Winter Park Spring, Part 1

Let’s face it, it’s been a very slow early migration season in east central Florida. If the past two years give any indication, it’s to expect another hit-or-miss month of April. During Easter week my friend and newly minted birder, Camille discussed alternatives to get some of her first migrating warblers and other birds this spring, since some of my usual haunts and both of our other endeavors have not really gotten us a very good sampling of birds that should be passing through the state on their way northward. We hit upon doing some urban birding around Orlando.

Winter Park has a number of different parks and gardens, so we chose two: Meade Botanical Gardens and the Harry P. Leu Gardens. Meade is a little more native and informal, while Leu is a little more formal. We had read via eBird and the mailing lists that some migrants had been seen in and around both parks, and that Meade Gardens had a resident Barred Owl as well as Wood Ducks. Camille loves owls, so getting a nice daytime owl was high on our list. On our way toward the reported owl location, we had luck with some good views of the typical winter residents: Carolina Wrens, Northern Cardinals, Northern Parulas, and others. The Carolina Wrens were not shy at all at the southern end of the gardens.

meade-carolina-wren-grass — *While April is normally the month for lots of migratory birds to pass through the area on their way to their breeding grounds, the year-round residents are busy making house right here.*

Mixed in with the Carolina Wrens were several House Wrens, singing their perky and bubbly songs.

We also heard and saw a fair number of Tufted Titmouses. There are a few mated pairs using birdhouses with chicks present (at least based on the peeping we could hear within).

meade-titmouse — *Titmouses share their chickadee cousins’ acrobatic antics. This one barely stopped long enough for a photo-op.*

We were not having much luck finding any owls, but we heard at least one calling to our north, perhaps out of the park. We followed the sound to a creek, but we saw that across the creek was someone’s house and there was no apparent way to cross it. Then I heard a faint, low, “coo” and asked out loud, “What the heck is that?” and looked at an oak limb just above Camille’s head.

meade-barred-owl2 — *Who’s that cooking up a beautiful pose?*

A VERY patient Barred Owl was perched about ten feet up, looking around and not at all ruffled by our presence. We found out later that this was the female of a mated pair that has two youngsters nearby. We did heard what was presumably the male further out, We both took a large number of photographs before reluctantly moving on through the gardens.

We started passing some other birders along the trails, and one man asked if we had seen the “Chuck” yet. I wasn’t sure what he was asking, but it turns out a larger group of birders had flushed a bird and were very carefully stalking it and trying to avoid spooking it again. Here’s a shot from the first set of photographs I took. Can you see what the fuss was all about?

Do you see it? No? Just right of center, that slightly warmer brown “knob” is, in fact, a Chuck-will’s-widow. Chucks are members of the nightjar family, which includes Whip-poor-wills and Common Nighthawks (among others). Locally common, Chucks are normally a bit hard to find. They blend in with branches and leaves (as you can see), and prefer to stay motionless to fleeing. But if you get too close, it will quickly fly through the woods to another spot and take another cryptic pose. This was a life bird for me!

We managed to get some side looks at the bird along the boardwalk as we continued, staying with the birding group for a while. Camille saw and identified a Swamp Sparrow (despite my best attempts at derailing her – she had a better view than I did!), and before the other birders IDed it. toward the end of the boardwalk, we heard some Gray Catbirds singing along with what sounded like a Painted Bunting. The catbirds did eventually show themselves a bit, but the buntings did not.

Along the same section of boardwalk, we saw some non-avian friends, including a Florida Box Turtle and a Marsh Rabbit. Near some flower gardens, we got to see a mated pair of Monarch butterflies flying together, along with other butterflies.

Florida Box Turtle high-tailing it out of sight.

Viceroy (a Monarch mimic) having a rest.

Camille and I decided to track back through the boardwalk to get another look at the Chuck-will’s-widow and eventually get back to the Barred Owl. On the way past the second viewing spot for the Chuck, we bumped into none other than Reinhard Geisler. We last saw Reinhard at the Orlando Wetlands, where he helpfully gave us a park map before shooing us out the door from his photography workshop. He was with a small group taking some photographs of the bird from the boardwalk. I asked if he had taken any “good shots” and he laughed and said, “depends on your definition of good.” The bird was in a tough spot to photograph from that vantage point. Camille and I decided to go down a path past the limb the Chuck was sitting on to both get a better photo, and to see more of the gardens. I went back and asked if everyone in the group with Reinhard had gotten a good look, because we intended to pass close to the bird, and we didn’t want anyone to miss out if it should flush and fly away. It seemed as if everyone agreed, so Camille and I proceeded. I managed to get a couple of decent close shots before the bird did indeed fly off to a new spot.

meade-chucks — Hey, Chuck! Here, you can more clearly see the dead leaf and bark pattern typical of nightjars. They’ll often rest with their eyes almost completely closed. This bird was actually fairly alert and observant. It fled before we got much closer. Sorry Reinhard, I hope you got your best photos.

We eventually caught up to the larger group of birders, and then we all made our way back to the Barred Owl, which was sitting in the same place, though looking somewhat sleepy.

sleepy-owl — *It was well past this owl’s bedtime.*

Further out on the creek, there was a pair of Wood Ducks, one male and one female. A Great Blue Heron was resting one one foot nearby. Shortly they were joined by a Great Egret that landed even closer to us and nervously stalked the creek among the cypress knees.

To this point we still hadn’t seen any migrating warblers, though other birds were active and present. Back at the parking area we saw more Tufted Titmouses, a Palm Warbler, at least one Prairie Warbler and a Black-and-white Warbler. There were more Carolina and House wrens singing, as well as the ever present Northern Cardinals. I kept hearing Great Crested Flycatchers all morning, but it wasn’t until we were back at the parking lot getting ready to head out that I finally saw one. Despite all the vocal presence at work, in my backyard and in various area parks, I finally got my first visual confirmation of a Great Crested Flycatcher at Meade Gardens.

meade-flycatcher-flying — *Great Crested Flycatcher taking flight.*

Not far from the parking lot is an area called “the clay pits” that led down to more water and some marshy ground. I could hear Painted Buntings down in the nearby brush, so I descended into one of the pits trying to get a closer look. I finally managed to flush a pair of buntings, just catching a blur of the red, blue and green colors of a male Painted Bunting before they flew out over the gardens and out of sight.

We had one last surprise before we left. Suddenly, right in front of us, an outburst of angry tweets and chittering came from one of the larger trees. Two Great Crested Flycatchers whirled into view, feet locked, spiralling down to the ground in a mini tornado of wings. They actually hit the ground before disengaging and flying off, calling out to each other.

