Not Your Typical...

American Robin.....On Sunday, I saw the normal winter mass of American Robins feeding on the Brazilian Pepper berries at the ponds. As I was scanning the mass, I noticed one particular Robin stood out from the group. It was this leucistic Robin whose very light coloring stood out against the dark leaves. This was the first time I've seen a Robin with this condition.

White Ibis...On Monday morning, the not so typically hued bird sightings continued. I was pulling out of a parking lot, 7-11 of all places, when a brightly colored bird among a group of White Ibis caught my eye. My view was somewhat obstructed and my first thought was what in the world is a Spoonbill doing foraging in the mulch???

I decided to go back and take a closer look. It turned out to be a "Pink" Ibis, a White Ibis with some Scarlet mixed in there somewhere. I had never seen one these before, but it turns out these are seen around Florida from time to time.

The Ibis with the lizard cracked me up. There was actually a little lizard tug-a-war going on between an adult and juvi before I took this photo,  but I didn't have my camera out of the bag yet.

Well, Tuesday came along and it was back to work and back to the normally hued birds!!!

The Click Ponds: Part I & II

 Saturday afternoon's dreary and dismal weather was a stark contrast to Monday's sunny, blue skies. I went to the Click Ponds, located adjacent to the wetlands, on both of these days. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary on Saturday, but I did enjoy the variety of birds I was able to see.  I spotted two Common-ground Doves in a tree near the entrance. These doves are a bit more interesting than their Mourning counterparts; they have bright chestnut primaries that are visible when in flight. They are also the smallest of the dove family.  The trees and bushes to the right of the ponds were loads with birds. There were large numbers of Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers and probably quite a few others that I missed. Boat-tailed Grackles and Robins were also abundant throughout the area.

Juvenile Red-winged Blackbird
Click Ponds

I also saw two juvenile Red-winged Blackbirds who appeared to be under the guidance of an adult RWBB.

American Robin
Click Ponds

The visiting Robins were on mission to consume every berry in the area and a Green Heron was fishing from some old pipes.

Green Heron
Click Ponds

While I was sitting in my parked car observing some Hooded Mergansers, a Wilson's Snipe flew right in front of my car. It then proceed to loop around me again, land in the reeds right in front of me, and, strangest of all, just stare at me. This is the second one I've seen in the past week.

Wilson's Snipe
Click Ponds

Monday I spotted this American Bittern who was relatively out in the open, for a Bittern anyway.

American Bittern
Click Ponds

Female Boat-tailed Grackle
Click Ponds

As I was watching some Boat-tailed Grackles dance around I noticed a small Sora hiding in the reeds. This is the first time I have seen one here. I wasn't able to get a decent photo as the Sora was doing its best to stay concealed.

Hiding Sora
Click Ponds

This Palm Warbler appears to be developing its breeding plumage noted by the rufous cap that is developing.

Palm Warbler
Click Ponds

This young Mockingbird was waiting at the exit to wish us farewell.

Northern Mockingbird
Click Ponds

Happy Hour

Over the past few weeks our yard has been overtaken by some migratory visitors, mainly American Robins. To alleviate some of the congestion at my neighbor's bird bath, my son and I decided to set up our own watering hole. Our two for one offer seemed to be quite the deal! (Note: don't judge me on appearance of our make shift bird bath, the birds had only good things to say)

It only took about 15 minutes for the word to get out. The Robins definitely dominated the water. Cedar Waxwings were among the other birds looking for a cool beverage, but were often kept at bay by the Robins.

The Cedar Waxwings decided they needed a plan to overthrow the Robins.

Incoming!

Finally, a truce!

Well, almost!