Rosyfinch Ramblings

Virtual New Mexican, who winters in Florida and migrates annually to Illinois, remembers growing up, birding and practicing in New Jersey, and finds birds and beauty close to home.

Links

RSS Feeds

Categories:

Search:

Archives:

Meta:

January 2012

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Dec
	1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	31

01/22/12

Birds and berries

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Florida & SE US, Birding "Patches"
Posted by: Ken @ 1:31 pm

Mary Lou’s favorite local bird is the Painted Bunting, but the Elegant Trogon goes down as her “anywhere” favorite. (Read here how the trogon was responsible for Mary Lou’s “conversion.”) Both share bright green and red feathers, though the Painted Bunting adds a generous dose of brilliant blue. My favorite? It’s hard to say, as the Rose-breasted Grosbeak was probably my “epiphany” bird. As a kid I will not forget watching a male displaying to a female on the ground, walking around with his red chest all puffed up and singing brilliantly. However, Painted Buntings are one of my favorites, with a caveat– I really like seeing them in the wild rather than at feeders.

Painted Buntings winter here, and I have gotten plenty of shots of males at Okeeheelee Park, in western Palm County. On the feeder…

…and picking up scraps under the feeder.

The feeders at Corkscrew Swamp are also reliable places to find Painted Buntings.

In the field, male Painted Buntings seem to be quite reclusive. Perhaps they lurk in the shrubs to hide their bold coloring. Female and immature buntings, while beautiful in their own right, have been much more cooperative subjects.

In South Florida, we have a natural bird feeder. The Trema is a fruiting tree that is very valuable to wildlife. It sets fruit almost continuously during the winter, and its berries are in various stages of ripening. Individual trees seem to become more attractive to birds at different times. The favored tree changes from one week to the next.

The Tremas in this cluster along the gravel road that leads into the wetlands are the size of shrubs.

Trema berries form along the stems, and birds usually eat the red ones, though I have seen many take green berries as well.

Palm Warblers are numerous all winter, and they congregate in the Trema trees, probably more interested in gleaning insects that are attracted to the fruits.

Yellow-rumped Warblers do relish the Trema berries.

This week, one particular tree fruited optimally. Catbirds and mockingbirds flocked to it, but among its visitors was a White-eyed Vireo that ate some of the berries.

Mary Lou and I were delighted when a male Painted Bunting flew in to join the feast.

The exotic and invasive Brazilian Pepper was imported as an ornamental plant and has spread all over South Florida. Although despised because it displaces much of the native flora, it too provides food throughout the winter. Raccoons seem to prefer it, judging by the copious amount of seeds in their scat.

Prairie Warblers have been scarce this winter, and I was pleased to find this female catching insects amid the pepper berries.

A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was chasing small flying insects against a backdrop of clusters of Brazilian Pepper.

It took flight and I captured this image quite by accident.

The lake was as smooth as glass in the stillness of early morning. Along the shore, a Wood Stork cast its reflection.

A sun-bathing Anhinga was mirrored on the lake’s surface.

In the still-flooded grassland around the lake, a White Ibis had caught a crayfish, and was running away from a group of immature ibises that tried to steal its prize.

A white heron landed in a nearby tree, and I almost dismissed it as just another egret, when I noticed the color of its bill– bluish with a dark tip, and its green legs. It was an immature Little Blue Heron.

Walking back home, this American Kestrel watched me from atop the central shoot of a Royal Palm.

Click here for a searchable index of earlier ROSYFINCH RAMBLINGS posts.

12 comments

01/14/12

Views From the boardwalk at Chapel Trail Nature Center

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Florida & SE US, Birding "Patches", Bald Eagle Nest
Posted by: Ken @ 12:07 pm

During the busy holiday season we made time for brief birding stops at nearby Chapel Trail Nature Preserve in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

One sunny morning just before Christmas, the Sandhill Crane greeted us in the parking lot.

The crane permitted me to take a close-up as it preened.

