Friday Cruising

The Hooded Mergansers that were out at the retention pond have been rather absent from the roadside and I haven't stopped by to get a closer look for a while. Today, I swung through the church parking lot to see if anything was in the smaller pond by the parking lot. To my surprise, there was a large flock of them in this tiny pond. First time I have seen them in there.



The Hooded Mergansers were swimming from side to side and it was fun to see them dive in groups...



...and then rise to make the next pass. I didn't want to spook them too much so I kept my distance and moved along to the other lakes.



Over at Lake Lancaster, there were several warblers (Palms) and I was going to give up on anything else until I heard a knocking in an oak. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was really focused on a certain spot in the branches and I was glad it really didn't mind me getting out of the van to get a closer shot.



I made my loop through the cemetery on the way home and saw another photographer parked and trying to get some sort of shot. I pulled ahead and looked left to see and hear a Bald Eagle zooming in toward the nest tree.



It actually seemed to be more interested in getting to its usual spot not far away but someone else was in the way. A Red-tailed Hawk was defiantly staying put in the eagle's daily perch.



I have seen the Red-tail pair more often around the Bald Eagle nest. Wonder if they are trying to move in or get at any young that might already be there. Time will tell.

Belted Kingfisher

Another spin around the lakes and still not much out there. But right at the end of my loop I spotted a Belted Kingfisher on the level pole right near where there Cooper's Hawk was wading the other day.



Though I couldn't get a clear front view, I think this is a male. I tried to swing around for a closer shot but another car drove in and the combination of two vehicles spooked him and he flew off. I don't see Kingfishers in this lake often so it was at least a nice surprise.

Surprise Gadwalls

I had a little bit of time to stop by Lake Davis and Weldona on the way to me next chores for the day. I wanted to scan Davis for anything that might be new so I walked the perimeter for a bit to get close to the resting duck flock. Not a bunch of new birds around but I was drawn to a feeding Snowy Egret down by the reeds.



I almost didn't even notice the Western Palm Warbler feeding nearly at my feet as I watched the distant birds. There was a strange call from the reeds but it turned out to be a Common Yellowthroat that eventually flew to the West.



I headed toward the store and as I rounded the turn of Lake Weldona I saw a bird out of the corner of my eye and immediately knew it was a Gadwall. My first ever Gadwalls were found last year so they are kind of burned into my memory for now.



I have been trying to get a shot of this odd Ring-necked Duck that is now here for at least the second Winter. It is very white around the head but usually stays way out in the water. Just need to get the clouds out of the way.



I got out of the car and tried to ease toward the birds and the Sun peeked out enough for me to get a good shot. Last year I had them in rainy conditions and was not happy with the shots except for being able to add them to my Life List.



Also along the shore, a Great Blue Heron seemed to be overseeing the ducks gathered below. If I would have arrived several seconds later I would not have seen any of the Gadwalls as they tucked themselves along the bank.



Soon, the first Gadwall swam out and began to bathe and preen.



Then, two more Gadwalls drifted out from the shore to follow suit. Three Gadwalls here. I need to go back and see but I think that is how many I had on Lake Davis last year. Possibly the same group returning for the Winter.



I was trying to squeeze out a few more shots of the Gadwalls when the Ring-necked Duck came back out in the sunshine joined by an American Coot.



Not a bad score during a casual drive and the first new species of ducks for this entire season. Just wish we had more ducks around but migration has been slow all over the East Coast this year so I will take what I can get. The thing I don't get is why the city has trimmed the Cypress Trees along Lake Emerald just around the corner. Wood Ducks used to use them as resting spots. I don't get it.



I will have to keep paying attention to all of the local watering holes for a while. This finding was a nice addition to the Winter.

Wading...Cooper's Hawk?!?

On the way home for the store I headed around my usual loop through a neighborhood to look for ducks. Only a few and they were on the opposite side of the lake. Just before I got to the exit of the subdivision I spotted something in the water. A Cooper's Hawk was actually in the lake up to its backside!



I have seen other birds wading in the shallows of lakes and ponds but seeing a hawk doing this was...weird. Perhaps it was preparing for a bath or just wanted to cool off. Bet I don't see this type of thing again soon.

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Four days into the New Year and I had yet to take a single photo. Decided to change that and ran over to Mead Garden to see if anything was interesting there. I was hoping to get the Red-headed Woodpecker in my sights but it was not to be today. There were the usual suspects around but my favorite shot of the morning was a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.



