Roseate Spoonbill!

 

Well just like this Roseate Spoonbill I have been a little elusive lately 😉 This Roseate Spoonbill bill was quite a surprise and difficult to get a clear picture because it was on the other side of the intracoastal. I’ve only seen one in our neighborhood in 9 years because usually I see them more north of here in the salt marshes so this was quite the treat! They are mainly in warmer climates on the very southern coasts of North America and Mexico as well as many parts of South America. So again it’s definitely a special sighting to see them in the wild here in the more northern part of Florida. 

Like the flamingo they have their pink color based on what they eat which is mostly crustaceans and other aquatic invertebrates that contain pigments called carotenoids. Quite an interesting science lesson there huh? 😁 Their beaks are spoon shaped, thus the name, that they use moving side to side in the water to catch their food. However, as I learned interestingly enough they are not born with that spoon shaped bill! The hatchlings bill will start to flatten at 9 days old then be completely full size by 39 days. I loved seeing this bird for its unique color and rarity so keep your eyes peeled! Maybe you too will see a glimpse of pink flying in the sky and be able to add it to your own list 🤗 

Breathe In, Breathe Out, Go Birding…

 

     To the left is the Great Florida Birding Trail sign that you have probably seen driving along certain highways that indicates official viewing sites of native birds, butterflies and other wildlife. I chose this particular sign because the bird on it is a Swallow-Tailed Kite. I’ve seen this bird luckily many times (however not when my camera was with me 🥴) but most significantly last week it soared outside the window of my oral surgeon as I nervously awaited an unfortunate tooth extraction, thus where the idea came in my head to write this post.

    I was sitting in the chair trying to distract myself with music or anything outside the window but nothing was doing the trick. After a little prayer, I see the beautiful black and white with obvious split tail soaring back and forth and I immediately felt calmer. I was able to breathe in, breathe out, and in this case…go chair birding 😉 A few days after, I was on Facebook and saw that a store in town, Wild Birds Unlimited, had posted an article from the Washington Post about how birding can relieve stress and other health benefits. Here is the link in case anyone was curious https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/interactive/2023/birds-song-nature-mental-health-benefits/

     It is also interesting after researching the Swallow-Tailed Kite more that I learned some Native Americans also saw these birds as messengers between our world and the world above. I have always found great comfort, relaxation, and joy birding or just bird watching, as I’ve mentioned in a previous post the difference between the two terms, and I think that’s why I love writing this blog to share with others 🤗 

C is for Cedar Waxwing

 Ok yes I know sort of cheating because the Cedar Waxwing is a part of the waxwing, technical name Bombycillidae, family. However, I chose to use it because this bird was a new addition this year to my life list! I was hiking with my dad in Welaka State Forest on the St Johns Landing trail and noticed a bird that was a little different. I saw the feathers on its head and first thought maybe it was a cardinal yet it was bigger and longer than a cardinal. I took a few photos of it to better identify later since it was hiding in the shade. Much to my delight when I got home I figured it out! It has a tan to yellowish coloring on most of its body with a striking black stripe across the top of its beak and eye. It’s wings are grey, black, white, with a red spot, and the end of the tail feathers are yellow tipped. Really quite a beautiful bird so sleek looking like an oil painting which makes sense from this interesting factoid I found while looking this bird up is the genus name Bombycilla , that I mentioned earlier comes from the Ancient Greek bombux “silk” and Modern Latin villa “tail”…. So there you go 😉 They are here in Florida during the winter which explains why I saw it in February which is lucky because that’s when our weather starts getting warmer. The Cedar Waxwing likes to eat cedar cones, fruit, holly berries, and insects. I hope to see another in the winter and hopefully get a clearer photo 🤗 

Bird Nerd Terms

 

     After watching one of my favorite movies “The Big Year” that is based on a book written by Mark Obmascik, I was reminded of a term that has been quite controversial among bird nerds. 

     People often hear the terms ‘birders’ or ‘birding’ and ‘birdwatchers’ or ‘birdwatching’. I know the differences may not be crucial to most but to bird nerds it is an important distinction. There are other similar hobbies like fishing that carry a lot of term differences that mean a lot to the people that participate in it. 

     Bird watchers or bird watching is simply the act of looking at birds. Maybe you are out and notice some birds and just like to watch their flight, quirky behaviors, courtships, or just how they look in general.

     Birders or birding is the actual purposeful act of looking for certain birds. Sometimes to increase a personal life list, or others try to get as many species as they can for instance in a Big Year competition. In competitions like those, like the movie and book mentioned above, you need to look for specific species of birds. 

     So in the above picture is me at around 4 years old. This was just the start of my bird nerdery 🤗🤓 so in the picture I was a bird watcher just happily watching to see whatever bird I could at any given moment. At present I am 40 years old and this year I’ve been sort of a hybrid between the two terms as I enjoy watching birds but also have been doing a unofficial big year just in curiosity to see how many different types I happen to see rather than just checking them off a general list. It’s been a fun life long adventure and I encourage everyone to be a bird watcher or birder to enjoy all our feathered friends whether by happenstance or on purpose 🤗 

     

B is for Brown-Headed Nuthatch

 

This curious and serious looking little fellow flew right over my head and clung to the bark of the pine trees with his friend to observe and “chat”. Sometimes I wonder if birds have human-watching books in their nests to make notes and identify us like we do them 😂  

The Brown-headed nuthatch was a new ‘life list’ bird for me this year in February! They are found year round in most of Florida except the southeastern section. However, in all my years I hadn’t seen one that I was able to identify at least until these two in Cary State Forest that is located quite inland in Bryceville, FL. More reason to get out there with a camera, sketchbook, or good memory lol because you never know when you’ll be able to find a new bird!

I’m not able to tell the age or sex of these birds because the males, females, and juveniles all look the same. They eat insect and seeds which is ideal as they hop like a lumberjack up and down the big pine trees. Might explain the concerned look on the upper left photo lol…don’t worry Mr. Brown-headed nuthatch I won’t steal your bugs I brought my own hiking snacks 🤣

A is for Anhinga!

 

A is also a great place to start after being steered by migratory and weather patterns of life if you will. But I’m back and boy oh boy has it been a great time for birding this last year! So let’s get our tail feathers in gear for lots of birding fun! Here he is the proud, majestic, slightly anxious at times about the little terms and swallows that fly like little fighter pilots above his head…the male Anhinga drying his wings and admiring the general splendor of my backyard canal in northeast Florida. Anhingas are very similar to the Cormorant but the main identifiable difference is the beak.  The beak on the Cormorant has a hook on the end of the beak but as you can see in the pictures I've provided the Anhinga's beak is straight and thin. The Anhinga is also a bit larger body than the Cormorant.  The males have a black head that matches their bodies. Females have a much lighter or brown neck and head. Their necks are called "snake-like" because when they are going after fish in the water their bodies are not always visible but just their head and neck moving along in the water. This can sometimes be a little scary until you realize it’s just the quirky, peaceful, and sometimes almost charming Anhinga.