South Florida - Warblers

In my previous post, I talked about the trip to South Florida my wife and I took to escape the winter doldrums. Perhaps the biggest surprise to me was the number of warblers that we saw there. I was probably stuck on the picture of warm, coastal areas and thinking of gulls and terns and shorebirds to properly consider how many warblers we would see. Sharon at least thought this way and convinced me we were more likely to get use out of our Warbler Guide than the Shorebird Guide. All told we saw 13 warbler species during the week. That's a decent spring haul. What an exciting winter find.

Our first stop, at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, rewarded us with six species including this Palm Warbler that watched us eat lunch.

We also had really nice views of a Black-and-white Warbler feeding. It grabbed several caterpillars near us and ate them. Unfortunately, it was always partially obscured and I couldn't get a good photo. Amazing to watch, nonetheless. We also saw a pretty Black-throated Green Warbler there.  

The Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Gardens also rewarded us with six warblers including two ground-loving warblers: Ovenbird and Northern Waterthrush. Right near the entrance of the gardens we heard beautiful singing and tracked down this Prairie Warbler.

Warblers were surprising abundant at the Dry Tortugas. There were many Palm Warblers there (no surprise as they seem to be the sparrows of south Florida). But also an American Redstart, some Yellow-rumped Warblers (about the only ones we see back in Virginia at this time), and Northern Parulas.

Ft. Zachery, in Key West, gave us this Orange-crowned Warbler. 

The final big warbler site was West Lake in the Everglades. There is a boardwalk that goes through a stand of mangroves and as we walked it we encountered a nice mixed flock moving through. Here we added a Black-throated Blue Warbler as well as more Black-and-white and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Seeing all of these spring birds in February really brightened the trip. For comparison, last April when we did our big day for the Birding Cup, we had only six warblers all day. And for all of May, we had 13 warbler species. 

My next post will talk about the remaining birds that we saw on the trip. Hope to see you there. 

South Florida - Lifers

This year my wife and I decided to get away from the dreary Virginia winter. While it is definitely nice to occasionally get 65-70 degree days and not deal with snow piling up all winter, we don't get the benefit of snow and the fun that comes with that. Instead, it is 35 degree rain. Not that I'm advocating for a move to Maine but it is still nice to get away somewhere where you can count on sun and warmth and eating outside is a real possibility.

After considering a couple of options we decided on a trip to the Florida keys and Everglades. The trip was really nice and the birding fantastic. This post will highlight the life birds and other amazing things we saw. The next post will talk about all of the warblers we saw. And there might be a third with other interesting birds and non-avian sightings. Plus a few misses.

What better way to start off a trip than to wake up to the squawk of a new bird. We flew into Miami on Saturday night so we stayed in southern Miami that night. First thing next morning Sharon hears this crazy sound and sees two large green birds fly past. By the time I get over there they have disappeared into a few trees. After a few minutes wait they come back again eventually settling in the rain gutter just above our room (Thanks Marriott for the upgrade to the top floor!).

Mitred Parakeet

 This is one of those "miscellaneous" birds for bird watchers. Obviously a really nice and pretty bird. But they aren't native to the area. They likely have descended from escaped, or released, pets. So they don't make the official ABA list of North American birds. But beautiful and exciting nonetheless.

 Next on our lifer list is the most amazing bird of the trip. The focus point of the trip was a visit to the Dry Tortugas National Park. We hoped to see a Magnificent Frigatebird out there. It seemed likely but we didn't want to get our hopes up too high. No problems there. From the parking garage in Key West where we were catching the boat to Dry Tortugas we saw our first frigatebird soar overhead. They are amazing birds and one of the largest birds we have on the east coast.

Magnificent Frigatebird

There were many more, like 250, when we got out to the islands of Dry Tortugas. Several would be floating on the wind right above Fort Jefferson and the main key. That is where I got most of my pictures of them.

More Frigatebirds

The male frigatebird has a large pouch of red skin that it inflates to attract females. With our spotting scope we could see a colony of frigatebirds nesting on a neighboring key and could pick out the little spots of red. Occasionally, the red skin patch could be seen as flew over.

Male Magnificent Frigatebird

A little closer than the frigatebird colony was an island full of nesting Sooty Terns and Brown Noddys. At the peak of breeding season there are apparently close to 40000 pairs of birds. We saw a few thousand and the noise was deafening.