Here’s the list for Meade Gardens, mostly in order:

Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Parula
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Common Grackle
Tufted Titmouse
Red-shouldered Hawk
Barred Owl
American Crow
Downy Woodpecker (♫)
Mallard
Fish Crow
Red-winged Blackbird
Chuck-will’s-widow (life)
Swamp Sparrow
Gray Catbird
Blue Jay
Northern Mockingbird
Wood Duck
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Palm Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Pileated Woodpecker (♫)
Black-and-white Warbler
Great Crested Flycatcher
Painted Bunting

Our next and ultimate destination was the Harry P. Leu Gardens, but we first got a bit of lunch and decided to detour to nearby Lake Berry Overlook. A Red-headed Woodpecker has been reported there, and we thought it worth our while to check it out. One of the birders we bumped into earlier was also getting lunch and casually mentioned they saw a single Cape May Warbler in the parking area, but we had yet to see any migrating warblers. We hoped our luck would be better at Leu Gardens. We’ll pick up the story in Part 2.

Quiet Times at Turkey Creek Sanctuary

I decided to go to Turkey Creek Sanctuary this weekend, as it had been a while since I last checked in. The area had some weather move through that made me hopeful some early migrants had made a pit stop overnight.

Hope springs eternal, as the saying goes. It turned out to be another eerily quiet morning for the majority of the sanctuary. There were pockets of Northern Cardinals and the winter residents are still hanging on, though their numbers are much lower. Any activity was in widely spaced pockets, with only a few individual birds.

Besides the cardinals, I encountered a couple of Gray Catbirds in the Saw Palmetto along the boardwalk loop and I could hear Northern Parulas up in the canopy. I also came upon small bands of Prairie Warblers both on the boardwalk loop and later, along the Sand Pine Trail.

I heard Yellow Warblers and Blue-headed Vireos together as I approached the canoe deck. It’s been a mild source of frustration for me that for a few years in a row, in the same general location, I can hear Yellow Warblers high in the canopy but have been unable to get any decent binocular views, to say nothing of photographs. Some patient watching did get me some good looks at the vireos singing and hopping below the canopy, though.

I saw almost no birds at all along the creek overlook boardwalk (though there were quite a few Northern Parulas singing). I spooked an Osprey down by the boardwalk on the Flood Plain Trail, but otherwise there were no birds present there either. I met up with an out-of-state couple who were visiting the sanctuary for the day. They asked me if I had seen “anything good,” and I had to admit it was seriously quiet. They had heard that the sanctuary was a decent place for spring migrants. I explained that it was probably still a bit early for most of the migrants, but that also the sanctuary has been very quiet for a couple of years now, even during migration seasons. But, as I told them, you never know what you might see on any given day.

I had two surprises on the Sand Pine Trail which would later come to cause me some small embarrassment. First, somewhere near the mid-point of the trail I heard some distinct whistling notes close by. I knew the birds had to be very near, but I was not detecting any movement. I noted, in the back of my mind, that further up the trail I could hear something that sounded somewhat vireo-like as well, but I was trying to focus on the birds at hand (or at ear, I guess). Finally, after trouncing back and forth on the trail trying to get a good vantage point I saw movement and got a look at a brown warbler skulking in the mid-story, and then another nearby. Based on the facial pattern and overall shape (and later confirmed when I played the bird’s song) I identified the bird as my first of year (FOY) Swainson’s Warbler. How exciting! A spring migrant after all! I took a few photographs that I thought would be pretty decent and clear enough to convince the (at times) über-skeptical e-mail lists that I had indeed seen Swainson’s Warblers. This would come back to haunt me.

I walked further up the trail, and again heard the vireo song, but much closer. About 10 or 12 feet up in some of the smaller trees I saw two Red-eyed Vireos. One of them let me get some great binocular views before moving off a bit. The light and shadow through the trees made the photographs a bit tough, but I got some good shots, including this one.

At this point I did not realize that my Swainson’s Warbler photographs did not properly write to my camera’s memory card. Later that afternoon I went to post to BRDBRAIN and FLORIDABIRDS-L that I had seen FOY/FOS Swainson’s Warblers, and only quickly looked at what photographs I had pulled form the card, I attached this vireo photograph! As you can imagine, I received some properly amused replies that I had actually seen a Red-eyed Vireo, not a Swainson’s Warbler. You can imagine my dismay as I checked and sure enough, in my excitement I had posted the wrong photo. I had not realized I had no Swainson’s Warbler pictures! I quickly posted another message to the e-mail lists explaining my error, but I am sure it’s already added to the body of lore I’ve managed to accumulate there (to examples: I once jumped the gun that a winter American Goldfinch was a Snow Bunting, and my hearing two Carolina Chickadees at Erna Nixon Park was roundly scoffed at by a couple of list members).

This isn’t the first time my camera (or the memory card) has failed me like this. Since my trip to Minnesota the camera hasn’t been right. Whether or not it was due to the cold, or just a coincidence, I seem to lose some pictures and the controls react more sluggishly than they used to.

I heard more Prairie Warblers on the Sand Pine Trail, but had my best photo opportunity interrupted by a loud, if well meaning family. I couldn’t stay too angry about it, since the kids were genuinely interested in nature and the wildlife they might see. They weren’t being obnoxious, and the parents were encouraging this in them. I also reminded myself that the bird photographs are icing on the cake. It’s great just to be out and see these magnificent creatures.

As a last minute decision, I went down to McKinnon’s Way and then over to the weir and canal, but there wasn’t much happening there either.

The boat ramp has yellow caution tape at the entrance to the path leading to it. I peered around it and saw that the decking had been removed. I don’t know if this was from the minor flooding a few months back or from the planks being removed for repair (the wood seemed to be a bit rotted from what I could tell). The creek level is down to normal now, and the lower and newer parts of the ramp’s deck seem fine, if a little more crooked.

At the canal and weir there was one Little Blue Heron and one Cattle Egret. The canal level was surprisingly low. We’ve had a relatively wet winter and early spring, but the past few weeks have seen some above normal temperatures with little rain. This must have been enough to drop the water level down quite a bit. Even the heavy showers from previous days must not have made much of an impression. Only one discharge was open on the weir, and there were turtles stacked up at the edge of the others, taking advantage of some prime basking real estate.

creek-side-weir — *Turtles bask along the discharge openings of the weir at the Melboune-Tillman Canal and Turkey Creek.*

The low discharge can be explained better by looking at the next two photographs, showing how low the canal level is.

