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

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Anhinga

As can be best determined, the Anhinga no longer breeds in Oklahoma, but once did so.  Foremost authority on breeding birds, data from the late George Miksch Sutton listed this bird as a breeder in 1937 in McCurtain County, most likely at Red Slough WMA which did not exist then.  After a period of time, the bird was sighted by a well-known biologist at Red Slough in 1974, when it was first recorded on eBird, still observed recently as a species.

There were later breeding records in Sequoyah County from 1971 to 1972(last seen as a species in 2014 via eBird), and at Little River NWR from 1991-1993( last seen May of 2018 as a species via eBird).

The snake-bird is uncommon, and found in wooded swamps, as well as along canals and ponds.  They tend to form small groupings, roosting in trees over water.  It has the attributes of both diving and water birds, which serve it well.  They are often confused with cormorants, but are much larger and have a thinner build.

                                                                 Male Anhinga
                                                      Estero Llano Grande, TX 2017

Male water crows are beautiful in breeding plumage with green lores, a black crest and silver offsets on the wings and upper back.  The body appears to look like a glossy greenish black.   While submerged in water, often the head and bill are the only parts of the bird seen.  The tail is used as a fan-shaped rudder.

As breeding birds, they are colonial with nests no greater than a dozen, anywhere from six to twenty feet over water.  Branches, twigs and leaves are used for construction from substrate to lining.  Nest sites are sometimes reused over the years.

These monogamous birds breed in their second or third year.  Males establish territory by taking old nests or building new framework.  They will display upon these structures by bowing, wing-waving, and feather ruffling.  Females respond to the nest and repeat this behavior.  Pairing occurs shortly thereafter, as well as copulation.  The male will gather nesting material and the female places it where she will.  A few days later after construction is complete, egg laying begins.  Hatchlings are bald, but begin to gain a tan down in a couple of weeks, followed by a white one.

These neotropical migrants only migrate if in the extreme north and south of their ranges.

Hanging Out In the Lower Rio Grande Valley with the Birds:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2017/02/representatives-of-days-3-through-5-in.html

Representatives of Days 3 Through 5 In the Lower Rio Grande Valley

                                                                     Harris's Hawk

                                                                Black-necked Stilt

                                                                   Belted Kingfisher

                                                             Zebra Heliconian

                                                                        Merlin

                                                                 Vermilion Flycatcher

                                                                 Green-winged Teal

                                                                   Adult Male Anhinga

                                                             Juvenile or Female Anhinga


01-16 through 01-18-17

Now comes some of the meat and potatoes.  The days are longer and we even ran into a
Night-Heron colony.  For those of you that are not aware, Night-Herons are shunned and driven
away by herons, as they tend to eat heron eggs as well as young.  So both species will co-exist
peacefully by themselves.  The Anhinga was also nearby, too.

The Harris's Hawk family, meaning specific family members, such as a set of parents and their young
will stay together after one season.  The whole family can be found hunting together, just like birders.
Extra eyes can help, but they are also louder.  It all depends on what your end result might be.

Never fear, as there are plenty of ducks in the winter to be seen, and see, you shall.

There were many more photos, like the well-camouflaged Common Pauraque, Nutria, White-eyed Vireo, Northern Pintail, the Night-Herons, and more, but the photo files appear to be too large for blogspot posting now.  You will just have to see them in another fashion.

Happy birding!