Thursday, April 25, 2019

The unabandoned rookery

My post in late February  "A small heron rookery" described the damage done to the nest trees in the local rookery by Hurricane Irma, which struck in September, 2017. This was followed by the intentional removal of many trees along the adjacent canal, as some had been blown over to partially obstruct it and others had grown out over the water. A major portion of the rookery, an area which previously was a favored nesting site by 6-8 pairs of Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, had been clear-cut by the regional water management authority.

This particular tree was partially uprooted by the hurricane and extended well out into the water of the storm-water drainage canal. In April of 2018, A pair interacted on the partially submerged branches of the fallen tree:

Yellow-crowned Night-Herons 08-20180314

Their nest was placed rather precariously over the water on the horizontal trunk:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron nest used 20180601

The next day,  an adult Yellow-crowned Night-Heron was sitting low on the nest:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron incubating position 12 02-20180414


I subsequently photographed eggs in the nest, but had to fly back out to Illinois to close the sale of our condo. A few weeks later I returned to Florida and found only a single immature heron in the rookery. Here it was in early July, 2018:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron immature 01-20180703

In August, 2018 it had begun to molt into adult plumage:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron sub-adult immature 20180808

I cannot say for sure that it is the same bird, but this is a sub-adult roosting very close to the nest site in the condemned tree, marked for removal (October 18, 2018):

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron in condemned nest tree 2-20181013


After the cutting, only one pair out of the several night-herons which had gathered in the damaged area stayed on and built a nest, as documented in my earlier post. A single immature bird remained to roost next to the stump of the only tree which held a nest in the previous spring. Was it the same bird? Did it hatch from the nest in the missing tree? Here it is in December, 2018. Note that its head is streaked, a feature which may persist into its second year of life:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at clear-cut edge 2-20181202
 
For weeks, it was the only immature bird in the rookery, seen here on February 12, 2019:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 20190212

As spring approaches, adults in breeding condition develop head and back (occipital and scapular) plumes. Their heads turn clear yellow and their legs become red:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 20190306

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron courtship 070756AM 20190225

This takes us up to the present. Inexplicably, on March 9, 2019,
the pair which was building the nest (as documented in my earlier post) simply disappeared. Suddenly the rookery was abandoned-- almost. The sub-adult was reliably present every day, roosting next to the site formerly occupied by the nest tree. Then it also disappeared for a few days and I concluded that the rookery had indeed been abandoned.

However, on April 16, the (same?) sub-adult reappeared. This time it was accompanied by an adult in bright breeding plumage which performed a courtship display!

Note the absence of head plumes on the female:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron sub-adult 20190416

The male has full plumes and red legs:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron adult male 02-20190416

He displayed to the somber female, and also started carrying in nesting material to an area of the rookery which was left undamaged:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron  male display 04-20190416

As a bonus, a bonded pair of Green Herons appeared. Although I failed to obtain a photo of the action, a third one showed up and was chased away. Luckily, it landed in a small tree right next to me. This is the interloper. Note yellow legs as opposed to the members of the pair, which were in breeding plumage and had red legs. The emerging leaves of the Mahogany tree enhanced this portrait:

Green Heron 03-20190416

Since I plan to be away for week after Easter, I have prepared this in advance. A few other images from the past few days--

Horned Bladderwort emerged in the lakeside marsh. This is a carnivorous plant which traps small insects and other tiny organisms, digesting them in its "bladders," underwater tubes which snap open and suck in the prey. This allows it to survive where the environment is poor in nutrition. Its foliage and seeds are poisonous:

Horned Bladderwort 03-20190413

Interestingly, another species of bladderwort, Little Floating Bladderwort, occupied the same patch of shallow open water:

Little Floating Bladderwort 01-20190413

The sky was pink before sunrise in the ATV-scarred north Wet Prairie:

North Wet Prairie before sunrise 20190409

A Solitary Sandpiper cast a nice reflection as it foraged in the tracks left by the "wreckreational vehicles:"

Solitary Sandpiper 04-20190413

At a high spot in the wetlands, the pumpkin-like fruit of a wild exotic Surinam Cherry brightened the scene:

Pumpkin Tree 20190408

Pumpkin Tree 2-20190408

= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Our World Tuesday by Lady Fi

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jesh

________________________________________________

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

________________________________________________

Thursday, April 18, 2019

The many faces of a vireo

Birds' faces are frozen in place. They cannot smile, frown or otherwise change their expressions. Yet a certain tilt of a vireo's head can cause us humans to imagine that they can.

