Thursday, December 26, 2019

Birding before Christmas

The week before Christmas has kept us busy with choir practices and performances. Birding does not interfere with this schedule as we usually walk out into the Wounded Wetlands well before sunrise and are free for the rest of the day... except that record rainfall has intervened. 

We totally missed getting out on December 18, 19 and 21. On December 20 we drove over to nearby Chapel Trail Nature Preserve in mid-morning, between showers. Convenient parking and and shelters along the boardwalk are attractive features on rainy days. 

It turned out to be  a great day to be there, as a lingering migratory Magnolia Warbler was present...

Magnolia Warbler COREL 01-20191220

Magnolia Warbler COREL 03-20191220

...as were other warblers, a female Northern Parula...

Northern Parula COREL 01-20191220

...a Black-and-White Warbler...

Black-and-White Warbler COREL 20191220

...and a female Downy  Woodpecker who was so close that she did not fit into my viewfinder:

Downy Woodpecker female portrait COREL 20191220 

The chatter of hundreds of Tree Swallows brightened the somber sky:

Tree Swallows 02-20191220

In the adjacent pasture, a Cattle Egret accompanied our favorite Longhorn cow:

Cattle Egret with Longhorn Cow COREL 02-20191220

On the next day we had record-breaking rainfall which caused local flooding along the Atlantic Coast. On December 22, a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird visited our back yard feeder. She seemed to have displaced the male which arrived a week or two earlier. These photos were taken through a rain-streaked window:

Ruby-throated Hummingbird female 02-20191222  

Ruby-throated Hummingbird female 01-20191222

The Bald Eagles are now sitting on one or more eggs which we believe should hatch around January 4th. During a break in the showers I visited the nest, but the incubating adult was so deep down that I never saw more than the top of a white head. Despite the soggy turf in front of the nest, I got down low to obtain a decent side view of a tiny (about 2 cm) Dainty Sulphur:

Dainty Sulphur COREL 20191222 

Getting up was more difficult than laying down! I knelt for  this shot of a chummy pair of slightly larger (2.5 cm) Barred Yellows on a Largeflower Mexican Clover blossom:

Barred Yellows on Largeflower Mexican Clover 20191222

On December 23, the day started clear and I reached the rookery at sunrise:

Rookery at Sunrise 20191222

I found three adults and one immature Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. Adult:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 20191222

Immature Yellow-crowned Night-Heron:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron immature in the dark 20191222

Clouds suddenly gathered, and not wanting to chance being caught in a rain storm a mile and a half into the wetlands, we cut the walk short. The shower was brief, so we visited Chapel Trail for a second time. We were rewarded with more warblers...

...another Northern Parula, this time a male in a Red Maple which retained some of its leaves...

Northern Parula 02-20191223 

Northern Parula 03-20191223

...a Palm Warbler in a Bald Cypress, which also waits until spring to shed its needles:

Palm Warbler 01-20191223

...and a Yellow-rumped Warbler:

Yellow-rumped Warbler 01-20191223

Another Yellow-rump (aka Butter-Butt) on the boardwalk displayed its namesake backside:

Yellow-rumped Warbler in flight 20191223

There were Blue-gray Gnatchatchers...

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 01-20191223

...and I captured a rare image of a Gray-headed Swamphen in flight:

Gray-headed Swamphen2  COREL 20191223

A cool front passed through and the sky was clear before sunrise on Christmas Eve. In a dark and starry sky, the Cold Moon had waned to a crescent:

Old Cold Moon crescent 20191224

A Great Egret flew up to catch the morning rays before they reached the ground:

Great Egret before sunrise 01-20191224

A male American Kestrel looked down from his perch high atop a Royal Palm spire:

American Kestrel 02-20191224

At 8:00 AM, an hour after sunrise, I saw an unfamiliar form in the shadows along the gravel path. It was a Bobcat, likely one of the resident females. Bright sun fell on the foliage behind her, causing my subject to be underexposed. If I had taken time to increase exposure compensation, my photos might have shown the cat's green eyes:

Bobcat 01-20191224

She stopped to look at me before creeping off:

Bobcat 04-20191224

Bobcat 05-20191224

Bobcat 06-20191224

Christmas morning was overcast and cool. Highlights, among others, were--

Male Red-bellied Woodpecker:

Red-bellied Woodpecker 01-20191225

Female Common Yellowthroat:

Common Yellowthroat female 02-20191225

A year-old Bald Eagle, probably one raised in the local nest, had returned from its wanderings to the north:

Bald Eagle late juvenile 02-20191225

Four Blue-headed Vireos gathered in a Bishopwood Tree (Bischofia javanica), which was laden with fruit. I think the vireos were more interested in eating insects which were attracted to the fruiting tree:

Blue-headed Vireo 001-20191225

Blue-headed Vireo 006-20191225

Blue-headed Vireo 009-20191225


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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
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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display
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Thursday, December 19, 2019

Yellow-throated Warbler

Admittedly, I have some favorite birds among the locals we see out in the Wounded Wetlands. This one is a rather dull monochrome black and white nymph, save for a bright yellow throat which it seems so happy to display. 

It is a true "southerner" among the warblers, breeding throughout  much of the southeastern US but mostly farther north of us on the Florida peninsula. Many spend their winters here in south Florida. It is in the process of invading the more northern States. I even photographed some which were breeding near our (then) second home in northeastern Illinois. 

The Yellow-throated Warbler loves to forage high in the trees, often creeping along gleaning insects among the leaves. :

Yellow-throated Warbler 05-20191129

These elusive habits frustrate my photographic preferences. I encountered one on November 29. I had fleeting views

Yellow-throated Warbler 01-20191129

Yellow-throated Warbler 03-20191129

Yellow-throated Warbler 07-20191129

On December 8, at another location, I was surprised when one of two which were foraging in a Live Oak posed out in the open for a few seconds, enough for burst of photos. The next four were among about a  dozen which I took during a two-second interval:

Yellow-throated Warbler 01-20191208

Yellow-throated Warbler 02-20191208

Yellow-throated Warbler 03-20191208

Yellow-throated Warbler 04-20191208

It showed itself on a higher branch:

Yellow-throated Warbler 05-20191208

Yellow-throated Warbler 06-20191208

They are rather solitary, sometimes appearing in pairs, but I have never encountered them in flocks. They seem disposed to flash their golden throat patches:

Yellow-throated Warbler 04-20191209

This is my first photograph of the species, back on March 1, 2010. It was in a palm tree:

Yellow-throated Warbler 20100301

In our our south Florida neighborhood they often glean insects among the flowers and fruit of the many Royal Palms, so high up that the birds are difficult to spot:

Royal Palm 20191129

Royal Palms carry clumps of both male and female flowers (the latter are to the left) in the same tree, along with ripening nut-like fruit. 

Royal Palm flower 20170121

The wispy male flowers attract many insects. Pollen sometimes covers the ground beneath a Royal Palm, "Florida snow:"

Royal Palm pollen 20170121

Here is MaryLou walking out in front of me with her flashlight just before 6:00 AM on December 11, nearly an hour before sunrise. I took this photo with my new iPhone 11 Pro Max. The gravel road is lined with Royal Palms and the Full Cold Moon was setting in front of us. It was almost pitch dark save for the waning moonlight. Remarkably, the low-light resolution of this camera even captured the stars in the sky (click on image for enlarged view):

Walking in 0559AM 20191211

Here is an iPhone photo of the pine bank in the lake at 6:47 AM that morning, looking westward about five minutes before sunrise:

Pine Bank iPhone 20191208


= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

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

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