We had our first field trip for the Florida Master Naturalist Program‘s Freshwater Systems core module today. The class spend several hours at the Viera Wetlands, looking at the various plant and animal communities and how they fit into what we are learning about Florida’s herbaceous wetlands.
I note that I FINALLY got my lifer King Rail today, just after my batteries died for my camera. It’s just as well, since after a brief 2 second flight after being flushed, the bird disappeared into the reeds. I was super excited nonetheless!
Here are some of the photos from the morning.
A Limpkin, hunting Apple Snails.
A Black-crowned Night Heron, laying low.
A Blue-winged Teal, cruising alone.
A Great Blue Heron, stalking frogs.
A Great Egret with an American Bittern, hiding in plain sight.
A Hooded Merganser, looking for his mate.
I learned a bit more about the plant communities, including a song/rhyme to help us remember the differences to otherwise confusing vegetation types:
Rushes are round,
Sedges have edges, and
Grasses have nodes
From the crown to the ground.
Hundreds of American Robins were in flight over the wetlands all morning, and the American Coots are starting to assemble in larger and larger rafts. There are still very few ducks, though. I did notice huge flocks of ducks headed toward Merritt Island, in the afternoon from Riverwalk (the flocks were far in the distance, but numbered in the thousands), so perhaps they are finally set to arrive.
We finished up the day with classroom time at the Riverwalk Nature Center. Classes are off next weekend because of the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival! It’s almost here!
Last week I participated in the annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The CBC is a series of bird counts done throughout “the Americas (as Audubon says)” that helps track trends of bird populations. You can read about the history of the CBC and how to help at Audubon’s CBC page [link].
I volunteered to help the “South Brevard” counting circle, and was put on a team with three others on a 20ft. outboard on the Indian River. Our captain was Fred Griffin. His wife, Suzanne Chesser and local artist Cathy Ferrell and I spent several hours around the lagoon. Special thanks to Cathy for the use of her photos.
We pushed off as the last of the morning sunshine vanished (taking a couple of large flocks of American White Pelicans with it) and the wind and clouds moved in.
Suzanne had the “official” count form and was doing periodic estimates and updates, and I used eBird to record what I saw (and pointed out to the others). At the end of the count our numbers agreed pretty well – good job, Suzanne!
Fred did a great job piloting the boat and, despite some wicked chop at times, none of us had any real discomfort. Of course Both Fred and Suzanne are familiar with boats and I found out the Cathy was captain of her own boat – a larger “Cheoy Lee” sloop – and knows her way on the water as well. It was good to be in such capable hands.
Most of the birds were tucked up under the leeward side of the islands in the lagoon, though we did have a large count of pelicans (both species) and cormorants.
I did a quick jaunt over to the Fellsmere Grade Recreation Area and Stick Marsh before the dinner. The Stick Marsh was inundated (due to the excessive rains we’ve had this fall and winter), but I didn’t stay very long.
Loggerhead Shrike
Here’s are the lists for both the road to the Fellsmere Grade Recreational Area and the Stick Marsh:
The dinner at Marsh Landing Restaurant was very nice, and it had the added bonus of giving me my first look at a Barn Owl. There is a nest box right outside the restaurant by the banquet room – so one look on tip-toes and there was my Barn Owl! I think 2 are usually there, and they’ve raised chicks, too.
My first birding excursion of the year, and I had a great time all-around. Another thank you to Captain Fred, Suzanne, and Cathy!
I’ve just come back from my final birding adventure of 2015. I’ve been thinking a lot, these past weeks, about how much birding I have done this year. I took on a novice birder for much of the year and have seen her skills improve (as she has helped sharpen mine). I’ve read and listened with joy at her own solo adventures around Florida and in Europe.
It ended up being a big birding year for me. Now, it hasn’t exactly been a “Big Year” (like the book or film). It ended up as more of a Medium Year. I covered most of Central Florida in one way or another, travelled to Minnesota for Superb Owl Weekend, had a spectacular trip to Churchill to see Polar Bears and so much more.
