Tag Archives: Birdwatching Trips

Birdwatching and Updated Indexes for I.O.C. 2.5 Version

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Limpkin at Lake Morton

Limpkin at Lake Morton

It took me awhile, but I finally got all the links up for the newest version (2.5) of the I.O.C. Now you should be able to find any bird on the lists.

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) scrawny by Lee

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) scrawny by Lee

Dan and I managed to get in a little birdwatching Friday at Lake Morton. We saw several weird things take place. At least I hadn’ t seen it before. Watched a Great Egret with what I thought was a fish, a scrawy Anhinga, and a one footed White Ibis.

The Anhinga that we saw was “scrawny.” It must have been in a molting stage, because it sure didn’t have many complete feathers. Also fed a one-footed White Ibis. Did manage to get some nice photos of a Limpkin and a Green Heron. There were some gulls around and I think it is a Laughing Gull I photographed. Haven’t seen one there before, at least not with that black hood.

Great Egret at Lake Morton

Great Egret at Lake Morton

The Great Egret that was eating something, well, trying to, turned out to be a baby Mallard. I was photographing it from a distance and didn’t realize what it had until we got home and viewed the photos. Never did see it swallow it. The Egret flew off with it and when I spotted it later, there was no baby Mallard around. Hope he dropped it when he flew off. I was sad when I realized what had been going on.

Sunday, at church, our pastor was preaching on the death of Christ on the cross. He gave the following quote by Dorothy Sayers and it reminded me of what I had seen on Friday.

It is a curious fact that people who are filled with horror when a cat kills a sparrow can hear the true story of how people killed the Lord Jesus Christ told Sunday after Sunday and not experience any Shock whatsoever! Dorothy L. Sayers

The Lord loved us so much He was willing to lay His life down and pay for our sins. He has “finished” the payment and has raised Himself up and is in heaven with the Father. Do we hear that week after week and not acknowledge the truth? I trust you know the Savior.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:16-17 KJV)

Wordless Birds and Gospel Message

Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) by Lee

Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) by Lee

Green Heron (Butorides virescens) by Lee

Green Heron (Butorides virescens) by Lee

Birdwatching at Lake Hollingsworth-June 1st

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Birdwatching at Lake Hollingsworth-June 1st

Lake Hollingsworth Mallard

Lake Hollingsworth Mallard

Dan and I finally got a chance to go birdwatching on Tuesday. It is the first time in awhile since we have been out and about here in Polk County, FL. We loaded the cameras, binocular, and of course something to feed the critters with. The only place around here we do that is at Lake Hollingsworth and Morton in Lakeland. So we chose Lake Hollingsworth as our main destination.

As we ride, I start my list of what we see. On the ride over there I spotted Fish Crows, Sandhill Cranes, a Great Blue Heron, some Ospreys at their nest, a White Ibis, about 20 Cattle Egrets checking out some cows, two Mourning Doves, four Boat-tailed Grackles and a Blue Jay. If we saw nothing at the lake, I would have been content with those.

Great Blue Heron at Lake Hollingsworth

Great Blue Heron at Lake Hollingsworth

We spent about an hour looking around and feeding the gang. It was around 79° and mostly clear. A nice day. Near the parking lot is where the hungry beggars hang out. Waiting! I was surprised to see most of them snoozing. Pull out treats, and they come alive. After feeding the Mallards, White Ibises, Boat-tailed Grackles and a Gull, I did a short walk (legs weren’t working good) to the little dock where we watched a Great Blue Heron preening. I kept getting closer and closer, but he kept right on and only looked at me once. I got several videos of him.

We also observed a Green Heron for some time. Don’t see them out and about like this one. Looking at his coloration, we think he is most likely a juvenile.

The rest of the birds spotted were Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, Anhingas, Ospreys, Blue Jays, and Common Moorhens with three babies. On the way back at the parking lot, six Geese were protecting a gosling.

Green Heron Lake Hollingsworth

Green Heron Lake Hollingsworth

We decided to do lunch in Bartow, but had some spare time before they opened so went to the Mary Holland Park there. 86° by then. It is a small park but we managed to see – Boat-tailed Grackles, Opreys, Cardinals, Blue Jay, Great Egret, Mourning Dove, three White Ibises, heard a Red-Shouldered Hawk and a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

All together we spotted or heard 22 species. Not bad for an easy birdwatching adventure. Trust you have a great adventure the next time you are out enjoying God’s birds that He has created.

