Wildlife in a Suburban Garden

A Grey Plover from my US trip

 

Grey Plover (Black-breasted Plover)

 

One of the advantages of bird photography in Florida and similar places is the amazing light, especially late in the evening and at dawn. Mostly, the sunshine is so intense that the camera almost gets confused by the harshness of bright and shadow. I have seen on numerous occasions that people struggle with the intense light and I can include myself among them. This picture was taken during the late afternoon when the sun was setting in the East (of course) and with the sun over my shoulder, it was hard, but not impossible to freeze the action of this fast flying species. The bird is a Grey Plover, known in the US as a Black Bellied Plover. This is a very widespread species that can be found wintering not only on the beaches of Florida but also here in the UK as well as Australia too. I saw them on the beaches of Broward County whenever I looked, and in the winter that is always the case. By April and May they are not so easy to find, by then, adult birds have returned on the long distant migration back to the Arctic and their breeding grounds but first year birds may remain "down-south" until their second year.

On the way home.

Here we are sat in the departure lounge at Fort Lauderdale International Airport....... holiday over!  What a great morning though, lots of tales to tell and dramas to recount.

Jenny and Chas after a great holiday.......... and Chas in the  bar

I was up before dawn this morning, eager to take full advantage of the last few hours before we left for home. I drove out to the Everglades, specifically one of the first receational stops which can be accesed from the highway that disects the State and cuts through the wilderness.  When I had berecreationalen there twice previously I had seen a Kingfisher on both occasions and I was really ken to try and improve on the photos of this species already taken. I am glad to say that I had some success!   I followed this bird all around the parking lots and launch areas until eventually I managed to sneak up on him.

 

A few great birds from the last few days.

 

A Black Vulture, skulking around the car park.

 

Blue Heron

 

Blue Heron

 

Belted Kingfisher

 

Day 18 Eastern Pheobe

Eastern Phoebe

It's been so busy this last few days that I could hardly keep up with  the bog, the editing of pictures and of course, the trips out.  Tomorrow is the end of the stay and I will be very sorry to leave. I have had a tremendous time and the surface has only been scratched. The Eastern Phoebe has been a bird seen on this trip more than I have on other visits and I am assuming that at this time of the year they are common. They are also a difficult bird to get a good photo of due to their colouration. Basically smokey grey and very faintly yellow but mostly white on the belly.   This one was perched on a low barbwire fence surrounding a paddock by the roadside on Sheridan Street way out west. I was able to photograph it from the car as it fed in typical "flycatcher" style which of course is what it is.  It is also a pretty, quiet unassuming little bird that when I have seen them, seemed focused on the search for prey.  An update to this post, having just returned from my usual early morning walk, I photographed a pheobe dealing with a nice juicy spider and it makes quite a shot.

 

Eastern Pheobe with spider.

 

 

Day 17 Orange Crowned Warbler and Mockingbird

Orange-crowned Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

 

I photographed this warbler yesterday at Plantation Preserve. My attention was drawn to the contact call which wasn't like a Palm Warbler. It didn't flick it's tail like a Palm Warbler, nor does it have either a rust coloured crown or striations  on the flanks. I am unable to give it a name and would appreciate anyone telling me what species it is. Is it perhaps, a female of the rarer Eastern form of the Palm Warbler?  (Since I posted Ii have received a comment from Drew Weber....... thanks Drew........ who tells me that it is an Orange Crowned Warbler, I had almost come to that conclusion my self. I think I am correct in saying that this bird is one that has very few diagnostic features, no wing bars, no supecillium or othe distinguishing marks.  This in itself is the way to identify it). It was feeding on tiny seeds or it could have been the egg of some unknown insect, in low bushes very late in the afternoon in golden, but still intense light.   

One bird that I am certain of is of course, the Florida State Bird, the Northern Mockingbird.