A birding friend of mine calls them "Blue-gray Time Wasters" since they are so common and usually draw our attention thinking something less common is there but I find them quite charming little birds. They are also a challenge to photograph since they move so fast while feeding. I will take a shot like this anytime.

2014 photos are officially underway!

Chasing (and missing) a Godwit at Fred Howard Park

So it was twitch time. With the predicted heavy rain still far off in the Gulf and with a couple hours to spare thanks to my understanding wife, we made a bee-line for Fred Howard Park to look for a possible new Life Bird: A Bar-tailed Godwit. I wasn't even going to try but a post came through that the bird was there now and we arrived in less than 90 minutes at the described location.

We arrived and, as Dad paid the entry fee, I jumped out to scan the flock in the area where the bird was not long ago. The bird...was not there. All we found were a few Marbled Godwits hanging with Willets on the beach.



We decided to walk around the parking lot and take a rest stop. The most obvious birds were Red-winged Blackbirds feeding along the vegetation.



Laughing Gulls were resting on top of the restrooms so I had to take a quick close-up while I could.



The rain was beginning to move in on us, wave after wave, as we rounded the western edge of the park. Not much there but a Semipalmated Plover.



Back by the initial flock the best I could discover was a Wilson's Plover. Not too bad, but not the bird I was after.



I had thought I saw a possible candidate bird as we drove in so I opted to go back and see if it was THE bird. Nope. Just another Willet. I had to retreat to the car as the rain increased and we watched another Semipalmated Plover along the embankment.



On the opposite side of the road I spotted a few Common Loons coasting in the gloom.



Not willing to conceded defeat yet, we headed back and the flock had shifted to the other beach. Right by the road was a small flock of Short-billed Dowitchers in the seaweed.



People were crossing the beaches and flushing the resting flocks, especially the hundred Black Skimmers just looking for a place to relax.



Still no Bar-tailed Godwit. Dang. Time to give up. Rain was still coming. On the way home, we made a stop at a water treatment plant where we noticed a TON of ducks on the ponds there. Dad stopped the car and I got out in the pouring rain to get some shots for later processing. Most ducks we have ever seen in one spot ever. I am guessing 6,000 Redhead.



The shot above is just one frame of a couple of dozen I took of the entire scene. I made panoramas of each side but am not sure how to present such a large photo here. I did make sure to take a closer shot of one very lightly colored Redhead before I had to escape the rain. My camera was getting too wet.



We headed home. Life Bird #2 missed for the trip. Oh, well. According to later forum posts, the Bar-tailed Godwit headed North and was spotted miles away and even returned to the first spot after we got back to Orlando. Thanks, Godwit. No year-ending new birds for me. Guess I will just have to gear up for local birds next week.

Walsingham Park in the Rain

Heavy rains were forecast for the day but they weren't too bad so I headed over to Walsingham Park to see if anything was on the water. There was not of birding activity as I drove in but after I parked and walked to the playground I could see a lot of birds in feeding flocks streaming across the pines and oaks. Most were Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers so I decided to not chase them too hard in poor light and with sprinkles moving in.

I scanned the main lake and found a male Anhinga trying to dry out on a Wax Myrtle branch in the wind.



Behind me, in a pine tree, a Palm Warbler was busy grabbing bugs when it could.



I continued to check the edge of the lake when a sudden rush of Yellow-rumped Warblers moved through. I took up a spot under a palm tree and waited for a photo op to arrive. Again, the lighting was poor but seeing so many birds feeding in the trees made it fun to watch. Most were females like this one.



Every now and then a male would swing by to feed before moving along. Note how he is transitioning to his Spring colors already.



Another female Yellow-rumped Warbler inspects the Wax Myrtles, a favorite tree for them which also gave them their initial name.



Moving on, I was hearing Gray Catbirds but they were being too shy for a photo. Soon, I began to hear another sound I was trying to ID. I knew it from the past but it had been a while. Then it hit me. Eastern Towhee! I tracked the sound and in a couple seconds, a female emerged from the scrub.



I spotted the male hiding in the back but had to wait a bit more for him to come out into the open.



Eastern Towhees are primarily ground feeders and you sometimes only know they are there by hearing them scratching on the soil to find seeds and such. I stayed stationary for a couple more minutes and they began to forage right in front of me along the roadside.