The canal bottom is starting to get exposed.

The floating barrier is resting on the bottom now.

I stirred up some more cardinals on my way back toward the sanctuary entrance, but saw little else in the way of bird life. I saw one Black Racer (a snake species), which quickly slid away from me before I could even get my camera up to take its picture, and of course the lizards are ever prevalent.

Here’s the total species list. Except for the Prairie Warblers, most of these were single or pairs of birds, widely spaced apart throughout the sanctuary.

Common Grackle
Mourning Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove
Osprey
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Carolina Wren
Northern Parula (♫)
Northern Cardinal
Gray Catbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Fish Crow
Prairie Warbler
Great Blue Heron
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (♫)
Purple Martin
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Swainson’s Warbler
Blue Jay
Yellow Warbler (♫)
Blue-headed Vireo
Little Blue Heron
Cattle Egret

The lack of bird life here and in many other parks is perplexing. Certainly the amount of insect and reptile life seems to be about the same, and the plants (apart from some more invasive species than a few years ago) seem healthy. There are still very large gar in the creek, and the manatees come upstream as they always have. But something is affecting the birds’ ability or willingness to stop and stay at many of the areas they used to frequent. Last year Shirley Hills told me that it was the quietest year to her recollection, and she had been birding Turkey Creek for decades. I really hope things pick up in April, as the main body of spring migrants make their way through. The birds have either found better places to stop or are vastly reduced in numbers. How much of that would be part of normal population fluctuations and how much from something we ought to be alarmed about isn’t something I am able to know as yet.

Wishing for Migrants

Spring migrant season is nearly upon us, though the eBird and mailing-list reports are still dominated by winter residents here along the Space Coast. I hadn’t been to Lori Wilson Park in a while, so I put a quick plan together with Camille to have a look there and then Jetty Park (where I have not been until now).

Barbara-Eden-as-Jeannie-i-dream-of-jeannie-5267500-395-480 — *I wish we’d see some cool birds!*

Lori Wilson Park is a small hammock near the beach along A1A in Cocoa Beach. The access road to the park and the adjacent beach is called “I Dream of Jeannie Lane,” since that’s where astronaut Captain (later Major) Nelson finds Jeannie’s bottle and rescues her, becoming her master in the 1960s TV series.

The park provides a nice little break from the tourist trap restaurants and entertainment and the well-used beaches. We came across a group of birders watching a Black-and-white Warbler at the start of the boardwalk. Phyllis Mansfield leads a birding walk there a couple of times a month, so I think that was her group. Phyllis is also fairly prolific on eBird and the FLORIDABIRD-L and BRDBRAIN listservs.

The group was about to move on, so Camille and I (in true Lonely Birder style) stayed and watched the bird forage in the dense foliage while a couple of Fish Crows hung around the small drip-pool that’s set up to attract birds. The sun angle was still fairly low and the bird was in some dense vegetation, but sometimes odd lighting makes for some interesting photographs.

silhouette-bww — *“Listen to the wind blow, watch the sun rise. Run in the shadows…”*

We then slowly made our way around the boardwalk, but it was very quiet. I did catch a very quick glimpse of an Ovenbird and there were Gray Catbirds in greater numbers. We also saw some Northern Cardinals, but for the most part the park had little bird activity and was eerily quiet at times. Once or twice I caught what sounded like a snippet of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher song and some American Goldfinch call notes.

We went from the park to the nearby beach, but it was already well populated by people sunbathing, swimming, fishing, and surfing. We saw a small flock or two of Laughing Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls, but little else. We heard later on that one group reported large numbers of Black Skimmers at the beach, but I presume that was well before we got there.

laughing-gull — *This Laughing Gull has it’s summer clothes on!*

We drove from Lori Wilson Park to Jetty Park, in Cape Canaveral. Jetty Park is one of the best public viewing areas for rocket launches from the Cape. It was usually overwhelmed during Space Shuttle launches, and even today, with no rocket launches it was crowded, primarily with people fishing. The rocks along the jetty were full of Brown Pelicans, Royal Terns, Ruddy Turnstones, and Sanderlings. Across the inlet we saw some Double-crested Cormorants, a Great Blue Heron and some unidentified flocks of gulls.

royal-tern — *Royal Tern doing a rather nifty Sir Patrick Stewart impression.*

sitting-pelican — *An adult Brown Pelican resting on the jetty.*

With so many people fishing along the jetty, it’s perhaps no surprise that the birds don’t always have a positive experience with the people. One immature pelican had a fishing lure stuck on its side. It did not appear to be causing the bird any major issues. It could still fly and swim without any obvious hindrance, but without a way to remove the hook, what may happen in the coming days is worrisome. I hope the poor bird can safely dislodge the lure. I’m hopeful the incident that caused this was not intentional, but either way it can be sad to see the price exacted by our species on others.

pelican-fishing-lure — *“What the heck is this thing?”*

Coming back from the jetty, there as a Northern Mockingbird loudly singing from a concrete post in the parking lot. Mockingbirds are ubiquitous in Florida (as they are in many places), a testament to their adaptability and tolerance for disturbance. While many, if not most, bird species have been negatively impacted by human activity, some birds are well adapted to take advantage of human landscapes.

mockingbird-cap — *“But I don’t want any of that — I’d rather — I’d rather…just…sing!”*

There’s a small section of hammock vegetation near the park with a walkway through it. There, we heard and saw more Gray Catbirds and a Palm Warbler or two. We were surprised by a flash of yellow and a bobbing tail, which at first I thought was a yellow “Eastern” Palm Warbler. On closer inspection, it turned out to be a Prairie Warbler (a FOY for me, and a lifer for Camille). It didn’t stick around long, soon getting lost in the thick tangles of branches.

prairie — *Prairie Warbler taking a quick pause to look for bugs before moving on.*

We drove from Jetty Park to the Canaveral Locks to see what was happening there. Aside from a young Herring Gull and several dozen Double-crested Cormorants on the opposite side of the locks, not much was going on bird-wise. We watched the locks open to let some small boats through. That caused a sea turtle and a manatee to come to the surface briefly and then we decided to call it a day.

