Pied-billed Grebe & Chicks

Pied-billed Grebes are small diving birds that can be found year round at the wetlands. They enjoy feeding on small fish and amphibians. Pied-billed grebe chicks often leave the nest quickly, sometimes as soon as one day. As they do not swim well at first, young chicks can be seen hitching a ride on the back one their parents. The chicks seen on this day (last year) were most likely a few weeks old and were learning to forage on their own.

Pied-billed Grebe
Viera Wetlands 

Dirty Ducks

Northern Shoveler
Viera Wetlands

The most eye catching  feature of a Northern Shoveler tends to be its oversized bill. I came across this preening male at the Viera Wetlands this past weekend. As the Shoveler preened I was able to get a look of its bill from every angle.

The Northern Shoveler has an elongated bill, with the shape being similar to that of a Spoonbill only on a much smaller scale. Their bill also has comb-like protrusions on its edges which help strain the water from the food when the Shoveler is foraging.

A female Blue-winged Teal arrived and decided her feathers needed some maintenance as well.

Female Blue-winged Teal
Viera Wetlands

Next, the male Blue-winged Teal came by, but he claimed he was clean enough.

Male Blue-winged Teal
Viera Wetlands

Viera Wetlands 03/03/12

Limpkin

I didn't have a lot of time for birding this past weekend, but I did  managed to slip in a few short trips the wetlands and Click Ponds. Here are a few feathered friends I caught up with, and one reptile.

Female Red-winged Blackbird

Female Red-winged Blackbird

Male Red-winged Blackbird

Savannah Sparrow

Hooded Merganser

American Alligator

Life & Death at the Wetlands (contains graphic material)

If you visit the wetlands around dinner time, chances are you may not be the only one with a grumbling stomach. This is also the time when the American Alligators like to eat. You will notice the majority of the Coots and Ducks all gathered on the shore as they also know what time it is. Being opportunistic feeders, Alligators regularly consume Coots and ducks due to the abundant numbers of them at the wetlands.

Without having to move a foot, as I watched the new lives of the Great Blue Heron chicks unfold, I also observed of the end of a life of an American Coot. An alligator happened to bring its dinner ashore where a group of us were standing watching the chicks. Turned out consuming the Coot was going to be a lot of work for this gator, for more reasons than one.

The gator happened to catch a Coot that was much larger than what it was able to swallow. Gators will usually drowned their prey then bring it to the shore to swallow it. Alligators typically swallow their prey whole.

The alligator turned the bird in an attempt to swallow it head first.

The gator was still unable to swallow the prey after several attempts. The gator took frequent breaks, where it was seen breathing hard from the effort it took to try and consume its meal. The gator then tried to reduce the size of the prey. I have never seen this process at such a close distance.

The Gator twisted, flipped, and slammed its prey trying to remove pieces. The Gator will usually eat the pieces it removes, but this Gator left the pieces aside as it was more interested in the body of the bird.

The gator continued to struggle; he worked and rested, and worked and rested for a long period of time. That's when things got even more interesting.

A second, much smaller gator with a very BIG attitude showed up. He walked right up to the larger gator with the intent to steal its meal. The larger gator jumped in the water with its prey, scaring off the smaller gator. The larger gator returned a few minutes later and continued to work; it got really close to getting the Coot down.

But the delinquent, this time with a little more stealth, was back. He got a bit closer this time, but the larger gator took off again. The smaller gator then decided to just eat the leftovers.

Great Blue Heron Chicks

There are now at least four nests with chicks at the Viera Wetlands.

I believe this chick is the oldest of the group. The chick is approximately 1 1/2 to 2 weeks old.

This is the second oldest chick, just a few days younger than the chick in the first photo. The Great Blue Heron mom seemed a bit more relaxed today. Two chicks were spotted in this nest on Sunday, but I only saw one on this occasion.

Or maybe she was just completely exhausted.

Mom, I'm hungry.

Wake up Mom!

This is the most recent nest to have hatchlings. There are three chicks in this nest. The third chick lifted its head twice, but appeared very weak.

It's hard to believe a Great Blue Heron's wings are ever this tiny! The chicks in the fourth nest were not visible as they were resting.

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