Northern Mockingbird

 

Florida day 16 and a Red - shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus

 

Red-shouldered Hawk

 

 

Red - shouldered Hawk

It was hard to choose which Red-shouldered hawk picture to post today. Yesterday morning at dawn, I had been out on Geoff's small boat, this time alone. I drifted in the stillness of the dawn and approached birds up to just a few feet in glorious light and perfect conditions. We were at Loxahatchee reserve, a massive wilderness area and the small boat had been towed out deep in to the reserve and away from the slip before I climbed aboard and drifted away on my own. The Red-shouldered Hawk hardly even contemplated me as I approached him to just a few feet. At one point as I photographed him, he flew to the tree that the boat was tied to, aware but oblivious of me. He was at that point, so close I couldn't get him all in the frame as he peered down looking for early morning prey.

Red - shouldered Hawk, so close to me that I could only get the head in the shot.

The presence of the hawk meant that other birds were a little hard to find as they would be on the menu, but a Loggerhead Shrike was calling and showing well as were Mockingbird, Purple Galinule and the usual heron species. All in all this was an outing of a lifetime and an immense privilege to have the chance to photograph in a wilderness all alone.

 

Florida Day 15 and time for a rest.

I spent the entire day yesterday devoted to getting the best photos possible of Painted Buntings so today, even though I had my usual early morning outing, I had a rest and spent the day doing normal touristy things.   In "downtown" Fort Lauderdale by the New River, a small noisy flock of parrots were in the trees but Jenny (my long suffering, beautiful wife), said that even looking up was forbidden!! My early morning stakeout of the Osprey  proved to be a no show as well, so all in all it was a blank day photographically, except for just one photograph taken at sunset as the male Osprey passed over the creek unsuccessfully without his supper.  He seemed to glide over the water dipping  his legs as he went several times and at intervals of a few seconds, each time  being unsuccessful. 

Osprey dives for a fish just in front of me and then landed in a tree upstream about 50 yards away.

It's been quite a task to Blog daily while I have been here in South Florida.  The opportunities are so great that at the end of the day I have finished  with hundreds and hundreds of photographs to sort through.  Then of course there is the job of writing about the day and about the photographs.  Consequently I haven't always been able to put as much information as I normally do, there simply isn't enough time in the day.

From yesterday here is a Raccoon that was just as interested in the birdseed as the birds.  Even though I was sat quite close to he feeder he assessed hat I was not  threat and as long as I was still it continued to feed.  I thought this pose was interesting, he seems to be praying.  We don't have a Raccoon equivalent in the UK, perhaps urban foxes have filled that niche? However Racoons seem to be be much more tame and common for that matter.

A raccoon prays for his dinner.

 

This was when he first appeared out of the undergrowth and deciding whether I was a threat or not.

Squirrels are a pest and invasive species in the IK, they damage trees, eat birds eggs and make a nuisance of themselves at birdfeeders and in gardens.  They were introduced to the UK from the US in the 19th century.  I hate them in the UK but here in the US  where they are native of course,  things are different and I enjoy seeing them and of course taking pictures.

This Grey Squirrel was one of several feeding on the scattered bird feed.

 

Florida day 14 and my best photo of the trip so far.

 

A male Painted Bunting, probably the most colourful bird that I have ever photographed. This is not a common species in the USA but can be found easily once you know where to look.

I returned to Palm Beach County today hoping to improve on the Painted Bunting photogrphs that I took the day before yesterday.  We had been told of another area where you can get really good close up views and so it proved. Whats more, it was quiet, very quiet and for the afternoon I had the Painted Buntins to mysel. I am even more amazed with this species now that I have seen them so close up.  They were coming to a feeding station and if I remained still they were not all that concerned about me sitting on the ground very close to them. The bird above is an adult male in full colour, one of at least 3 in the new place. In adittion there were females and youngsters as well. I amquite sure that the bird below is a juvenile but females are also this colour.

 

 

This is almost certainly a juvenile bird. You can tell this by the presence of light coloured "fleshy gapes" at the corner of the beak. This proves that not only was this bird bred close by but also that it is around 8 to 10 weeks old which proves that breeding took place as late as October 2011.

 

Florida day 13 and a Belted Kingfisher

 

Belted Kingfisher hovering above the water just in front of me.

 

 

The hovering went on for around 10 seconds.

This was a great opportunity to get some good in-flight shots of this species.

When I looked through the results I noticed the bee which joined in!

Here it is turning to dive.