We used to catch Eastern Towhees at my old banding site and I really miss this species. They bite like crazy but they are amazing to watch and to hear. Did you know they are actually sparrows?



I moved down to the next parking lot to see if I could find anything else hiding on the lakes before heading out but only saw some gulls and Red-winged Blackbirds before a Northern Mockingbird jumped up onto the top of a dead snag.



Then I heard another bird calling. A bit different from before but it turned out to be another male Eastern Towhee on territory. It continued to call as I got into position for a new shot.



One last picture of the Towhee before heading back to base.



Finally, the only other birds near the reeds were a couple of Common Yellowthroats and a few American Coots.



While I did not find any ducks as I had hoped, it was a nice quick stop near my folks house. The rain is lighter than predicted. Should I make another run at a Life Bird before going home to Orlando? Hmmmm...

Chasing (and missing) a Gull at Fort DeSoto

This will be a long post. Bear with the length to see some interesting shots and a couple cool bits of information on migrating birds.

Once Dad and I finished our looking at Redhead ducks up the road, it was time to hit the beaches of Fort DeSoto and try to find a new Life Bird. A Franklin's Gull had been reported for a couple of weeks and this was my one chance to find it. Last year, my after-Xmas present was going a bit farther South the get the Razorbills at Anna Maria Island. A new Life Bird this year would be a nice end to the year.

First, we decided to stop off at the North Beach and look for anything that might be in that area. Most of this stretch is closed for the breeding season but you can walk down much of it now. Our first bird to greet us was a foraging Reddish Egret prancing along the interior before the shoreline.



I then turned my attention to the waves and soon spotted an American Oystercatcher walking in the water. Always a striking bird.



American Oystercatchers are not a new bird for me but I have had trouble getting good shots of them on my visits. This birds did not seem to mind my presence as I approached and scanned for other birds.



Off to my left a Sanderling braved the waves and a wandering photographer (me) and probed for food under the sand.



Soon, beachcombers approached and were agitating the birds which led this Willet to fly up and land next to me. Thanks (?) beachcombers!



Time to head to the pier and search for the gull. We scanned the first flock of birds on the Bay beach but it was just a mix of local gulls and terns. Then we headed to the Gulf beach and saw a promising flock resting. Except for these two Ring-billed Gulls having a quarrel.



We examined all the gulls one by one. There were many Ring-billed Gulls like this juvenile.



Adult Ring-billed Gulls were also well represented.



Then we came to this dozing bird. Could this be our Franklin's Gull next to the Forster's Tern?



Alas, no. It was just a Laughing Gull trying to fool me.



Dad needed a bite to eat so we headed up to the snack bar before returning to the flock to do more searching. More birds were flying in and some were busy feeding along the waves like this Forster's Tern.



Suddenly, a small flock of Red Knots dropped into the waves next to us.



I soon noticed that a couple were banded! Red Knots are studied a lot as their numbers have been in decline so I made sure to get shots so I could report the band numbers later.



When I got home and processed the photos I reported them and discovered that both birds were originally banded in this area and have been migrating back and forth for many years.



I figured we had struck out on the gull we were after. All that was left to photograph was a few Ruddy Turnstones.



The clouds were finally breaking as we headed out. I always like to make sure I get some sort of flower shots while I am out and the Beach Sunflower would be just fine for the records.



On the way home we decided to make an attempt to find a Whimbrel which I was told years ago about it always being near the bridge. On the Inter-coastal side there were plenty of Red-breasted Mergansers.



I noticed a white patch on one of the birds meaning it had to be more rare bird. A Bufflehead or two were diving midway out. Thanks for the photo bomb, Herring Gull!



Nearby, a Brown Pelican remained positioned in front of a fisherman. Hoping to snatch a meal, no doubt.



Way out in the waves I could just make out a black and white bird. Turned out to be a Common Loon.



We switched our search across the road to the Gulf side but only found a few more Loons but a pair of diving Horned Grebes was a nice way to round out the visit.



So, we headed home feeling some disappointment for striking out on the Life Birds. However, we did have a fun time. Out back, a pair of House Finches were at the feeder.



Something spooked them into the tree and only then could I tell that the male was a seldom seen yellow variant. House Finch males are usually a purple-ish red but I have had yellow and orange variants at our house before.



Rain is forecast for tomorrow. Not sure if I will chase another Life Bird or not.