A Northern Mockingbird stood out against the blue sky.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers were courting in a Melaleuca tree.

The male exhibited his bright red cap.

The female’s cap is just as bright, but does not extend down her forehead.

This Tricolored Heron roosted in a very small tree next to the boardwalk.

A Little Blue Heron perched on the rail of the canoe dock.

The heron then assumed some interesting postures before flying off

This morning, on our way back home from running chores we stopped by again before checking on the Bald Eagle nest that is about a mile away. The sky was fully overcast and there was the threat of rain, so we did not walk the full length of the boardwalk. The crane was not in the parking lot this time. We worry about its welfare, as it has a habit of walking across the busy street in front of the nature center. Peering down from a small tree in the lot, a Blue Jay’s colors seemed to be more vivid in the subdued light.

Just under the entrance bridge, a Green Heron stood motionless in the shallow water. It was still there when we left a half hour later.

Along the shore of the first lake, two immature Purple Swamphens foraged on dry ground.

The adult Swamphen was picking through the floating vegetation.

We encountered a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers and several Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. The gnatcatchers were in perpetual motion. I took many pictures of bare branches and blurred wings.

One gnatcatcher stood still long enough for me to capture it on a maple twig. The cypress trees in the background have turned mostly to reddish brown and should lose their needles within the next few weeks.

A Soft-shelled Turtle with beautiful eyes swam by.

At the eagle nest, we again found an adult incubating deep in the nest, barely in sight. The first egg was laid on December 11 and is expected to hatch 35 days later, on January 15th.

A Great Egret was fishing in the canal in front of the nest.

Strike!

16 comments

01/08/12

One bird was singing

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Florida & SE US, Birding "Patches"
Posted by: Ken @ 6:25 am

After being nearly home-bound for a couple of weeks, I finally got out on our local patch. Mary Lou and I took a slower “power walk” in the predawn darkness while our company were still sleeping. Afterwards I felt good enough to venture out on the gravel road that leads into the wetlands near our home. As I passed the entrance gate of our subdivision, the sun was already peeking out above the horizon.

It was too late to look for the Bobcat family. The last couple of times I only caught sight of one cat, much further down the trail than before. The cubs seemed too young to have gone off by themselves, so I plan to resume my watch as soon as I get over this bug. This morning I did walk along the trail on the levee. At a somewhat slower pace, I paid particular attention to the silence that greeted me. Usually there is at least one mockingbird or cardinal brightening the morning with song, but the only avian sounds I heard were the calls of a few Blue Jays and the raucous squawking of Boat-tailed Grackles on the roofs of the homes across the canal.

Suddenly the silence was broken by the jubilant “Tea-Kettle-Tea-Kettle-Tea-Kettle!” of a Carolina Wren. It is amazing how such a loud noise can come from such a small bird. It is also very difficult to localize the creator of the song, as the bird always sounds nearer than it actually is. It also loves to sing from a secluded perch. Since I did not feel particularly energetic, I decided to just wait for the little bird to show himself. I knew it to be a male. Females also sing, but a softer trill, usually in a duet with a male and especially in the spring.

One trick I have learned is to look for the pulsating white throat of the wren as it sings in the dark seclusion of the low to mid canopy. This did not work, but the songster persisted and so did I, and finally I caught sight of movement in the bushes, quite a bit further away than I expected. I followed the small bird in my camera’s viewfinder and got several poor exposures, most partially obscured, or marred by the movement of its head and lower bill.

Only after taking a couple of dozen photos did I realize that I had forgotten to use my Christmas present– the monopod from Scott, our neighbor and hiking companion! It was the perfect accessory to improve the quality of my images of small birds, my favorite subjects. So often they are seen only from a distance, and their photos require heavy cropping. Quickly, I fastened the monopod to the camera and got ready for some great results. However, while I was fumbling, the wren decided to end its concert and depart (though I cannot vouch for the latter, as it may have simply melted into the same bush). In any event, it was gone forever.

