Current Topic: Kingfishers

Rain Won’t Stop the Birding

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Rain does not always ruin a birding day. I recently came back from a photographic trip in Florida where the weather started out very iffy. We arrived early on Saturday and went right into bird-mode. One of our stops for the day was Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, which recently opened up last summer. We decided to go there when the skies started to darken. It was the perfect stop for a rainy afternoon since we could stay protected in the car.

Pied-billed Grebe

Pied-billed Grebe surrounded by rain drops

Most of the birds just continued with their normal routines, feeding in the marsh.

American Coots

American Coots

Purple Gallinule

This Purple Gallinule came out for a quick view

Common Gallinule

Common Gallinule with its tail up

Others waited outside of the water for the rain to stop.

Little Blue Heron

Little Blue Heron on the bank

Great Egret

Great Egret waiting on concrete

Anhinga

Soaked Anhinga drying on the rocks

Anhinga

Anhinga waiting for the rain to stop

Anhinga

Drying its wings before jumping down

The rain started to calm down not long after we began the drive, but was still falling enough to get our gear wet if we left the car, so many shots were taken from a higher angle.

Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis as the rains calm down

Tri-colored Heron

Tri-colored Heron hunting nearby the Ibis

White Ibis

White Ibis drying off

It did eventually stop, however, the skies remained overcast for the rest of the drive. That certainly did not stop us from getting low to photograph birds for the remainder of the drive.

Blue-winged Teal

Blue-winged Teal in overcast light

Anhinga

Anhinga with a nice catch

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret resting in the water

I was able to get some great photo ops with some birds that I could not get close enough to last year. I took tons of photos of this Osprey and Red-shouldered Hawk, which may end up getting blog posts of their own in the future.

Osprey

An Osprey with a huge Catfish

Red-shouldered Hawk

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk who gave us quite a show

Cattle Egret

The Cattle Egrets were tough to photograph unless you stayed in the car

Not all of them were fully cooperative though.

Belted Kingfisher

I would rather this photo of the Belted Kingfisher include the tip of his beak

I even saw a life bird on the drive – the Fulvous Whistling Duck. Our first looks at them were all in flight until a single duck flew in, landed nearby, and interrupted our photo session with the Red-shouldered Hawk.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

This Fulvous-Whistling Duck came in close for a decent photo op

Fulvous Whistling-Ducks

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks also made a few appearances

I even photographed a new sub-species life bird, the Eastern Towhee with white eyes. The ones I am used to seeing have red eyes. The white-eyed ones are found in the Southeast and Florida.

Eastern Towhee

White eyed Eastern Towhee

Some young birds made an appearance, too.

Pied-billed Grebes

Young Pied-billed Grebes

We also photographed two American Bitterns out in the open – one was found toward the beginning of the drive and the other at the end.

American Bittern

American Bittern just after the rain calmed down

American Bittern

American Bittern photographed toward the end of the day

And, of course, there were Alligators. I photographed this one below the Osprey.

Eastern Towhee

This Alligator stole my attention for only a moment

I highly recommend this wildlife drive for anyone who finds themselves birding around Lake Apopka. The different habitats bring all kinds of great birds!

Anhinga

Anhinga drying its wings

The Comedic Sunning Bird

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Have you ever caught a bird basking in the sun? They tend to let loose like no one is watching. Feathers spread, bills wide open, wings and tails stretched out… Today’s post will be a short, comical one showing some birds who I caught looking their silliest.

Many birds find my feeder polls to be a nice spot to get some sun.

Blue Jay

Blue Jay

Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Common Grackle

Common Grackle

Others are really attracted to my shed, especially the roof.

Eastern Phoebe

Eastern Phoebe

Dark-eyed Junco

Dark-eyed Junco – notice the wing shadow

The branches on my feeders are also out in the open and a perfect spot to get some rays.

American Goldfinch

American Goldfinch

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

My local creek residents find places to sun bath after taking a dip in the water.

