And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, … (2 Kings 3:22a KJV)
We just got back from a spontaneous three day trip down to the Palm Beach Zoo, (Palm Beach, FL) and up to the Viera Wetlands (Viera, FL) and then back home yesterday. As we rode along and since I haven’t been driving because of my eye situation, I kept a list of the birds along the way. The list below was the ones I reported to e-Bird. This includes the birds that were at the Zoo, but not captives. Our loop took us down US 27 and then back up I-95, through Orlando and back across I-4 to Winter Haven. Not a bad list. The ones in bold were special finds. In fact, the Northern Rough-winged Swallow and Bank Swallow were added to my life list. I am now at 245 on their list. The list was kept for each county we went through. (It gave me something to do while riding.)
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Muscovy Duck (Domestic type)
Indian Peafowl (Domestic type)
Wood Stork Magnificent Frigatebird
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
Brown Pelican
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
White-faced Ibis
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey Swallow-tailed Kite
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
American Crow
Fish Crow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Bank Swallow
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
House Sparrow
Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) Immatures at Viera Wetland by Lee
The Viera Wetlands count is included with those above, but is the individual count just for Viera. That actually was a birdwatching destination and e-Bird likes it counted separately. It is one of our favorites over on the east side of Florida. Unfortunately, it has apparently been dry over there, plus most of the Winter Birds have gone back north. So, the birding wasn’t as plentiful as normal. Here is the list of the birds we saw. We stopped there in the afternoon on Wednesday and then visited it again Thursday before heading home. We saw 23 species altogether .
Species Name
15-May
16-May
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
2
–
Anhinga
9
6
Brown Pelican
–
2
Least Bittern
–
1
Great Blue Heron
8
6
Great Egret
10
14
Little Blue Heron
1
1
Tricolored Heron
1
1
Cattle Egret
11
15
White Ibis
7
7
Glossy Ibis
2
7
White-faced Ibis
–
1
Turkey Vulture
1
15
Osprey
–
2
Common Gallinule
5
13
American Coot
8
4
Belted Kingfisher
1
–
Red-bellied Woodpecker
2
–
Crested Caracara
1
–
Fish Crow
1
2
Red-winged Blackbird
10
12
Common Grackle
–
3
Boat-tailed Grackle
18
22
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Northern Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway) at Viera Wetlands by Lee
The Crested Caracara was the best find. We had taken our photos and had stopped at the exit to put our cameras away. Dan had his in the trunk and mine was bagged when I look up and there he was right by us on the ground. Needless to say, we scrambled to get the camera back out, hoping we wouldn’t scare it off. As you can see, we got the photos of him.
I will save the Palm Beach Zoo birds and photos until another post. I took over 700, so it might take a day or two.
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) Watching young nearby at Viera Wetlands
Here is what is being watched so closely:
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) Young at Viera Wetlands
Reddish, Snowys, Greats Egrets and Great Blue Heron (5-10-13) by Lee
And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. (Leviticus 11:19 KJV)
Herons are one of the species listed on the “Do not eat list” as we have written about before in the various Birds of the Bible – Heron articles. The first one was written back in 2008 when I first started the blog.
Since we were out birdwatching last week over in Tampa at the bay, I thought I would share some of those photos and update the Heron information some more. We saw a Great Blue Heron, several Little Blue Herons, and several others that are “after her kind” and in the same Ardeidae - Heron, Bitterns family. There were Snowy Egrets and Great Egrets fishing along with the others. The Little Blue Herons were in breeding plumage which you could tell because of their exceptionally blue beaks. (Not real clear-I was zoomed from quite a distance)
Little Blue Heron and Snowy Egrets by Lee from distance
Herons are only mentioned twice in Scripture; Leviticus 11:19 and in Deuteronomy 14:18. That modern-day family, Ardiedae, currently has 72 members which includes not only Herons and Egrets, but also Bitterns. Some of them are grouped together like, Tiger Herons, Night Herons, Pond Herons, Reef Herons and Cattle Egrets. Not sure about the Tiger Herons but the night, pond, reef, and cattle name give you a clue as to where you might find them out and about.
