Birding Fun

Here is some additional birding fun from last weekend.  This beautiful Fish Crow seemed more than happy to strike a pose.

Fish Crow
Click Ponds

 The Fish Crow is one of two Crows found here in Florida. The Fish Crow is smaller than the American Crow with shorter legs as well as a shorter bill. It also has longer wings and a longer tail.

Fish Crow
Click Ponds

This Tricolored Heron is developing its breeding plumage. During breeding season, the heron's bill becomes  deep blue with a black tip. The heron also displays buff-colored plumes from the back of its head and crimson red legs, which were just developing for this heron.

Tricolored Heron
Click Ponds

Catching a fish and eating it on the go was quite a task for this Cormorant as his fish repeatedly got away from him.

Double-crested Cormorant
Viera Wetlands

Well, this next scene is not really birding fun, it is more like birding terror. I'm happy to report there was no loss of life for any Coot. It sure had me on the edge of my seat, as well as wondering  why over the past few weeks this scene seems to be playing out each time I visit the ponds or wetlands...

The part I found quite strange was, after the gator passed, the Coots began to closely follow gator, all the way to the shore. I would be running, if not flying, the opposite direction...

This group of Coots at the wetlands seemed to be a little more on the concerned side as they conducted an evacuation drill, or maybe there really was a gator on the prowl. Most of the large flock of Coots was lined up wing to wing on the shore.  The Coots often fall prey to the gators here as well as some of the raptors that patrol the wetlands, such as Bald Eagles and Crested Caracara.

American Coots

The Blue-winged Teal found the whole ordeal amusing, but he wasn't getting in the water either!

Blue-winged Teal
Viera Wetlands

Life & Death at the Wetlands (contains graphic material)

If you visit the wetlands around dinner time, chances are you may not be the only one with a grumbling stomach. This is also the time when the American Alligators like to eat. You will notice the majority of the Coots and Ducks all gathered on the shore as they also know what time it is. Being opportunistic feeders, Alligators regularly consume Coots and ducks due to the abundant numbers of them at the wetlands.

Without having to move a foot, as I watched the new lives of the Great Blue Heron chicks unfold, I also observed of the end of a life of an American Coot. An alligator happened to bring its dinner ashore where a group of us were standing watching the chicks. Turned out consuming the Coot was going to be a lot of work for this gator, for more reasons than one.

The gator happened to catch a Coot that was much larger than what it was able to swallow. Gators will usually drowned their prey then bring it to the shore to swallow it. Alligators typically swallow their prey whole.

The alligator turned the bird in an attempt to swallow it head first.

The gator was still unable to swallow the prey after several attempts. The gator took frequent breaks, where it was seen breathing hard from the effort it took to try and consume its meal. The gator then tried to reduce the size of the prey. I have never seen this process at such a close distance.

The Gator twisted, flipped, and slammed its prey trying to remove pieces. The Gator will usually eat the pieces it removes, but this Gator left the pieces aside as it was more interested in the body of the bird.

The gator continued to struggle; he worked and rested, and worked and rested for a long period of time. That's when things got even more interesting.

A second, much smaller gator with a very BIG attitude showed up. He walked right up to the larger gator with the intent to steal its meal. The larger gator jumped in the water with its prey, scaring off the smaller gator. The larger gator returned a few minutes later and continued to work; it got really close to getting the Coot down.

But the delinquent, this time with a little more stealth, was back. He got a bit closer this time, but the larger gator took off again. The smaller gator then decided to just eat the leftovers.

Viera Wetlands 01/07/12

The herons, egrets, and ducks as well as many other water birds were out in full force yesterday morning at the wetlands. Numerous songbirds could be heard throughout the area as well, with the Red-winged Blackbird's song being the most popular.

Male Red-winged Blackbird
Viera Wetlands

Male Red-winged Blackbird
Viera Wetlands

Female Red-winged Blakbird
Viera Wetlands

Limpkin
Viera Wetlands

This Limpkin was foraging at the wetlands for apple snails.

American Coot
Viera Wetlands

Coots are found by the hundreds at this time of the year. They typically stick close together, swimming and foraging in large flocks.

Ducks seen included Mottled, Northern Shoveler, Hooded Merganser, Ring-necked, and Blue-winged Teal. Nesting Great Blues, Little Blues, and Tricolored Herons as well as Great, Snowy, and Cattle Egret were also observed.

Viera Wetlands




Viera Wetlands at dusk





The Viera Wetlands, located at the end of Wickham Rd. in Viera, Florida, is one of my favorite and most frequented birding locations. The loop can be explored on foot, by bike, or in the car. A typical visit allows for the viewing of many of the "regulars" that are found in abundance at anytime of the year. A few of these include Great Blue Herons, Tricolored Herons, Great White Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Sandhill Cranes, Pied-billed Grebes, American Coots, Common Moorhens, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Anhingas, and Osprey. Others that I've seen frequenting the wetlands on a fairly regular basis throughout the year include Bald Eagles, Crested Caracaras, a variety of Hawks, Black Crowned Night Herons, Green Herons, Limpkins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Belted Kingfishers, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Mottled Ducks, and Blue-winged Teals. Other wildlife found at the wetlands include deer, raccoons, alligators, turtles, snakes, and otters.



Black-bellied Whistling Ducks



Great Blue Heron

American Coot





Tricolored Heron



Snowy Egret

Anhinga

Sandhill Cranes

Mottled Duck



American Alligator