A gathering of Killdeers

When wild creatures exhibit unexpected behaviors it triggers our curiosity and challenges us to understand the reason. It's tempting to interpret things anthropomorphically, in terms of what we humans do. (Ironically, we often find it more difficult to justify some of the actions of our own species.)

While in New Mexico I remember a large raucous flock of American Crows clustered in a tree along the Rio Grande River. I noticed that all their beaks were pointing towards one spot, occupied by a Bald Eagle.

Here in our local south Florida wetlands preserve, a few Blue Jays suddenly assembled in a treetop and within minutes their urgent calls attracted a large flock.  I assumed they were mobbing a raptor, most commonly a Red-shouldered Hawk or maybe a Merlin.

However I could find no trace of such a predator. Then they stopped calling and quickly dispersed. Was this actually some kind of readiness drill, a way to muster up all the jays within earshot to assure they will be prepared for a real emergency? Or was it simply a neighborhood social gathering, a "meet and greet" occasion?



It is understandable when a Blue Jay confronts an American Kestrel...





...but why did this one attack a Great Egret?





This week on September 7, as we were walking out in dark twilight before sunrise, I heard Killdeers calling up ahead. It appeared that a pair had been visited by an unwelcome interloper. The two ganged up on it (him?) and appeared to drive it (him?) away:



The next morning I was surprised to see that three Killdeers were confronting a fourth one whose puffed-up feathers made it appear bigger than them. It engaged in a brief physical encounter with one of the three and one flew off-- was it the interloper?:





The remaining three took flight, calling loudly. Was this a victory lap?

 



Of course I have no earthly idea as to how to interpret what I saw. The sexes are similar, it is not this species' normal breeding period, I do not know if a bonded pair or a family was involved in the encounter, but it certainly was unusual and interesting! (Also, the grammar is confusing-- a couple of Killdeers or a flock of Killdeer?)

The rising sun gilded the distant clouds over the southern horizon, providing a backdrop for a line of storm clouds passing closer by:



The view to the north before sunrise:





Manicured lawns and uniform white metal fences distinguish the "civilized" side of the canal from the Wounded Wetlands to the right:



Ovenbirds usually arrive in good numbers by the second week in September, but I only saw one and it was very shy and retiring. This was the best I could do. Luckily I was able to focus on its eye:



Among the warblers, the American Redstart can be most exasperating to see and photograph. This one  darted rapidly and erratically through the dense foliage of a Live Oak, flashing the bright patches on his wings and tail. This imperfect photo of an adult male offers a glimpse of his dynamic beauty:



A female American Redstart (or first year male which is nearly identical) provided me with a better view. She is yellow where the male is red or orange, and is quite beautiful:



As you may have surmised from the foregoing discussion, birding was slow this past week. I missed reaching my "Minimum Daily Requirement" of 20 species almost every morning. However, migration should pick up in the coming days. In  the meantime, some non-avain critters attracted my attention.

The Halloween Pennant, true to its name, chooses the tip of the highest perch:



This habit was the undoing of this pennant, as an immature Green Heron offered it a resting place on the tip of its bill. The heron seemed to anticipate the outcome as the dragonfly approached:







Despite Florida's fame for harboring a large number of exotic plant and animal species, Scarlet Skimmer (Crocothemis servilia) dragonflies have the honor of being our only introduced dragonfly. The male is brilliant red:



The female Scarlet Skimmer is cloaked in gold:



Dragonlets are small skimmers. This is the Band-winged Dragonlet, male...



...and an androgynous female (most females do not have the banded wings characteristic of the males):



Heading out now-- migration radar looks good at 6:00 AM September 12. Our home is at the red + sign, in the green (incoming) zone :

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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

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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

 Linking to Fences Around the World by Gosia

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

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