So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:21 NKJV)

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Birdwatching – Late January 2010

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Monk Parakeet (myiopsitta-monachus) by Lee

Monk Parakeet (myiopsitta-monachus) by Lee

The last two days have been interesting for birdwatching. I have been sick and we finally were able to get out to see the birds. Today, while getting the mail out of the box, we looked up and saw 3 Sandhill Cranes with a Whooping Crane flying by. Wow! We have been seeing 1 Whooping Crane in with lots of Sandhills lately on the way to Bartow on the same hill side. But to have it fly over our house was amazing. They were headed toward that hill which is about 1.5 miles south of us. (Old Bartow Road)

Palm Warbler - yellow

Palm Warbler - yellow

Yesterday, Dan wanted to check out something on his camera, so we took our cameras and stopped by South Lake Howard Nature Park again. I think he was having “cabin fever” more than me. Most of what we saw were the normal birds for there, only less of them. They cleaned out an area and planted grass, but that “improvement” has not been welcomed by the birds. (nor us birdwatchers either)

What we saw were: Boat-tailed and Common Grackles, White and Glossy Ibises, Anhingas, a White-winged Dove, Monk or Quaker Parakeets building their nests-Condo on the power pole, Palm Warblers (yellow), many Tree Swallows, the Bald Eagle on the tower, Osprey, Turkey Vultures, White Pelicans flying by, Fish Crows, Tri-colored and Little Blue Herons, Eastern Phoebe, Cattle Egrets, and others.

These are mine and Dan’s photos.

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Birdwatching at Circle B Bar Reserve – 12/23/09

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White Pelicans in Flight - Circle B Bar by Dan

White Pelicans in Flight - Circle B Bar by Dan

And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, (Leviticus 11:18 KJV)

On December 23rd, Dan and I were birdwatching at Circle B Bar Reserve here in Polk County Florida, and what a day it was. They had just had the Christmas Bird Count a few days earlier and had counted over 7,000 American White Pelicans. See Birdwatching in Polk County – December 2009

I just got through putting together my first attempt of combining photos and video together. The videos and the photos will give you an idea of the many pelicans flying over.  They are not like Canadian Geese that squawk constantly, but were silent. What you heard was the whoosh of their wings as they flapped. Unfortunately, it didn’t come through in the video. (This is an updated video with sound of music instead of my mouth running as the 1st one was.)

I am never disappointed at the Circle B.

Here is another person’s video of the White Pelicans taken a few days later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4e0SSGyHD0

Here is the list of birds I reported to eBird for that birdwatching day.

Number of species:     43
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck     50
Blue-winged Teal     2
Pied-billed Grebe     3
American White Pelican     2000
Double-crested Cormorant     50
Anhinga     45
American Bittern     1
Great Blue Heron     5
Great Egret     25
Snowy Egret     4
Little Blue Heron     1
Tricolored Heron     2
Cattle Egret     6
Green Heron     1
White Ibis     30
Glossy Ibis     30
White-faced Ibis     1
Roseate Spoonbill     15
Wood Stork     100
Black Vulture     50
Turkey Vulture     50
Osprey     4
Bald Eagle     1
Red-shouldered Hawk     1
Common Moorhen     20
American Coot     5
Sandhill Crane     1
Killdeer     6
Laughing Gull     40
Mourning Dove     1
Belted Kingfisher     3
Red-headed Woodpecker     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     2
Pileated Woodpecker     2
Eastern Phoebe     3
Blue Jay     2
Fish Crow     10
House Wren     1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     10
Northern Mockingbird     3
Palm Warbler     5
Northern Cardinal     2
Boat-tailed Grackle     5

Birdwatching at Circle B Bar Reserve – October

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My "Zip" (battery operated)

My "Zip" (battery operated)

Dan and I have been out to the Circle B twice in the last few weeks. We were there on the 14th and again this last Saturday, the 24th. The birds are definitely getting back down here. What an increase in Wood Storks, several hundreds, and the Roseate Spoonbill started arriving this last week, according to one of the volunteers.