And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. (Deuteronomy 14:18 KJV)
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, (some are called “egrets” or “bitterns” instead of “heron”). Within Ardeidae, all members of the genera Botaurus and Ixobrychus are referred to as “bitterns”, and — including the Zigzag Heron or Zigzag Bittern — are a monophyletic group within the Ardeidae. However, egrets are not a biologically distinct group from the herons, and tend to be named differently because they are mainly white and/or have decorative plumes. Although egrets have the same build as herons, they tend to be smaller.
Great Egret (Ardea alba) Swallowing by Lee
The classification of the individual heron/egret species is fraught with difficulty, and there is still no clear consensus about the correct placement of many species into either of the two major genera, Ardea and Egretta. Similarly, the relationship of the genera in the family is not completely resolved. However, one species formerly considered to constitute a separate monotypic family Cochlearidae, the Boat-billed Heron, is now regarded as a member of the Ardeidae.
Although herons resemble birds in some other families, such as the storks, ibises, spoonbills and cranes, they differ from these in flying with their necks retracted, not outstretched. They are also one of the bird groups that have powder down. Some members of this group nest colonially in trees, while others, notably the bitterns, use reedbeds.
The largest species of heron is the Goliath Heron, which stand up to 152 cm (60 in) tall. The necks are able to kink in an s-shape, due to the modified shape of the sixth vertebrae. The neck is able to retract and extend, and is retracted during flight, unlike most other long-necked birds. The neck is longer in the day herons than the night herons and bitterns. The legs are long and strong and in almost every species are unfeathered from the lower part of the tibia (the exception is the Zigzag Heron). In flight the legs and feet are held backward. The feet of herons have long thin toes, with three forward pointing ones and one going backward.
Reddish-Snowys-Greats Egrets – Snowy in front with yellow feet
The herons are a widespread family with a cosmopolitan distribution. They exist on all continents except Antarctica, and are present in most habitats except the coldest extremes of the Arctic, extremely high mountains and the driest deserts. Almost all species are associated with water, they are essentially non-swimming waterbirds that feed on the margins of lakes, rivers, swamps, ponds and the sea. They are predominately found in lowland areas, although some species live in alpine areas, and the majority of species occur in the tropics.
While the family exhibits a range of breeding strategies, overall the herons are monogamous and mostly colonial. Most day-herons and night-herons are colonial, or partly colonial depending on circumstances, whereas the bitterns and tiger-herons are mostly solitary nesters. Colonies may contain several species as well as other types of waterbird. In a study of Little Egrets and Cattle Egrets in India the majority of the colonies surveyed contained both species. (Wikipedia with editing)
Ian’s Bird of the Week – Lord Howe Woodhen ~ By Ian Montgomery
Newsletter ~ 5/11/13
My sister Gillian and I arrived for a week’s visit to Lord Howe Island this morning. I haven’t been here since a visit with my mother on her last trip to Australia in 1992. That was in pre-digital photography days, so I am of course keen to photograph some of the local specialties. Perhaps at the top of the list is the famous flightless Lord Howe Woodhen, saved from probably extinction by a captive breeding program in the late 1970s and early 1980s. We had barely finished unpacking when a pair came past our front door to welcome us to the island.
The bird in the first photo has, like many of the population of 200-300 birds, coloured legs bands to assist in monitoring the population. Its partner, second photo, lacked bands and is naturally more photogenic from a wildlife viewpoint, so I concentrated my efforts on it.
Lord Howe Woodhen (Gallirallus sylvestris) by Ian
In the gloom of the Kentia Palm forest that covers much of the lowland of the island, the birds look greyish and are quite difficult to see. When they move into the sunlight, like the one in the third photo that has found fruit from the tree outside our room, the warm chestnut colour of the plumage becomes apparent.
Lord Howe Woodhen (Gallirallus sylvestris) by Ian
Woodhens form permanent pair bonds and defend their territories which are several hectares in size. Both these birds are adult, recognisable by their red eyes. With a length of 36 cm/14 in these are largish rails, bigger than the related Buff-banded Rail which is also present on the island (and has also wandered past our room).
