Birding On a Shoestring: Brevard County Florida, Days 2 and 3

                                                           Gray Catbird among serviceberry

                                                           
                                                    Sandhill Crane (Florida Subspecies)

                                                                Boat-tailed Grackle

                                                                  Loggerhead Shrike

                                                                   Great Blue Heron
                                                                 with Armored Catfish

                                                                       Sandhill Crane

                                                                      Snail Kite

                                                                  Boat-tailed Grackle

                                                                Cape May Warbler

                                                              Red-shouldered Hawk
                                                                  Florida Subspecies

                                                                         House Wren

                                                                 Juvenile Alligators

Limpkin

                                                                        White Ibis

                                                                      American Bittern


11-18 and 11-19-18

One photo from 11-18 was taken at Turkey Creek in Palm Bay.  This bird, the Gray Catbird, was in the shadows and a very dense area with creeping vines.  It was feeding upon the fruit seen in the photo.  Also seen were the Pine and Prairie Warblers, but photo potential was non-existent due to their extreme height and bad trajectory on a boardwalk.

The Sandhill Crane was in Brevard County while enroute to Joe Overstreet Rd. and Landing.  There was a pair of them in a front yard near the street, not far from a dog.

The first Boat-tailed Grackle and Loggerhead Shrike were on private property which were pastures and on the Florida Birding Trail, also enroute to Joe Overstreet Rd..

The next five shots were taken on Joe Overstreet Road which is off Lake Kissimmee, terminating at a public boat launch.  The head shot of a Great Blue Heron with the armored catfish, or plecostomus is an aquarium invasive species, of which Florida has many dumped in their waters.  Two Sandhill Cranes flew overhead, and one of them was photographed.  Also seen and shot was the Snail Kite or everglades kite.  This bird was once losing population due to drainage of wetlands and disruption of water levels.  This in turn affected the native apple snail negatively.  Surprisingly, the invasive apple snail, another aquarium invasive, is actually responsible for causing their numbers to rise and stabilize.  I don't believe it is known how the South American apple snail is affecting native biota.

Next is the Boat-tailed Grackle in more suitable habitat, which is in a marshy area.  Also located in this area was the rare Cape May Warbler, which is usually found at the southern tip of Florida, not as far north as this location.  Also in attendance on this date was the Western Palm Warbler, Wilson's Snipe, a couple of Limpkins, and the Common Gallinule, as well as a few other birds.

Later enroute to Three Lakes around Jackson boat ramp, we discovered the Florida subspecies of the Red-shouldered Hawk, which is generally smaller than other subspecies of red-shoulder.  Also noted was a House Wren.  At the boat ramp, close shots of the Limpkin, White Ibis, and American Bittern were taken.  Other birds present were the Common Gallinule, White-faced Ibis, Wood Stork, and several other species.

Juvenile alligators were also located later after leaving Jackson boat ramp.  The small gator in the foreground was from this years hatch and the one in the rear is believed to be from last year's crop.

More photos are coming.

For more on the Florida adventure, see:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/11/florida-birding-adventure-in-brevard.html

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/12/florida-birding-adventure-in-brevard.html

Birding On a Shoestring: Brevard County Florida Day 1

                                                                      Black Vulture

                                                                 Tri-colored Heron

                                                                        White Ibis

                                                           Male Common Yellowthroat

                                                                          Anhinga

                                                        Eastern Palm Warbler (Yellow)

                                                                        Glossy Ibis

                                                               Juvenile Wood Stork

                                                                 Common Gallinule


111718- 1100-1200 hrs/partly cloudy
Viera Wetlands AKA Rich Grissom Wetlands

No sooner did we arrive in Florida, we were on our way for an adventure.  This escapade was initiated by a birding buddy that grew up in this area.  The best thing about it was that this was an expanded area, so neither one of us knew what to expect.  I believe it went above and beyond our expectations.

My experiences in Florida never included birding, as I had not been interested in it at the time, so this visit was going to mean a great deal to me for Florida birds.  Hoping that I'd get the well-known birds to the area meant that I was prepared to work for them.  There was a little disappointment that not all of them were to be discovered on this trip, but another trip would be in order, especially since I'd gained one good contact.

Viera Wetlands netted us both some great finds, especially the Wood Stork, which I had never seen before, as well as the Eastern Palm Warbler.  Even though this was our first day birding, I tried not to let our good fortune cloud my senses or uplift my spirits needlessly.

There is more to come.