Now I sorely needed to take some test shots to check out the monopod, so I clicked at subjects rather randomly and squinted at the LCD display to see if they appeared sharper than usual. A Northern Mockingbird, perched nicely against the sky on some ripe Brazilian Pepper berries, was a willing subject.

The mockingbird flew to another perch, striking a different pose in subdued light.

In the meantime, a Palm Warbler appeared atop the pepper tree, against a background of distant foliage.

To my surprise, a small flycatcher came out of nowhere and alighted right in front of me. Its call sounded like the “Whit” of a Willow Flycatcher.

It was obviously an Empidonax species, but which member of this genus? Its wings were quite short, as the primary tips barely extended to the roots of its tail feathers.

Willow Flycatchers are a bit unusual here during winter, and strongly resemble Alder Flycatchers, the other member of the “Traill’s” complex. Many such Empids are silent, and are simply called “Traill’s” Flycatchers, though Alder Flycatchers are said to be much more prevalent. In any event, this bird had a short bill and quite a prominent eye ring. These features , along with the short wings, strongly suggest that is was a Least Flycatcher.

Indeed, when I got home and researched their vocalizations, the Least Flycatcher is said to give a sharper “Wit!” call than the “Whit” of a Willow, a rather fine distinction. Up in Illinois, I often encountered Least Flycatchers singing “Che-Bek,” but this was the first time I had ever heard the “Wit” call. For comparison, here is a photo of a Willow Flycatcher I took last year in Illinois. Note the more substantial bill and subdued eye rings. To my eye, the Willow and Alder Flycatchers also look more robust, more closely resembling wood-pewees without crests. This one confirmed its identity by singing “Fitz-beeyou.”

Willow Flycatchers also have unusually broad bills. I am quite certain of the identity of this one that I photographed here in Florida this past October, as its “Whit” call was distinct, and it had a faint eye ring and did not exhibit the crest of an Eastern Wood-Pewee.

Loggerhead Shrikes have been rather uncommon in the wetlands, though I have seen a few in the residential area near our home. I took a practice shot of this one.

After a short walk but extended standing on the levee trail, I stretched my legs and walked back to the gravel road, advancing towards the large lake. Trema trees are a great source of food for wildlife, as their fruit is produced throughout winter. However, only a few trees have ripe berries at any given time. I found one such tree, and at first only saw Palm Warblers, mockingbirds and this Gray Catbird.

My eye then caught movement of a bird that looked too big to be a warbler. Indeed, it was a Blue-headed Vireo.

Suddenly, I realized that a Common Ground-Dove was also staring down at me.

The little dove almost blended in with the branches, and I waited for it to move into the open for this shot.

An Eastern Phoebe then joined the others on the tree. It pecked at one of the berries and ate something, perhaps an insect. It probably would have been unusual for it to eat a berry, though I have seen other flycatchers (kingbirds) eat fruit.

At the lake, I watched as a pale Little Blue Heron captured and ate some creature in the high grass– a lizard? It then stepped over to a rock, where it appeared to be trying to disgorge its catch, shaking its head back and forth with its mouth open.

Nothing ever came out of its mouth, but before finally settling down it repeatedly scratched at its upper throat as if attempting to push something out towards its bill.

A Gulf Fritillary, its image steadied by my new monopod, provided some nice views.

On my way back home, I passed the Trema tree and saw a second Common Ground-Dove roosting nearby in open sunlight. They seem always to travel in pairs.

As a bit of a sad “footnote,” I again saw this one-legged Wood Stork, which I first photographed four weeks ago. I don’t know how it is surviving with only one leg. It is their habit to stand on one foot and stir the water with the other, thus frightening fish into their open jaws. Hopefully it will stop somewhere nearby (my backyard, please!) so its ambulation and foraging method might be observed.

