Thursday, March 31, 2016

Crops & Clips: Anhinga

Barely visible, an Anhinga is drying its spread wings in a tree past the far end of the boardwalk at Chapel Trail Nature Preserve in neighboring Pembroke Pines, Florida:

Chapel Trail boardwalk 2-20140528

A pair of Anhingas appear to be in the early stages of courtship at the heron rookery in our local wetlands.

The male Anhinga sports a white crown as it transforms into breeding plumage:

Anhinga male 03-20160210

Anhinga male 01-20160210


Anhinga male 05-20160210

The view of his back shows the corrugations  in the central tail feathers as well as scapulars. Since it "flies" underwater to catch fish, these may act like "spoilers" on an aircraft to break down laminar flow and thus reduce drag:

Anhinga male back 20160210

The female of the pair has a buffy head, neck and chest:

Anhinga 2-20160121

Anhinga adult female 20160111

MACRO of Male with green "goggles" at height of breeding season:

Anhinga 3-20100228

A female in breeding condition also has the green flesh around her eyes:

Anhinga 2-20131210

A male Anhinga at Corkscrew Swamp shows the feather corrugations as well as the oil gland at the base of its tail, which it uses to preen its feathers:

 Anhinga male 20140421

A young Anhinga preens on our back lawn. The immature plumage is dull brown:

Anhinga 2-20120728

This young Anhinga is drying its wings on a the post at the end of the boardwalk at Chapel Trail:

Anhinga 2-20151024

Anhinga on decoy in our back yard lake:

Anhinga on Decoy 20140822

Anhinga casting a fine REFLECTION:

Anhinga 20151231

Anhinga feeding young:

Anhinga feeding young 2-20150212

Anhinga feeding young 20150212

This Anhinga seems to be admiring her reflection in the canal:

Anhinga reflection HDR 20160226

A closer look:

Anhinga reflection crop 20160226

Slide show-- Anhinga eating a big fish:

If video does not display, click here--  https://youtu.be/nTkc3AfZHnQ




Short video-- Anhinga threat display:

If video does not appear, click here--  https://youtu.be/4G62BcJ_B8c




Excellent video by and property of Richard Kern, shared under terms of the Standard You Tube License. Especially watch for the male's magnificent breeding display. Its transformation reminds me of a Bird of Paradise:

If video does not display, click here--  https://youtu.be/EfoqPIcSQCQ





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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display

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Thursday, March 24, 2016

Do sapsuckers suck sap?

Pigeons and doves are among the the few species of birds which have the ability to suck up water without tipping back their heads. This is a real advantage as it allows them to spend much less time exposed to possible predators at the water's edge. Other birds must dip their bills to scoop up the water and repeatedly tip their heads back. But what about the goatsuckers and sapsuckers?

In the eastern US, the Common Nighthawk is the most familiar member of the goatsucker family (Caprimulgidae), also known as Nightjars. Worldwide in distribution, this group of birds drew their name from an ancient belief that they sucked milk from goats with their widely gaped mouths, actually an adaptation for catching insects in flight:

Common Nighthawk 20110427

The sapsuckers are also misnamed, as they do not suck up sap or any other fluid. They do chisel holes in the bark of trees and drink the sap which flows from them, and also eat any insects which may be attracted to them.

The four sapsucker species are woodpeckers in the genus Sphyrapicus, all native to the New World. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker breeds across Canada and the northeastern USA and winters in the southeastern States, although vagrants have occasionally wandered across the Atlantic Ocean to the UK. 

An immature female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker visited our back yard on Christmas Eve in 2013. At about 5 PM I looked out the back window and saw this juvenile sapsucker drilling holes in our West Indies Mahogany. Our tree now has neat rows of holes chiseled out of its bark in hopes that sap would flow and insects will also be attracted:

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2-20131224

Other birds, such as this Yellow-rumped Warbler, helped themselves to the flies which gathered at the holes:

Yellow-rumped Warbler sap-stealer 2-20140223

The sapsucker lingered in our yard into late March.

On January 28, 2014 it was joined by a mature female of its species, but the young bird consistently drove away the intruder:


Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers 20140128
It favored our back yard West Indies Mahogany tree, inflicting considerable damage to the bark:

Sapsucker damage to Mahogany 2-20140228

Over the three month period, we saw the sapsucker's plumage gradually change from immature to adult female:

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2-20140320

Too late, we noticed that an entire section of our tree appeared to be stressed and possibly dying:

Sapsucker damage 3-20140228

We did our best to discourage the woodpecker by chasing it with water guns and the garden hose, and it did abandon our yard. Very likely it was time for it to migrate back north anyway. The affected part of the tree lost all its leaves about two weeks before the entire tree shed its leaves on schedule. Within weeks the entire tree looked normal as the new leaves filled in completely. 