Lord Howe Woodhen (Gallirallus sylvestris) by Ian
Being flightless, tame and good to eat the population declined seriously after the island was settled and by the 1970s only a few survived on the fairly inaccessible tops of the two tall mountains, Mounts Gower and Lidgbird when some of the birds were captured and bred in a protected enclosure in the lowland area. A fellow postgraduate student of mine at Sydney University in the 1970s, Ben Miller, played a major role in the project. You will be able to read all about it in a book, The Woodhen, due for publication next month by CSIRO Publishing and written by Clifford Frith. See http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/7011.htm. Cliff is also a friend of mine, so I feel quite a strong connection to the Woodhen and am happy to now be able to offer it to you and include photos of it on my website.
Next target is the Providence Petrel, so wish me luck. After its extinction on Norfolk Island – where it was regarded as ‘Provident’ – it survived only on Lord Howe, though a small colony has recently become re-established on Phillip Island off Norfolk.
Best wishes
Ian
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Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Tel 0411 602 737 ian@birdway.com.au
Check the latest website updates: http://www.birdway.com.au/#updates
Lee’s Addition:
… how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! (Luke 13:34b KJV)
Never heard of a Woodhen before. Thanks, Ian, for introducing us to another one of the Lord’s creations. According to my list from IOC, there are only three Woodhens; the Lord Howe, Samoan and Makira Woodhens (The last two seem to be called woodhens only by IOC). They are in the Rallidae – Rails, Crakes & Coots Family. One other bird sometimes refered to as a Woodhen is the Weka.
“The Lord Howe Woodhen (Gallirallus sylvestris) also known as the Lord Howe Island Woodhen or Lord Howe (Island) Rail, is a flightless bird of the rail family (Rallidae). It is endemic to Lord Howe Island off the Australian coast. It is a small olive-brown bird, with a short tail and a down-curved bill. The Lord Howe Island Rail lives in sub-tropical forests, feeding on earthworms, crustaceans, fruit, and taking the eggs of shearwaters and petrels.
Woodhens mate for life and are usually encountered in pairs. They are territorial and will appear from the forest’s understory to investigate the source of any unusual noise. A mated pair will defend an area of approximately 3 hectares, with offspring being expelled from this area once grown. The population of birds is thus restricted by the amount of available territory.
Today there are about 250 birds, which may be the optimal population size for the island. (Wikipedia with editing)
HIS small plover-like bird is found on the sea-coasts of nearly all countries; in America, from Greenland and Alaska to Chili and Brazil; more or less common in the interior along the shores of the Great Lakes and larger rivers.
It is generally found in company with flocks of the smaller species of Sandpipers, its boldly marked plumage contrasting with surroundings, while the Sandpipers mingle with the sands and unless revealed by some abrupt movement can hardly be seen at a little distance.
The name Turnstone has been applied to this bird on account of its curious habit of dexterously inserting its bill beneath stones and pebbles along the shore in quest of food, overturning them in search of the insects or prey of any kind which may be lurking beneath. It is found on smooth, sandy beaches, though more commonly about the base of rocky cliffs and cones. The eggs of horseshoe crabs are its particular delight.
In the nesting season the Turnstone is widely distributed throughout the northern portions of both continents, and wanders southward along the sea-coasts of all countries. In America it breeds commonly in the Barren Lands of the Arctic coasts and the Anderson River districts, on the Islands of Franklin and Liverpool bays, nesting in July. In the Hudson’s Bay country the eggs are laid in June. The nest is a hollow scratched in the earth, and is lined with bits of grass.
The Turnstone is known by various names: “Brant Bird,” “Bead-bird,” “Horse-foot-Snipe,” “Sand-runner,” “Calico-back,” “Chicaric” and “Chickling.” The two latter names have reference to its rasping notes, “Calico-back,” to the variegated plumage of the upper parts.
In summer the adults are oddly pied above with black, white, brown, and chestnut-red, but the red is totally wanting in winter. They differ from the true Plovers in the well developed hind-toe, and the strong claws, but chiefly in the more robust feet, without trace of web between the toes.
The eggs are greenish-drab in color, spotted, blotched, and dotted irregularly and thickly with yellowish and umber brown. The eggs are two or four, abruptly pyriform in shape.
Range—Nearly cosmopolitan; nests in the Arctic regions, and in America migrates southward to Patagonia. (Chapman.)
Nest—A slight depression on the ground.
Eggs—Two or four, greenish-drab, spotted all over with brown.