One of the species that I have been anxious to photograph on this trip is the Belted Kingfisher. I am extremely interested in Kingfishers and hoping to eventually have a book to publish on the subject. I have now photographed 6 different Kingfishers, only about 84 to go!. The Belted Kingfisher is a hard one to get to grips with because they are alert and easily put to flight. Males are less colourful, the females sport a tan/orange belly band.  They are not the most attractive of birds but in flight they have attractive barred markings on the wings and tail.

 

Florida day 13 and a magnificent Osprey

A quick update to include these shots of the Osprey that I have been watching since I got here in the US. I have learnt that between 9 and 10 most mornings it perches on the same exposed dead tree trunk. This morning I concealed myself under the bridge close to the stump and waited......waited and waited some more for it to come. Eventually after around 2 hours there it was. Very quickly it flew from that perch to another and in absolutely perfect light. I have been trying to get that glory shot as it dives in the water. It almost happened today but not quite. She..... I just have a feeling that she is female...... left the perch after seeing something and plunged in to the water just behind my line of sight and then she emerged and flew past me carrying a large mullet. It was a magnificent, awe inspiring sight and one that I will never ever forget.She flew past me with the fish and then shook herself in mid-flight like a dog would shake to dry itself. A wow is in order at this point! I managed a shot as she left the branch and I am so thrilled with it I couldn't wait to share with the world! When she had had gone to a mystery perch to feed on her fish and the dust had settled, I realised that the adrenalin surge had made me tremble and in an almost emotional state, I smiled to myself with the satisfaction that success, after planning and patience brings.

Florida day 12 and Painted Buntings

I have to confess that I was excited when I saw this bird. There is a feeder at the Green Cay Wildlife area in Palm Beach County and I had been told in previous years that they come to feed  close to the entrance. When we got to the magnificent wetlands and approached the feeders, there was no sign of them at all but a "birder" had his binoculars on one, deep in the bushes. After a while one flew up to the feeder, what an absolutely exquisite bird and I had a tingle of excitement like a boy on Christmas morning.  With a bit of patience it became almost busy with at least 4 pairs coming and going.  A Red Cardinal was also present and they were happy to feed together.

The females are a greenish yellow, still an attractive little bird but totally overshadowed by the stunning male.  Apparently they are under threat because residents of Florida with "latin American" origins who trap the birds for the bird trade!

 

Florida Day 11 Pelicans and Doves.

Yesterday afternoon I went to Haulover Park and inlet.  It is a really good place to photograph the Brown Pelicans that are such iconic birds of this region.  One of the advantages of visiting a place like this regularly is that you get to know the "hot-spots" for various species, For example Purple Galinules at Holiday Park, west on State Road 84, Osprey at John U Lloyd State Park (as we have already seen) and of course the Pelicans at Haulover hwere they congregate to fish in the inlet where it rushes in and out with the strong tides. 

I took what turned out to be a really evocative shot and here it is.

Even though Morning Doves are really common in the USA, like I say, to me they are an interesting bird and one that I don't see very often of course.  I therefore never over look them because they are very photogenic to my eyes and yours too, I hope.  This one was feeding amongst the picnic tables in the late afternoon sun.

The same can be said of Sanderling, called a Sandpiper by just about every American that you meet, they are always scurrying along the beach amongst the feet of the "vacationers" as they call themselves.  They are a pretty little bird never the less.

Florida Day 11 and real up close to wild Alligators!

I posted on Friday about being out in a small boat with my nephew Geoff.  Today, thanks to Martin Lunther King, it's a public holiday in the USA.  Geoff and I had a 7 o'clock start and travelled out deep in to the true Everglades, Geoff was fishing for Largemouth Bass but I just went along, perched precariously on the back of the boat.  We travelled slowly down a water course, dark and mysterious, bordered on each side sparsly with a few shrubs and the odd tree. The wildlife was incredible, prolific and interesting. 6 species of Heron, and White Ibis to name just a few.  Right at the slipway I had my first exciting species of the day a Black Crowned Night Heron -  Nycticorax  Nycticorax.  Surprisingly this is the second most widespread heron the USA but although I see tham on every trip here, they are not as common s the Yellow Crowned Night Heron or indeed, the other more obvious heron species.

 After the Night Heron a Purple Galinule showed it's self and also an Eastern Pheobe.

