Growing Tufts

It's that time of the year when I give all the local Ospreys' nests a second glance to see if there is an unusual protrusion of some feathery tufts.  Osprey nests are very prevalent in this area and are usually the nest of choice for Great  Horned Owls to over take. 

Mama Great Horned Owl

Each year, though, there is at least one pair of owls that picks a high profile place to raise their chicks. This year's location was in an oak tree just feet from an entrance to the local community college. As you can imagine,  this drew a significant amount of attention from a number of spectators, many of which lacked any knowledge of wildlife ethics. Luckily the college stepped in and roped off a perimeter around the tree. I tried to briefly stop by each week to catch a glimpse of the rapid growing owlets.

Great Horned Owlet
1/22/13

The first time I saw the two owlets they were already a few weeks old. Mama was standing watch from a tall pine across the parking lot.

Great Horned Owlet siblings
1/22/13

The next week the owlets had grown quite a bit. You could see the development of some tiny ear tufts.

Great Horned Owlet
1/27/13

Great Horned Owlet
1/27/13

Great Horned Owlet
2/9/13

Great Horned Owlet
2/14/13

Great Horned Owlets
2/14/13

My final visit was on a cold, windy Sunday afternoon. I arrived to find both owlets gone from their usual spot. Great Horned Owlets usually leave the nest after 6 or 7 seven weeks but do not master their flying skills until 10-12 weeks. One owlet had ventured to higher branch while the other had moved to neighboring tree. This owlet moved to the tree in the sun and was trying keep warm!

Great Horned Owlet
2/17/13

Last weekend was another reminder of just how quickly time flies..

...when you're havin' fun! Where has the time gone???

Happy birthday to my favorite little birding companion! 

Cruickshank Sanctuary

The Helen & Allan Cruickshank Sanctuary is a great place for an early morning stroll through the scrubby flatwoods. While weekly visits had been a longstanding tradition for us, we have been on a hiatus for the past few months. The sanctuary is most well known for its optimal Florida Scrub-Jay habitat. The Scrub Jays here aren't hard to find as they often find you before you find them.

Florida Scrub-Jay
Rockledge, Fl

They usually congregate in small groups and can be seen in multiple spots along the one-mile hiking trail. This Scrub-Jay was waiting at the trail head to greet us.

Florida Scrub-Jay
Rockledge, Fl

As we hiked the trail, a very bold Scrub-Jay came out of nowhere and landed on my son's head as I carried him along on my back. Luckily it didn't stay there long as I know my son was quite startled. A short ways up the path we encountered this Scrub-Jay, which I believe was the same one we encountered a few minutes earlier.

Florida Scrub-Jay
Rockledge, Fl

 This Scrub-Jay's bill deformity was immediately apparent. I'm not sure if this bird had been injured or if it was born with this deformity. Another apparent fact was, this guy was very bold!  It made repeated dive bombs onto my head, and followed us for quite a while. (It was easy to recognize!) I've read that Scrub-Jays, like Crows, are attracted to shiny objects, and I did have shiny sunglasses resting on my head, or it may have been looking for a handout, which it definitely would not be getting. (Feeding Scrub-Jays is dangerous to their health!) I'm not sure if this bird's deformity interferes with its ability to forage as Scrub-Jays use their bills to crack acorns against hard objects.

Florida Scrub-Jay
Rockledge, Fl

Close up of bill deformity Florida Scrub-Jay
Rockledge, Fl

A pair of Osprey were carrying on quite a loud conversation in a nearby tree as numerous Red-bellied Woodpeckers were tree hopping in a foraging frenzy. Northern Mockingbirds, Mourning Doves, Grackles, and a Gray Catbird were also in the area.

While I've seen Great Horned Owls here in the past, it was a rather unexpected surprise to see one emerge for the brush with some prey. It flew to a distance tree, so I as unable to see what was for breakfast. Great Horned Owls have always been a favorite bird of mine!

Great Horned Owl
Rockledge, Fl

This Eastern Towhee was perched close to the trail as it spoke with another Towhee that was hiding somewhere among the scrub.

Eastern Towhee
Rockledge, Fl

I spotted a plump bird in the distance perched on a branch of a tall tree. I took a few photos for identification purposes, guessing it would leave as we made our way up the trail. I wasn't quite sure what it  was, thinking it looked somewhat Quail like. I was able to tell it was a Northern Bobwhite upon zooming in on my photo. While these pudgy fellows are known to frequent this sanctuary, this was my first sighting of one here.

Northern Bobwhite
Rockledge, Fl

Great Horned Owl Chicks

A little over a month ago I noticed two ears protuding from an Osprey's nest in a tall Pine tree. I knew instantly it was my favorite raptor, the Great Horned Owl, residing in the enormous nest that had been built by an Osprey. Great Horned Owls are known for taking over nests rather than building their own. I quickly turned around and drove past the nest a second time, this time seeing the owl clearly. I was super excited to discover this owl nesting along the main highway I travel regularly to work. I have been viewing the nest regularly and on this past Monday noticed the adult was not in her position. I thought it was possible that there were no successful hatchlings and she left, as that was the case of the nesting GHOs on my street last year. On Wednesday,  though, two white, fuzzy heads were visible! I stopped  by on my way to MINWR on Saturday and took a few photographs. It was early morning when I photographed these chicks high up in the Pine; they sure are adorable!

Great Horned Owl Chicks

Great Horned Owl Chicks

Great Horned Owl

Nest Building 101

Living near the Indian River lagoon offers unlimited opportunities for observations of Ospreys in action. The shore of the lagoon is a prime nesting location for Ospreys as it offers a plethora of tall pines and endless opportunities to catch a meal.

One morning, about two years ago, I happened to notice an Osprey collecting nesting material in my yard and heading to the tall pine in the neighbor's front yard. This was the very first nesting material to be set in this new location. My husband decided to set up a camera with a time lapse video from our front window to capture the growing nest's progress. Reviewing the video each evening turned out to be far more fascinating than I could of imagined! The Ospreys worked really hard some days and made only a few brief visits on other days. Often times it was two steps forward, three steps back as carefully placed material would soon fall to the ground. We followed the Osprey's progress for a few weeks, but unfortunately this nest didn't pass Nest Building 101.

Check out the video to witness the Ospreys attempt to build their home in the wind, rain, and sun.
(*Note* since you probably do not have 20 minutes to spare for this long video, you can fast forward, but don't miss the ending. Speaking of endings, it is a sad ending so have your tissues handy, or maybe it was just me that got attached after 17 days.)


Osprey from Adventure Online TV on Vimeo.

As nesting season is quickly approaching here in Florida, I look forward to what this year may bring. There are actually 6 nests that are within a one mile radius of this tree! The success of these nests vary greatly each year. Last year one nest was actually hijacked by a pair of Great Horned Owls for about 4 weeks. Without any hatchlings, the owls left town and the nest was reclaimed by the Ospreys within a week!