Click here for a searchable index of earlier ROSYFINCH RAMBLINGS posts

14 comments

01/01/12

Backyard visitors

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Florida & SE US, Grandchildren, Birding "Patches", WorldBirdWednesday
Posted by: Ken @ 9:04 pm

This morning’s post is, of necessity, a patchwork of unrelated events. The past two weeks have been full of family fun, mostly unrelated to birding. Among other house guests, our two Illinois granddaughters (six and seven years old) arrived a few days before Christmas and departed New Year’s Eve. The girls slept in the “computer room,” actually our fourth bedroom that rarely serves the architect’s purpose. As a result, my computer face time has been limited to scanning e-mail titles and opening only those that appeared to require immediate action.

The children brought with them a cold virus that thankfully spared me until the morning after after Mary Lou and I sang in the Christmas Eve Choir. As usual it knocked me down and I ended up on antibiotics for sinusitis and bronchitis. My confinement inside the house for a few days gave the girls an added incentive to call me when they saw any big birds visiting our back yard. They did not turn up any rarities, but this does provide a theme of sorts for my past week’s photos.

They spotted this Green Heron, at one end of the size spectrum. With its neck drawn in, and not counting its long bill, it is no larger than a pigeon and weighs even less.

A Great Blue Heron seemed to ignore the kids– they drew nearer as I had to back up in order to fit the whole bird in the frame. It actually assumed a rather relaxed posture.

A Tricolored Heron hurried along the lake margin, changing directions willy-nilly, as if unable to concentrate on any particular route.

Scott, our neighbor and hiking companion, saw how badly I needed a new monopod. My old one could not bear the weight of my camera and long lens when it was extended. He gave me one for Christmas. I tested it on these cooperative subjects. In many cases I can see an improvement in image quality in comparison to hand-held photos.

Wood Storks have been low in number so far this winter, hopefully a sign that they are busy starting families after three unsuccessful breeding seasons. For three of the last four years, they failed to nest in their major rookery at Corkscrew Swamp. Water levels are critical– if too low they do not have alligators under the nests to protect their young from predators; if too high their prey species are too dispersed and they may fly many miles to find food and their young will starve.

The stork is stirring the water with one foot, hoping to frighten small fish into its waiting jaws.

White Ibises have been numerous, evidence of several bountiful years (click on photo for more views).

An immature White Ibis preened lakeside.

This Anhinga was resting on the edge of our lawn and it did not permit me to get very near.

Ready to take off, it lightened its cargo. I have often seen larger birds evacuate before taking flight.

The girls called me to report these Egyptian Geese on our lawn. While I have observed a pair fly over our wetlands on a couple of occasions, these were the first I have ever seen on our property. This introduced species is aggressive towards other water birds and is known to ferociously protect its nest. Its breeding range is spreading northward up the Atlantic coastal states. Not a true goose, it is a member of the shelduck family, a group that is in some ways intermediate between ducks and geese.

Muscovy Ducks have colonized most of the lakes in southern Florida, but appear to maintain some dependence upon humans for shelter and handouts of food. This is an alpha drake that keeps a small harem of three or four hens in our section of the lake, defending them against other males. Muscovies also have unique features that place them between ducks and geese, but DNA evidence does not show a close relationship to the shelducks. They lack body fat and are unable to survive cold winters. They have followed several “boom and bust” cycles and have been relatively few in number this year. I witnessed infanticide at one point when they were unusually abundant and discussed it here.

Now here’s a face that only a mother hen can love!

I photographed this Snowy Egret with “golden slippers” a few days before the company arrived.

For a searchable index of prior ROSYFINCH RAMBLINGS posts, click here.

15 comments

12/23/11

Expect the unexpected

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Florida & SE US, Grandchildren, Birding "Patches", Bald Eagle Nest
Posted by: Ken @ 7:40 am

It’s best to approach each day in the field with expectation and a sense of wonder. That way, even if birding is slow, you will not be disappointed, and will find beauty in the commonplace. One morning last week was no exception. Just before sunrise, the sky held the promise of a few showers, but the radar showed none headed our way. An unexpected phone call and the need to address a friend’s health concerns made us over an hour late for our walk.

