A Snowbird in Paradise

It was another cool evening by the lake, after a day of work. There is so much to do when we first get down here. The plants grow non-stop for 8 months, a phenomenon when you are used to plants dying back in winter, or disappearing altogether. Three truckloads of prunings and weeds have gone to the dump already with one more area still to be cut back.

Then there is the deck! That was a new task for us; removing black mold or mildew from the textured beige cement of the pool deck/patio. For the last 6 years I have painstakingly power-washed the whole area complaining that I can't do that much longer. It takes two days of inch-by-inch work. This year I talked to someone at Home Depot and discovered Chlorox Outdoor Deck and Patio cleaner. So much better!!! Pour it on, scrub it in with a long handled patio brush, hose it off, and VOILA! Clean! We need to get the third gallon of the stuff and I will be done working only about an hour or two a day. Funny thing, is back home we would probably hire this done.


The Osprey we have been watching (or two or four) treated us to a fly-by last evening. He/She circled overhead so close!!! I need my tripod, though. It is hard in the evening to get sharp photos at a distance.


We have been concerned about the health of the lake since the algae-bloom killed most of the fish two summers ago. The active ripples of fish and turtles in the evening tell us the lake has come back. Still no sight of the small alligators we KNOW are there, but that will come with patience. Meanwhile, a fisherman in a boat near our seawall yesterday said he has been taking two-pound bass from the lake this year. I texted the news to my son-in-law who would fish every minute of their 10 days here at Easter. He has taken fish from the lake...NICE ones, but not since the hurricanes and the fish-kill. Maybe this year!

A nearby golf club allows local birders to drive golf carts around their courses on the first Monday of each month. Some friends from back home invited us along this morning and I couldn't wait to snap away with my 300mm lens. Of course, someone there had a much bigger lens, but I am still happy with some of the shots.

This Tern just sat on the railing of a bridge and posed so nicely for us. Can't get MUCH better but...

This Anhinga sat in the top of a nearby tree and preened this way and that. I was hoping for him to open his wings as they do to dry them after diving, but he didn't, and we had to move on.

The leaders identified this as a Green Heron. I don't know that I have identified one of those before. I am still in the "Oh look, a bird!" stage of birding. I take pictures and then try to identify it.
The other photos were all taken from a distance and aren't as clear as I would like. This American Alligator was rather close, however.
I really wanted to include this photo of a Great Blue Heron.

I have seen most of these birds on our own lake, but it is exciting to see them and hear a real expert identify them. The final tally was 41 species identified. I know I missed some of them, but it was still lots of fun!

When I took this photo of these big, immature birds a month ago, I was sure they were young storks.

Then yesterday, we heard and watched a pair of young Sandhill Cranes. They were quite a distance away wandering around a neighbor's yard, too far away for me to photograph. I was sure that was what I had snapped earlier in the month.

So, today, I checked into All About Birds (link to the right) and there was a photograph of immature Sandhill Cranes. Not the same, especially the bill. SO I am back to identifying these two as immature Wood Storks. If I am wrong I would appreciate any help you have.

There he was, just singing and singing in the top of this tree. I couldn't even see him until he flew to this branch from another.

According to All About Birds (see link in my list of links)

A familiar and abundant small colorful bird, the American Goldfinch is frequently found in weedy fields and visiting feeders. It shows a particular fondness for thistles, eating the seeds and using the down to line its nest.

• Small bird.
• Bill small, pointed, conical, and pink.
• Body bright yellow to dull brown.
• Wings dark with large white wingbars.
• Tail short and notched.
• Breeding male bright yellow with black cap and wings.
• Size: 11-13 cm (4-5 in)
• Wingspan: 19-22 cm (7-9 in)
• Weight: 11-20 g (0.39-0.71 ounces)

From time to time during the day I wander outside or to the edge of the lake just to see what might be happening. Nature is so rich here that there is almost always something to photograph. This afternoon was no different. I looked down around the bend of the lake and noticed a flock of Cattle Egrets gathered around a couple of decorative stone pelicans. It just amused me. I HAD to sneak down and get a snapshot of this strange group of birds.
A little later, before I even had time to download the photos from the afternoon, a neighbor sent word that he had a pelican at his house. It seems the neighborhood knows I am interested in whatever happens around here. In 5 years living here for the winters, I have never seen a pelican on this lake. They are all over the Indian River Lagoon, less than a mile away, but never seemed to wander here.

