Jubilee

The late Florida naturalist Archie Carr once wrote of what he referred to as a "Jubilee". Although Carr's "Jubilee" involved masses of small sea creatures teeming up from the sea and our "Jubilee" occurred in the impoundments of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Reserve, there are still striking similarities. Carr's phenomenon resulted in hordes of human fishermen descending upon the stranded masses and scooping up their bounty by the bucketful. The "Jubilee" we witnessed at Merritt Island on the other hand had fishers of the avian kind. Literally thousands of White pelicans, Roseate spoonbills, Blue-winged teal, Great and Snowy egrets as well as cormorants, Wood storks and American wigeons were crowded in elbow to elbow (or wing to wing) jostling for position and gorging themselves with the small fish that had filled the impoundment. Why so many bait fish were concentrated into this one impoundment was beyond us, but the reason for their presence was of little concern to the hungry birds congregating to partake of the feast. In just a short period of time, the White pelicans will have headed north and we will not see them again for another year. We surmised that this was a "staging" area and that the pelicans were preparing for the journey north. For whatever reasons, it was a sight to behold and one we will surely not forget for a long time.

Bitterns

Bitterns are among the most ellusive birds in North America. According to Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion, the American bittern has a "penchant for ridged immobility and a flair for not being seen". Those of us who have heard the bird's "thumper pumper" call and been so frustrated by not being able to find the bird among the reeds know what Dunne is talking about. The least is at minimum just as secretive, but the fact that he is so much smaller than the American makes him even more difficult to find. And so, on this day in March in Florida, when both bitterns were found and photographed by yours truly, the day was all the more special. Both birds turned up in Viera Wetlands north of Melbourne. We were on day 2 of a five day trip with the Mearns Birding Club from Orange County New York. The Least was a life bird for several of us and it was the first time I was able to get a decent photograph of the bird. Having people around us to share the experience with made for great day.

Networking

For those of us who keep life-lists or those who simply want to see new birds for the aesthetics of it, the networks established by the birding community have become all-important. Today, our target bird was the elusive Red-cockaded woodpecker. The chain of events leading to this bird included e-mailing for information to several local Audubon clubs, a couple of phone calls to local naturalists, suggestions from people as far away as New York, and finally a most helpful lead provided by the Sebastian River State Park here in Florida. We were here at the wrong time of day as the birds would surely have left their nest cavities and would be scattered over a large range foraging. But fate was on our sides today and shortly after we entered the woodlands, my wife called out that she had a woodpecker in her binoculars with "no sign of red". We scampered over to her side, and sure enough, we found not one but three Red-cockaded woodpeckers working the pines on either side of the trail. We had (with the help of many others) found our target within the first 1/2 mile of our search. Without networking, we would have been hard-pressed to even know where to start.

The Heart of Florida

We ventured inland to the St. John’s River today. Much of the river, often called the “River of Lakes” has been altered to make it possible for larger ships to navigate its waters, but there are many stretches where the river remains much the same as it has been for hundreds of years. These waters serve as home to some of Florida’s most beautiful and elusive species. On the river today, we spotted our first Purple gallinule of the year as well as several fine looks at the American bittern and the usually elusive Limpkin. An added bonus for Florida birders at this time of year is the fact that many of these birds are heading into the breeding season. Courtship displays, spectacular breeding plumages, and actual mating behavior adds to the enjoyment of our “sport”. You cannot be on the St. John's River and not feel that you are experiencing the true “heart of Florida”.

Once in a great while

We have certain birds which we always look for and rarely find. We may hear their song or call, we may have heard reports of their presence, or we may simply be hoping they are around because we know that we are in the correct habitat. One of these birds for us is the elusive American

bittern. While birding Merritt Island in Florida with the Halifax River Audubon club, we happened upon a bittern which was more than occupied with his hunting for supper and could have cared less about our presence. He posed, stalked, seized his prey, and then began the entire process once again as we watched and photographed this beautiful specimen. As hard as we try to find our favorite birds, it often happens that they choose the time and place when you will be treated to such a sight. After 5 minutes or so, the bittern quietly moved back into the reeds. When and where will we see another example as fine as this bird?

Had a couple of nice outings over the past two days with some birds appearing to make it onto the Bakers' "Year-list". On Sunday evening, we joined the Halifax River Audubon chapter for some late afternoon birding below the Dunlawton Bridge in Port Orange. After exchanging "pleasantries" with a "fisherman" (notice the quotation marks......he didn't exhibit the characteristics we usually associate with those true sportsmen) who decided that "Bird Island" was a fine place to have his dog jump out and deficate, we finally got down to some excellent birding. Watching the birds come in for their evening roost is always a joy, but tonight, we were treated to an extra special show. Two Yellow-crowned night herons decided to come in a little earlier than normal and posed nicely for us in the twilight. A pair of immature little blues in their white plumage were seen following their parent around the river, trying to learn their survival techniques. All in all, an most enjoyable evening.

