Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Hello my fellow birders I apologize for the delay in posts but with family and the holidays I did not get around to posting.  I have tried to squeeze some birding in and today I saw something very interesting.....

My mom and I were outside on our porch when we heard all this birding commotion.  I saw many seagulls flying in circles, which is odd, and heard lots of calls.  I'd never heard such other than being at a zoo so I decided to go investigate.  I joked saying "do you think they are congregating in one of our ponds?"  Lol well sure enough they were indeed!  I'm not sure if it's mating season or if there were good fish in that pond today or what.  The video above shows the magnitude of how many were flying around.  Right after they flew around a bit they would go back to sitting in a group and calling...very strange.  I will research and get back to y'all in the new year.

 

Birders I  would also like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and remember a new year means a new birding cycle so get out there!  Maybe you can compete in the Big Year competitions...you never know!

 

A great day at sea!

As promised there they are and all their majesty lol...a huge flock of Ring-Billed Gulls have certainly come into town!  They were having a grand ole time diving and catching fish.  Then I guess they wanted to take a rest and regroup....perhaps gossip?  Either way I've never seen so many just sitting out there at one time; it was quite comical.

There have been many cold fronts lately that have caused mini-fallouts and many finches have come into town.  I have yet to identify them because they are so fast and I really need better binoculars (shameful I know)....I also saw a Tern hanging out with some Ring-Billed Gulls today which is odd because I did not expect him until next month at least.  I will post a picture of him and have some fun facts for y'all soon!  Happy Birding and Merry Christmas! :)

Osprey

I took this picture while at the beach the other day and boy oh boy was it a great day for birding!  There were tons of birds out over the water!  I've never seen so many at the same time flying and diving for fish and some that were just hanging out floating on the water in a group! (Later I'll write a seperate blog about them with a picture).  I have seen Ospreys at the beach many times but they are never flying over me when I'm ready or have my camera of course!  However that day this lovely Osprey was kind enough to let me take a picture:)  If you click on it you can see up close he is looking down and you can see his yellow eye which is usually hard to see as they swoop by. 

While doing some research of this bird I thought I would add some facts:

The Osprey is sometimes known as the sea hawk, fish eagle, or fish hawk; which makes perfect sense as usually you will find them diving down to collect fish from bodies of water.  The Osprey is around 2-5 lbs and around 50-70 inches in wingspan.  The male and female are very similar but the female has a slimmer body and narrower wings.  That sounds like human males and females...I guess if most of us were flying and diving for our food then all of us women could stay at that slimmer body physique lol:)  This second picture is of an Osprey fighting off a Ring-Billed Gull for the fish it is carrying in it's feet!  The picture is not as crisp as I would like but again if you click on it you can see the fish in it's talons!  I saw them swooping down multiple times so I was very lucky to capture this.  It is incredible to see.  As always....Happy Birding!:)

These feet were made for walking....

A few posts back I showed the Snowy Egret and how they are easy to identify because of their orange/yellow feet and black legs.  Well when I was at a local park and boating ramp (Bing's Landing) this fellow was quite interested in the fish my dad, brother, and I were filleting!  I took a few pictures of him but I wanted a close up of his feet to further illustrate how striking this feature is!  It is very important to identifying him because if the whole leg and foot were black then it would most likely be a Great White Heron (or Great Egret as they are sometimes called).  The Great White Heron is bigger but if you are birding and you see them quickly flying by you can be sure it is a Snowy Egret by those orange/yellow feet and mostly black legs:)  Hope y'all are having a wonderful birding week:)

Adult Little Blue Heron....come on down!!!!

No this bird did not win a prize on The Price Is Right:)  However, the Adult Little Blue Heron won his debut on my blog.....let's give him a big hand:)  The first picture shows a close up of his face which is an important piece of identifying.  *Note: I am using 'his' for the purpose of this post because male and female look the same; if you'd rather use 'she' please feel free:)  The shape of his beak and the color of the eyes are important factors for birding.  I figured he is either a heron or an egret but I wasn't sure and the color of the eye helped alot.  The middle picture is his whole body to show the coloring of his feathers and his leg color which again help in identification.  The third picture on the right shows his feeding behavior, which I was luckily able to catch him flipping the piece of fish in his mouth.  'To the victor goes the spoils'.....he had won that piece of fish from a small Snowy Egret that was also on the dock that day:)