Ruddy Turnstone – MacDill by Lee
Lee’s Addition:
A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth. (Proverbs 17:8 KJV)
Amazing! Today, Dan and I went over to Tampa and we carried our cameras along. We went to the shore and were taking photos of the birds that were having a field day just off shore. Brown Pelicans, Cormorants, and lots of Laughing Gulls and terns were diving for the fish that must have been clustered right there. Later we walked down to where the terns and gulls were landed to take more photos. While I was standing there, this one odd bird landed by me and then stayed for about a minute and was gone. Guess he couldn’t find any of his kind. At the time, I thanked the Lord for letting me see it and did not know then that it was the next bird in this series.
I didn’t recognize it until this evening while going through my photos. It was a Ruddy Turnstone! I have never seen one in breeding plumage before and thought I had gotten me a new bird, but no, seen them before.
I am thankful that the photos turned out so good. Dan showed me how to adjust my viewfinder setting properly. I have just looked through it and tried to make things out clear. I was taught to put some lines or text up in the viewfinder and adjust it so that is clear. Then the pictures will be clear when I use my program mode. Worked pretty good.
I haven’t said much lately about my eye, but it has recently gotten worse. (My camera eye) When I went to the eye doctor this week, I was told the vision has gone from 20/50 to 20/80 since my last checkup 6 weeks ago. That is one reason I haven’t been doing as many blogs as usual.
Long story short, my cataract has increased and will need to have an implant, but they can’t do it until my 6 months check up for my retina surgery. That is in June. Then if all is well, the cataract will be taken care of. In the mean time, my vision is blurry and will most likely get worse before it can be taken care of. Your prayers are appreciated that I don’t get discouraged and that I’ll get a good report in June. So far, I am thankful for what I can see. Today was an experiment for me to see if I could still get a good photo and to just enjoy watching the Lord’s amazing creations flying and having a good time “fishing.”
Ruddy Turnstone and Forster’s Tern
The Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae. It is a highly migratory bird, breeding in northern parts of Eurasia and North America and flying south to winter on coastlines almost worldwide. It is the only species of turnstone in much of its range and is often known simply as Turnstone. (Wikipedia)
The above article is an article in the monthly serial for October 1897 “designed to promote Knowledge of Bird-Live.” These include Color Photography, as they call them, today they are drawings. There are at least three Volumes that have been digitized by Project Gutenberg.
From col. Chi. Acad. Sciences.Copyrighted by Nature Study Pub. Co., 1897, Chicago.
THE AMERICAN WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE.
“As stupid as a Goose!”
Yes, I know that is the way our family is usually spoken of. But then I’m not a tame Goose, you know. We wild fellows think we know a little more than the one which waddles about the duck-pond in your back yard.
He sticks to one old place all the time. Waddles and talks and looks the same year after year. We migratory birds, on the other hand, fly from place to place. Our summers are passed here, our winters there; so that we pick up a thing or two the common Goose never dreams of.
“The laughing Goose!”
Yes, some people call me that. I don’t know why, unless my Honk, honk, honk! sounds like a laugh. Perhaps, though, it is because the look about my mouth is so pleasant.
Did you ever see a flock of us in motion, in October or November, going to our winter home?
Ah, that is a sight! When the time comes for us to start, we form ourselves into a figure like this >· a big gander taking the lead where the dot is. Such a honk, honk, honking you never heard. People who have heard us, and seen us, say it sounds like a great army overhead.
Where do we live in summer, and what do we eat?
You will find us throughout the whole of North America, but in greater numbers on the Pacific coast. The fresh-water lakes are our favorite resorts. We visit the wheat fields and corn fields, nibbling the young, tender blades and feeding on the scattered grain. The farmers don’t like it a bit, but we don’t care. That is the reason our flesh tastes so sweet.
And tough!
My, how you talk! It is only we old fellows that are tough, we fellows over a year old. But of course a great many people don’t know that, or don’t care.
Why, I once heard of a gander that had waddled around a barnyard for five long years. Thanksgiving Day arrived, and they roasted him for dinner.
Think of eating an old, old friend like that!
Where do we build our nests?
Away up north, in Alaska, and on the islands of the Arctic Sea. We make them of hay, feathers, and down, building them in hollow places on the ground.