For more of the Florida adventure, see:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/11/florida-birding-adventure-in-brevard_30.html

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/12/florida-birding-adventure-in-brevard.html

112518 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/lifestyles/birding-today-all-birds-molt/article_929aa816-9d89-5988-a36d-b73ba7f6d836.html

111818 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/lifestyles/life-at-boomer-lake-inclement-weather-brings-out-the-water/article_e8211895-7bfe-54c8-93a7-488065935877.html

111818 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/lifestyles/birding-today-weakening-endangered-species-act-of-affects-everyone/article_99af22d6-316a-5644-ac7c-777c91798272.html

Oklahoma Winter Bird Profile: Red-breasted Merganser

These thin, long-bodied ducks with the thin red bill and shaggy crest are definitely something to be seen.  They are found in small groups and will be observed in salt water in both sheltered coasts and bays.  They are less common inland, but will certainly make exceptions.

These birds are very similar to the Common Merganser who nests in cavities and favors fresh water.  These fish eaters are known as sawbills, as they are so equipped.  The most widespread of all the mergansers, this sexually dimorphic duck is a strong flyer, easily capable of reaching speeds of eighty miles per hour.  Unless it is breeding, it will be usually found at sea both inshore and well offshore.

This late breeder may not have fledged young until September, and it first breeds at the age of two, a notoriously late breeder.  Females incubate as the males tend to leave for points unknown in order to molt.  The species breeds further north and winters further south than the other species of mergansers.

                                                             Red-breasted Mergansers
                                                              Boomer Lake Park, 2017

Generally silent, during breeding times they have usually been found grunting and croaking.

Like the Common Merganser, these diving ducks will herd fish and drive them inland to have an easier time foraging.  They also hunt collectively.

Oklahoma Winter Bird Profile: Gadwall

A duck with a rounded head and distant plainer plumage than most, the male is gray with black tail coverts.  Only when one observes the male at a closer range, is the discovery made of his innate beauty with subtle red patches on the forewing and black bordered white speculum seen in flight.  Occasionally the white speculum attribute is missing on the female.

The female resembles a female Mallard but her thin bill is orange only on both sides.

The species is common, sometimes found in the company of the American Wigeon.  If they are located with only their species, it is generally in small numbers.  The Gadwall are dabbling ducks, but not as gregarious as most.

It appears that global warming could shrink the migratory range, simply changing it to an extended version of the winter range over the next several decades.

                                                                    Gadwall Pair
                                                           Boomer Lake Park, 2014

These ducks breed in the north central US, along the Great Lakes and in patches in the northeast.  In Canada they breed in the Boreal Forest and the southwest coastal islands.

Preferring open wetlands, marshes or grasslands with dense fringe vegetation, or even moist fields, meadows, and prairies, this is a hardier species than most.  Not only do they have greater reproductive success, but they also fare much better during drought, as they are such an adaptable species.  Even though the male tends to leave the area during incubation, the female manages quite well without him.

As opportunists, the Gadwall will sometimes steal food from coots and other ducks.  Females will store nutrients via invertebrate fuel over the winter and spring, and she will lay an egg a day for sometimes up to twelve days.

Mallards and Gadwalls will hybridize.

111118 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/lifestyles/birding-today-migration-can-be-year-round-for-some-birds/article_02a16923-f960-504c-b12a-07cd47b39f82.html

111118 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/lifestyles/life-at-boomer-lake-spotting-a-few-odd-birds/article_0d26f7e2-dc3e-5590-9b03-3b5553448768.html

Oklahoma Winter Bird Profile: Redhead

Round-headed with a gray-blue bill, a breeding male has an iridescent cinnamon head with a gray body and dark breast.  The non-breeding male is a little more subdued, but the yellow eye will always give away his identity.  The female is a plain, soft brown and the bill will give her away if no male is present.

These are common diving ducks that spend winters in Oklahoma and they tend to tolerate more shallow water than many of the diving breeds.  Most of the population winters in the Laguna Madres of Texas and Mexico, with a smaller group in Apalachee Bay, Florida with a few on the Chandeleur Islands off Baja Mexico, the Yucatan, and the Atlantic coastal region from the Mid Atlantic states southward.

These medium sized red-headed ducks have a steep forehead where the bill meets the head at a steep angle.  They can easily be located in the prairie potholes of the northern Great Plains and intermountain western marshes during breeding season.  These are common brood parasites with the female laying her eggs in the nests of many breeds, oddly even including the Northern Harrier.  Noted in the video is a courtship display where the male will pull his head backward and snap it forward, giving a call reminiscent of a cat.

