New Bald Eagle?

Knowing our seasonal pair of Bald Eagles did not succeed in raising a brood this year I still drive through the cemetery to see if any other species show up. Today I was shocked to see a Bald Eagle in the nest. Our pair has already moved on to their Summer home.



These first two images show the Bald Eagle screaming at a Fish Crow that was harassing it from above.



It is definitely not one of the Winter residents. So, why is it on the nest?



There were some brief rain showers washing through but I included these shots to show the brown patch on the side of the head.



Bald Eagle turn completely white after they are 5-years-old. I am thinking this is a 4th year bird. Possibly it is from a former brood or maybe just a local that is trying to muscle in to this turf.



I guess we will just have to keep an eye open in the Fall when the proper owners return to see if there is some the of dispute.



Curious.

Mute Swans

About a month ago my son said that he saw a single cygnet Mute Swan on his walk home. I kept checking but could never rewind it. This morning, as did my usual lake check, I saw the swans over by Lake Cherokee. Papa was on watch by the sidewalk.



Down in the shade were Mama...and TWO large cygnets! Seems they have been back and forth and hiding out in the reeds when I have been cruising by.



They appear to be the only young of this year's brood. Last year there were seven. Fun to see a couple of them around, at least.

Friends?

I don't think so. Emily called me out from the office to ID a raptor on the phone pole. In the cloudy light she wondered if it was a Swallow-tailed Kite. Turned out to be a Southern sub-species of a Red-shouldered Hawk. And it was being mobbed by the nesting Northern Mockingbirds.



The hawk put up with the assault for quite sometime as the Mockingbirds took turns swooping at its back and head. Finally, the hawk began to call.



A few seconds later, the hawk retreated to the woods across the stream and the Mockingbirds headed back to their nest and the morning was quiet again.

Swallow-tailed Kite at Work

I was heading back to my desk when I start hearing someone calling, "Andrew! Andrew! Andrew!!" from down the hall. Emilie was looking for me to report a Swallow-tailed Kite out over the parking lot. I wandered out with her and the bird was there just along the tree line that decided our office spot from another.



Emile was elated to see this bird right here and was jumping up and down with joy to see a Swallow-tailed Kite so close.



That elation was soon changed as we watched as the Kite swung around and dived an oak. Northern Mockingbirds scattered as the bird dove in and tried to grab chicks from a nest. Emily began to yell, "Nooooo!" Her joy was quickly turning to terror as this raptor tried to find a meal.



The Kite was not successful in grabbing a bird but continued to soar around the area as I got shots.



Another Swallow-tailed Kite soon joined in and they swooped along in the poor light in the mid-morning.



It has been a while since I have had a Swallow-tailed Kite this close and was thrilled to get some photos during a brief break from work.



This pair must be nesting nearby. Wonder where? Great to have them close by. Unfortunately, I have no windows to see what is happening outside so it was nice to have an alert to go see them.



I had to talk Emily down. Circle of Life, and all. Birds gotta eat. At least she got to be happy for a bit. Maybe I should sneak a desktop onto her computer? Nah. That would bring too many bad vibes.

More Blackpoll Warblers

Back to Lake Lancaster to look for Blackpoll Warblers. They were still there! Still in good numbers. Males were feeding all over the place like they were yesterday.



Today they were a lot more in view which pleased me to no end.



A real surprise was a Swanson's Thrush that popped up as I watched the warblers. I don't usually see then around this time of year.



It hooped around from oak to oak for a few minutes before disappearing.



Another nice surprise was a late juvenile male American Redstart. Really late in the season for them to be heading back North.



Across the lake, the Great Blue Heron rookery was very active with large juveniles still begging for food from the adults.



A male Blackpoll Warbler cruised through the Cypress branches snatching insects.



I finally found a female Blackpoll Warbler in the oaks by the road gobbling down a spider she had just grabbed.



Nice to have a big group of migrants moving North this late in the year before the heat finally sets in.

Loads of Blackpoll Warblers

I headed out for my Saturday morning lake run and wasn't expecting much. By the time I got to Lake Lancaster I was surprised to hear a lot of warbler calls all along the shoreline. Blackpoll Warblers were feasting through the oaks all over the place. Unfortunately, they stayed back behind the branches most of the time but I got a couple of shots during a brief appearance of the males.



The only other clear shot of a Blackpoll Warbler was right by the shore and then they were off again. Fast moving birds that were so hungry that they were zipping by from tree to tree.



As I left the area I was surprised to find that the huge oak that was an anchor at the southern intersection had fallen over in the past day. They had been carving off limbs from time to time but I did not think it was going to collapse.



We shall see if the warblers continue into the weekend as we wind down the migration season.

One Bright Spot at Dad's Funeral

Haven't been out for any real birding of late but we were looking forward to Earth Day at the banding site this year. Unfortunately, my Dad passed unexpectedly the Friday before so things were thrown asunder. Rough time for all involved but we had to do what we had to do. The following week we had the viewing and funeral which were both nicely attended by friends, family, and co-workers of my Dad who all loved him deeply.