This White-eyed Vireo emerged from a thicket for only a few seconds as I feverishly snapped a burst of photos.

White-eyed Vireo 07-20190330

White-eyed Vireo 03-20190330

White-eyed Vireo 09-20190330

White-eyed Vireo 092-20190330

White-eyed Vireo 094-20190330

White-eyed Vireo 02-20190330

White-eyed Vireo 091-20190330

Back at home, we have a new addition (besides our latest great-granddaughter!). A boater damaged the Mallard decoy which serves as a float for our lawn irrigation system, so it was replaced by a goose. No sooner had it been put into service when a Double-crested Cormorant with emerald jewel eyes found it to be a convenient roost:

Double-crested Cormorant on decoy 01-20190326

Double-crested Cormorant portrait 03-20190326

The Palm Warblers are migrating away to the north. This was the last one I saw, on March 28:

Palm Warbler 03-20190328

Palm Warbler 02-20190328

Great Crested Flycatchers are passing through...

Great Crested Flycatcher 01-20190328

...as are Northern Parula warblers:

Northern Parula 2-20190328

A Raccoon paused on its way across the path:

Raccoon 02-20190328

A Black-and-White Warbler crept along the trunk of a small tree:

Black-and-White Warbler male 04-20190328

Black-and-White Warbler male 08-20190328

Mottled Ducks were courting. Two males chased three females:

Mottled Ducks 01-20190330

Plumages of both sexes are similar. The two males have plain greenish yellow to orange bills, while the bills of the females are darker orange with black markings. The variable color of the wing speculum is due to reflection of sunlight):

Mottled Ducks 091-20190330

Two pairs of Mottled Ducks lift off. Note the color of their bills. The males are often slightly larger than the females:

Mottled Ducks 08-20190330

It was not a good day for reflections on the lake:

Mottled Ducks 04-20190330

Before sunrise on March 31, an established feral Muscovy Duck looked out of place out in the wetlands:

Muscovy Duck before sunrise 20190230

The view to the west over still water, just before sunrise:


Sky to west at sunrise 20190408
= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Our World Tuesday by Lady Fi

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jesh

________________________________________________

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

________________________________________________

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Mirrored Black-necked Stilts

A little after sunrise, the wind was calm and the sky was entirely clear. The surface of the lake mirrored the unblemished blue from above. The morning silence was broken by the strident flight calls of two Black-necked Stilts as they settled near the water's edge.

Black-necked Stilt 001-20190401

Black-necked Stilt 002-20190401

Black-necked Stilts 012-20190401

Black-necked Stilts 018-20190401

Two more arrived...

Black-necked Stilts 014-20190401

and three others joined them, seven in all:

Black-necked Stilts 004-20190401

Black-necked Stilts 005-20190401

Black-necked Stilts 007-20190401

Stilts on still water 20190401

My camera's auto-focus was confused about whether to sharpen the real or the virtual image, and I too was a bit dazzled by the sight of fourteen black and white red-legged birds. Over the open water there was no sense of depth perception and my photos appeared to be two-dimensional:

Black-necked Stilts 020-20190401

It was like spelling banana-- I didn't know when to stop!

Black-necked Stilts 010-20190401

Black-necked Stilts 011-20190401

Black-necked Stilts 009-20190401

Black-necked Stilts 008-20190401


Black-necked Stilts 006-20190401

Black-necked Stilts 022-20190401


Black-necked Stilts 013-20190401

Suddenly they flew off together and left me all alone, looking at an empty mirror:

Black-necked Stilts 003-20190401

The next day (April 2), the Sun again rose against a cloudless sky. Venus shone above the crescent Moon:

 Moon and Venus 20190402

In the semi-darkness twenty minutes before sunrise, I had set my camera at maximum sensitivity and was rewarded when an Eastern Screech-Owl decided to call from a small tree next to the path. I did not use a flash and the image is a bit soft (hand-held with an exposure of 1/20 second at ISO 16,000). Click on the photo and look closely at its eyes to see a reflection of dawn's light on the horizon:

Eastern Screech-Owl 01-20190402




 
Eastern Screech-Owl EYE-20190402

= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Our World Tuesday by Lady Fi

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jesh

 ________________________________________________

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

________________________________________________