Gray Catbird

Gray Catbird

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

Last December, I bird-sat my friend’s Kookaburra. I put him near the front window on a very sunny day and even he enjoyed the sun for some time.

Laughing Kookaburra

Laughing Kookaburra

Laughing Kookaburra up close

He eventually closed eye lid

My Local Creek and Favorite Patch

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One of the things that I instantly fell in love with when I saw my neighborhood for the first time was the creek that runs along the road. It was in the summer, so the water flowed very peacefully. Little did I know that I would eventually become a birder and the creek would become my favorite birding patch.

Some of the regular visitors to the creek are very chatty Kingfishers.

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

And Green Herons, who I typically see flying away before I even spot them. Sometimes, they stay put.

Green Heron

Green Heron in breeding plumage

Green Heron

Green Heron, digiscoped with my Nikon EDG and Canon 7D

Great Blue Herons have been spotted a few times, even though the fish are pretty small.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

I often get waterfowl, mainly Canada Geese, Mallards and Common Mergansers.

Common Mergansers

Male and Female Common Mergansers

Common Mergansers

Two female Common Mergansers

… who also brought their families along.

Common Merganser Family

Common Merganser Family

Canada Goose Family

Canada Goose Family

I have some one-time visitors that are worth mentioning such as Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers.

Sandpipers

Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers

As well as one lone Double-crested Cormorant.

Double-crested Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

Some other nice surprises included a Veery, a very vocal Towhee and Great Crested Flycatchers.

Great Crested Flycatcher

Great Crested Flycatcher

I also often get Warblers, mostly during migration. However, the Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroats sing throughout the summer.

The best life bird I had at the creek was such a huge surprise. Before I was a birder, I adored the beauty of Cedar Waxwings. You can imagine how excited I was when I found them hawking insects at my creek. Now I get to see them all the time!

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

They would perch on the rocks and on the fallen branches that were scattered throughout. They always seemed to return to the same perches making photos pretty easy.

Cedar Waxwings

Cedar Waxwings

At one point, a bit of flooding washed away the branches, so I replaced one in their favorite spot. Not a minute later, I had a taker.

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

This past summer I found a Louisiana Waterthrush fledgling.

Louisiana Waterthrush Fledgling

Louisiana Waterthrush Fledgling

And then Mom showed up, gathering some grub. These birds were very reliable for about two weeks and very easy to spot as they pumped their butts up and down while foraging for food.

Louisiana Waterthrush

Louisiana Waterthrush

The creek gave me my first close up with Turkey Vultures, a bird who is normally seen soaring the skies. They didn’t mind my presence as long as they had their food. They were munching on the bones of a raccoon that is hidden behind a rock. The smell was awful, but the photos were well worth it!

Turkey Vultures

Turkey Vultures

And of course, it is a creek, so birds will find shallow places to bathe…

Bathing Grackles

Bathing Grackles

Bathing Birds

Bathing Robin and Catbird

… and sun bathe!

Sun Bathing Birds

Sun Bathing Kingfisher and Catbird

It’s not just the birds that I enjoy here – there are also mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects!

This summer, a pair of Beavers were spotted, but did not stick around. They had many small trees that they chomped down, but perhaps the creek was too much for them to dam up.

Beavers Pair

Beavers Pair

I often see deer crossing the water.

White-tailed Deer

White-tailed Deer

White-tailed Deer

Deer Couple

Along with many frogs and snakes that I find if I look close enough in the water.

Snake in the Creek

Snake in the Creek

Frogs

Frogs in the water

The frogs also find their way on the rocks by the dozen. I have to really watch my step sometimes because they are everywhere.

And, of course, the outdoor and feral cats that rule the neighborhood have to cross over at some point.

Cat at the Creek

Domestic Cat

All of this is seen within a quarter mile walk along (and through) the water. I really love this creek. Even on days that there are no birds or other animals, there is always something to enjoy.

Autumn at the Creek

Autumn at the Creek