As we were waiting for the boat to leave from the Dry Tortugas we saw a pair of Masked Boobies in the distance. They have a distinctive wing pattern so it was easy to pick out but poor views. We picked up 4 new life birds on the trip.

The next day we visited the Key West Botanical Gardens. A lovely little spot filled with bird life. In between watching warblers and a Western Kingbird, Sharon spotted a hawk overhead. It was a small buteo that was very white underneath with smart outlining on the wings: a Short-tailed Hawk. We would later see the dark morph version but the white one is stunningly beautiful.

Our next big collection of lifers came in the Everglades. We drove from Key West to the Everglades Thursday morning Our first stop was a spot just outside the park entrance called the Southern Glades Wildlife and Environmental Area. As we pull up there was a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. his is a bird of the southern plains. A small number winter at the very southern tip of Florida and the keys. The long flowing tail is easily discernible from a distance. But not to worry. On our way back out of the park that evening there were 8 birds sitting on the power lines.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

The last lifer of the trip was practically the last bird we saw; definitely the last species added to our list. Early on our last day we had stopped at Paurotis Pond on the road to Flamingo. As we headed back to the car I saw a dove-like bird fly past us and thought there was a light spot on the head. But not a good view and Sharon didn't see it. So we stopped there again on our way out in the evening. This time I definitely saw a couple fly past but they were quick and Sharon was always looking in a different direction. Finally, as we talked with a couple of other birders we had a good pass by one that everyone got a good look at: a White-crowned Dove.
I ended the trip with 9 new life birds including the parakeet and a wild Muscovy Duck.

But in additional to the life birds, we saw lots of summer birds and coastal birds that we seldom get to see in February. But you will have to wait until the next installment for some of those.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in Winter

This weekend Sharon and I joined the Williamsburg Bird Club and others for a boat trip to the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. We left out of Lynnhaven Inlet in Virginia Beach. The boat dock was opposite Pleasure House Point Park so we were able to see a different view of the flats in Lynnhaven Inlet as we waited for the boat to load and leave. There were many Greater Black-backed Gulls on the dock. One of them picked up a fish remains from a neighboring fish cleaning station. That brought out the thief in his companions. There was a lot of commotion.









And finally one of the gulls escaped with part of the fish for a quiet breakfast.
















One the way out of the inlet we passed this pair of Brants. We were surprised that these were the only Brants seen during the day.






At Island #1 there were many hundreds of gulls and Double-crested Cormorants. Among the many gulls on the rocks we found this Lesser Black Backed Gull.



At Island #2 Sharon and I had our first life bird of the trip, Great Cormorants (the ones of the left edge).



At this island we had our first harbor seal



and Northern Gannet. I particularly like the shadow style of the image.




Island #3 held the best finds of the day. From a distance we could see a large number of seals hanging out on the rocks and swimming in the current.





One of the target birds for the trip was Harlequin Ducks. They like rocky shores of which Virginia is generally lacking. But the artificial islands of the bridge tunnel provides their desired habitat so many winters we will have a few hang out. They are one of the most interestingly colored birds of North America. Unfortunately, we ended up looking into the sun so the photos aren't great.


















While searching for the ducks, Ernie spotted a Black-legged Kittiwake. Right afterwards most of the gulls flushed but resettled. It took several minutes but the bird was refound. This is a terrible picture but the all black wing tips are diagnostic so the picture wasn't a total waste of electrons.



On the way back in the crew threw some chum into the water. It attracted a lot of Great Black Backed Gulls and then probably a hundred Gannets. All the birds passed really close to the boat allowing for some interesting shots. Here are a few of my favorite photos.










The birds diving into the water were really near to see. Like the Great Black Backed Gull coming in for a landing



Or these gannets diving into the water after fish remains.





And the final great bird of the day was an Iceland Gull that joined the fray near the end.





We ended up with 32 species; each of us with one species the other person missed. Sharon's find was a Razorbill while mine was Brown-headed Cowbirds. I would have gladly traded my find for seeing her's.