I ended the year closer to home. Camille and I went to the T.M. Goodwin Waterfowl Management Area (map). This particular area is only open to general traffic on Thursdays, so it’s been a challenge to figure out when to visit with work schedules and such. Since we were both on vacation this week, it made a lot of sense to head on in and see what was hanging around.
Some typical habitat at T.M. Goodwin Waterfowl Management Area.
One species of interest is the Gray-headed Swamphen (a.k.a. Purple Swamphen). This bird has recently been breeding in south Florida and working its way north. There were verified reports in last week, so we were hoping to see it. Unfortunately, the swamphens did not cooperate. But we had a good day of it. I recorded my first Brevard County Fulvous Whistling Ducks and Snail Kites. There were some of both typical and pale Florida-form Red-shouldered Hawks, too.
A pale variant of the Red-shouldered Hawk.
As with much of central Florida, the most abundant birds on the water were American Coots and Common Gallinules. We counted nearly 1000 in just a couple of areas.
At one point a very patient and cooperative Black Vulture posed for some photos.
Black Vulture
“Is this my best side?”
“How about this?”
There was a disappointingly low number of ducks, which has been the case for a lot of places so far this fall/winter. We did see several Northern Pintails, some Blue-winged Teals, and a solitary Ring-necked Duck. The diversity that had been reported last week seemed to be gone.
Some numbers of subjective value: I have recorded 200 bird species in Brevard County this year, and 256 for my grand total (including Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Manitoba).
A good end to a good year. Happy New Year to all of you!
I hope everyone had a grand Christmas or whichever holiday you celebrated, and that you are all looking forward to the New Year. This past weekend I headed out for a quick trip to Shiloh Marsh Road. Predictably, this road ends at the Shiloh Marsh. The marsh marks the northernmost end of the Indian River Lagoon. In the map below, I parked just north of the 90-degree “L-bend” in the road and walked in along the road for about 1/4 of a mile.
Several weeks ago there were some duck species starting to show up in the marsh, so I was hopeful that by now there’d be a decent representation of ducks to see. I was also hoping to see some the Nelson’s Sparrows reported the week before.
Most of the canal edges along Shiloh Marsh Road are wooded. Seeing wading, diving, and dabbling birds in it can seem strange.
Unfortunately, neither of those things worked out for me, but I did get a reasonable diversity of birds, overall. The biggest thrill was the absolutely HUGE vortex of Tree Swallows nearby. The vortex itself never went directly over my location, but the number of birds was staggering. I estimated 3,000 for my eBird list, but I think that was a gross underestimate.
A tiny portion of the giant Tree Swallow vortex.
I am sure you’ve heard the old axiom, “Birds of a feather flock together.” This was borne out by a large mixed flock of egrets, White Ibises, and even an American White Pelican that were congregated on the west side of the road along what’s sometimes labeled as “Coot Creek.”
A bunch of white dudes hanging out.
Coot Creek would seem to be apt, as American Coots were the most plentiful bird on the water, all along the road and on the marsh itself. I tried to see if any ducks were hiding amongst the large coot rafts, but I did not see any.
I was surprised to see a Horned Grebe, though. They have been showing up a bit more than usual around the area this fall.
Several small groups of American White Pelicans were flying overhead, and two landed together on the nearby open water. I don’t know if that means they are a mated pair.
Lovey couple, or just good friends?
On the way back I saw the season’s first large flocks of both American Robins (nearly 200) and Cedar Waxwings (about 50). A Loggerhead Shrike watched as I approached the exit.
I have one more outing planned for 2015, then it’s on to the Christmas Bird Count (the team I am on has January 2nd), the Freshwater Systems module for the Florida Master Naturalist Program, and SCBWF at the end of January!
Hello! Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone! There have been a series of technical issues here at the Lonely Birder blog, but I have ironed most of that out. Please, enjoy these outtakes from my December birding in and around central Florida!
