Florida Birds- Part One

For a nature photographer in wintry New York, March in Florida is a refreshing break from winter's meager diet of birds.  Here are a few of the most successful images from my first two days.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge has often been a rich location.  On arrival I saw the dark haze in the distance that marks controlled burns. Most of my favored locations were closed, but one open area gave me a nice look at some Wood Storks.  I left the next morning to explore new locations.

Look at that sturdy beak on a Wood Stork.  A few days later across the state near Tampa, I watched them breaking off branches for nesting material. Some of the branches were close to being limbs.  The example below is a lightweight piece compared to some they return to the nest with.

On day two, I visited a new location,  Circle B Reserve near Winter Haven. It's a lot of walking but definitely worth the effort. Near the parking area, I came upon Barred Owls.  Directly overhead was a pair of owls, one adult and a large juvenile.  The one began to preen the other, and the interchange was beautiful to witness. Lots of "Oohs" and "Ahhs" were heard from observers.

The owl on the right initiated the preening, and I suspect it was the adult. (I should have been running video.)  After five minutes, the bird on the right flew to a new perch; the visibility of it was nice. 

There was more at Circle B like this Red-shouldered Hawk.

Nearby was a Cattle Egret attractively perched on a dead limb.  The peach color is a breeding plumage.

Along the trail, there was a grassy prairie visible through the trees, and nearby were Sandhill Cranes.  The red cap is what I look for when scouting for them. It has another formidable beak.

This pair did not appear to have chicks. There was a pair alongside the highway just outside the Circle B, but the traffic was just too heavy to pull off.  They had chicks, but it was still not a good idea to risk my life for a photo.

This was a good beginning to the trip.  In Part Two, I will share images of colorful Roseate Spoonbills, White Ibis and a few other surprises.

Regards,

Paul Schmitt

Thinking Back for Two Months

The pace has been so fast, that I have fallen behind on sharing images. So, I've looked back over May and June to find those images that recall special days.  My first close encounter with a Marsh Wren in the Montezuma wetlands in May came as a surprise. He landed in an odd perch and stared at me with defiance.

Closer to home at the Newtown Battlefield Reservation this Hooded Warbler, like the Wren above, chose a nice spot to sing for me. I can regularly find one of them along a particular trail.

For a third year, a pair of Sandhill Cranes was spotted in a marsh near Watkins Glen. Would they be nesting this year?  The quest to answer that landed me on sight for some colorful mornings.

I found the cranes on several different days in June in the tall grass, so any chicks would be hidden. Then, on one day as I approached my parking spot to explore for the cranes, they were standing out in a corn field in plain view.  Dropping into a drainage ditch for concealment, I got very close; it was obvious that they did not have chicks this year.  Mixed with  disappointment was the interesting display that one crane made.

In addition to the larger animals, there is a much smaller world that can be interesting.  This black ant was feeding on the nectar in the blooms of my rhubarb plants.

A good part of June was directed at the Bluebird Trail Farms, which was the subject of an earlier message.  Surely a favorite of the grassland natives was the Eastern Meadowlark.  It is a very strong singer for its size.

I have created a new gallery on my website devoted to grassland flyers - birds and a few butterflies. See it at:  http://pschmitt.smugmug.com/Grassland-Flyers/

In late June and early July, some of my attention moves to orchids and other beautiful flowering native plants. Arguably, the most exciting are the Showy Lady's Slippers. This cluster of blooms was photographed with my smartphone.

Most exciting was this pair that provided the two orthogonal views in one instant.

Back at the Newtown Battlefield Reservation, a White-breasted Nuthatch found a spider nest under some peeling bark of a White Birch, and I captured the moment when it pulled out the spider.

The American Goldfinch is a seed eater, so it nests later when the grasses are going to seed. This male is in fine colors as July begins.

In the meadows and grasslands, the birds' young are fledging, and one is more successful finding colored butterflies like this Fritillary.

Saving one of the best subjects for last, we come to the Canada Lily.  It's hard to find, because the over-abundant Whitetail Deer find it tasty.  I was introduced to a pocket of them isolated between a big river and a railroad yard in an urban location. No deer get there. Arriving in early morning, I spotted the first plants next to the river.

Some of the plants had profuse blooms. It was very striking. This is just two plants.

One distinctive feature of the Canada Lily is the "freckles" on the petals.

So, there is a view into why my last two months have passed so quickly.

Paul