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.