Female Hooded Merganser
Male Hooded Merganser
Hooded Merganer pair
Savannah Sparrow
Redheads in the mix
Common Loon with a fish
Common Loon
Red-breasted Merganser
I hope you are having a great holiday, whatever you choose to celebrate! If I don’t get to blog before the end of the year, Happy New Year, too!
No, not that kind of bear. I’ve had some technical difficulties related to the blog, so I apologize for the absence of posts. In the meantime, feel free to browse the archives.
On a recent visit to Lake Apopka, it was “splash and dash” showers all morning. The sun was still just low enough for this rainbow, which seemed to hug the ground.
Just as in Merritt Island, ducks are coming in for the winter all across Florida, though they seem to be late in coming to the big parks and refuges. I have seen reports of larger numbers of scaups in neighborhood and commercial development ponds.
Female Hooded Merganser.
The first Great Blue Heron of the day had speared a large catfish, but seemed to be having trouble figuring out how to eat it.
Breakfast!
As is typical of central Florida in winter, there were large numbers of Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Palm Warblers will usually allow you to get somewhat closer to them, especially if there are many of them in the same place. They always seem curious and will stop to watch as I fumble with my binoculars or camera.
Recently a rare Brown Booby (well, rare for inland central Florida) had been seen around the old pumphouse. I did catch one distant look at a bird that looked suspiciously like a booby, but it was just too far away to be sure. There were Eastern Phoebes, ibises, Ospreys, and (of course) more Palm Warblers around.
Here you can see the yellow under-tail coverts and white tail spots that are good field-marks when the birds are actively flitting around.
Nearby a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk was sitting very close to the roadway in some trees. Both the typical and pale “Florida form” varieties were present throughout the morning.
When this bird matures, into next year, it will have a red, finely-barred breast and rufous shoulders (hence the common name of the species).
American Bitterns have been back in the area for a while now, but I finally saw my first of the season (FOS) birds on the first pass through the wildlife drive. One was quite close to the car, much more interested in stalking prey than anything else.
American Bitterns will often hide in tall reeds and rely on their coloration and pattern to stay concealed. But it’s not uncommon to find them out in the open if they feel secure and hungry, as this bird clearly did.
There a quite a few larger alligators along the drainage canals that parallel the roads. Many were well over 2 meters (6.5 feet) long. They were taking advantage of the sun, between rain showers.
One of the larger American Alligators along the wildlife drive.
When you’re this big, you generally have very few worries.
What was really great was seeing Fulvous Whistling ducks for more than 2 seconds! I have this bird on my life list from seeing a bird fly quickly over the car and out of sight one afternoon back in the spring. Since then, any birding adventure where these birds were alleged to be found, I came up empty. It took a second drive around to get them, but this time, I got some really good unaided-eye, binocular, and camera looks at them.
The first group of Fulvous Whistling-Ducks was a bit distant, but their profiles and coloration were unmistakable.
The second group of Fulvous Whistling-Ducks were much closer and were mainly preoccupied with preening. I tried to get two of the duck to look up at the same time, but to no avail.
There are certainly “greener” ways to bird, but some areas are better birded from a car. I try to work harder to reduce my carbon footprint and other disturbances as a result. Also, many birds that are skittish when approached on foot don’t seem to give automobiles much concern.
On Saturday, I went out with Camille to Canaveral National Seashore again, in hopes of getting more pelagic (oceanic/marine) birds, but the combination of weather and circumstance that had hundreds of scoters, gannets, and other off-shore birds coming south along the beach was gone, and very few birds could be seen.
We did make good use of the day to do Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, which was closed when we attempted it last weekend. It seems the ducks are finally arriving, though most of them stayed well away from the roadway.
I made pretty good use of an entry-level spotting scope that was generously given to me over the summer. With it we were able to identify far-off Canvasbacks, Redheads, and Northern Pintails.
Blue-winged Teals. Some of the huge clouds of incoming ducks we saw all morning were probably teals, although I am sure some were wigeons.