The species list for the day for all three locations:

Fish Crow
Black-and-white Warbler
Mourning Dove
Boat-tailed Grackle
Gray Catbird
Ovenbird
Northern Cardinal
Palm Warbler
Northern Mockingbird
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
American Goldfinch (♫)
Brown Pelican
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Royal Tern
Great Blue Heron
Double-crested Cormorant
Prairie Warbler
Herring Gull
Snowy Egret
Turkey Vulture
Osprey

Despite the warm weather (it was well into the 80s) it seems that the winter birds are still hanging on and we’ve not quite seen any large numbers of migrants. I’ve seen some NEXRAD (weather radar) images showing that mass movements of birds are starting, so it’s only a matter of time.

Still Here…

I am working on a new post and should have it up by tomorrow. I just ran out of steam yesterday and last night. In the meantime, enjoy these different sort of birds I saw in my neighborhood this weekend!

Joe Overstreet Road and Landing

This weekend’s adventure was to Joe Overstreet Road and Landing. I haven’t been to the area since three winters ago during the Central Florida Specialties field trip. Some Whooping Cranes are somewhat regularly seen from the road on the Double C Bar Ranch on Canoe Creek Road, just before Joe Overstreet Road. I did not see any Whoopers on this trip, though.

From Canoe Creek Road and for most of Joe Overstreet Road the landscape is dominated by upland fields and scattered trees. As one gets closer to Joe Overstreet Landing at Lake Kissimmee of course the landscape changes to marshes and open water, with some wet meadows (much of the land along the road is a cattle ranch). The transition from upland to wetland/lake was best illustrated by the change of crows, with American Crows along most of the road and Fish Crows closer to the lake. Not only were the voices a clear indication of species change, but the American Crows I saw seemed perceptually larger and more robust than the Fish Crows. Usually I have a much harder time telling the difference by sight, as the two species have a significant overlap in their sizes. For whatever reason the American Crows in this part of the state are quite large.

There were small bands of Savannah Sparrows along the barbed-wire fences. For the most part they seemed content to watch me, only fleeing if I stepped a little too close, but never really flying too far.

Even the birds of prey were relatively approachable. A juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk sat just outside my car’s window, paying me little mind. It didn’t fly off the post it was on until I got out of the car, and even then it just swooped up to the top of the nearest utility pole.

The nearby power lines and widely spaced trees make good perches for the raptors to hunt from. I saw both “regular” and “Florida form” Red-shouldered Hawks, including some that flew into a copse of pine trees and harassed a Great Horned Owl (from the sounds of it). The American Kestrels hung around nearby too, making the sparrows a little nervous, but the heavy hitters in the intimidation department were the Bald Eagles. Any time their shadows fell nearby, the sparrows and meadowlarks would dive for cover.

Down at the boat ramp by the lake there were American Coots, Common Gallinules, a Pied-billed Grebe and some Cattle Egrets. I scanned the lake and its more distant far shore for Snail Kites, but I did not see any. There were some gulls, terns, and a couple of Bald Eagles. I saw one Osprey and very few herons (I think I saw one Great Egret and a small group of Little Blue Herons). I could hear at least one Limpkin calling, but aside from some Boat-tailed Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds, it was fairly quiet at the lake.

Crows are opportunistic scavengers and omnivorous, and are not above raiding the nests of songbirds (for eggs or young), and will eat lizards and small mammals if given the chance. They also will eat carrion. During nesting and fledging season, this does not endear them to smaller birds, and they will sometimes be chased or mobbed like hawks, eagles, or owls.

It was a final treat of the morning to see several Northern Bobwhites. I’ve heard them in various places in my adventures, but I haven’t had a solid visual identification. I saw one step out of some dead palm fronds for a moment, before a Red-shouldered Hawk caused it to take cover. I also managed to flush some females out, where they had been hiding in plain sight. They blended into the brown grasses and small shrubs so well that I didn’t know they were there until they quickly spang up in a burry flight to another concealed spot.

Besides birds attacking the American Crows, the Eastern Meadowlarks were courting and having territorial disputes. A pair of Loggerhead Shrikes were chasing each other around, too. I almost got one of my hope-for photographs, but the moment was so brief, I didn’t even have time to lift my camera. There was a Northern Mockingbird on a dead limb of a small tree, and the shrikes flew up in to the same tree. For an instant both a Northern Mockingbird and a Loggerhead Shrike were in the same tree, in the same field of view! I would really like to get such a photograph, showing the similarities and differences between these two birds.

shrikes — *Moments after a Northern Mockingbird was chased off the limb on the right side of this dead tree-top. The bird at the bottom seems to be eating something as its companion watches.*

Before turning onto Canoe Creek Road again, I stopped to watch a few Eastern Bluebirds fly and catch insects. I actually thought they were flycatchers at first, but the orange breast threw me off. When I finally got a good binocular view in full sunlight I saw they were actually bluebirds. Nearby, a Tufted Titmouse was calling and hopping through some branches while Northern Cardinals sang nearby.

I drove up to the Double C Bar Ranch for one final search for Whooping Cranes but coming up empty, I headed for home. I took a quick detour to the Wild Florida wildlife park and passed some Sandhill Cranes on the road leading to the parking lot. I didn’t really have time to look around, so I just circled the lot and headed back to the main road.

Here’s the trip’s species list in approximate order of positive identification:

White Ibis
Cattle Egret
Savannah Sparrow
Mourning Dove
Eastern Meadowlark
American Crow
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Kestrel
Blue Jay
Black Vulture
Bald Eagle
Northern Mockingbird
Boat-tailed Grackle
European Starling
Osprey
Fish Crow
American Coot
Cattle Egret
Glossy Ibis
Limpkin (♫)
Palm Warbler
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Gallinule
Ring-billed Gull
Pied-billed Grebe
Turkey Vulture
Killdeer
Eurasian Collared Dove
Loggerhead Shrike
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (♫)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Great Horned Owl (♫)
Northern Bobwhite
Eastern Bluebird
Tufted Titmouse
Northern Cardinal
Sandhill Crane

I’m hoping to check eBird and the e-mail lists to see if the Whooping Cranes are still being seen there, and to get some better tips for getting a good look. I’ll likely head back to Joe Overstreet Road soon, before the weather gets too hot.

Finally (Fly)catching up with Orlando Wetlands Park

I bucked the Lonely Birder trend again this past weekend by heading out to the Orlando Wetlands Park with my friend Camille. She is such an enthusiastic new birder, it’s great to head out with her and see whatever we can. This trip was focused on two things:

Thing 1: Neither of us had been to Orlando Wetlands Park before. It is closed seasonally from November through all of January which includes the usual dates for the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival.

