Call me lazy, but I like to pick a shady spot and just wait for the birds. This technique works best during migration, when it is impossible to know exactly where a warbler might appear. So, it makes sense for me not to waste the energy looking for them and just let them come to me. Actually there is a rationale for this approach, as birds evolved to notice and react to every little movement in sight. If you stay in one spot they tend to settle down in a few minutes and go about business as usual.
This is exactly what I did this fall. After getting my aerobic walk into the wetlands I dropped behind Mary Lou and headed down along the levee that borders the "wild side" of the canal across from our subdivision. One cloudless morning the sky was bright about 15 minutes before sunrise. At first, only the mockingbirds and catbirds were active.
A Gray Catbird flew in and roosted on a small dead tree only about 20 feet in front of me:
Within minutes the first warbler showed up, a female Common Yellowthroat...
...followed by a feisty sub-adult male yellowthroat:
Slight movement in the bushes revealed a Black-throated Blue Warbler, which then stepped out into the first morning rays:
A female American Redstart (we call the females "yellowstarts") was very hard to follow as it scurried erratically between the branches, stopping, starting and changing direction every second:
The redstart's color seemed to change when I processed the photos for "warm" shade or "cool" sunlight:
A male redstart, wet either from a bath or showered by the morning dew that coated the leaves, flared its colorful tail as it foraged in the branches:
I caught a brief glimps (and only one photo) of a Yellow-throated Warbler:
A Palm Warbler captured a juicy dragonfly...
...and paused to enjoy the repast:
A Prairie Warbler looked like a little stuffed toy:
Northern Waterthrushes joined the other warbler species in the understory:
Another streaked warbler species, the Ovenbird, foraged on the ground:
The Ovenbird was aware of my presence and periodically craned its neck to watch me...
...before returning to its task of turning over every leaf in sight:
A small flock of Magnolia Warblers passed by:
The Magnolias preferred to glean the topmost branches of a Live Oak:
Black-and-White Warblers searched for spiders in the bark crevices:
Black-throated Green Warblers were a "first" at our birding patch:
Northern Parulas have quiet ways and a subtle beauty:
Fall migration is not only about warblers, but I'll save the rest of the story for another post.
For this week's REFLECTION we saw a patch of mangroves reflecting in the bay at Fort Lauderdale:
Our front gate before sunrise provides a SKY and a FENCE (or at least the beginning of one!) with the crescent Moon and, above it, Venus still visible:
On the opposite horizon, a "false sunrise" brightens the pre-dawn sky over the Everglades. The rays of the sun, broken by clouds over the Atlantic Ocean and converging to the west, reflect off moisture and dust in the cloudless atmosphere:
Linking to I Heart Macro by Laura ________________________________________________ Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display ________________________________________________
On our last day in Illinois our granddaughter Graciela finally had time to get out on a bird walk. Between school and volleyball practice and games (and homework) there never had been enough time and she was getting desperate. We visited Nelson Lake/Dick Young Marsh in Batavia, beginning at 9:00 AM. I brought along recordings of some common birds, hoping to enhance her experience. She wanted me to try and photograph all of her sightings, including bugs and flowers, and even a dead Northern Short-tailed Shrew! I followed her orders. Later she e-mailed me her commentary (italicized here) to accompany the photos. When Graci reads this post she will also learn the answer to a puzzle she inspired me to solve!
"Hunting Princess:"
Entrance Sign:
Graciela writes:
The last day Granma and Grampa were here (before heading back to Florida) I requested a bird walk. My sister had a volleyball game, but I wasn’t really interested in going. I requested the place where we saw the Bobolink. Granma wanted to see Cari play, so it was just me and Grampa. Before setting out on the walk, we made a quick pit stop and checked a trail map. After confirming the trail, we began to walk. Prairie Pothole:
Northern Harrier male "Gray Ghost":
At first, we didn’t see many birds, but we did see other things. I spotted a moth crawling on the ground. Curious, I looked closer. I realized, with amazement, it was being dragged by an ant! I called back Gramps, who had gone farther up the trail, to come look at what I found. He was amazed and told me that I had a good eye.