A Nice Cup of Tea

For the past week my wife and I have had a new addiction: making a tea maker. It started with Sharon getting me a Klutz book of Lego ideas called Chain Reaction. It has several ideas for machines that just trigger each other. Like a tire that unwinds from a pole and hits a ball that flips up a sign and then hits a domino that triggers a see-saw to knock another ball around. There are many individual units that can be strung together many ways. So Sharon had the idea of building a machine that would brew a cup of tea (her favorite winter drink). This started last Monday. On Friday a major winter storm hit the area giving us several days of "inside time." We enjoyed two days of heavy rains, occasional snow, and cold, howling winds. So we could mope about the bad weather or build the Lego tea maker. After many false starts, dead-ends and ideas that didn't quite pan out, this is what we ended up with.

You can also see the video on Flickr.

The recording set-up was fun. We used almost every camera in the house to record this. We first tried each of us recording part of the run but that didn't work out so well. So this morning, I set up several tripods and other holders and shot five angles. Then tried my hand at video editing to get this video. It is a bit rough and I wish there were a few more set-up shots but I'm pretty happy with my first editing attempt.
The design of the tea maker is mostly Sharon's, as was building the pendulum with escapement and designing the ziplines and the siege tower pulley-and-gear system that holds the tea bag. She also built a majority of it. Very exciting that it all came together in the end. We had two complete runs and enjoyed the cups of tea.
Can you find some of the hidden gems in the video? Harry Potter? The astronaut leading the horse? Workers on a break? A Lego camera holder?

Rarity Round-up

This past weekend Sharon and I participated in a Rarity Round-up in Virginia Beach. Several groups get together and bird along the coastal edge of Virginia Beach in hopes of seeing some rare birds. This was the first time we had heard of such an event. There have been several in the past at various locations along the Mid-Atlantic coast with high rates of vagrants showing up. We were assigned to a team that focused on the northern edge of Virginia Beach where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Ocean.
The day before the round-up there was a mass movement of Franklin's Gulls through the area and even a report of a few cave swallows from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. So everyone is excited and ready to go.
We start our day at the beach at First Landing State Park. The first bird seen was an immature Bald Eagle. Always going to be a good day when you start with an eagle. There was a lot of movement out over the water but the air was cool and the wind brisk making the bird watching uncomfortable. We spotted the regular suspects but nothing unusual. A few people had reported the Franklin's Gulls from Pleasure House Point, nearby and a planned stop later in the day, so we change plans and head over there next to see if any gulls are still hanging out from the night before. It was Saturday morning so maybe they were nursing a hangover. We have a nice walk about to where we can see some sandbars on the Lynnhaven Inlet. There were several hundred gulls out there but none that we could make into Franklin's Gulls. There were a large number of Black Skimmers who should have been further south by now. This spot has had a group stay for the past few years so not unexpected but always nice to find.

There is also an Osprey feeding in this area. It flew overhead with a fresh catch. Notice how it is in the middle of orientating the fish to reduce drag. Pretty cool thing these Ospreys do.

As we headed back to the cars we heard a couple little chip notes and two of the party saw a bird flit across the marsh grass. We all quickly stopped and set down the spotting scopes so our hands were free for binoculars. After a few more calls we see a nice, orange-faced sparrow pop up.

A quick look confirmed it was a Nelson's Sparrow. A few more joined in including these two who hung out close together. We also had a Marsh Wren come in for a view but never in a photographic place.  

Our next stop was back at First Landing State Park but this time on the inland side. We walk a trail through some bald cypresses and then up on a forested dune that overlooks the inlet. The first half of the walk was totally quiet in that we saw or heard no birds. Right before we turn around (the trail wasn't a loop so we had to backtrack at some point) we had a few birds. The one below threw us for a loop for a minute. When we first saw the bird it was backlit and looking away. We could see it was a sparrow but the mix of streaking on the breast and a breast spot didn't match anything expected. The bird finally turned towards us, and the camera, it showed itself as a White-throated Sparrow. First year birds can show the heavy streaking and the spot. I guess most of the ones that visit our yard must be older as neither Sharon nor I remember seeing.

On the way out we pasted a swampy area that slowly came alive with woodpeckers. We started out seeing a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. It was followed by another sapsucker. Then a Pileated Woodpecker, and finally a flicker.

After a lunch in the resort part of town we drove down to Rudee Inlet which is a place frequented by unexpected birds. Again, not much unusual but we did see a pair of Purple Sandpipers and three female Red-breasted Mergansers. There were also several dolphins swimming and playing just beyond the jetty. At one point they were splashing their tails around and hopping out of the water. Quite a nice show.
Another stop at First Landing State Park found only this very cooperative Golden-crowned Kinglet. I particularly like the last one where it is trying to identify me.