Further down the canal system the wildlife came thick and fast.  A pair of Red Shouldered Hawk were nesting in a lone pine 30 yards from the water.  I really adore this species, beautiful as well as deadly.

 Green Herons were everywhere along with Tri-coloured Heron and Little Blue including this great little juvenile, they don't aquire their adult blue/purple colour until the second year.

 Alligators were the highlight though.  At first a smallish one around 5 feet just laying log-like down streaam from us, then others were seen sunning on the banks.

 One particular big specimen was oblivious to us, or though it seemed.  I put that down to the coolish temperatures because on the return an hour later, when he had warmed himself out of his lethargy,  he scurried back in to the water when we approached.   The trip finished with a close encounter with a  Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon), Florida's only kingfisher species.  They are twice the size of Europe's Common Kingfisher (Alcedo athis) and frankly nowhere near as attractive but their habits are pretty similar. This was the closest that I have ever been to a Belted Kingfisher but it was unfortunate that we approaced it in to the sun and therefore it was almost impossible to photograph, however minutes later the bird was senn again in a more advantageous position and I managed to get at least some kind of shot.

 

 

Florida Day 10

Yesterday, late afternoon, we were on the way back home to Hollywood Beach and my sisters house. As we drove past  a large cleared paddock whhich is being prepared for development, I caught sight of a Wood Stork stood motionless in the middle amongst the plant vehicles. .  I immediately turned the car and went back to see if I could get close enough to photograph. As I approached it didn't seem too concerned and  eventually, using the diggers and tracters as cover, I got within "range".  Theses birds, once in serious decline in Florida are now doing a little better.  They are three feet tall and ugly as hell.  They have a massive beak with a bald head and neck which is covered in crusty skin.  They feed on fish so quite why they have evolved the kind of head that a vulture would be proud of, I dont know.  All inall, yesterday, with temperatures that didn't reach 70, in fact it was low 60.s was the coldest that I have experienced in South Florida. It was however, a very productive day for birds.

Florida Day 9 and a handsome Mockingbird.

The Northern Mockingbird is a common bird in this part of the USA, they sing beautifully and as the name suggests, immitate other birds.  They perch in conspicous places aand are therfore often seen and enjoyed. Whenever I photograph them I am always pleased with the results and so it proved today.  My photographs this last few days have been taken  hand held because of a problem with my tripod so it has pleased me no end that I have been able to get anything like sharp pictures in this way.  I knew that this was going to be a good one because the background is in actual fact the painted side of a building just behind.

Florida Day 9 and I am obsessed with Osprey

Believe it or not, it's chilly today.  Well, if you can call 59 degrees chilly, but for Florida that's a cold one. Resorting to actually wearing a jumper but still shorts no socks and flipflops, (my kind of attire), my early morning trip led me back to look for the woodpeckers again. After no sign of them I headed back to the National Park to see if there was any sign of the young Osprey, it turned out to be a wise move. I parked the car and rushed over the bridge, excited like a little boy, but didappointment, it wasn't on the dead tree where it had been on previous mornings at this time. So I stood and studied the creek, Ibis and a young heron where around then I caught sight of an Osprey perched a few hundred yards away.  Suddenly swooping towards the favoured perch was the Osprey, as usual his magnificence thrilled me.  But today was different, it left the perch quite quickly and I got photos of it circling around again, they were all failures but as it approached again, I got the shot above.  It left again very quickly, catching me out, but perching even nearer and in a brilliant place for photos.

The second wow of the trip was in order!  But then it left that perch again and flew strongly away this time.  As I watched it from very close by I heard an Osprey, I turned back to see an absolutely glorious adult Osprey perched where the youngster had been.  Obviously he had left the perch because of a threat from the older, stronger andmore experienced dominant bird.  Now with an adult so close, I just enjoyed the spectacle and took magnificent images before it imperiously flew off and away to a safer distance.

