More signs of spring

     We continue to find new signs of spring as we inch towards the official start of the season later this week.  Our weekend trips out to Viera Wetlands and Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area produced several images indicative of avian amore.  First, at Viera, we found that while in some cases the young of the Great blue herons had already fledged and the nests were bare.  Others palm tree trunks, however, were serving as platforms for the newer nests and in at least one case, we could actually see the eggs of the herons beneath the brooding mother.  Look carefully at the image below to see the eggs poking out from her side.

       Another mom tending to her nest was this Sandhill crane.  As we watched, she arose from her "nursery to be" to roll one of the eggs she was tending to.  Here again, if you look carefully at the next image, you will see her gently moving the egg about with her long bill.  There was probably a second egg in the nest as these cranes generally give birth to a pair of at a time.  Couldn't say if this was the mom or dad as both take turns tending to the incubation chores.  The eggs generally hatch in just about one month's time with the chicks leaving the next within a day or so of being born.  They will then hang out with the parents, learning how to forage and hunt for themselves.

       Some eggs have already been laid, incubated and hatched.  On the outskirts of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge,  Sharon and I found a Great-horned owl occupying an abandoned osprey nest several weeks ago.  This weekend, we were thrilled to see that the mom was no longer sitting on the nest.  She had moved over to a nearby dead tree limb while the nest was now the home to a newborn owlet.

      I must end up this installment with a caveat that all was not exactly joy, peace, and harmony in the avian world of love and child rearing.  Territorial battles are common as birds vie for nesting sites of for the attention of an attractive female nearby.  The next series of shots was taken along the edge of the "Click Ponds" at Viera Wetlands here in Florida.  As several female Boat-tailed grackles looked on with apparent "half-interest", two males with hormones raging engaged in a battle royal in the shallow water of the pond.  At first, there was posturing such that you could almost imaging one of the grackles calling out the second with some phrase like, "You want to mess with me?"

     Suddenly, one of the birds made the first move, pinning the second down in the water.

     This was followed by and explosion of roiling water as each bird violently tried to get the better of its adversary.  

     Within seconds, the battle was over with one of the birds beating a hasty retreat.  When all was said and done, the victor looked around at the audience of females which had been watching only to see that they had all walked away disinterestedly.  All for naught!  Sooner or later, I'm sure the winner will find his true love and will sire offspring of his own.  Apparently, today was not the day.

Spring is on the way

With the official beginning of spring just around the corner, signs of the season are popping up all around Florida.  While weather conditions back home in New York would suggest otherwise, here in the "Sunshine State", the avian community is gearing up for the time of year when seeking out territory, setting up nests, and mating are paramount.  Some of the birds have gotten a jump on the season and are already rearing their young.  The handsome Great blue heron family located at Viera Wetlands is obviously well on its way.

       At the same location, a pair of Anhingas was set to follow suit with their nest construction well under way and Mom possibly incubating her eggs.

     Meanwhile, over on the Gulf Coast,  a new cast of characters was moving in as birds which left their wintering grounds down in Central and South America and are heading into Florida and points north.  One of our favorite first signs of spring includes the Swallow-tailed kites.  This bird is unquestionably the most elegant of our birds of prey.  It's flight is thrilling to watch as it "glides through the air with the greatest of ease".  The nests are built in the highest of trees and are lined with lichen and spanish moss.  It would appear that this gorgeous specimen at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was heading back to its own nest with some of that material in tow.

     While birding the west coast of Florida, we also made a special effort to find one of our favorite targets, the Burrowing owl.  This slim little owl is in danger due to habitat loss.  These Florida birds have to excavate their own tunnels in what is left of open flat sandy ground and this pair has set up home in a vacant lot in Marco Island.  For those of you familiar with that area, you know it is highly developed and the use of these vacant lots by the owls is about the only suitable territory in the area.  While nocturnal during much of the year, the owls become much more visible during the breeding season, often perched out in the open for us lucky enough to be nearby with a camera.

     Finally, we'll end this installment with a photo of one of my personal favorite signs of spring, the Northern parula.  We often hear its distinctive call before we notice the bird, but we soon see it in abundance flitting through the trees low to the ground.   One of our most colorful warblers, we are always thrilled to welcome this harbinger of the season.