We did not see the sapsucker again in our yard until November 25, 2015 when I took this photo of it or another adult female through the back patio window:

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker thru window 2-20151124

Once again I scared it away, but it returned in February, 2016 and continued to drill sap wells:

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker thru window 20160204

So far our program of harassing the bird seems to have worked, or the time came for it to migrate home to the north. This was our last sighting of the sapsucker, on March 3:

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 20160302

Over the years I have seen the other three sapsucker species. The Red-naped Sapsucker visited our home in New Mexico before I owned a DSLR, but I did digiscope a beautiful Williamson's Sapsucker in our front yard with my little 2.0 megapixel Canon A40:

Williamson's Sapsucker

In Alaska, I got a lucky shot of a Red-breasted Sapsucker:

Red-breasted Sapsucker - Hoonah 20140616

All four sapsucker species have a characteristic horizontal white line on their wings-- the "sapsucker line.'

Julia heliconian female visits a tiny composite, Bidens alba, whose two-toothed seeds (called beggar's ticks) cling to socks and pant legs:

Julia heliconian female 3-20160203

Loggerhead Shrikes on fence at nearby Chapel Trail Nature Preserve:

Loggerhead Shrikes on fence 2-20151114

A Great Egret casts a fine reflection in the pre-dawn darkness:


Great Egret before sunrise 3-20160121

Early morning overcast-- fog over wet prairie at sunrise:

Fog over prairie before sunrise HDR 20160318

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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to I Heart Macro by Laura

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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display


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Thursday, March 17, 2016

Getting out early

As much as I enjoy a leisurely mug of coffee while I catch up on the morning news and correspondence, I also like to photograph birds in soft early light. The switch to Daylight Savings Time has made it easier for us to get out at dawn. 

As the first day of spring approached, sunrise happened earlier and earlier, from 7:30 AM back in October to as early as 6:33 AM on March 12, the day before Daylight Savings Time "delayed" the Sun's arrival until 7:32 AM. Relentlessly, the sunrise will continue to creep up earlier until the first week of June, when it will occur at 6:29 AM despite the time change.   

Earlier in March, we encountered fog as we walked along the gravel road into the wetlands. The sun was trying to break through:

Fog Lifting HDR 20160304 

On the wetlands, the posture and habits of this Little Blue Heron made it identifiable from a distance as it fished on the opposite shore: 

South shore in fog HDR 20160304

I processed the above photo as an antique oil painting because I liked the way the fog gave depth to the colors and tones:

South shore in fog PAINTING 20160304

The day after the time change and before sunrise, a Great Egret posed nicely against the same background-- a bit nearer, but under similar atmospheric conditions:

Great Egret in morning mist HDR 20160314 

Later that morning, in subdued light, a Great Egret flew in to roost on a Pond Cypress:

Great Egret in-flight HDR 01-20160313

Great Egret HDR 01-20160313

A second egret wanted to share the roost...

Great Egret duo HDR 03-20160313

...but the occupant did not seem pleased:

Great Egret duo HDR 02-20160313

The intruder moved on...

Great Egret duo HDR 04-20160313

...and took a place next to an American Kestrel (Disclaimer-- I did not see the kestrel when I took this photo!):

Egret and kestrel HDR 01-20160313

The kestrel, probably the same one, did pose nearby in full view:

American Kestrel HDR 3-20160312

Now back-lighted in full sunlight, a Great Egret protested the presence of another white wader...

Great Egret 20160309

...an immature Little Blue Heron:

Little Blue Heron 2-20160309

The two took their disagreement to another spot on the lake. The smaller heron twice "buzzed" the agitator:

Little Blue Heron attacks Great Egret 20160308

Little Blue Heron attacks Great Egret 2-20160308

The sun touched the wet prairie:

Sun touches wet prairie HDR 20160309

Under fair skies, butterflies and bees went about their chores, sipping nectar...

Zebra heliconian on Lantana HDR 20160309

...and harvesting pollen:

Honeybee gathering pollen 20160311

Star Rush popped up in wet places:

Star Rush 20160313

Two Turkey Vultures watched me from the guard rail...

Turkey Vultures 20160311

...dwarfing an Eastern Phoebe, a little bird on a big fence!:

Eastern Phoebe on guard rail 20160307

A closer look at the little guy:

Eastern Phoebe on guard rail 20160308

= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

________________________________________________

Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display

________________________________________________