                                                                       Redheads
                                                             South Padre Island, 2017

Flying faster than most ducks with a shallow and rapid wingbeat, they also fly in an erratic manner.  Gregarious by nature, they will feed with other ducks, even having been known to fly to and land beside decoys.  The red-headed pochards favor grains, grasses and select water insects, mollusks, and small fish.

Oklahoma Winter Bird Profile: Horned Grebe

Horned Grebe spring breeding plumage is something that we are not yet privy to in Oklahoma, and this video will show you how beautiful this bird looks.  It got is name from the yellow feathering behind its ears that simulate horns, which it can raise at will.

A Boreal breeder and also found in spotty locations, as a breeder in the northern US, this uncommon bird turns up here in the winter on open larger lakes as well as upon reservoirs more commonly as time progresses.  It is rarely seen on small ponds.  Generally migrating singly instead of in a flock, these waterbirds will move over landlocked areas at night.

It differs from all small grebes by the white bill tip, head pattern, and shape of the head.  It is virtually silent unless on the breeding grounds.  It is called the Slavonian Grebe in Eurasia, where it s very common.

                                                                     Horned Grebe
                                                              Boomer Lake Park, 2016

This grebe will consume some of its feathers to aid in digestion as a filter for the fish bones until they decompose.  Young grebes are fed feathers in the same manner to begin the same health cycle.

Grebes are often shown in educational material as their courtship display is so unusual.  They will rise to a vertical position with erect head feathers while they rapidly move their heads from left to right.  They will both dive for weedy nesting material, then run across the water's surface side-by-side.

The Horned Grebe can usually be observed upon winter habitat right around some of the first good cold snaps, like it was today at Boomer Lake.  It is a couple of weeks early, usually appearing in December.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: American Golden-Plover

A little smaller than the Black-bellied Plover with a small head and bill, the American Golden-Plover is a High Boreal Forest breeder.

There is a strong male bias to certain breeding territory, to which they will return for many years.

Often migrating with American Avocets and the Back-bellied Plover in the spring, its route of migration is circular, whereby they will return to the breeding grounds by a mainland route.  In the fall, it will fly offshore from the east coast of North America right to its wintering ground in central and southern South America.  However, with juveniles, it is often a different story.

These medium-sized plovers are long-distance migrants travelling between the tundra of Alaska and Canada to as far south as Brazil and Argentina for the winter months.  Not only does it have the largest breeding range of any American bird, they can fly up to 20,000 miles every year, going nonstop over the Atlantic Ocean for as much as 3500 miles.  Less than half a pound, they are the speediest flying shorebird reaching speeds of 60 mph.  In order to survive these grueling flights, they may keep seeds in their digestive tract, much like the effects of timed-release vitamins.

                                                    American Golden-Plover (Right)
                                                          Boomer Lake Park, 2013

Primaries extend well beyond the tail, and they sport a stockier appearance.  Their foraging behavior is a stop-start-run behavior, and then it will relocate elsewhere.  Their unusual capture of prey is with just a single stab of the bill.

Juveniles migrate after the adults, when they come through the Great Plains in late summer to early fall.  Some of the earlier migrating adults will arrive in their southern haunts before the juveniles have even left the tundra.

Expect these birds coming through the Great Plains in the next week to ten days.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: King Rail

These birds have a long, large decurved bill with some plumage differences in comparison to the Clapper Rail.  The coloration is more rich with a rufous upperwing.  There is also more black upperwing center with very bold flank barring.

These rails are much less common than the Clapper Rail, yet they share similar habitat, fresh as well as brackish reedy or grassy marshes where they are very secretive.  They have a nickname of marsh hen or freshwater marsh hen for this reason.  They would rather swim short distances than fly across marsh openings.  The calls are also much slower than the Clapper Rail, and the sound has been compared to the "tchuk-tchuk" calls of a stagecoach driver.

The diurnal King Rail will nest in the same area for years, and they are known to hybridize with the Clapper Rail.  The species will nest upon the ground or in the branches of the buttonbush or similar wetland shrubs.  The ground nests are concealed with a grassy semicircular or cone-shaped roof with a ramp leading to it.  It is hidden by a clump of grass just above the water.  The adults molt after nesting and will be flightless for about a month.

                                                                      King Rail
                                                        McCurtain County, OK 2016

In tidal marshes, they will feed at low tide or in shallow water where only a portion of the bill is below the surface of the water.  If they should feed away from water, they will often take their insects to the water, where they will dunk them before consuming.  They will regurgitate small pellets in owl fashion containing exoskeletal material, small crab shells, etc.