The visit on the 14th, which was briefly mentioned in Stork II, was the first time I tried out my new “Zip”. As has been mentioned before, I have a slight handicap and this is a great assist. Anyway, after unloading it, off we went for a nice 73°F birdwatching adventure on a clear day. Just outside there were about 20 Black and Turkey Vultures hanging out at the brook, which is part of the reserve. Overhead a Great Egret, Osprey and some Boat-tailed Grackles flew by. The Blue Jays, Mourning Doves, Red-Bellied, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe,  and the elusive, but calling Carolina Wren greeted us on the way to the marsh. Once we got there I was amazed at all the Wood Storks and the others birds that had arrived.

Carolina Wren - Finally

Carolina Wren - Finally

Here is what was spotted (or heard) then in order I spotted them: Turkey and Black Vultures, Blue Jay, Fish Crows, White Egrets, Carolina Wren, Mourning Doves, Red-bellied and Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Wood Storks – lots, Great Blue Herons, Little Blue Herons, Tufted Titmouse, Green Heron, Downy Woodpecker, Glossy and White Ibises, Tricolored Herons, Moorhens, Mallards, Ospreys, 2 Spoonbills, Double-crested Cormorants, Anhingas, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks-lots, Great Egret, Cardinals, Red-winged Blackbird, Red-Shouldered Hawk, Cattle Egrets, Belted Kingfisher (finally got sort of a picture of it), Northern Mockingbird, Grey Catbird,  Blue-grey Gnatcatchers, Northern Harrier, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, and the Common and Boat-tailed Grackles. Not a bad 2 hours of birding. A total of 40 identified.

On Saturday, we birded for about an hour before we met a group of about 10-12 AWANA boys from our church. We had been asked to join them as they went birdwatching. We figured we would get pictures before they came, as youngster can be enthusiastic and might spook a few birds. Actually, they did right well and got to see lots of birds. I got to go with them further than normal because my “Zip” was with me.

Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbill

What we saw were about the same birds as before with the following changes. I finally got a picture of that elusive Carolina Wren. I have heard it for months, but never got a look, let alone a photo. It’s not that good, but it’s a prize for me. Up in a tree we spotted what we thought was a Hawk, but when looking at pictures, realized it was the juvenile Bald Eagle. There were a lot more Roseate Spoonbills (20-30), Tufted Titmouse, Sandhill Cranes, Blue-winged Teals have arrived, Snowy Ibises, Pied-Billed Grebes, possible Mottled Ducks, Purple Gallinules, Bald Eagles (a juvenile and adults-3 in one tree), and more unknowns. So, in the two trips the total is 48, not counting the unknowns. I almost forgot the hugh alligator. Someone said about 14 feet long.

Does the eagle mount up at your command, And make its nest on high? From there it spies out the prey; Its eyes observe from afar. (Job 39:27,29 NKJV)

I haven’t added Dan’s photos yet.

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For other birdwatching trips to the Circle B Bar Reserve

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Birdwatching – 09-25-2009

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Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) by Dan

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) by Dan

Today we went birdwatching and ended up at three different places. Our intention was to go to Lake Hollingsworth, one of our favorite places to bird watch. I started my list as we were riding and saw about 20 Muscovy ducks (they are very prolific here), Morning Dove, Osprey, Black and Turkey Vultures, and a pair of Northern Harrier sitting on one of the light arms along the toll road.

It was clear today and about  79° when we arrived at Lake Hollingsworth at 8:35 am. We have been having some rain lately and the lake was really up. I spotted a Great Blue Heron, White Ibises, Mallards, some more vultures, and a Great Egret. What I didn’t spot were very many birds or a parking spot. So, we decided to go to Lake Morton instead. Good choice.

We were there by about 8:50 am and saw lots of birds being fed by a little girl and here father. She was the center of attention of the local clientele. I attempted to take her picture and the birds, but we had had our cameras and our eyeglasses in the car with the air conditioner running. After my glasses un-fogged, I looked through my lens and it was foggy. Needless to say, it was humid! Next time the camera will be in the trunk.