We returned to Pleasure House Point at the end of t

he day near low tide. The exposed mudflats were much larger as were the numbers of gulls. Can you find the Franklin's Gull?

Yeah, neither could we. And this was only about a fifth of the birds on the flats.
As we were packing up to call it a night, six wedges of tundra swans flew over. About 500 in all heading to warming, more inviting climes.

And with that, we also headed home to the warmth of our house and a well-deserved dinner.

Eastern Shore of Virginia Birding

A couple of weeks ago Sharon and I decided to talk a short-week vacation and visit the Eastern Shore of Virginia for some birding. We started off Tuesday evening after work. Crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel we saw a long line of dolphins. They must have stretched out over a mile, at least a minute at highway speeds. Most were just frolicking in the water but one made a full jump out of the water as we drove by. What a great way to start the trip. We stayed in Cape Charles at the very nice and friendly Hotel Cape Charles.

As we checked out Wednesday morning, the guy working the desk noticed my birding shirt and told us about a farm field near by that had some black terns and an upland sandpiper reported the previous day. We had planned to start at Kiptopeke State Park and stuck with that plan, adding the farm field for our drive north to Chincoteague. At Kiptopeke we walked the trails past the former bird banding station. Things were rather quiet through here. Actually, things were quite loud here but not many birds. The cicadas were very noisy and all over the place. And then there were at least two small planes that seemed to be circling over the bay at the park. They filled in when the cicadas started falling down on the job. So birds were near impossible to hear. The one that made it through the background drone was a very beautiful male white-eyed vireo. It took us some time to track it down and also see its juvenile companion. While looking for the vireo we kept falling for the mass of blue-grey gnatcatchers that were flitting around the same area. We then walked through the camp grounds and heard a bobwhite. A really nice bird that is getting harder to see. But Kiptopeke has always been a good location for finding them. The insects were quite active. We saw many red-spotted skippers, tiger swallowtails and zobulon skippers. At one point when we were watching a yellow-billed cuckoo we saw a bubblebee-mimic hoverfly attach and eat a small bee. Amazing.

We then headed to lunch at the Machipongo Trading Company (a favorite stop on the Eastern Shore) before checking out the farm field recommendation. We didn't see anything at the target farm but did stop and see several killdeers in a nearby field. A stop at Willis Wharf wasn't too productive as the tide was high. There were a few shorebirds on a small bit of exposed mud near the observation deck and a singing common yellowthroat. It was around 3:00 when we reached Chincoteague so we headed directly to the wildlife refuge and drove the wildlife loop. Many of the fields were rather dry so what shorebirds we saw were generally at great distances. Sharon is getting good at separating the more common peeps. But as they get farther and farther away, the harder they get to id. At the overlook on the backside of the loop we had four indigo buntings among several songbirds and our first mob of mosquitoes.

Thursday started with a relaxing breakfast at the Main Street Coffeehouse and then most of the day birding the Beach Road on Chincoteague NWR. There was a large grouping of birds along the road in Swan Cove that we had the chance to really study. Highlights included piping plovers, marble godwits, around 300 willits and three shovlers flying over. There were also many birds gathered near the Tom's Cove visitor center. Here we found a red knot and some black-bellied plovers. After a snack break we tried walking the woodland trail but the mosquitoes drove us out after just a couple of minutes. They were so bad that I will now need to wait another 56 days before going back to a blood drive. So we made a second pass at the beach road. Mostly the same stuff but we got more chances to study the shorebirds.

Friday we started by walking the beach sound of the parking lots. We move to the coveside an had several pairs of oystercatchers, more piping plovers and godwits. We returned along the ocean side and had mostly gulls and sanderlings. There was one lesser black backed gull on the beach.

Saturday was another trip up and down beach road. Still a lot of birds but nothing new for the trip. On the drive home we stopped again for coffees at Machipongo and then drove down Seaside Road stopping on the side of the road occasionally. Here we picked up several horned larks in a field followed by a grasshopper sparrow singing from a power line. And then a bobwhite walked out across the road behind us. The trip ended with stops along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. There were a lot of rock doves on Island #1 and an immature yellow-crowned nightheron out on the rocks.

The trip ended with 93 species of birds, many insects and some good stories.