The following morning, we were up and out heading down to Merritt Island NWR. There is talk of the feds taking this incredible birding site and plowing it under to make a commercial flight zone. God help us. If some of the politicians who are supporting this had been with us on our trip around Biolab road and Black Point Drive yesterday, they would think twice about coming up with an idotic plan like this. We had close to 50 species and wonderful courtship displays by a number of these beautiful birds. A fantastic day in a fantastic place.......

Lake Woodruff Drive-thru

We had the opportunity to join a "caravan" around Lake Woodruff NWR, one of our favorite spots to bird in EastCentral Florida. Many of the participants were members of our "club-away from home" the West Volusia Audubon. Though overcast and threatening to rain most of the trip, we did manage to get great sightings of several Soras working the edge of the canals, two pairs of nesting Sandhill cranes, many pied-billed grebes (more than I've ever seen in one outing) and the usual large numbers of herons and egrets. One Great egret was especially kind and gave us a very close fly-by for the camera. As we finished up the trip, the rains finally arrived as if on cue. A very cooperative venture from Mother Nature.

Scrub jays

One of our favorite species of birds is the Florida scrub jay. They are fiercely territorial, and yet if you enter their "space", they will more than likely first scold you and then land on you looking for a handout. They are handsome birds with their deep azure hues contrasting with splashes of white. Their beauty is only matched by their wit. Being Corvids, they are among the more "intelligent" birds. You can watch them bury an acorn for future use and then mark the spot with a stick or piece of debris they find along the roadside. These birds are limited in range, however, by their habitat. They absolutely rely on the scrub habitat such as we visited today in Deltona, and sadly there is precious little of this kind of land left. What a great thing to see the state of Florida and the interested stewards of the Volusia Land Acquisition and Management team step up to the plate and make sure that there is still a place for these incredible birds to thrive.

Florida hospitality

After missing the "target" several days ago, I decided to once again head out to Orlando Wetlands Park, home to the rare Black-bellied whistling duck. The original report was found on the Florida "Rare bird alert", but I later found out from talking to the manager of the site that the whiistling duck has in fact been a regular at the park since 2003. It was an early morning and a long walk out to the site where the ducks had been found in recent days, but it was all worth it. No fewer than 50 of the ducks were congregated at the spot where forman Mark had predicted. After watching and photographing these wonderful fowl, I turned to leave and found that Mark had come out to the site to check on me and find out if I had found them.....Fllorida hospitality, from Mark and from the Black-bellied whistling ducks.

Another day in paradise

Had a fine two days with over 75 species being tallied at Merritt Island and Viera Wetlands Refuges. Our best finds of the two days included a Short-tailed hawk (life bird for us), nice close-up views of a young Crested caracara, a feeding limpkin, several clear views of Loggerhead shrikes, and nice shows by several Florida scrub jays. Among the “also-rans” were the Reddish egret (along with all the other more common egrets and herons) and really close views of several hundred Sandhill cranes. As I write this note, I’m looking out the front window of our condo at well over a hundred gannets peppering the surfaces of the Atlantic from high altitudes in a feeding frenzy. Just another day in paradise.

Coastal birds II

A brief foray out onto the beach before today's shuttle launch provides me with plenty of subjects to photograph under bright Florida sunshine. The common visitors outside our doors include sanderlings, willets, ring-billed and herring gulls, ruddy turnstones, and Royal terns. Further out in the water, Brown pelicans, ospreys, and Northern gannets cruise over the water in search of their next meal. There is always action along the coast.

A Lifer

As we head south into Florida, we decide to take a detour off I-95 and head towards St. Augustine. The RBA for Florida has reported a "life bird" for us, the Brown booby, which had been seen on and off over the course of the past month at the fishing pier. With hopes high and thrilled to be off the dreaded interstate, we are full of anticipation as we finally locate what we hope is the reported site. As we enter the head of the boardwalk out to the pier, camera and binos in hand, the attendant says, "I'll bet you're here for the bird." We respond that we are and she responds, "Well, the bird is here today." We virtually run out to the end of the pier and find the little booby sitting and quietly preening itself on the railing. Apparently, the bird has grown accustomed to its new surroundings and appreciates the scraps of fish and bait left behind and often offered to the booby by the fishermen. The bird is perfectly positioned as far as lighting and procedes to pose for us as if on command. Ah, if it were only this easy to find all those "life-birds" we see posted on RBAs. And this is just the beginning......

Migrating

Several days ago, we were in transit. Our winter home is in the "Sunshine state" of Florida, and each year, we migrate along with the birds to a warmer climate. The birds are driven by hunger and the need for an ample food supply. We, on the other hand, are not moving south for the sake of our survival, but rather for our own comfort and the joy of watching the birds of our southernmost states. On the way down, we generally stop at a number of wildlife refuges. This trip, we treated ourselves to visits to two new ones for us......Alligator River NWR and Mattamuskeet NWR, both in North Carolina. Neither refuge disappointed us. Migratory waterfowl as well as traditional southern shorebirds were in abundance. One of the most amazing sights was at Alligator River where we viewed over 2000 Tundra swans from the far north all amassed in several shallow impoundments. Viewing through the scope was incredible, but when several took flight and flew directly over our heads, it was a sight not to be forgotten. If this is a sign of things to come, it should be an incredible three months in the south.