Mr and Mrs Wood Duck by Lee

Mr and Mrs Wood Duck by Lee

Anyway, it was a great day for pictures and I even took several videos (with my regular camera), fed the critters, and here is what we observed:  Wood Ducks (12+), Mallards, Wood Storks (I practically hand fed them), White Ibises, Black Swans, Mute Swans, Geese, Double-crested Cormorants, Laughing Gull, Anhinga, Muscovy Ducks, Bald Eagle (3rd one I’ve seen this week-there coming back!), Unknown terns, Limpkin, Rock Pigeons, Green Heron, Snowy Egret and a Great Blue Heron.

My highlight of being there was getting so close to the Wood Storks. I have never seen them that friendly before. Had I been brave enough to hold the bread (I know, you are not to feed wildlife, but everyone does at that lake and Hollingsworth), they would have ate right out of my hand. I tossed it to them and they were catching it and making a loud snap as that big beak closed. (The reason I didn’t hand feed. I need those fingers to snap photos with.) Also, the storks were sitting different than I had seen. Got a video of that also. The other highlight was I was videoing when a Bald Eagle flew over. I swung the camera up and caught him as he was flying off. You can hear my excitement in the video. I love eagles and had just wrote about them on yesterday’s blog.

We left there and had a small bite to eat and then on the way home decided to stop in at Circle B Bar Reserve to see what might be up near the entrance. By now it was 10:45 and most of the birds were resting somewhere, but not in sight. We heard a Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse and Blue-grey Gnatcatchers. Overhead we saw more Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures, and Wood Storks and then a Wood Stork flew low past us. Knowing bird sounds helps tremendously when you are in the woods and don’t always get to see the birds. I need to practice up much more myself. It counts when you are making list if they are heard.

The Lord provided a beautiful morning to watch His critters and just enjoy being out and about.

This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalms 118:23-24 KJV)

This first video is just looking around at the ducks and then spotting an eagle flying by.

The second video is of the stork bending its legs and sitting down.

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Birdwatching 09-18-09 at Circle B Bar Reserve

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Looking out across part of Circle B by Lee

Looking out across part of Circle B by Lee

Yesterday, Dan and I went out to the Circle B Bar Reserve again. As you can see it was a nice clear day. We had not been there for awhile due to the summer heat and many birds leave and head north for the summer. There were plenty of birds to see, but most have not arrived back yet. The Black-bellied Whistling-ducks were back (at least I didn’t see any last time we were there). One of the resident Bald Eagles made several low passes over the area and stirred many of the birds into the air. As they scattered, they passed right over us, whistling as they passed. There were many young Common Moorhens and at least one batch of very young ones with a parent. All in all, we saw 35 species and a few unknowns that were mostly heard.

Western Great Egret (Ardea alba) Circle B by Lee

Western Great Egret (Ardea alba) Circle B by Lee

Here is a list of what we saw or heard in the order they were found:
Muscovy Ducks (just outside the park), 3 Sandhill Cranes, Mourning Doves, Black Vultures, Turkey Vultures, Ospreys, Carolina Wren, Pileated Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmouse, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, 2 Bald Eagles, Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks, Cattle Egrets, Pied-billed Grebe, Common Moorhens, Purple Gallinules, 2 Northern Harrier, 2 Red-shouldered Hawks, Little Blue Herons, Red-winged Blackbirds, Killdeer, Glossy Ibises, White Ibises, Snowy Egret, Fish Crows, Anhingas, 1 Double-crested Cormorant, Green Heron, Belted Kingfishers, Blue Jays, 2 Cardinals (M/F), Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, 5 or 6 Northern Bob-Whites. I also spotted a warbler with yellow and black, but it was too quick to get a good ID.

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Back from Vacation

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Then He said to them, “Come away, all of you, to a quiet place, and rest awhile.” For there were many coming and going, so that they had no time even for meals. (Mar 6:31 WNT)

Duck Lake - Robbins AFB, GA

Duck Lake - Robbins AFB, GA

Dan and I have been on vacation, and are back now. Guess I will have to get busy and write some more articles. Between traveling and having computer problems that knocked me off the Internet, I haven’t been able to do much. Thanks to other’s articles and what few I could get up, we have kept things sort of running.

Zonkey at Creation Museum

Zonkey at Creation Museum

We went to Indiana to visit family, the Creation Museum in Kentucky, then Ohio to visit a friend, and friends in Georgia. We were suppose to be “birdwatching” our way home, but the heat indexes were in the 100+ degree range. The birds were hiding and so were we. So, we came home four days early.