The freshwater marsh hen population appears to be declining due to loss of wetland habitat, vehicles running them over during breeding season, and pesticides.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Sora

A quail sized, stocky bird that has a high whinny can be found in any wet marshy location, like a cattail or grassy marsh.  They can be seen along edges of marshy vegetation or walking upon shallow water or mud near vegetation.

The late-moving Sora should be heading south in a week or two through Oklahoma, and bear in mind that it could be difficult to see, as they don't always come out of the vegetation, but it is very possible to hear one.  They will also use flooded fields, brackish marshes, ditches, and wet pastures.

This small water bird or rail,  is somewhat secretive and it might only show its yellow bill.  It also walks slowly like a chicken in the reedy grasses, and the short tail is frequently cocked upward.  The black mask and long toes are vey distinctive, and the body is mottled gray and brown.  The toes are used to rake vegetation so that they might locate snails, beetles, grass, rice, or sedge.  Don't let their shape fool you, as they can be speedy when they choose to do so.

                                                                      Sora (rear)
                                                         Estero Llano Grande, TX 2017

Some of these crakes winter along our southern coasts and others go as far as South America.

110418 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/lifestyles/birding-today-four-of-world-s-longspurs-in-oklahoma/article_f4b33297-bd03-5af2-86e8-b535489dcf63.html

110418 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/lifestyles/life-at-boomer-lake-local-birds-sticking-close-to-the/article_99e1cbf8-b862-559d-804e-9d4b08d643d7.html

Birds of the Sea: Common Goldeneye

Smaller flocks as well as gathering in numbers, the Common Goldeneye winters on bays, open lakes, and rivers.  Another cavity nester, the species dives for fish, insects, crustaceans, and mollusks.  They have also been known to use the same nest cavity over the years.

The species has a tall, peaked head, a round cheek patch, and the plumage patterns for the males show its coloration to be mostly white while it visits in the winter.  The female will have a mostly black bill.

A Boreal breeder, this duck can be seen wintering over the better part of the US.  A medium sized sea duck, its Latin name means "bull head," having a similar head shape to the Bufflehead.

Where nest boxes have been offered, there are population increases.  Far more prolific than Barrow's Goldeneye, the Common Goldeneye is a speedy flier known as "whistler," as its wings sound off.  They fly in small compact clusters when they are on the wing.

                                                                Common Goldeneyes
                                                             Boomer Lake Park, 2017

These diving ducks forage solely under water and first breed at the age of two.  However, first year females are on the hunt for nest sites in early summer.  Pair formation usually occurs in later winter, and several males will court the same female, much like the more common Bufflehead.  They perform many of the same rituals, including head pumps, exaggerated takeoffs and landings, etc.

It is suspected that climate change will take its toll upon breeding ranges, making them shrink as well as expanding winter ranges even more.  This cold-hardy migratory bird is aggressive and territorial, and will be highly competitive with food and nest sites.  Their breeding postures indicate the same type of behavior.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Wilson's Snipe

Stocky and long-billed, Wilson's Snipe is darker than a dowitcher, crouches more, and there is a dark stripe through the eye with lighter stripes both above and below the dark one.  They also have a white belly, dark underwings, and barred flanks.

It feeds by jerky, vertical probing and can be very inconspicuous along grassy pond edges.  They usually fly fairly high above flooded stubble fields, then suddenly plunge down to land within cover.  Depending solely on wetlands and avoiding dense, tall vegetation, this migrant will winter in both sugarcane and rice fields.

Usually found rather far from a shoreline, the breeding-aged male will stand atop fenceposts or snags bleating for a mate.

This game bird is actually quite difficult to hunt as a normal game bird.  "Sniper" actually was coined regarding this species due to its furtive nature and camouflage.  This robust shorebird will actually zigzag away when flushed.  The eyes, which are set back on the head permit binocular vision to the rear as well as superb peripheral vision (to the sides).

                                                                     Wilson's Snipe
                                                         Sooner Lake Power Plant, 2015

Once known as the Common Snipe, which is actually a separate breed in the Old World, makes an interesting drumming sound during a rapid descent from great heights.  This is caused by the wind creating rapid movement when the outer tail feathers vibrate, and is part of the species' courtship display.  It is called winnowing, and can be part of the male's or the female's repertoire.  They both will also feign a broken wing to protect the nest site, like the Killdeer.

To actually differentiate between the European Common Snipe and Wilson's, is the fact that the common has a wide white trailing edge to the wings and seven pairs of tail feathers as opposed to eight on the Wilson's.