Florida Day 8 and glorious White Ibis

This morning I travelled with my nephew Geoff to an area south of Miami.  Geoff has a great little boat which is a cross betwen a canoe and a "John-boat".  The canals in this part are full of Peacock Bass, an introduced predator species  which is a popular sport fish for residents and visitors alike. The canals were not ony full of fish,  there was also a great deal of wildlife on show including snakes. Drifting along on the tiny boat meant that some of the birds allowed us to get quite close but obviously it was extremely difficult to take good shots with a heavy long lens camera with no tripod and no real way to hold it steady either. As the day heated up, the birds became more active,  not numerous species, mostly White Ibis, Green Heron and Morning Doves. The Ibis were showing beautifully and as we rounded the bend in the canal, I was really taken with the spectacle of Ibis flying low accross the water in front of me. The snowy white plumage of this ibis contrasts with black wing tips and scarlet beak and legs. To me they are the iconic Florida bird and I always enjoy seeing them.  I set the camera to try and picture them flying accross the canal in front of us as we got nearer, they flew off as I expected and I got some really great images.

 

Florida Day 7 and 3 different species of Woodpecker in one tree!

My early morning outing was a great one today, imagine 3 species of woodpeckers in the same tree?  Well that was the main event.  Not only that, 2 off them are new birds for me in Florida, at least photographically. "Yellow-shafted  Flicker", "Hairy Woodpecker" and the ubiquitous "Red-bellied".  It's hard to decide which was the most memorable but I think probably the Flicker.  There is a puddle of fresh water on the road by the park and in good light, there was great reflections.  This pool of fresh water is the product of the early morning lawn sprinkler system, this is part of the interesting story.

Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus 

As I drove past, a Boat-tailed Grackle was bathing and I stopped to take pictures which were good. Then suddenly I became aware that in a puddle nearby, another bird was bathing and it wan't a bird I had seen so far this trip. I quickly positioned the car for a better view and was thrilled to see that it was a woodpecker. I fired off shots and right there, my Florida trip was made worth it. As if that weren't enough, when the Flicker left the pool I followed it's flight to a nearby tree and saw that there was a female Red-bellied Woodpecker.  I climbed from the car and crept slowly towards "my quarry"  only to focus my camera on to a little woodpecker which proved to be a Hairy Woodpecker, common apparently, but not a bird That I have been able to photograph nicely before. As if that wasn't enough, in the same tree was a Red-belied Woodpecker.  Quite why they were all in the same tree is a mystery, they didn't appear to be feeding so I have no idea why?

Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus 

Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus

So it was a great morning and then on the way home I called in to John U Lloyd to see if the Osprey was there again……. bingo!!!!!!! It was in the same exact spot as yesterday morning.  Now the light was better and I also had the time to stand and wait for it to fly off the perch.  Today I watched from 8.45 until 1015 when it eventually dipped in to the creek just like yesterday.  It circled around me and landed back on the perch…… my first wow of the trip!!!!!.  I  took some photos of the flight but I disappointed with myself not to get the actual plunge…… still mustn't complain, a couple of good-uns in the camera. Just a shame about the distracting background.

 

Florida Day 6 and an amazing Osprey experience.

John U Lloyd State park is an area close by that I always enjoy visiting. I went there first thing as my early morning outing and finished up having the best Osprey encounter of my whole life with no exaggeration. I had parked the car close to a path that led to the beach, over a small wooden bridge that crossed the creek. My mind was not focused as I walked but my daydreaming was shattered by a massive splash. In the same instant I caught sight of the culprit...... a young Osprey which was by now pulling clear of the water to circle again before landing on a trees stump just feet from me. I rattled off some shots and waited to get that shot of a lifetime of it diving in to the small pool. It didn't leave the perch while I waited for the next 45 minutes. I had a deadline to be home by 10 so I sadly and reluctantly left the bird, still sat there. Never the less, what a massive thrill. Another "in your face" shot.

Florida Day 5 the highlight, Ibis and Egrets

One of the things that I try to acheive in my photographs is a full-on in your face image.  I try and put the viewer closer to the subject than you would normally be able to get.  Today I had three opportunities to get that close, all without any distress to the subject of course.  The Cattle Egret (above) was part of a small group of five that I photographed from the car window.  I draped a piece of cam net over the door to conceal myself and then waited for the Egrets to come very close, they continued to feed right next to me.  I was hoping to get some shots with prey but it just didn't happen unfortunately, but the head shot portraits are really special and will make a great addition to my galeries. They were feeding on large spiders oddly enough.

.

.