Here’s a gallery of some of the other sights in and around MINWR:
This Caspian Tern stood apart from the larger flock nearby.
Another mixed flock of terns and gulls
Injured Horned Grebe taking refuge in the Refuge
One of two Painted Buntings making use of the Visitor Center’s feeder.
We ended the adventure with a sighting of 3 Buffleheads. They appeared to be either 1st winter males or females, but it was a nice bonus!
It was nice to see the duck activity increase, and hopefully we’ll have the usual numbers of scaups, Ring-necked Ducks and Northern Pintails keeping us company until spring!
Sunday was an epic day-trip around much of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and part of Canaveral National Seashore. It was overcast and windy with intermittent showers, but the birding was worth it. I’ve highlighted a few of the stops here, but you can link to all the hotspots and bird lists at the end of the post, via eBird, for everything seen.
On Playalinda Beach, there were huge flocks of Northern Gannets and Brown Pelicans, as well as various terns, scoters, and shore birds.
One small group of White-winged Scoters flew quickly by, as well as more distant, large flocks of likely Black Scoters. There was at least one predatory jaeger (unknown species) and what seemed to be a shearwater of some sort, far offshore.
One Sanderling, well up from the surf, caught my eye. It seemed to be resting, but it kept peeking its eyes out, watching.
Many shorebirds and waders will stand on one leg, even to the point of hopping away when disturbed before finally putting both legs down.
After watching for a while, I noticed it was swiveling gently, back and forth. Like a weather vane, the bird was turning to align with the wind, perhaps to keep from getting blown over while it rested on one leg.
There was a mixed group of terns, which included Royal, Forster’s, Sandwich, and at least one Common.
Mixed flock of terns (with bonus shorebirds behind).
A few Black-bellied Plovers were working the beach. These birds’ winter plumage is much less dramatic than their breeding plumage, but the way this species moves and stands usually makes it quite easy to pick out in any case (to me they look almost delicate and timid at times).
At the end of Shiloh Road, at the extreme northern end of the Indian River Lagoon, there were hundreds of American Coots. In fact if you include the many rafts of coots along the canal, there was easily over a thousand! There were a few scattered Northern Shovelers, but not much else in the way of duck species. In fact, so far this fall, it seems the ducks have been slow to arrive. There have been no reports of Northern Pintails yet, and just a smattering of Redheads and Ruddy Ducks.
Most of Peacocks Pocket is closed for hunting until February, and a search for reported Nelson’s and Saltmarsh Sparrows along the first part of the road didn’t come up with much.
Blackpoint Drive was unexpectedly closed, perhaps due to one of the massive downpours that were blowing in and out of the area.
Bio Lab Road, however, proved more fruitful, if a bit hard on the nose. From time to time, due to algal blooms and other phenomena, the lagoon will really, really, smell. The wind coming off the water and right into the car (with open windows for birding, of course) was nearly overwhelming at times. It didn’t seem to bother the many Dunlins and Least and Western Sandpipers who were foraging among the stench filled foam at the water’s edge.
Dunlin
Least Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Here are all the stops and eBird lists for the day, which include the first of season Ruddy Duck at Vista #8, and first-in-forever White-winged Scoters at Playalinda Beach.
It was a really good day, despite the closure of Peacocks Pocket and Blackpoint Drive. I had never been to Playalinda Beach before, and it was a real treat. If you want a fairly good idea of what the beaches of the Space Coast would be like in their “natural” state, have a visit – but tread lightly. Beach habitats are especially sensitive to human disturbance.
This past Saturday, I traveled south to Jonathan Dickinson State Park (map) with Camille to have a look at the Smooth-billed Ani that had been reported there over the past several weeks. In fact, earlier this year a Smooth-billed Ani was reported at the nearby Loxahatchee area, so this may have been the same bird. The park is also near Jupiter and Hobe Sound, and this was my first visit to the area.
