trees.



It continued to astound me how close the birds would approach. Hunger was definitely to main need to feed and once they decided I wasn't a threat they made their way around me in a circle covering the entire ground beneath the tree I was next to and the others near the fence.



Even from behind the feather details are quite striking.



With so many opportunities to photograph, I got a lot of shots of the birds eating the berries.



It was fun to watch as the birds took their time to pick out the best berries to eat. They would grab one at a time and squeeze them and figure out if they were good enough to consume.



Over and over, pick and squeeze.



They would quickly discard the green berries. Even with the more ripe fruit, they would squeeze and sometimes break them apart before throwing them to the side.



So much fruit. So much that is was easy to be picky.



Once they decided on just the right one...gulp! On to the next selection.



I was hoping one of the birds would choose to land on the branch closest to me for an interesting veiw. A short while of waiting brought me the shot I was after. This birds took its time scanning all of the bounty and grabbed a ripe berry from the bunches and flew off just after this image.



The Robin flocks will continue to make their way around the area and eventually to our yard to strip the Camphors of their fruit. Shouldn't be too long before the Cedar Waxwings join in.

New Year's Lake Check

We had to get ready for the Capital One Bowl later but I still had time to do a quick lake check. I was noticing more activity out on one of the retention ponds that had been very quite of late. I stopped on one side since I could see a bunch of duck-like birds huddling together on a slip of land.Turned out to be Blue-winged Teal. 48 of them just resting.

Noticing some other small lake birds on the other side of the pond, I quickly jumped back in the van and drove around the block to get a view from the South end. I was trying to get a better look at what I have seen a couple minutes ago but the first thing I noticed was a Wilson's Snipe just sitting in the mud.



The other birds I was after had now moved back toward where I was a few minutes ago. Dang. I could verify that they were Hooded Mergansers, just under 20, and they suddenly turned and head back towards me. They still never cam closer than halfway across the pond.



The Mergansers were moving quickly and appeared to be chasing the remaining small fish in the shallow waters. A few moments later, a Snowy Egret zipped over to take advantage of the fleeing fish.



A couple moments later a Tricolored Heron joined in.



Together, the whole feeding flock continued to forage as they made their way toward the shore and then back out again.



Nothing Earth shattering but a fun start to the New Year.

Other Birds of Anna Maria Island

The day after Christmas wasn't spent all on Razorbill photos despite the tons of them in the last post. While trying to get in position for the sea birds I did pass many other species along the beach line. Some of which were surprisingly unafraid as I walked back and forth. Right after the Sun came up there was a small flock of birds below the City Pier which included a Black-bellied Plover.



Along with the Plover, several Sanderlings were busy probing the sand for food.



When the Razorbills began hearding fish along the small jetty by the piers the Pelicans would begin to line up and wait for a chance to take advantage of the easy pickin's.



Once they spot a lot of fish bunched up they would jockey for position and dive for a snack. Surprised they didn't scoop up a Razorbill.



Brown Pelicans, Laughing Gulls and a Double-crested Cormorant joined in the feast as the Razorbills scurry for cover in the background.



Just because, here is a closer view of a Laughing Gull.



Half-way between the piers I discovered a little Christmas display tucked in the grass. Kinda odd but pretty.



I was heading back with the intention of leaving when I spotted another species moving toward the shoreline. A Common Loon.



Common Loons are much larger than the Razorbills so it was easy to pick it out once it popped up from foraging underwater.



A Great-blue Heron walked stoically back and forth near me. It stayed so close it was all I could do to get more than a head shot with the zoom lens on.



Eventually, Snowy Egrets arrived and also were fairly fearless.



The species that surprised me the most was the Willets. They acted like they hang out with people all the time. Made for some nice close shots.



I began the post with a Black-bellied Plover and I will bookend this thing with another which was one of the last shots I took before I headed back to cross Tampa Bay and rejoin the family.



A very excellent morning with the birds. Can't wait to see what 2013 might bring!