They usually feed around dusk and dawn, sleeping the better part of the day.  One of the strongest fliers despite their ungainly appearance, they cruise at a speed of around sixty miles per hour.

Many of these birds are killed during cell/radio/television tower, building, and lighthouse strikes.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Baird's Sandpiper

This sandpiper has scaled patterns on its uppers, has buffy tones, and is generally paleheaded.  It usually has other peeps near, but tends to forage upon drier substrate.  It is very rare to find it on wet mudflats or in the water.  Baird's Sandpiper will be found as a migratory bird in the western three-quarters of the country.  It will winter from Peru to southern Argentina as a bind in dry, grassy areas near wetlands and ponds.

A medium sized shorebird, its black legs match its bill, and it is known as a peep or a stint, as are other small shorebirds.

Named after Spencer Fullerton Baird, once employed by the Smithsonian Institution and a 19th century naturalist, not only was he a museum curator, but he was well versed in nature and the expansion of the museum's collection of specimens so that we might all enjoy them.

These birds do not probe looking for food, instead picking their chosen morsels right from the surface of the ground.  The young will continue to feed mostly on insects, but they also take small crustaceans.

                                                             Baird's Sandpiper
                                                             Fort Supply 2016

In fall, adults fly from the High Arctic breeding grounds right into the Great Plains via a narrow route.  Conversely, young birds who were abandoned by their parents to migrate alone will fan out in a much broader swath, and could well even visit both the Atlantic and Pacific coastal areas.  In the spring, they will take the direct route to the breeding grounds instead of adding the extra coastal mileage.

Both Baird's and the White-rumped Sandpiper have wingtips that extend beyond the tail's end and often cross it.  If visiting a beach during migration, they are generally seen above the wrack-line, which is where debris is found after being deposited by high tide.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Common Merganser

This merganser is often confused with the Red-breasted Merganser, but is it heavier and has a thicker bill.  The non-breeding adult also has a very contrasting white patch under the chin and at the throat.  In flight, it also shows more body white.

A large duck of mountains, lakes, and rivers, the Common Merganser is a tree, under tree root, nest box, or crevice nester that eats fish or other invertebrates.  They commonly will form a semicircle, forcing fish into the shallower water, making it easier to capture them.  These elegant birds are striking, with an unusual appearance that gives them a name for bad hair days.  They tend to sit low in the water, and besides the attractive colors, they have a serrated bill that they use for holding onto assorted seafood.  These diving ducks will winter as far south as Mexico, and at one time or another spend some of their time within the US keeping away from waters that freeze.




               Common Merganser in Cardiff
                           123rf.com

The male will abandon the family once the young hatch, and the female will stay with them for about a week after they fledge.  There is a photo on the internet that shows a female Common Merganser with 76 young, but most of these were adopted or just temporarily in her care.  A hen will lay up to a dozen or so eggs.  These birds utilize a creche system, which is basically a day care center where a matriarchal female is in charge of overseeing the young.  The sawbill becomes sexually mature at two years of age.

This species is climate threatened, and like many others are expanding their range in a northeasterly direction.

These ducks have been known to swallow large fish nearly a foot in length, and in the winter, these ducks can form large rafts.  They don't move well on land, but when forced to run from a predator, they often take an upright position.

Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Lesser Yellowlegs

tu-tu

The best way to establish an identity on this bird is to remember that its shorter bill is about the length of its head.  It is also a sandpiper with a thin build, seemingly more delicate than the Greater Yellowlegs.  Primary feathers also extend to the end of the tail.  It also favors only one or two syllable phrases with a softer sound, whereas the greater utters three and four syllable phrases and it is more high pitched.

The Lesser Yellowlegs also prefer shallower water that is more grassy and less open.  They can be either solitary or in the company of other groups, often mixing with the Greater Yellowlegs, who migrates a little later.

This medium sized, long yellow legged shorebird often runs through shallow water seeking its prey in order to feed.  Its bill is also black year round and appears to be straight, whereas the Greater Yellowlegs bill is sometimes upturned.

                                                                  Lesser Yellowlegs
                                                             Boomer Lake Park, 2017

These neotropical migrants breed in the Boreal forest between Alaska and Quebec, nesting upon the ground.  Some of the birds will migrate as far as South America, but many will winter along the Gulf coast in either fresh or salt water habitat.

Both the male and the female provide care for the young, but the female often leaves the male to raise the young before they can fly.  He must then feed and defend them alone.

These shorebirds will also be affected by climate change.  They will start breeding further north, as well as wintering more north, possibly even in Oklahoma.  Their northern winter range appears to be traveling more north and east.