Thing 2: A male Vermilion Flycatcher was reported there this winter (and apparently the past several winters), a rare and desirable bird for this area. It’s getting late in the “wintering” season in central Florida, so it’s likely he’ll head north soon. This weekend was a good opportunity to see him.

scenic — *This is actually a really big park. We walked at least 5 or 6 miles in the course of the day.*

We arrived during a light rain shower, and (along with several other birders, including a group of photographers) used some small shelters near the parking area to wait out the rain and watch what birds were in the nearby trees and brush. We could hear a lot of “chipping” notes which turned out to be a large number of Yellow-rumped Warblers. Interspersed with them were some American Goldfinches, and I could hear at least two White-eyed Vireos. There was one Yellow-throated Warbler (one of several life birds for Camille).

There’s an education center nearby, and we went there to find a park map, and apparently interrupted a photography workshop lead by Reinhard Geisler, who tried to whisk us out, until we told him we just wanted a map. He grabbed one for us and quickly shut the door!

As we passed some large blue plastic tubs, ostensibly for a plant experiment, we saw some more Yellow-rumped Warblers, as well as Blue-headed Vireos, and some Carolina, House and Marsh Wrens in the brush nearby. I thought I caught a glimpse of an Ovenbird, but not enough to really be sure. I also caught a quick look at a Ruby Crowned Kinglet.

As we got out past that area near some open marshland, there were dozens of Tree Swallows all around us, and then looking farther out, a huge flock of many hundreds (perhaps even a thousand!) were swirling. Everywhere we went, all day, there were Tree Swallows.

tree-swallows1 — *One of several swirling masses of Tree Swallows we saw throughout the day.*

We saw our first herons and egrets, as well as some American Coots, and further along, Common Gallinules. In a dead tree there was a pale adult Red-shouldered Hawk that we spotted quite a distance away. We saw several of that species through the day (of course, some may have been repeat individuals), all the pale “Florida form.”

More impressively, Camille was wondering if we’d see any Crested Caracaras, and shortly thereafter in a tree not far from that hawk, was an impressive caracara, alternating between grooming and watching us approach. Just about all of the Crested Caracaras I have seen in Florida have been banded at least once, but this one was not banded and quite majestic.

The park also has an impressive number of alligators. Every embankment we walked along had at least several, sometimes in close proximity. The largest I saw was over eight feet long, and there were some small 2-3 foot long ones as well. Many seemed to be snoozing or at least disinterested, but some were alert and intently watching us as we went by. At one point, near the end of the day, a woman we spoke with was saying how, even as a native Floridian, she sometimes gets a little nervous with so many alligators out and about.

two-gators — *“One medium and one large ‘gator to go, please.”*

Her comment made me realize that while I used to be a little intimidated and anxious at some of the larger alligators I would see, now I just harbor a great deal of respect and admiration. I’ve never felt threatened by an alligator. In fact, more often than not, even the larger ones will panic and head straight for the water in a startling splash if I accidentally seem to be getting too close.

Alligators weren’t the only non-avian species present. There were turtles sunning in most of the ponds and open wetlands and various butterflies. I did not notice any dragonflies, but it may be too early in the year to expect the adults to have emerged from the water yet.

This is a Viceroy, a mimic of the better known Monarch butterfly. The extra thicker black line running across the thinner lines is the defining field mark. — *This is a Viceroy, a mimic of the better known Monarch butterfly. The extra, thicker black line running across the thinner lines is the defining field mark.*

We came across a three-foot long snake on one path that Camille almost stepped on. I looked up what species it was after getting home, and it was a yellow striped Rat Snake. Normally this species is nocturnal, and I thought maybe this individual had expended some energy before dawn and was waiting for the sun to warm it up so it could get about its business.

A major difference between this park and something smaller, like the Wetlands in Viera, is the density of bird activity. With so much room to spread out, there didn’t seem to be as much bickering and posturing among the wading birds. There were Limpkins around, but they only flew out in the open a few times. The herons were mainly standing alone, with only the usually grumpy Tricolored Herons making any regular fuss. It’s possible we caught the park on a quiet day, with things transitioning from Winter to Spring, but I’ll have to revisit a few times to know for sure.

flying-limpkin — *A Limpkin with a Tree Swallow escort comes in for a landing.*

As I mentioned above, one reason for coming to this particular park was to see the Vermillion Flycatcher. We had some vague idea of where it might be based on eBird reports and some e-mail list messages, but as the scale of the park became evident to us, we realized we needed specific help on where to find it. As we were walking down the aptly named “Alligator Alley” a couple of men approached our location and asked if we were trying to find the Vermillion Flycatcher. They then gave us very specific instructions on where to walk and what to look for.

So off we went, via their directions, across the park. We walked quite a long distance, well over a mile, until we came and area to that most closely matched their description. There were a few things wrong, however, with what we had read about where it would likely be and this location. There were no “small” cypress trees, for example, and the only cypress stand that might have been close to the two men’s description was apparently accessible from other trails, making it unlikely that we’d have to be out where we were to see it. As we searched for the flycatcher, we did see some Caspian Terns, a perched Osprey, and several Great Blue Herons in the cypress dome across the water. We decided to head out and either ask someone else, or just take our chances in another area of the park.

After we walked a way down the trail just a short way, we saw a photographer setting up a tripod and asked him if he knew how close we were to the flycatcher’s location. He told us we were no way near it, and in fact we had to cross almost the entire park to find it! We were a bit frustrated and amazed because of how specific the first set of directions had been, but this man had photographed the bird the previous day and was very confident in where we needed to go.

There were Red-winged Blackbirds in moderate numbers. Most were busy finding food and looking around. The majority of the males had their red shoulder patches (called epaulets) in eclipse, showing mainly the yellow border. The epaulets are exposed when the bird is looking for a mate or staking out his territory.

red-winged-eclipse — Most of the male Red-winged Blackbirds seemed content to walk the edge of the water with very little fuss. There were some singing here and there, but nowhere near the frenetic activity the species often exhibit at Viera.