As I photographed the Cattle Egrets, a White Ibis came along by  the edge of the road feeding in a totally different way, probing in to the earth with it's long pointed beak.  Like the egrets, it was oblivious to my presence and it was mostly too close to get it entirely in the frame of the camera.  The photographers, not cropped at all, get right in there to the centre of the feeding action.

These photos were taken at Brian Picollo Park, we had gone there to have a look for Burrowing Owls,  this is a well known nesting area for them.  We are a bit early in the year for breeding though, and there was no sign of them today. In the late afternoon we returned to the beach and East.  It was a lovely surprise when on the beach I was confronted with some waders!  To be specific some tiny Sanderling and more interestingly, a small flock of Grey Plover, known in the US as Black-bellied Plover. With the sun now very low in the sky, the light was just perfection!

Florida Day 4 and an American Kestrel

Today started a little more cloudy than the previous ones  and in a way, that made it a little easier to get better photos . Bright sunshine produces harsh light which really tests your skill.  I hoped to carry on photographing the common birds that I have seen since my arrival.  To my mind, it's no good searching out rarities if you you haven't managed good pictures of the common birds. Blue Grey Gnatcatchers have been far more noticeable than in previous visits, but being a tiny little bird, they are hard to get photos of, but more of them later on. The warblers have been keeping me interested and as you will see below, I did get some nice pictures of them today.  There was some real excitement as I walked back to the car, a "tiercel", (that's a female), American Kestrel swooped down and seemed as though she was really interested in grabbing a warbler, at least that's what it looked like.  I took a few photos and then tried to get a bit closer to her, but as expected……..off she went.  The warblers were very agitated by her presence and suddenly they were calling from everywhere. What a lovely bird, when I see them I always love them.  This was the closest that I have ever been to this species.

It seems as though I spend all of my time photographing birds but that's not the case. I ws back home by 10.30. But in my short session I finished up seeing aan Eastern Pheobe, Palm Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Great White Egret, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-throated Warbler, White Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Coot, Blue Jay and of course  the Kestrel. A nice little session!

I am in Florida staying with my sister and her family and today was fun as we celebrated Christmas again with opening of presents etc. It eems strange with the temperature touching almost 25c.

Blue - Grey Gnatcatcher
This is an Eastern Pheobe, a flycatcher species, by all accounts a common bird in Florida but not a bird I see that often but I probably should. Now some Palm Warblers, in one the bird flew down to grab a small damselfly and you can see it disappearing "down the hatch".

Having done just a bit of research I have discovered that this is the western race of Palm Warbler  Dendroica palmarum palmurum.

Day 3, a Turkey Vulture does it's stuff!

Turkey Vultures are not in the least bit hard to see in South Florida, they are in fact one of the most noticeable birds. Never the less I have rarely been as close to them as I was today.  Being Sunday and a really nice day to boot, the beaches and beach car parks were very busy. As we drove down one of the main roads close to home, I noticed...... well it was impossible to miss...... a Turkey Vulture feeding on a dead racoon.  It wasn't going to be distracted by me and I got really close, too close really because the smell of the rotten carcass was almost too much  too much to bear. It may be an ugly bird around the face but the plumage is impressive. They are doing a great job keeping everything healthy and clean by eating road kill and other rubish.

Florida day 2...... Blue Grey Gnatctacher and Warblers

 