Some interesting facts I learned:  The reason I name it as Adult Little Blue Heron is because it is important to note that only the adult of this breed is actually this blueish grey color with light maroon head and neck!  The young Little Blue Herons are actually white feathered with dark tips, dull green legs, and their beak is light blue with a black tip.  I am still shocked that birds can change their feather color so drastically given age or season!  Happy Birding:)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hello again bird nerds:)  I used to have a picture of a turkey but I was not able to find it.  However, recently on my trip to central Florida to visit my brother I saw some wild turkeys:)  I am including a picture of a wild turkey from enature.com which is a wonderful site to find a lot of information on birds and other wildlife.  I have learned that the male turkey has many tactics to attract a lady turkey:)  The red "gobbler" as I've always called it under their chin is actually called a wattle and the flap of skin hanging from their nose is called a snood.  The female turkey like many other species of birds are much less colorful and flamboyant.  The males apparently need all of these extravagant features to attract the females.  The males also do a "strut" for potential females lol much like humans if you think about it lol:)  Well I hope everyone has a very happy and safe Thanksgiving:) 

While I wait for the weather to clear....

While waiting for our crazy weather to clear I came across this picture I took a year and a half ago while I lived in Tavares, FL.  This is a Red Shoulder Hawk.  This particular one was constantly stalking our neighborhood and unfortunately we think it was in search of the many squirrels and pigeons :/  However, it is the circle of life and the hawk has to eat just like the rest of us lol.  Anywho the Red Shoulder Hawk is really a beautiful bird.  The striping on the stomach and the wings are also multi-colored with brown, black, and white.  While looking up more facts on this bird I learned that the Florida Red Shoulder Hawks are more paler than the Western ones.  Apparently the Western ones are more redder.  The Red Shoulder Hawk is very common in Florida.  I have seen them many times here in Palm Coast just haven't had an opportunity for a picture like this one in Tavares.  Wishing y'all much birding fun! :)

Learning more about birding everyday! :)

Hello Bird Nerds!  I know that my blog has been skimpy on the pictures lately and I promise to get some new bird pictures up soon once our weather clears up a bit.  We have had cold fronts and now other odd weather out to the east of us that is causing birds to be pretty scarce lately.  Nonetheless I never pass up a chance to learn more about birds so here is what I did tonight.....

Tonight I watched "Bird Park 3D" on Netflix (doesn't have to be in 3D but that is it's title) and I learned some new facts about Pelicans.  I live in Florida so if you go to zoos or parks in the summer it is definitely hot hot hot!  I've noticed that some of the birds will seem like they are panting so I just assumed it was because they are hot.  Well today I learned that the Pelicans and their cousins the Cormorants will slightly move their beaks and puff air into their throat poach to cool themselves down!  Seems so simple but it was just one of the things I assumed was just a panting reaction but instead they are doing it on purpose as a cooling method. 

I also found it interesting that the reason Pelicans are usually seen soaring in the sky is because they are not able to flap their wings for very long.  They will flap them and use their feet quite clumsily to get themselves in the air but since they used all that energy to get up there they have to find high wind pockets to keep them up. 

Anywho I hope everyone is having a great week!  Please feel free to comment on my blogs or tell everyone about your own birding adventures!  I look forward to hearing your stories :)

Fall is here!

I'm so excited fall is here because that means lots of birding opportunities!  Especially in Florida with all the cold fronts we get you will start to see lots of birds right before the cold fronts.  The actual birding term for that is "Fallout".  For instance yesterday we were having a cold front come through and there were tons of birds flying all around!!!  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a photo but I was able to see Red Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, and a newcomer.....the Tufted Titmouse!  Please look the Tufted Titmouse up because they are adorable!  I believe there were other finches flying around but again I wasn't able to see all of them.  I was happy to see so many types of birds and I look forward to trying to capture some on film soon for all of you fellow bird nerds!!!! 

Strike a pose!

This bird is the Snowy Egret.  I first saw this bird on the beach around March 2012 I believe, and I was struck by it's funny behavior on the shore and it's orange feet!!!  Today when I saw this bird he seemed to follow me as if he wanted his picture taken lol....this picture he is definitely striking a pose but I also got a few pictures of him looking straight at me lol!  He was quite hilarious!  Anywho the Snowy Egret is known for their black legs and orange feet.  The Snowy Egret also has a reason for it's odd behavior in the surf.  I learned that they will put out their wings and stoop a little to fool the fish in the surf to think they are safe in the shade and that is when the Snowy Egret snatches them!  Certainly funny after I was laughing making fun of their jerky spastic behavior only to learn it is quite genius lol :)

Happy Halloween!!!! :)

Well I'm back from an awesome weekend but unfortunately I don't have any birds to show that are scary or have anything to do with halloween:(  However I did see a certain bird on my trip that I haven't seen in a while.....please let me introduce...Mr. Sandhill Crane!!!....