Once the funeral was over, we headed back to the gravesite to collect flowers for distribution to other family sites and I wanted to do a little birding on the grounds to clear my head. I was surprised to hear some Cedar Waxwings fly by and then a small flock of birds flew in to the oaks near Dad's grave. Had to stop and step out for a shot. An American Robin dropped down right in the road ahead of us.



This is a very late sighting for Robins in this area as confirmed by eBird. Maybe Dad was bringing me a little bright spot during a difficult time for all of us. Glad he was there with me on some birding adventures this year. He will be truly missed by so many people in this crazy world.

Sigh.

Greenwood Bald Eagles

I rounded through the cemetery late and finally found the Bald Eagles near the nest. However, everyone has pretty much declared this season of a new brood to be a bust. One bird was right by the nest tree as I came around the far side.



It then flew over to be with its mate just before I headed home.



Sad that we will not have a new batch of chicks this year. Better luck next season, Eagles.

Clear Lake Park

I had to make a trip to the county electronics drop-off and once that was complete I remembered that there was a park I had spotted on Google Maps a few times and decided to swing in for a look. Clear Lake Park is behind a neighborhood and school and has a nice sidewalk and exercise stations for joggers.



I was unsuccessful at getting photos of the warblers moving from tree to tree so I headed back to the car were I was greeted by a Blue-headed Vireo right overhead.



Encouraged by this I headed down toward the edge of the lake. Next time I will wear something better than flip flops. All kinds of twigs and such once you are off the sidewalk. The lake is lined with oaks and Cyress trees. Just offshore, a large flock of American Coots and a Pied-billed Grebe floated by in the bright sunshine.



There is a short dock that juts out over the water and once I wandered toward it another Pied-billed Grebe drifted into view.



Anoles scurried all around the entrance on the dock but I was more interested in the Skink that paused before me.



Across the lake you can see the recently renovated Citrus Bowl.



I made my way around the sidewalk when I heard the sharp calls of Blue Jays raising an alarm. I changed direction and walked through the grasses and branches to try and locate what was bothering them. I didn't anything for a while but then a Red-shouldered Hawk came bursting out of the canopy and flew toward my car. I followed and managed one decent photo before he let out a series of calls and disappeared into the shadows again.



This looks like a good spot to find birds during Fall migration. I will be sure to visit here again then.

Bronzed Cowbird at Newton Park

Twitch alert! There was Bronzed Cowbird reported over by Lake Apopka at a place called Newton Park. Never heard of the spot but needed that species for my Life List. I headed over and wandered around Nice little park right on the waterfront but a storm was on its way from the far side of the lake.

I saw some blackbirds around the information sign and headed that way. They were feeding on the ground and suddenly one of them started making a call I had never heard before. Found them! However, as I got the camera up for a shot something flushed them all toward the mobile homes to the North. Dang. After a few minutes of waiting a single female returned and landed in a tree above my head.



Tried of waiting for them to return, I decided to take a walk around. I circled around toward the direction the birds flew and looked back at the pier and made a mental note as to how far off the rain was.



A Palm Warbler was still hanging around. Molting into Spring colors nicely.



A baby American Alligator swam by. I was surprised I did not see any larger ones as this lake is full of big gators.



The Cowbirds were still out of view so I went back to the pier and decided to walk out to the end.



Tree Swallows were flying by in larger numbers but they were banking so quickly that it was hard to even get one in frame.



A lone Bonaparte's Gull rested on a barrel not far from shore. I noticed another bird beginning to wander the park and could tell he was going to head out to me. He introduced himself as Leo and we went back to shore to search for the Cowbirds again.



As we approached the mobile home area a few grackles and Red-winged blackbirds flew in to a lawn. I also noticed a couple of smaller birds with them. The Bronzed Cowbirds were back and feeding on the grasses. One pair actually let us get quite close for some shots.



Male Bronzed Cowbirds are interesting. When they make their calls they raise the feathers around their head and neck forming a hood.



I could never get the full display in my shots. Always clicked a bit too slowly.



This was the best I got. Love that sound they make when calling. Leo and I parted ways as the rain was even closer. At least we both got our Life Bird for the day.



The Tree Swallow flock increased to hundreds and they began flying through the reeds and cattails feeding on midges. They were flying even more swiftly now but I tried to get any in focus. There were so many and flying so fast that I could never pick a particular subject.



Eventually I just stopped trying for a single bird and just set a focal point and hoped I could get anything worth keeping.



Finally, a single bird in focus. But the rain was getting closer so I turned to leave.



Behind me, I heard a weird kind of croak. I reversed course and suddenly a Purple Gallinule climbed up right in front of me and then disappeared just as quickly.



A perfect ending to a twitching day. I headed home in the rain and had a little smile on my face. I look forward to a day out there with better weather.