How many eggs?
Six. I am very good to my mate, and an affectionate father.
Summary:
AMERICAN WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE—Anser albifrons gambeli. Other names: “Laughing Goose,” “Speckle Belly.”
Range—North America, breeding far northward; in winter south to Mexico and Cuba, rare on the Atlantic coast.
Nest—On the ground, of grasses lined with down.
Eggs—Six or seven, dull greenish-yellow with obscure darker tints.
Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) by Nikhil Devasar
Lee’s Addition:
Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. (Luke 6:21 KJV)
Greater White-fronted Goose by Ashley Fisher (xeno-canto) recorded in U.K.
Flock flying over by Jonathon Jongsma (xeno-canto) recorded in U.S.
The Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) is a species of goose. The Greater White-fronted Goose is more closely related to the smaller Lesser White-fronted Goose (A. erythropus). In Europe it has been known as simply “White-fronted Goose”; in North America it is known as the Greater White-fronted Goose (or “Greater Whitefront”), and this name is also increasingly adopted internationally. It is named for the patch of white feathers bordering the base of its bill. But even more distinctive are the salt-and-pepper markings on the breast of adult birds, which is why the goose is colloquially called the “Specklebelly” in North America.
Greater White-fronted Geese are 25–32 in (64–81 cm) in length, have a 51–65 in (130–165 cm) wingspan and weigh 4.3–7.3 lb (1.93–3.31 kg). They have bright orange legs and mouse-coloured upper wing-coverts. They are smaller than Greylag Geese. As well as being larger than the Lesser White-fronted Goose, the Greater White-fronted Goose lacks the yellow eye-ring of that species, and the white facial blaze does not extend upwards so far as in Lesser.
The male is typical larger in size, both sexes are similar in appearance – greyish brown birds with light grey breasts dappled with dark brown to black blotches and bars. Both males and females also have a pinkish bill and orange legs and feet.
The Greater White-fronted Goose is divided into four subspecies. The nominate subspecies A. a. albifrons breeds in the far north of Europe and Asia, and winters further south and west in Europe.
Two other restricted-range races occur in northern North America: A. a. gambeli in interior northwest Canada, and wintering on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, slightly larger than the nominate form, and Tule Goose, A. a. elgasi, in southwest Alaska, largest and longest-billed of all, wintering in California. All these races are similar in plumage, differing only in size.
Finally, the very distinct Greenland White-fronted Goose, A. a. flavirostris, breeding in western Greenland, is much darker overall, with only a very narrow white tip to the tail (broader on the other races), more black barring on its belly, and usually has an orange (not pink) bill. It winters in Ireland and western Scotland.
Birds breeding in the far east of Siberia east to Arctic Canada, wintering in the United States and Japan, have been described as A. a. frontalis on the basis of their slightly larger size and a marginally longer bill. Another putative East Asian subspecies albicans has also been described. A 2012 study has found that frontalis and albicans do not merit subspecies status, the former being synonymised with gambelli and the latter with the nominate subspecies; this study found that these forms had been named on the wintering grounds from specimens whose breeding grounds were unknown.
Recent ecological studies suggest the Greenland birds should probably be considered a separate species from A. albifrons. Of particular interest is its unusually long period of parental care and association, which may last several years and can include grandparenting, possibly uniquely among the Anseriformes.
Weather conditions are a key factor in the annual breeding success of White-fronted Geese. In the Arctic, the window of opportunity for nesting, incubating eggs, and raising a brood to flight state is open briefly, for about three months. Arriving in late May or early June, White-fronted Geese begin departing for fall staging areas in early September. This means that a delayed snowmelt or late spring storm can significantly reduce the birds’ reproductive success. (Wikipeedia with editing)
The above article is an article in the monthly serial for October 1897 “designed to promote Knowledge of Bird-Live.” These include Color Photography, as they call them, today they are drawings. There are at least three Volumes that have been digitized by Project Gutenberg.
(Received this as an email. – Not sure who to credit them to.)
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Here’s your AWE! for the day!!!
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Bring forth every living thing that is with you of all flesh–birds and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the ground–that they may breed abundantly on the land and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth. (Genesis 8:17 AMP)