This picture was actually taken in January 2010 but this weekend my trip was lousy with them!  I first encountered this creature in Gainesville, FL when I was at college.  They usually showed up around beginning of winter and would leave by end of spring.  They have, to me, an extremely obnoxious call especially when they are all together! Lol, but I did encounter them again when I lived in Groveland, FL and Tavares, FL.  Groveland is about 30-40 minutes west of Orlando, FL and Tavares is about 50 minutes northwest of Orlando, FL.  They are pretty amazing to see in person just because they are quite big!  The average height is around 2-4 ft!!  They are quite peaceful and just mind their business digging into the ground for bugs but my goodness you definitely know when they migrate into your area.  Here is a site that you can hear their just delightful call lol :)  http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/sounds  All in all they are definitely a neat bird to see just because of their size and the really vibrant red forehead.   Again hope y'all had a Happy and safe Halloween!!! :)

This bird has flown the coop!

Hey all my bird nerds!  I am out of town hanging with my big brother, a bird of a different color, as he put it:)  I will continue posting more interesting bird pictures and posts next week!  Hope y'all have a great weekend:)

Footprints in the sand....

Alright fellow bird nerds I need some help with this one.  I just spent probably the last hour comparing my picture to pictures in my bird books and online!  I chose this picture from my walk on the beach today because I love how the footprints show up behind the bird:)  It was also one of the only birds today to cooperate and turn towards me and the light lol:) 

So....I thought I had this bird identified as the winter plumage Black-Bellied Plover (most likely female because of the lack of black on the feathers) but alas I cannot be sure that it also could be a winter plumage Sanderling!!  It's driving me nuts!  However, I did find out that Sanderlings do not have a hind toe but I cannot tell if there is a hind toe on this bird.  I think there is but I wanted to be sure before writing all about the differences between the two birds:)  Can't wait to hear your opinions!  Thanks for your help:)

Backyard Birding

Today as I was outside on my porch I heard some rustling of the leaves and was pleasantly surprised to see not only a few carolina wrens fluttering about but also a male and female red cardinal enjoying themselves in harmony with the wrens :)  I, and other birders, often refer to the male and female cardinal as Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal :)  Oh I wish I had my camera because it was so cute seeing all of them congregate peacefully.

Red cardinals have many songs but after hearing them a couple of times you can pick out their tone from other birds.  The males will usually be up at the top of a tree singing away.  Sometimes I hear them but can't find them because they are so high up.  The males are bright red and their female companions are brown and grey with only a little red.  I believe they are here year round but they seem to be more common when it starts to get near winter.

Red cardinals are neat because as I mentioned earlier they pair off as Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal during breeding season.  They are monogamous so if you are able to see the male because of his bright colors you can usually be sure his "lady friend" is not far behind :)

I first saw this majestic creature during last winter and I almost crashed my car because it is so amazing in person. I have seen many woodpeckers in my life but never one so huge!!! This bird almost seems prehistoric! Normal woodpeckers usually tap the tree with their beak and their whole body moves but this Pileated Woodpecker swings it’s head back and pecks much louder with it’s beak than a normal woodpecker. It has large talons on it’s massive feet that move down the tree like a lumberjack. Truly a spectacular bird. This is the only picture I’ve been able to get of it so far but I hope to see more as fall and winter approach

Ring-Billed Gull

Mr. Ring-Billed Gull was very photogenic this day:)  In Palm Coast, FL these types of gull don't come around other than winter.  Also as I learned they only have that speckled grey color on their head during the winter!  I wasn't aware til recently that birds feathers change color during certain months!

"For the love of birds"

I’ve wanted to write a blog for a long time but could not figure out what to write about other than my opinions of the day which I could imagine would get quite boring. Fortunately today inspired an idea. As fall approaches here in Florida I am reminded of my favorite past time….Bird Watching. Sooo many birds come “into town” especially during fall and I love taking pictures of them and identifying them. I hope to make this blog enjoyable from the newest of birders to the more seasoned birder, or people just wanting to learn more about birds or the hobby of birding. I know I certainly have more to learn about it so come fly with me