Some smaller birds were flying along the trail, including Savannah Sparrows and Palm Warblers. Most of the Palm Warblers in central Florida during the winter time are of the gray “Western” variety, with limited yellow to their tail coverts and sides. One Palm Warbler was foraging along the reeds and other water plants near us, and it stood out because of how pale it was compared to other Palm Warblers I’ve seen this winter.

palm-warbler-2015-mar-01 — *Pale Palm Warbler eating tiny bugs.*

Just across the road along the shoreline of the pond I was slightly startled to see several very small birds wading within a few feet of me. At first I thought they were sparrows, but once my brain adjusted to what it was seeing, I realized they were very small sandpipers. Other than Sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones, I’d never been that close to small shorebirds, and it turns out these were Least Sandpipers (I had to double check at home because Western Sandpipers are also small, but they have dark legs whereas Least Sandpipers have yellowish legs).

least-sandpipers-2015-mar-01 — *Hangin’ with my peeps at Orlando Wetlands Park.*

Anhingas were distributed fairly evenly around the park. I don’t know when the normal breeding season is for them, though I know they can breed any time of year in places. We encountered one Anhinga that seems to be a juvenile or an immature bird. Other Anhingas in the area (Viera, for example) have blue skin around the eyes and lores (area in front of the eyes) which indicates breeding adults, but this one does not have those markings.

imm-anhinga — *A young Anhinga nervously watched us as we passed by.*

A flock of American Wigeons took to the sky at one point, marking the largest group of ducks we’d seen all day. Aside from a few isolated Blue-winged Teals, and later a few Mottled Ducks at the end of the day, these were the only ducks we’d see.

As we continuted to follow the photographer’s directions, we eventually came upon some birders who had just seen the Vermillion Flycatcher and were happy to point out where to stand and what to look for. It turns out we were just around the corner from the spot when the first two men had us go in the complete opposite direction! I don’t know if they were being malicious or were confused themselves over where they had been that morning, but it was frustrating at first. But the walk, though hard on the feet, was not a waste, as we did get to experience areas of the beautiful park we’d likely have walked through anyway. We were warned that without a high powered scope or telephoto lens, we weren’t likely to see much more than a reddish dot or smudge, but we knew that going in. Any glimpse of the bird was worth it.

We stood at the spot and scanned the small cypress trees for several minutes and were just about second guessing ourselves when I finally caught a flash of red in my binoculars and saw my very first Vermillion Flycatcher! Soon, Camille had it in her sights as well, and we watched that little red smudge sally over the water and back to the same perch several times. I decided to take whatever image my camera could capture, even if just a red blob.

We watched him for a while longer before finally heading back down the trail, where we came across a woman setting up a spotting scope, looking toward the trees the flycatcher was in, from the opposite direction. We talked to her for a few minutes, and found out that she birds with the man running the photography workshop (Reinhard Geisler) and had seen the flycatcher from that vantage point some days earlier. She very quickly got it in her scope and let us have a look. In her scope one could see his face clearly, including the black eye-line.

We continued to walk back toward the education center and the parking area, stopping to look at a few more birds. As we did, the woman with the spotting scope walked by us and pointed out Tree Swallows perched in some small trees out in the water, relatively close to us. After seeing so many hundreds, if not thousands, of these birds flying all day, it was nice to see some sitting quietly.

more-swallows — *A small group of Tree Swallows taking a bit of a break.*

We walked a little further on and saw another bird we had hoped to see there, but had eluded us all day: a Purple Gallinule. We’d both seen this species this year, but they’ve been comparatively rare lately and are such a neat bird, we really were wanting to get it on this trip.

Just as we were arriving back toward the parking lot, one of the large swirling masses of Tree Swallows was descending along the trees along the trail. There were two main components to the flock, and as the two flocks interacted, they started noisily calling out and descended further. Eventually hundreds landed in just a few trees at the edge of the road, causing the entire tree to sag and bend. This caused the birds to loudly launch off the trees en masse and take to sky in a frantic surge. They did this a few times before heading off a short distance.

Thus ended our day at Orlando Wetlands Park. It lived up to its hype, and we got lots of good birds, including a good handful of lifers for Camille. We didn’t leave the park until after 3:00, which was much much later than I anticipated, and even realized it was. Our feet and backs were sore, but it was an amazing adventure.

Here’s my complete species list in general order of first positive identification.

Yellow-rumped Warbler
American Goldfinch
Northern Parula (♫)
White-eyed Vireo (♫)
Carolina Wren
Common Ground Dove
Gray Catbird
Northern Cardinal
Pine Warbler
Boat-tailed Grackle
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-headed Vireo
House Wren
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-throated Warbler
Marsh Wren
Tree Swallow
Palm Warbler
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
White Ibis
Sandhill Crane
Great Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Red-shouldered Hawk
Crested Caracara
American Coot
Great Egret
Pied-billed Grebe
Blue-winged Teal
Belted Kingfisher
Little Blue Heron
Limpkin
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Gallinule
Anhinga
Green Heron
Common Yellowthroat
Swamp Sparrow
American Bittern
Savannah Sparrow
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Glossy Ibis
American Wigeon
Fish Crow
Sora (♫)
Least Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Killdeer
Caspian Tern
American White Pelican
Bald Eagle
Osprey
Black-crowned Night Heron
Vermillion Flycatcher
Mottled Duck
Purple Gallinule

parting-shot — *A parting look at the beautiful Orlando Wetlands Park (those black specks in the sky are more Tree Swallows).*

Kissing Blue-crowned Parakeets!

After Mrs. Lonely Birder finished a 2 mile race in the Eau Gallie district of Melbourne, FL this morning, we came across this pair of Blue-crowned Parakeets (sometimes called Blue-crowned Conures)!

Click here for more pics!

Springing Into Action at Turkey Creek Sanctuary

With Spring starting to get under way in Florida, I thought it was a good morning to check in on the Turkey Creek Sanctuary and see what was going on. Bird migration is still some weeks away, so I wasn’t expecting an influx of warblers or anything. The morning started off a little cool and foggy in spots. Here’s the view from the Sand Pine Trail as the Sun was burning off some mist.

sand-pine-trail — *Plenty of sand, pines and it’s a trail!*

The first birds I heard after getting on the trail were Northern Cardinals and Carolina Wrens. These species are usually the staple of Turkey Creek Sanctuary, though as I’ve previously discussed, the cardinals have been down in numbers of late. There was a pretty strong contingent this particular morning, though. It amazes me how well hidden Northern Cardinals can be, given how brightly colored they are, but both the males and females tend to stay low in the brush, occasionally popping up into a pine tree. When one does venture into the open, even a far way off, it’s unmistakable.