I “birdwatched” from the car as Dan drove us up and back. I did keep a list. On the way up, several birds that hit my fancy (because we don’t get to see them often) were: Swallow-tailed Kites, American Crows, Cardinals, Robins, Purple Martins, and a Red-tailed Hawk. On the way home – a Kestrel, lots of Eastern Meadowlarks, a Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers and Bluebirds at a park (Blue Lick Battlefield SRP in Kentucky)

Brown Thrasher - Robbins AFB, GA

Brown Thrasher - Robbins AFB, GA

The best “birdwatching” we got to do was at Robbins AFB in Georgia.  They have a Duck Lake where we were able to see the most birds. Here is what we saw or heard there on the 27th of June: Eastern Pewee, Hairy and a Downy Woodpecker, Mockingbirds, Cardinals, Carolina Wren, Blue Jays, White Breasted Nuthatch, Mourning Doves, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, House Sparrows, Great Egret, Brown Thrasher, Brown Headed Cowbird, Red-headed Woodpecker, Little Blue Heron, Rock Pigeons, Brown Thrush, Cattle Egrets and several I am trying to ID. It is very wooded around the lake and made for great birding.

Birdwatching at Lake Hollingsworth 05-28-09

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Immature Limpkin

Immature Limpkin

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. (1 Timothy 6:17 NASB)

Well, today we finally got to go birdwatching for the first time in almost two months. With me being sick for almost a month and having rain for the last two weeks, we made a short visit today to Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland. I am definitely not complaining about the rain. We have been in drought conditions here in central Florida. We have had 9 1/2 inches in our yard in the last two weeks. Our grass is finally green. The rain has refilled the lakes around here also. The picture I use at the top of the blog was taken at South Lake Howard Nature Park. Until the rains began, that stream was about 2 feet wide. It now looks like the picture again. Praise the Lord for the rain.

Here is a list of the birds we spotted today. On the drive to the lake we saw Ospreys, Cattle Egrets, 4 Wood Storks, a duck (mallard I think) with at least 10 babies in tow, a Great Egret, 10 Rock Pigeons and some Starlings.

Baby Geese by Dan

Baby Geese by Dan

At the lake, I had to feed the local beggars, which I enjoy doing. And then I checked out the local birds which included – White Ibises, Osprey, Wood Ducks, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Anhingas, 5 Limpkins, Boat-tailed Grackles, Geese and their babies, Mallards and their babies, Common Moorhens and their babies, Fish Crow, Muscovys, Purple Gallinule and a Pied-billed Grebe. As we knew, all our winter visiting birds have all gone back north to raise their young and enjoy their summer. Lord willing, I’ll be awaiting them in the fall.

This video is of an Anhinga and then I zoomed in on the Limpkin. Just testing out the video part of my camera.

 

Birdwatching Trips – Circle B Bar Reserve

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Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbill by Dan

Time gets away from me and I realized that two trips were made to the Circle B Bar that were never written about. So I am going to combine the two. On February 24th and the on March 10th we made our way to one of the neatest places to bird here in central Florida. Both days were cloudless and cool but nice. The biggest problem out there right now is that we are in draught conditions and some of the water holes are drying. It seems the birds that like shallower water are finding  it great, but some have moved on.

White Pelicans at distance with friends

One group of White Pelicans at distance with friends

The highlight of both trips were the White Pelicans. There numbers were in the 1000’s. I gave up counting after 1,000 and found out that a week earlier over 5,000 had been counted. It was neat to watch them lift up in groups and circle abit until they got in their V-formations and then head off. It was awesome to watch. My other joy was watching my first Common Yellowthroat that I had seen up close. He looks like a “yellow bandito” with a black mask (The picture is blurry, but you can see him). We also spot a “huge” alligator and an otter. Below is a list of what was spotted on those two trips. We were with some home schoolers on one of those trips, so we were training as well as looking. There are many more birds to see out there. My life list is up to 73 out there, plus the ones I couldn’t ID.