The second day of "Florida 2012" was pretty special. I tripped out to West Lake Park not really expecting to have the session that I enjoyed. Firstly the day had begun with a special sunrise, a golden glow that grew from the horizon out of a turquoise ocean, my attention was interrupted only by a small group of iconic Brown Pelicans that drifted by on the light balmy breeze from the direction of Miami Beach. Yes it was as good as that! Until you have experienced a Winter's morning on a South Florida beach you can't begin to imagine. The sun is warm without being hot, the sky is blue and cloudless and the air feels clean and pure. Th Morning Glory is as glorious as the name suggests and the prospect of reacquainting with the local exotics is more than tantalising. At the park you could be in a wilderness, at least for the first hour, that is before the dog walkers and fitness freaks take over. The flowering shrubs always impress me, everything seems more attractive in good light. Yesterday's Racoon was out foraging and vultures glided by and I caught sight of an un-named hawk. I was in to small warblers immediately in the shape of a Palm Warbler, the air was alive with the sound of other small tantalising calls and I gravitated in their direction. A female Yellow Bellied Sapsucker was doing her stuff on a Royal Palm trunk. This is a really interesting species. They feed by drilling holes in to tree trunks and the palms here in the park are peppered with holes. The wound "bleeds" sap and is then a food source, not just for the Sapsucker but also for Red Bellied Woodpeckers. The sweet sap also attracts insects and then other small birds come in the feed on them in turn. I kept seeing small birds in an uncultivated area behind the park, always a good area for birds and as I stood quietly there I managed pictures of the Prairie Warbler above. There was a Black and White Warbler, and a Blue Grey Gnatcatcher. Then a pair of Red Breasted Woodpeckers flew in to take advantage of the Sapsuckers labours. Then with the presence of an Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), it was quite a result.
Prairie Warbler

.

.
Black and White Warbler .

.
Blue-grey Gnatchater .

.
Red-breasted Woodpecker-(female) .

.
Red-breasted Woodpecker (male)

Just outside the the beachside appartment, when I came home for breakfast, a large flock of Red-masked Conures (Aratinga erythrogenys) was a in a tree.  They flew noisily from me.  These birds are well known here in South Florida where they have established themselves after escaping from captivity. 

Day one and a Coot attack!

We arrived here in Hollywood Florida, eventually last night. This was after a hold up at Philadelphia when, in spite of making our way between terminals as quickly as possible we missed the connection.  Not too much damage done as we jumped on the next plane to Ft Lauderdale 3 hours later and enjoyed a beer at the  Airport bar.

in spiteToday arrived with alovely glorious sunrise over the ocean and then settled in to a totally cloudless day with temperatures reaching lovely 76 F. We called in to a few of my favourite places.  At West Lake Park the first thing I saw on the lake was a struggling coot, I immediately waded in up to my knees and pulled the bird from the jaws of the biggest wild turtle that I have ever seen.  The poor bird was being eaten alive and not only was one leg hanging by a thread, intestines were  exposed and chewed. Nature could arguably have been left to run it's course and perhaps I shouldn't have got involved. To cut the story short, Broward County Wildlife rescue came along to take the bird which would have needed to be euthanised.

I saw an attractive female Racoon, she was foraging at the edge of the park and disappeared in to the mangroves when I took too much interest in her.

Then at the beach and specifically Oleta State Park I photographd a Laughing Gull and a pair of Red Breasted Merganser brown heads and an adult White Ibis.

Manchester Airport

 

For those who may be following my exploits and my trip to South Florida, heres the latest update. Here we are at Manchester Airport.

 

We spent the night in the Raddison Hotel at Manchester Airport. After  an early start and  struggling with the ridiculously cumbersome cases....... bad back already...... we  are now having a "full English" at the airport. Flight leaves soon for Philadelphia and it's only 7 hours something, anyone visiting the States, I can fully recommend this way of accessing the US. Always a pleasant and comfortable experience, no hasstle, and flying with US Airways means that you are straight in to the US experience as soon as you start travelling...... and it's always the best price available. More from Philadelphia. 

On the way to Florida and Dendroica warblers

I am fortunate enough to have realatives in South Florida which gives me the opportunity to visit most years.  For 20I2 I decided on January as my prefered month, that way I will be back home in the UK at the height of the migration and then breeding season. There are some good birds to be seen in South Florida in January. For example the Heron and Egret species are already nesting and I will enjoy photographing some of this activity as well as a few warbler species that spend the winter here. Ospreys are very common and I am looking forward to improving on photos previously taken. As well as that of course, it's always nice to walk along a sunny beach in the middle of winter. I am on the way to Manchester Airport today to fly out early tomorrow so check back regularly to see what I have been photographing.  Here are a few pictures to whet the appetite. I really like the family of "Dendroica" New World Wablers.

Black-Throated Blue Warbler - Dendroica caerulescens

 

Prairie Warbler - Dendroica discolor  paludicola

 

Blacpoll Warbler - Dendroica striata

 

Yellow-throated Warbler - Dendroica dominica

 

Palm Warbler - Dendroica palmarum