Jonathan Dickinson State Park comprises a large area of ancient sand dunes covered in mixed scrub vegetation. Some of the dunes are relatively high. In fact, the highest elevation south of Lake Okeechobee (well, its nothern limit anyway) is Hobe “Mountain”, at 26 meters (86 feet) above sea level.
Looking across the ancient dunes of the park from up near Hobe Mountain.
It isn’t evident in my photos, but the park is fighting several invasive plant species. The most visible is Love Vine, which covers large areas of the scrub. It’s a bright orange vine that looks like spaghetti has been draped over the other plants. The only thing that slows its growth is prescribed fire. There was evidence of at least 2 large fires in both the state park and the Hobe Sound NWR. The native plants are fire tolerant. In fact, many rely on fire for their life-cycles.
Much of the morning was spent staking out an area in front of a pond feature where the bird was most frequently seen. We met with Edna, from New Jersey, who had made the trip specifically to see the bird (later on her husband and son also arrived). She had a sound recording of the calls it was making a day or so prior, and had some tips for where else to look.
The weather was mostly overcast and quite breezy. I know from this past winter that the Groove-billed Anis that were at Lake Apopka were very keen to stay out of sight during the very brisk field trip I attended during the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival.
A short while later, I did catch sight of a large-ish black bird low in the dormant vegetation along the pond. It was the right size and shape for an Ani, but the glimpse was so brief that it was not possible to tell what it was.
Paul Huber came by, too and we saw him a few times near the gazebo by the road near the pond. It’s nice to see familiar faces when you’re out, especially in new places.
Camille also caught a very brief glimpse of a bird in there, but as there were several Gray Catbirds in the same area, it was not conclusive. The breeze kicked up more as the day wore on, likely pinning the Ani down in the dense brush.
Ani, are you OK?
We walked part of a Mountain Bike loop, both tp get a feel for the park and to perhaps get a better angle where the bird may have been. In the course of that walk, we did see some birds, including Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Palm Warblers, a Northern Flicker, some Red-bellied Woodpeckers and a Florida Scrub-Jay.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
The ani had also been seen in the nearby campground, so we walked over and had some tantalizing glimpses of some warbler species and what I am sure was a Scarlet Tanager. I had one good look at the bird in profile: dull yellow with black wings, no wing bars, and a stout bill. It was the right size and shape for a tanager, but mid-November would be VERY late for this species in that area.
We broke for lunch at the Time To Eat Diner restaurant in Tequesta, FL (a very comprehensive menu!) and visited the neighboring Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. They have a nice nature center there that purportedly has a Red-tailed Hawk and a Barred Owl on display; however, they were having a “day off” when we were there. We hiked one of the loop trails among the dunes there and saw an American White Pelican, more gnatcatchers and a Pine Warbler, among a few others.
We took the walk up to Hobe Mountain and had a look around at the expanse that is Jonathan Dickinson State Park and the adjacent Loxahatchee River and Cyprus Creek Natural Areas.
Looking down the long boardwalk that leads up and down Hobe Mountain.
A nice view across the park from the observation deck.
We checked back with Edna and her husband and son by the pond, but the Ani still had not shown itself. We spent the rest of the afternoon waiting for the bird to show, but there was no evidence it was anywhere nearby.
While there, we did see an American Kestrel, a Merlin, a Bald Eagle and several more woodpeckers. An Eastern Phoebe was working the pond edge along with several more Palm Warblers.
Eventually we had to call it a day. Here are links to the eBird lists and a comprehensive list of all the birds we saw on Saturday.
That’s the way it works sometimes. It was a good reminder that the birds are not there primarily for our enjoyment or edification. They are living out their lives and we should feel privileged to have the opportunity to observe and record them. Whenever I feel the urge to crash through the brush or run through a thicket in pursuit of a bird (especially a rarity or a life-bird), I try to check myself. We should never let our zeal for any bird cause us to scare, stress or damage wildlife. It can be hard sometimes, I know.
Lonely Birder 