Watching an ant carry a moth:
Monarch butterfly:
We continued to walk, the sun beating down on us the entire time. We passed by a side trail, and I noticed a bird flutter down the trail. Grampa saw it too. He set up his camera and got ready. When the bird didn’t move, I began to cautiously move down the trail. Gramps followed, and suddenly, the bird popped out of hiding and went into a nearby tree.
American Goldfinch:
Swamp Sparrow:
Palm Warbler:
Tennessee Warbler:
After getting some good shots along the way, we decided to head farther down the trail, into the woods.
Canada Geese:
Pearl Crescent butterfly:
Common Buckeye butterfly:
Orange Sulphur butterfly:
In the woods, I saw a frog hop across our path. We heard sandhill cranes calling, downy and hairy woodpeckers chattering and drilling, black-capped chickadees singing, as well as other bird calls. Downy Woodpecker:
Red-bellied Woodpecker:
Black-capped Chickadee:
We called in the famous upside-down bird, who, I’m telling the truth, literally landed on a branch right above Grampa’s head! My eyes went wide and I pointed at the bird. Gramps turned around, sadly scaring the bird. Excited, he got out his camera, but the bird decided to have some fun. It flew back and forth, sometimes hiding in the leaves. Eventually, it got bored, so it then landed upside-down on a nearby trunk, going in circles up and down. While the bird was doing that, we managed some pictures.
Looking for the nuthatch:
White-breasted Nuthatch:
We continued on our way, meeting a family and their dog. After a conversation, we went our separate ways. Me and Gramps came across a tree, which housed some northern flickers. We successfully called in those, complete with photos.
Northern Flicker:
Shadow Darner:
New England Aster:
There was also a morning glory, which lives up to its name.
Morning Glory growing through the fence :
Flying Grasshopper:
We continued following the path, then followed another path that went to the main trail. I noticed something…. odd. I leaned close to inspect it, and freaked out. It was something dead. Grampa said it was like a field mouse, but not the first he’s seen. Apparently, something was killing them, but what? It couldn’t be an owl. It could be a cat. Perhaps, a disease?
[Ken here-- Over the years I have encountered several dead shrews along the paths at Nelson Lake. It was a mystery to me why they had not been consumed by predators or scavengers. They must have been killed and left there in plain sight, but why? Graci took this on as a puzzle which needed to be solved. I haven't told her yet but... Happy to say, I think I found the key to the mystery, thanks to Wikipedia. The shrews have scent glands which repel many predators and they may simply refuse to eat them! From Wikipedia--"It is notable in that it is one of the few venomous mammals... Three well-developed scent glands are present, one on each side of the animal and one placed ventrally; the scent may be used for marking territories, though the shrew's sense of smell is thought to be poor... The saliva of the northern short-tailed shrew contains a kallikrein-like protease, used to paralyze and subdue its prey... The toxin is strong enough to kill small animals, up to sizes somewhat larger than the shrew itself, and results in painful bites to humans who attempt to handle the shrew... This shrew is consumed by many predators: trout, snakes, raptors, canids, cats, mustelids, skunks, raccoons, and opossums, though mammalian carnivores appear to be deterred by the musky odor produced by the shrew's scent glands."] Northern Short-tailed Shrew:
We reached the main trail, and headed back to the car. There was still some time before Cari’s game was over. I asked if we could go to the bridge, and so we did. When I opened my door, I noticed a millipede. Grampa got some good pics. Being careful not to squish it, I climbed out.
Millipede in parking lot, east side of Nelson Lake:
We met up with the same family, and the father said there was a pigeon in the crumbling silo. He wasn’t kidding. There was a pigeon in there! Because of the light reflecting off the grate, Grampa had trouble getting a good view.
Rock Pigeon behind protective grating at base of old silo:
View from Audubon Bridge at Nelson Lake:
Interesting clouds over the perimeter path:
Silo at Nelson Lake east side:
At the bridge, there was nothing of interest there. A few crows and a blue jay were all that could be heard. Disappointed, we went back to the car. We then went to get gas and swap places as mom was just starting to drive back from the game-- me, heading to my mom’s car, and Granma, heading to join Grampa in the Caddie. Cari’s team won!
"Secrets of the Soils:"
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Linking to I Heart Macro by Laura ________________________________________________ Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display ________________________________________________