White Pelicans by Lee

White Pelicans by Lee

Mottled Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Bobwhite
Pied-billed Grebe
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat

Roseate Spoonbill
Wood Stork
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-shouldered Hawk
Purple Gallinule
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Lesser Yellowlegs
Wilson’s Snipe
Mourning Dove

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk by Dan

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
Tree Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Sedge Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Mockingbird
Palm Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Boat-tailed Grackle

For more visits to Circle B Bar Reserve

Birdwatching – South Lake Howard Nature Park

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Eagle in Tree on a windy day

Eagle in Tree on a windy day

Today we were back at South Lake Howard Nature Park checking out the progress of the Bald Eagles and their two babies. When we got there, one of the eaglets was stretching its wings and looking over the side of the nest. By the time I got my scope set up, it decided to hide most of the time. What is there about getting out scopes or cameras that make birds “skedaddle?” I did get to see it several times through the scope and binoculars. I never saw two at once, but when I let someone else look through it, of course, the two popped up.

One of the adults eagles was sitting in a nearby tree watching. Some Turkey and Black Vultures flew too close for their comfort and the eagle let out its warning cry. My interpretation was, “okay, that’s close enough, now back off!” The vultures were coming by one or two at a time. When a flock of about 20 Boat-tailed Grackles decided to land in the tree where the nest was, that was a different story. The eagle let out several loud calls in rapid succession and then flew over to the nest tree. Needless to say, the Grackles decided to go elsewhere. Later, the other Eagle came to the nest with food and we could see it feeding the eaglets.

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. (Proverbs 23:5 KJV)

Eagle in nest feeding eaglets by Dan

Eagle in nest feeding eaglets by Dan

It was quite windy this morning and we did not get real clear photos of the birds. Not allowed to get too close either, but some are included. We saw the following birds today:  Mockingbird, Cattle Egrets, Great Egret, 25 Robins, 2 Adult and 2 baby Bald Eagles, Black and Turkey Vultures, American Coots, Common Moorhens, Little Blue Heron adults and 1 immature Little Blue Heron that was still white, White Ibises, Boat-tailed Grackles, Blue Jays, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Mourning Doves, Monk Parakeets, and Anhingas. We also saw an alligator up on the bank sunning itself.

We were there about a week ago with four homeschoolers we are helping learn about birds. On that day we saw the following:  2 Eagles, Boat-tail Grackles, Black and Turkey Vultures, Blue Jays, Ospreys, Ring-billed Gulls, Anhinga, Fish Crows, Cormorant, Common Grackles, American Kestrel, Cattle Egrets, Mockingbird, Common Moorhens, Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers, Limkin, Tricolored Heron, Great Blue Heron, White Ibises, Great Egret, Rock Pigeons, Red-winged Blackbirds, Snowy Egret, Pied-billed Grebe, 4 Hairy Woodpeckers, Downy Woodpecker, Blue-gray Gnatchatchers, 2 Wood Ducks, Belted Kingfisher, (31)

American Robin by Dan

American Robin by Dan

For being a small nature park, we always seem to find a fair number of birds to observe. The water is really getting low in the pond. About as low as I have seen it. We are in a draught condition here in Polk County. In 2004, when the 3 hurricanes (Charlie, Frances and Jeanne) visited, there was too much water. We need rain, but not that way.

Day Five at the Space Coast Birding Festival

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We had another great day at the Space Coast Birding Festival which ends tomorrow, Jan 26th. We are home now, but they continue on without us.

Dawn, Jeff and Me

Dawn, Jeff and Me

Met up with Dawn and Jeff several times again today. She does Dawn’s Bloggy Blog. Then off to some more workshops. First off was Reinier Munguia’s, “Bird ID for Kids” to help with some upcoming lessons with kids. Reinier was still not up to normal, so he let his daughter do the presentation. She is a 9th grader and did a  fantastic job. She has been in the field with her dad since she was 3 months old, straped on her father’s back.

In the afternoon it was “Taking the Fear Out of Identifying Gulls” by Alvaro Jaramillo of Field Guides, Inc. He did another great presentation and again I picked up some great information.

By the time that ended, I was in “information overload.” With all the workshops and seminars, birding, plus walking around the exhibits and chatting for the past few days, I was ready for “home.” So was Dan. When we did get home, a 90 mile drive, we found that the cold weather we have been having did “a number” on a few of the plants in the yard. Checked the outdoor temperature and it had gotten down to 26 degrees. We weren’t here to cover the plants. The ones in pots were okay because we had set them in the carport before leaving. Would I go again, You Bet!!!