Walking the Plank

Ruddy Turnstones
Indian River Lagoon

A small flock of Turnstones and Sanderlings appeared this week along the Indian River Lagoon. These Ruddy Turnstones were "walking the plank" to a get to a sandy area  for alittle foraging. Watching them hunt for food is always entertaining as they wildly toss sand and turn stones with their odd shaped bills.

A Day of Prey

I decided to leave my camera at home today so I wouldn't be tempted to make a stop at the wetlands as I headed out for some errands. I'm happy that in the end I changed my mind and decided to bring my camera along.  Driving along a busy road, I happened to notice a Crested Caracara standing in the grass along a small patch of pines. I couldn't resist and pulled into the nearest parking area, loaded my son in his stroller, and took a quick jog to the area. Before getting to the trees where I had spotted the Caracara, I noticed this large hawk.

I spotted the Crested Caracara in a tall pine a few trees away. It's always a pleasure to observe this beautiful bird! All I needed was some sun.

Crested Caracara

I decided to continue on and make a loop back to the parking lot as there is a small pond on the other side of the trees. There were a few Mallards and Blue-winged Teals in the pond as well as a few Limpkins hanging around.

The Caracara flew by us as we continued on; I tried to follow his path, but lost sight of him. I was really  excited to see him perched on a broken light post as we entered the parking lot.

As I drove along my street, I noticed a Red-shouldered Hawk.

Red-shouldered Hawk

And later in the day, as the sun finally made an appearance, an Osprey stopped by for a visit!

Osprey

Moccasin Island Tract

An early morning hike at the Moccasin Island Tract in the River Lakes Conservation area was a great way to start this warm, breezy, sunny day. The tract is about a 5,000 acre recreation area, west of Viera, along the eastern bank of the St. John's River. The trails are open to hikers, bikers, and horse back riders. At this time of the year, you must head south on the trail, to avoid the presence of hunters.

I knew it was going to be an exciting day as a Northern Harrier passed by as I stepped out of my car. In the parking area, you could hear the wonderful melody of the Eastern Meadowlark, and I quickly spotted several nearby. My son and I enjoyed their song for a bit before heading down the trail.

Eastern Meadowlark
Moccasin Island Tract

The Northern Harrier passed by a few more times. There were numerous Sandhill Cranes out foraging in the muddy, open fields.

Sandhill Crane

There was a flock of hundreds of Glossy and White Ibis that continuously relocated to various sections of the field. It was quite a sight!

Glossy Ibis

A Great Blue Heron landed just ahead of us on the trail.

Great Blue Heron

We ended the day we three more raptor sightings!! A Red-shouldered Hawk, a Merlin and an American Kestrel were all perched in various trees along the drive out.

American Kestrel

Here are a few more pictures of the area, taken on previous trips.

Eagle's nest

Weekend Visit to the Wetlands

I took a short trip to the Viera Wetlands and Click Ponds this weekend.  The population of ducks appears to be increasing and becoming more diverse. Hooded Mergansers, Northern Shovelers, Ringed-necked Ducks, Blue-winged Teals, Canvasbacks, and Lesser Scaups were all found in the area. I was excited to see a few pairs of Great Blue Herons are beginning to build their nests atop the Palms.

Here are a few of the "regulars" that are found at the wetlands.

Northern Mockingbird
Viera Wetlands

Loggerhead Shrike
Viera Wetlands

Tricolored Heron
Viera Wetlands

Great Blue Heron
Viera Wetlands

A Cooper's Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

 This Cooper's Hawk was enjoying the last of its prey. I happened to see to this hawk catch a squirrel in my yard yesterday. I'm not sure if the hawk caught another squirrel today, or if it's eating leftovers from yesterday.

 A Cooper's Hawk typically feeds on small rodents/animals and other birds.

 A Cooper's Hawk is very similar in appearance to a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Some distinguishing characteristics include the Cooper's Hawk larger size, longer, more rounded tail, and larger head. A Sharp-shinned Hawk eats almost exclusively small birds where a Cooper's Hawk's diet can include small animals.

Black-crowned Night Heron

I came across a bird I haven't seen in quite some time at the Viera Wetlands yesterday morning. The Black-crowned Night Heron, typically most active in the evening, is most often found foraging for prey in the reeds along the edge of the water. This heron was soaking up some rays after the previous night's cold front significantly dropped the temperature.

Black-crowned Night Heron
Viera Wetlands

Here are a few others I've seen this week.

Canvasback and Ring-necked Ducks
Viera Wetlands

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks
Blue Heron Wetlands

Pied-billed Grebe
Blue Heron Wetlands

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!