Throughout the sanctuary the Winter and year-round residents were active and vocal, as the longer days help gear them up for the Spring. A large number of the Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were singing their soft, bubbly songs in between bouts of their nasal call-notes.

singing--gnatcatcher — *A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in “full song.” This is probably the longest I’ve seen one hold still (a total of about 15 seconds!).*

Commonly, other birds (like vireos or warblers) associate with gnatcatchers, so I paid close attention to any other movements in the canopy. I had heard Northern Parulas singing, so I knew they were around. The Northern Parulas that I saw were quite active and in either the canopy or the thick brush. There were males, already with their breeding colors, and females foraging.

leaping-parula — *Things were really hopping at the Sanctuary!*

Deciduous trees in Florida do lose their leave every Autumn, though there’s no real period with bright red and gold colors like there is further north. By February they are beginning to leaf-out, and by the time the migrant songbirds start arriving in March, there’s plenty of canopy for them to hide in.

leaves — *It’s easy being green. For a tree.*

The understory and ground cover has been growing in as well. Ferns figure in fairly prominently in the habitats adjacent to Turkey Creek. Away from dumpsters and trashcans, raccoons forage on the forest floor looking for bugs, nuts and anything else edible.

Racoons are perhaps an ultimate victim of human development. They are intelligent and highly adaptable, which has made them pests in some places, as they scavenge for food and find places to live that don’t always agree with human settlement. But that adaptability has made them survivors, (despite us infecting their population with rabies) and we should at least admire them for that while taking humane measures to keep them out of harms (peoples’) way.

Butterflies have been an almost constant all Winter where I’ve looked, and this day was no exception. The majority of the species I saw this time were the Zebra Longwings, which are Florida’s official state butterflies. Here, you can see where they get their name.

z-longwing — *“Am I black with white stripes, or white with black stripes?”*

I walked out to the canal and weir, and there was a small collection of herons nearby, as well as some Mottled Ducks. This drake was standing alone on the edge of the canal, his bright yellow bill and recently refreshed plumage should make him a striking figure and a good catch for the lady-ducks!

Back in the Sanctuary, as the morning progressed, more birds were foraging in the middle layers of the woods, including White-eyed Vireos and some warblers. Soon, more vireo species will be moving in, as the wintering Blue-headed Vireos move out. White-eyed Vireos are resident all year, though.

Black-and-white warblers are also Winter residents in Florida, and the time of year just before migration finds them gleaning bugs from tree bark as they prepare to fly north. They tend to be a little less shy, too. You can find them associating with vireos and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, as I did. I couldn’t remember what their song was like, and had intended to quietly play it on my phone, but had the volume up louder than I expected. This resulted in this bird flying down to eye level to scold me.

b-w-warbler — *A displeased Black-and-white Warbler glared at me after giving me an earful for playing a bogus song.*

Yellow-throated Warblers also hang around all year, and the Space Coast is near the southern limit of their breeding range. You can usually find some hanging around during the summer, but they generally stay out of sight. I often find them on the underside of palm fronds, like this, eating insects and spiders. It’s easier to see their brilliant yellow throats when they are up in the canopy.

The Sanctuary was certainly coming alive with the longer days and hopes of warmer weather ahead. Only time will tell how this year’s migration will go, but the amount of activity among the resident birds was perhaps an encouraging sign that the ecosystem is healthy enough to support the migrants, should they stop by this year.

Here’s the list of identified species for the morning, mostly in order of first encounter:

Carolina Wren
Purple Martin
Gray Catbird
Northern Cardinal
Red-bellied Woodpecker
White-eyed Vireo
Northern Parula
Black-and-white Warbler
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Fish Crow
American Robin
Eastern Phoebe
Downy Woodpecker
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
White Ibis
Tree Swallow
Blue Jay
Cattle Egret
Little Blue Heron
Green Heron
Mottled Duck
Anhinga
Common Gallinule
Great Blue Heron
Red-shouldered Hawk (♫)
Brown Thrasher
Yellow-throated Warbler
American Goldfinch
Mourning Dove

I finished the morning with a couple of satisfying things. One was finally confirming to myself that there are American Goldfinches in the Sanctuary (I’ve heard snippets of their calls now and again) by seeing a winter female (I believe). I also noticed some trail maintenance near the canal and Harris radio tower, making access to the weir a little easier. The trail leading from the canoe deck to McKinnon’s Way was also clearer, making access to that area of the park much easier. Much thanks goes to the volunteers for that!

Outtakes from Minnesota and Wisconsin

Outtakes from Duluth, MN and Superior, WI. Click to enlarge.

Black-capped Chickadee playing peek-a-boo (actually, rubbing seed oils off its beak).
Gray Jay after filling up on peanut butter.
Red Squirrel being cute.
Pine Siskins having breakfast
Common Redpoll peering down.
Downy Woodpecker eating ice for water (it was 15°F).
Mallard drake paddling in icy waters.
Large ice sculpture, days before its unfortunate collapse. Read more here.

[Edited to add: Ice sculpture is being rebuilt! Read here.]

Viera Wetlands, Take Two!

I met with my friend Camille on Sunday to have a look at the Viera Wetlands (Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands at Viera, formally). Camille has been a conservationist and wildlife watcher for a long time, but birding as a dedicated activity is new for her, with all the excitement and wonder it comes with. She’s already upgraded her camera and lens to get the kinds of photographs she wants. The two of us had a fun morning, with some new “lifers” for her. It was a privilege to be able to show her some aspects of birds and birding that are new to her.

It’s mid-February in Florida, and that means Spring! Many of the waterfowl have already begun moving out of their wintering spots, herons and egrets are building nests and mating, and Sandhill Cranes are making arrangements for eggs and babies.

Some birds, like male Great Blue Herons will fly to the margins of the Wetlands and pluck branches or even small saplings, fly to the nest site, and present the object to their mates. Each species has its own rituals and methods for preparing for the next generation.

gbh-stick — *This Great Blue Heron male seemed quite pleased with his stick selection.*

Another sure sign of Florida spring is the dispersal of waterfowl. Although the number and density of duck species was down this year in the Wetlands, there has been a clear exodus. We saw a handful of Blue-winged Teals and a small group of Ring-necked Ducks in the western ponds, but that was it. Even the coots are starting to move out and separate. There was still one large raft of coots in one pond, but the other larger congregations seem to have gone. The Common Gallinules were a little less conspicuous than usual, although this rather large individual really caught our eye. I speculated it might be a gravid (with eggs) female, but I can’t be sure, because even its head seemed larger. It was clearly at least 50% larger than the other adult gallinules in its vicinity. We did not see the Purple Gallinule that’s been reported in the past few weeks (though Camille did see during the prior weekend).

huge-gallinule — *Everything about this Common Gallinule seemed big.*

We saw both species of bitterns, too. The first American Bittern was in no mood for photo-ops and stayed well hidden in a clump of vegetation. In fact, it was quite impressive that a bird the size of an American Bittern could be that well concealed. If the volunteer who spotted it hadn’t alerted anyone to it while it was still more in the open, I don’t know if anyone would have noticed it, and it was only 10 feet away.

