The Color Purple

Luckily, the light is shining at the end of this busy week's tunnel, and summer break is now only 2 weeks away! I've haven't made it to any of my favorite patches in nearly a week, but thankfully a few kind birds have shown up in some of the places I have made to! Here are a few of the locals (or possibly visitors) that I've encountered....

Sandhill Crane Colt

I've been keeping an eye out for the new Sandhill Crane family since spotting them two weeks ago. Saturday I came across them as I passed through a nearby neighborhood. The chicks, of course, have grown tremendously in just 2 weeks. This one seemed to be aware of the appropriate place to walk as it meandered down the sidewalk.

Sandhill Crane cooling off

I was rather amused to see one of the adults take a detour through a yard to cool off in someone's sprinkler. The rest of the family followed suit. It was quite warm last weekend.

Osprey

I've noticed the Osprey, the one who built the nest in my neighbor's tree, appears to have attracted a mate; way to go! Sunday night, though, some sort of melee broke out when a third Osprey decided to try and get in on the mix. The sun had already set and the residual light didn't work in favor of capturing any decent photos.

This Red-bellied Woodpecker was pulling some unidentifiable matter from the palm tree in my yard.

Semipalmated Plover

We did manage a short trip to the park to help my son expend some energy. I was happy to notice that we were not alone as three Semipalmated Plover had stopped by the river's edge to forage.

Purple Gallinule

"Purple" bird sightings seem to be the theme over the past few weeks . It started with this Purple Gallinule I spotted at the wetlands a week ago. A few other observers I spoke to relayed that there were two in the area and that the Gallinules appeared to be collecting nesting materials. Purple Gallinule babies would be cool to see! I've only seen this species here on one other occasion.

Purple Martin

Today, I came across a small, but noisy flock of Purple Martins. They are not quite as "purple" as the Gallinule, but they were interesting to watch. I noted at least 8 females and 2 males.

Boat-Tailed Grackle

Even though its name doesn't contain the word purple, this Boat-Tailed Grackle was looking quite dapper showing off its iridescent purple and blue in the sun.

Enjoy your weekend!

Around Town

Amid our different schedule this week,  we were happy to be able fit in a Wednesday evening trip to the wetlands, a Thursday morning walk at the Moccasin Island Tract, and a dreary Saturday morning visit to the Click Ponds.

Least Tern
Viera Wetlands

The Least Terns and I seem to be frequenting the same areas lately. I saw them at both the wetlands and Click Ponds this week and I am still seeing them regularly along the Indian River.

The wetlands have quieted down quite a bit since the departure of the winter birds. The usual Herons, Egrets, Limpkins, Moorhens, Coots, Anhingas, Cormorants, Blue-winged Teals, Pied-billed Grebes, White & Glossy Ibises, and Ospreys were all visible. Red-winged Blackbirds, Savannah Sparrows, a Loggerhead Shrike, and Northern Mockingbirds were a few of the other birds we saw.

Red-shouldered Hawk
Moccasin Island Tract

I saw this Red-shouldered Hawk hanging out on a fence post, pulling something apart, on the drive out to Moccasin Island.

Red-shouldered Hawk
Moccasin Island Tract

Turned out to be an insect with large green wings.

Eastern Meadowlark
Moccasin Island Tract

I think you can guess what we heard on our Moccasin Island walk...

Boat-tailed Grackle
Click Ponds

The Click Ponds seemed overrun with Boat-tailed Grackles and dragonflies. We walked a section of the ponds where we observed a variety of activity in the wooded area that surrounds the ponds. It started with the plump Mockingbird with a bill deformity (I seem to be encountering quite a few of these lately).

Northern Mockingbird
Click Ponds

We saw a pair of Cardinals, a few Yellow-rumped Warblers, several Mourning Doves, and one Common-ground Dove. We also saw a Gray Catbird, who decided to flash us a view its rufous-colored undertail coverts.

Gray Catbird
Click Ponds

We then spotted a large, in-flight raptor headed our way. It turned out to be a Bald Eagle, and it landed on a utility pole in the far distance, but still within view.

Bald Eagle
Click Ponds

Just as I thinking it was exciting to see the Eagle, a pair of juvenile/immature Bald Eagles flew overhead! I have never seen 2 young eagles flying together before. I guess Mom (or Dad) was trailing them to be sure they were staying out of trouble.

Sandhill Cranes 

Sandhill Cranes

I saw this new family of Sandhill Cranes on a quiet street by my house. I took these photos from the car.

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

The Return of the Mate

In spite of really wanting a change of birding scenery, I ended up at the Viera Wetlands Saturday morning. Our trip didn't last too long as it turned out to be blazing hot, much too hot for the warm clothes my son was dressed in. Where is our winter by the way? We drove straight to the Great Blue Heron nesting area to see if there were any hatchlings yet, which there were not. One good piece of news to report, the proper mate was in place at the site of the angry birds incident from last week.

Great Blue Heron
Viera Wetlands

This guy obviously had a bit more experience than last weeks undesirable male suitor.

He came bearing nesting material.

He came bearing food; what more could a mate ask for.

Glad there was peace back in the nest! Apparently she was glad too!

Boat-tailed Grackle
Viera Wetlands

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Viera Wetlands

Hello, is anyone home?

Happy Gator

Boat-tailed Grackle

Boat-tailed Grackles are birds commonly found in Florida. They are also birds that most people don't give a second look. In the early morning sunlight, however, this bird's iridescent colors show off their beauty.

Boat-tailed Grackle
Titusville, Fl

He seemed to be admiring his own beauty in the water's reflection.

Boat-tailed Grackle
Viera, Fl