Blue Heron Preserve

Common yellowthroat

      Many of the wildlife preserves here in Florida are man-made habitats which are a byproduct of the development of water treatment plants.  Such is the case with Blue Heron Preserve in Titusville, FL.  When we first began to winter down here, Blue Heron was on our "must go-to" list.  It was one of the premier spots to see and photograph nesting Great blues and Anhingas.  Purple gallinules were also a fairly sure bet and Least bitterns could also be found.  Then, for whatever reason, the area declined.  It does not appear to have been the result of any mismanagement on the part of the plant, but was perhaps simply a case of the birds relocating due to subtle changes in the environment resulting from natural causes like hurricanes.

Palm warbler

     Last year, we began to hear great things about the preserve once again and decided to pay it another visit this week.  Among our targets for this trip were the Black-bellied whistling ducks.  While being found throughout the state, they are localised and often difficult to find outside of a few well-known areas.  This is the first time that I've heard of them hanging out here, however.  The whistlers are known for spending most of their time on dry land.  Unlike most other ducks, they will be near water but more often stay on shore rather than getting their feet wet.

DC Cormorant

       As we began our drive around the impoundments, we were greeted by the ubiquitous yellow-rumps and Palm warblers - MANY of them!  At this time of year, the most of the males have lost their striking breeding plumage and are somewhat drab.  The yellow rump patch in the same named bird is always striking regardless of season, however, and these birds were no exception to the rule.  The Palms were (as mentioned earlier) quite "tame" and not afraid to pose for the camera a close range.

     Double-crested cormorants and anhingas were found on the truncated dead palms in the process of scouting out possible nesting sites or simply taking a break.  It's a little early in the season for the cormorants to be in the breeding frame of mind and the two crests which will appear as mating time comes closer were not seen on these birds.  Before long, however, the tufts of feathers will begin to show from the tops of the heads and the eye color as well as the color of the inside of their bills will become cobalt blue.

     As we continued around the drive, we noticed a dike up ahead which spanned the two major water bodies.  It was prime habitat for the whistling ducks if indeed they were on the site.  We approached with eager anticipation and were soon rewarded with a sighting I've rarely encountered.  No fewer than 150 of the Black-bellied whistling ducks were strolling along in the high grass.  With water on both sides, we did not see a single whistler in the ponds.  We could hear an occasional whistle emanating from several of the ducks, but other than that there was not much activity.  Most were content to sit in place and relax in the relative warmth of the day.

Black-bellied whistling ducks

     As we headed north back to our condo, we decided to make one more stop at Riverbreeze Park in Oak Hill.  The site has provided us with some wonderful views of Yellow-crowned night-herons in the past.  Each January for the past several years, the birds congregate on a small island just off shore and within 50 yards of the fishing pier.  When we arrived, we found no fewer than 16 of the birds right where they were last January.  It seems that you have to catch them at this time of year, for in the past by February they are no longer on site.  I've not looked for these birds earlier in the day, and it may well be that they are coming in to catch the last rays of the setting sun.  The dark side of the island is basically devoid of the birds, so they are obviously attracted to the warm sunny side.  After watching and photographing for about a half hour, the sun began to set and some of the birds took flight.  I wonder if they all will leave after sunset and head to an alternate roost for the night.  We will visit again in the near future and see if they continue or vanish after several weeks.