Recent Happenings

The Click Ponds have been the place to be lately. Birds of all shapes and sizes are congregating in large numbers. Sandpipers, Dowitchers, Avocets, Blue-winged Teals, Shovelers, an assortment of herons and egrets, Cranes, Wood Storks, a plethora of Spoonbills, Forster's Terns, White Pelicans....and the list goes on.

The cranes were a little edgy.

This adult Caracara was being summonsed by its offspring.

Dinnertime for an Ibis!

My first sighting of a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in Florida. It made a brief two day stopover near the ponds for two days. Unfortunately I didn't manage to capture any decent photos of it.

Lots of foraging Forster's; I forgot how fun it can be to try and photograph these erratic fliers.

This Sandhill Crane was having a bit of an identity crisis!

A few more Spoonbills joined the crowd just before sunset!

Viera Wetlands 3/18/13

Monday morning I had an early morning training near the Viera Wetlands, so I made a very quick trip over there. Heavy cloud cover stalled the arrival of the morning light, so I had to take what I could get.

The sounds of these early morning calls are unmistakable to anyone who has spent any time around a Limpkin. I came across  the top one first who seemed  to be mimicking a rooster and trying to wake the place up.

Just around the corner, I encountered another Limpkin; this was obviously the recipient of the first Limpkin's calls. She alternated some preening with some calls of her own.

This pair of Caspian Terns was engaging in some early morning squabbling. The tern on the left looked somewhat annoyed by the other terns nagging.

Soon after, the terns took flight and seconds later this Crested Caracara swooped in to retrieve a fish the terns must have left behind.

The tern quickly came back to try and get the fish back.

The Caracara took off and the tern went after it. I was very surprised to see how aggressive the normally docile tern was toward the Caracara as it attempted a midair strike.

Soon I'll be heading to the Texas (El Paso)/New Mexico region. Any birding tips for this region would be greatly appreciated!

A Few Recent Scenes from the Wetlands

Excerpts from a short conversation I recently overheard at the wetlands...."It looks dead!" exclaimed the Turkey Vulture.

"It smells dead," replied a Crested Caracara from a neighboring fence post.

"I'll take it from here, Vulture!"

"No, you're not getting any either lady with the camera!"

A beautiful Tricolored Heron.

A very plump American Bittern.

A camouflaged Savannah Sparrow.

 A few Ring-necked ladies were hanging out.

This Red-shouldered Hawk was enjoying something gross.

A beautiful sunset to end the night!

A Morning Moon

I was able to stop by the wetlands early one morning this week and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise.

I also stopped by the adjacent "Click" Ponds. The word out on the ponds this week was...

...the ducks are coming, the ducks are coming!!! (Note I didn't say anything about decent duck photos coming...the ducks have decided to remain directly in the middle of the pond, far out of my camera's reach). I was excited  to see this mixed group of around 15 that has arrived at the ponds over the past few days.

At the ponds, I saw some Ring-billed and Redheads as well as Mottled, Northern Shoveler, and Blue-winged Teal Ducks at the wetlands.

 We have been seeing lots of Eastern Phoebes over the past month.

This American Bittern looked like it was trying to hitch a ride as it stood on the side of the road. I think it's the first time I've seen one of these elusive birds completely out in the open.

This Snowy Egret wasn't to sure about what was lurking in the water (it was a Soft Shelled Turtle) and decided to speed it up a little to pass by it.

This Red-Shouldered Hawk was  keeping on eye out below for some prey to make its day.

One overcast evening last weekend, we drove the road out to the River Lakes Conservation Area. We saw 5 Kestrels, 1 Bald Eagle, 2 Crested Caracaras, 1 Northern Harrier, and 3 Red-shouldered Hawks! Just before sunset, we saw this Caracara perched on a large pile of discarded sod pallets.

Crested Caracara

I saw this pair of Crested Caracara while on a walk at the Viera Wetlands last week. We observed them cleaning away for quite some time.

They occasionally took a break to see if there was anything of interest around.

And then it was back to cleaning.

Until one decided it needed some space.

One Crested Caracara decided it was ready to move on and took off.

We decided to continue on with our walk. I turned around a short time later to see one approaching.

And it flew right over us!