But in one area that Camille has said Least Bitterns have been in consistently, we saw an adult creep out between the reeds. Least Bitterns prefer to climb through vegetation rather than fly, though while raising chicks they will make brief forays into the open. Least Bitterns are the smallest of the herons, not much bigger than many song birds.

least-bittern2 — If you look closely, you can see the Least Bittern’s relatively large feet and toes which it is using to easily grasp the reeds. Like most herons, Least Bitterns wait patiently at the edge of the water for a prey item to get in striking range.

Quite a few immature Pied-billed Grebes were present, along with adults in various stages of molting into their breeding plumage. Pied-billed Grebes lack the more gaudy breeding plumage some of their cousins have, but they do perform ritualistic dances and displays during mating season. They will do pirouettes, dives and even submerged swimming races!

2-grebes — *The younger bird, in the back, still has a relatively thin bill, while the adult in the foreground is sporting the “pied bill” that gives the species its common name.*

We could hear a lot of Palm Warblers and other small call notes along the outer edge of the road, but it was surprisingly difficult to see any of these birds in the thick underbrush and palm branches. At one point, we both saw a warbler that stood out because of its lack of tail-bobbing. Luckily, I got a descent enough shot of it to confirm later in the evening that it was Pine Warbler.

pine — *This isn’t a glamor shot, I know, but more representative of what you’re likely to see when birding.*

While trying to get good views of the warbler, some bright colored movement caught my eye in some lower branches. Sitting in the sun was a lime-green little bird. In my binoculars the shade of green was almost shocking in its intensity. As my mind went through the usual identification characteristics (size, overall shape, bill shape, etc.) a description my Peterson Guide had to knock at the back of my head a few times before it clicked. There are no bright green North American birds except for Painted Buntings; specifically immature males and mature females are described as “electric green above” fading to an olive or yellowish below. I’ve seen female Painted Buntings at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitors’ Center, and while clearly green, I would never venture to call it “electric green.” This bird, however, was brilliant green. I don’t know if it was a fresh plumaged female or an immature male, but it was stunning.

painted2 — *It’s hard to explain how much more vibrant this bird looked in the binoculars vs. what the camera captured, but you can see that this bird is GREEN.*

Another difference between this bird and the buntings at the feeder at MINWR is that this bird was “puffed out” due to the relatively cool morning (it was in the 40s when we started). Bird shape and apparent size can change a lot depending on what the bird is doing with it feathers, be it for display, warmth or alarm.

In addition to the several Great Blue Heron nests, there were a few Limpkins chasing each other around in what was either a territorial dispute or an attempt to impress a female. One would fly away and land on top of a dead palm tree only to be chased off to another. This was going on constantly with the Limpkins calling out their strange wailing calls.

wind-blown-limpkin — *A wind-blown Limpkin prepares for an incoming challenger to chase him off his pedestal.*

I assumed this quietly resting Limpkin was the female, resting quietly and seeming to ignore the raucous goings on over her head.

We could also hear Sandhill Cranes calling, mostly in pairs, from various parts of the adjacent ranch properties. The cranes will begin nesting very soon, including the mated pair that hangs out near the building I work in. They successfully raised one chick last year (they lost one) after losing both their chicks the year before, likely due to traffic collisions on the busy road nearby.

Herons and egrets are getting their breeding plumage, too. In addition to head plumes and aigrettes (the shaggy, pointed feathers, sometimes called lancets), many egret and heron species develop bright colored lores (the area between the eyes, below the forehead). In Great Egrets this is usually lime green, and their bills, which have become dull over the winter, become bright yellow.

great-egret — *This Great Egret’s bill and lores are transforming to the brighter colors of the breeding season.*

We had a couple of other interesting encounters. A Crested Caracara buzzed over our heads while we were watching a well concealed American Bittern. Later, an adult Bald Eagle stopped awhile on the top of a dead Cabbage Palm. I know there are nesting eagles in the general area, so presumably this is one of the resident adults.

*Dramatically back-lit eagle poses dramatically.*

In one of the dead trees on the way toward the exit, I saw this arrangement of birds. Maybe it was convenience, or the hope of a fallen morsel on the starling’s part. I’d like to think they adopted the starling into their family and love him as their own.

one-of-these-things — *A peculiar family of Double-crested Cormorants?*

Before leaving the Wetlands for a quick (and uneventful) stop at the Moccasin Island Tract, we saw an American Bittern walking the edge of one of the cells, occasionally walking into obscuring brush and reeds, then coming out again with just a slightly wary concern about all the humans watching and taking photographs.

am-bittern — *American Bitterns are normally secretive and prefer to keep hidden. Spring time (hormones!) tend to make some species a bit bolder and conspicuous for a time.*

My species list for the morning in no real particular order:

Tree Swallow
Wilson’s Snipe
Sandhill Crane
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Cattle Egret
American Coot
Common Gallinule
Tri-colored Heron
Common Grackle
Boat-taiiled Grackle
Red-winged Blackbird
Hooded Merganser
Ring-necked Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Harrier
Belted Kingfisher
Eastern Phoebe
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Pied-billed Grebe
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Meadowlark (♫)
Carolina Wren (♫)
American Robin
Pine Warbler
Painted Bunting
Limpkin
Anhinga
Double-crested Cormorant
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
American Bittern
Least Bittern
Green Heron
Bald Eagle
Forster’s Tern
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Little Blue Heron
Bonaparte’s Gull
Herring Gull
Loggerhead Shrike
European Starling
Killdeer
Northern Mockingbird
Osprey

I’ll note that by mid-morning, the wind had really picked up, likely grounding some species and making others hard to locate by sound. The birds most prominently perched by the end of the morning were Anhingas and Double-crested Cormorants, who seemed to take the gusts in stride (and probably using them to help dry their feathers after a dive and swim, looking for Sunday Brunch).

It was a nice change of pace, and it’s hard not to get excited with a new birder along. I’ve known Camille for a long time now, and I’m sure if she puts her mind to it, she’ll go a long way with birding or any wildlife observations she chooses to pursue.

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