It was too late for me to look for the Bobcats, as they usually are only out around sunrise. In a way this was a blessing, as I have become rather obsessed with getting better photos of the adult and her two cubs, and feel compelled to get out while it is still dark, and then wait for about a half hour for them to show. In the meantime, Mary Lou usually goes on without me. More often than not I fail to see them, and I’m missing out on the “power walk” that normally precedes my photo sessions. So, this morning we got in our walk, at least the first half, before I started falling behind and exploring.

The usual Great Egret was foraging in the wet prairie next to the gravel road that accesses our local patch of wetlands.

The egret flew to a treetop, probably waiting for us to continue on down the road.

This Little Blue Heron peered out through the lakeside vegetation. I was going to trash this shot until I realized that its eyes were in good focus.

Birding turned up nothing unusual. A pair of Killdeers were moving along the road in their usual run and stop, run and stop fashion. I’m hoping they plan to stay and raise a family this spring.

Here is one of the Killdeer chicks from a previous season.

Palm Warblers, their long legs an adaptation for foraging on the ground, flew up into the roadside shrubs as we passed by.

When the birds are not out and about, it is much easier to notice the butterflies and dragonflies. Julia longwings (Dryas julia) were out in large numbers. This is a fresh male.

Female Julias are almost always tattered and torn, damage probably inflicted by competing males. It was a bit unusual to find a nearly perfect specimen.

Closely related Zebra heliconians (State Butterfly of Florida with the musical scientific name of Heliconius charitonius) congregated on a Lantana in full flower.

A colorful exotic Scarlet Skimmer (Crocothemis servilia) perched on a twig. An Asian native, it was accidentally introduced to Florida and Hawaii, probably on potted plants.

Walking home, a large and angry-looking wasp-like insect almost flew in my face. I had never before seen such a creature. Was it new to science? It looked “armed and dangerous.” I cautiously approached it to document it for later identification. I was amazed to learn that it was not a wasp at all. It was a Polka-Dot Wasp Moth (Syntomeida epilais).
a diurnal moth that does a great imitation of a wasp. Its appearance
acts as a warning to predators. While it does not sting, it is poisonous
due to its diet as a caterpillar.

Later, I showed this photo to Graciela, our seven year old granddaughter who had just arrived from Chicago, asking her if she thought this “wasp” could sting her. She nonchalantly said, “Oh, Grandpa, that’s not a wasp, it’s a butterfly!” I was amazed and asked her how she knew that. She said she learned it on “Wild Kratts,” a childrens’ nature show on TV. She added that it was an example of mimicry that makes a harmless insect look like a poisonous one. Elaborating on this, she said that some butterflies mimic Monarchs to look as if they are poisonous too. Rather timidly, I mentioned that this was actually a moth, not a butterfly. She looked closely at the photo and said that a moth has feathery antennae, which this one lacked!

I hurried to catch up with Mary Lou, as we had to do some shopping in
preparation for the arrival of house guests. The drive to Wal-Mart
provided us the opportunity to make a couple of brief stops, to check
out the local Bald Eagle nest and also visit nearby Chapel Trail Nature
Preserve.

Our local eagles have set up housekeeping in the same nest that we now have been observing for five breeding seasons. We are quite certain that the first egg was laid on December 11, when the female suddenly started sitting low in the nest. Two days before, I captured this image of her roosting near the nest.

When we visited on December 16, I first thought the nest was empty, but after about 15 minutes the female stood up to change position and also probed down underneath her, probably to rearrange one or more eggs.

A Red-shouldered Hawk roosted near the eagle nest.

At Chapel Trail, birding was also quiet. We turned up a couple of common species, but this male Prairie Warbler was uncommonly beautiful as it perched against a backdrop of Cypress trees that were just beginning too turn golden brown.

For a searchable index of earlier ROSYFINCH RAMBLINGS posts, follow this link

14 comments