But here this fellow was. Now you have to understand, this was not a quiet, porch. Active building has been going on all week. There is sawing hammering and a radio playing energetically. What attracted the pelican to a place that was so busy? Who knows? I am sure the mind of a pelican is a strange place.

Tapping away at my laptop on the dining table I happened to look out just as "something" flew to the back of one of the palm trees. I grabbed the camera and changed lenses. "Oh, it will be gone", I thought. I looked out and there is was on a different palm...just going up and down the trunk poking it's beak into existing holes. Still in my nightie, I ran in to get dressed and looked again...there he still was.

I went out a door that might not disturb the bird. They are quick and flighty. Another palm stood between us and I used that as cover to get closer. I was able t shoot quite a few pictures at a few different settings.

Looking at the pictures in the Audubon Field Guide to Florida, I settled on the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, allowing for little differences and possible immaturity.

All About Birds website (see link to the side of this blog)

One of the few bird species endemic to the United States, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker is a bird of mature southern pine forests. Its preference for longleaf pine and the destruction of that habitat have resulted in the woodpecker becoming an endangered species.

• Medium-sized woodpecker.
• Black and white coloration.
• Large white cheek patch.
• Black back barred with white.
• Black cap.
• Black mustache and neck streak.
• Size: 20-23 cm (8-9 in)
• Wingspan: 36 cm (14 in)
• Weight: 42-52 g (1.48-1.84 ounces)

We were sitting on the park bench by the lake having a drink together when a small flock of cattle egrets landed on the seawall 2 houses away. Right behind them came a Great Egret. He chose a landing spot about 50 feet from us and started walking toward us. He was between us and the house. The neighbor came out to see how close the bird would get to us. I will have to give him the camera sometime to take a photo of us and one of these bold birds.

Over the space of half an hour the bird eyed us, wandered nearer, then a little away, ending up on the sea wall about 10 feet from our bench. We weren't silent, by any means. He was talking on the cell phone and I was talking to the Egret and taking pictures. There WAS interaction between us and the bird, but it is hard to say on what level. You would not believe how comfortable the Egret and the Stork seem to be with us.From All About Birds (Cornell University)
A large white heron, the Great Egret is found across much of the world, from southern Canada southward to Argentina, and in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. It's the largest egret in the Old World, and thus has garnered the name Great White Egret. But in the Americas, the white form of the Great Blue Heron is larger and warrants that name. In the United States, the Great Egret used to be called the American Egret but that was hardly appropriate, since the species range extends beyond America and indeed farther than other herons.

• Long, black legs and feet.
• Yellow bill is long, stout, and straight.
• Flies with neck pulled back in S-curve.
• Size: 94-104 cm (37-41 in)
• Wingspan: 131-145 cm (52-57 in)
• Weight: 1000 g (35.3 ounces)
• Sexes appear alike.
• A deep croak when disturbed. Other low calls around nest

Just after completing the last entry, I decided to take the camera out and see what I might find. I headed to my neighbors house, since she was out gardening, and when I turned around there was a big old Wood Stork and a beautiful Great Egret, along with several small Cattle Egrets and an Ibis or two all in my yard with the bigger two right close to the screen room begging, it looked like. They eat live fish! For WHAT were they begging? I could not believe how close the stork let me come. I was the one who backed off, not him. I was within 6 feet when I decided that was close enough. Not that he was the least bit aggressive.

I took photos earlier this winter of a young Wood Stork with still some feathers on his head.
A week or two later I snapped two much younger storks who were still all spotty and brown.

Now, keep in mind all of this is in just one backyard, but it IS on a small lake with a mile-long island-wildlife preserve in the lake. Still, to this Northern Gal this is a thrill. I will never take these beautiful birds for granted. I don't know if it is their size or the sparkling white of their feathers. They are quite comfortable with my coming close with a camera.

WOOD STORK (From All About Birds - Cornell University All About Birds
large, white, bald-headed wading bird of the southeastern swamps, the Wood Stork is the only stork breeding in the United States. Its late winter breeding season is timed to the Florida dry season when its fish prey become concentrated in shrinking pools.

• Huge, long-legged white bird.
• Long, thick, down-curved bill.
• Head black and bald.
• Wings white with extensive black flight feathers.
• Size: 85-115 cm (33-45 in)
• Wingspan: 150-175 cm (59-69 in)
• Weight: 2050-2640 g (72.37-93.19 ounces)
• Sexes look alike.
• Usually silent. Nasal barking calls at nest.