Shalom Park Revisited

Yesterday when Bill and I went to Shalom Park to walk, I didn't take my camera and the birds were everywhere. They posed for pictures in the perfect setting with the perfect light. Today, I took my camera hoping for a repeat - but, of course, you know the result. No birds. Nada. I was bummed so we went out for breakfast. The Pub here on campus has an amazing bowl of gluten free oatmeal for just $3.00! After getting our flu shots at the local WalGreens, we decided to try the park again.

Right away, Bill spotted this beautiful Brown Thrasher on the ground right in front of us. I didn't see him because I was busy looking up in the trees. Thank goodness he stayed around while I got the camera ready.

He really blends in with the landscape.

The spider webs were amazing. This spider was HUGE.

This was one of the shots I missed yesterday - except yesterday, the Cardinal was much closer and, I'm sure, redder.

Yesterday two Carolina Wrens played on a tree branch right in front of me. It was the shot of the day - like the fish that got away. Today, I had to settle for one in the bush.

I think this cute Eastern Phoebe felt sorry for me and let me get his picture. As you can see, we finally saw a few birds - but not like yesterday.

Back at the compound, one of the retention ponds on the golf course has attracted several Lesser Yellowlegs and an occasional egret. I also saw my first Meadowlark of the season, but he eluded the camera.

OTOW Unique Birders

On Thursday, the OTOW Unique Birders met at the H & R parking lot at 7:30 AM to carpool to the Withlacoochee Bay Trail where we began scanning for birds around 9:00.

There was a beautiful Red-tailed Hawk waiting in the parking area, welcoming us.

Once we all assembled and started on the 4+ mile drive, he left.

The Cardinals were out in numbers!

One of the first birds we spotted along the trail was this beautiful Brown Thrasher. I also saw what I believe was a Summer Tanager - but did not get a picture good enough to post. Others in our group reported hearing its song, so I'm fairly confident in my identification.

Along the bank of the river, Fiddler Crabs played in the mud. This one was giving us the claw.

We saw several Bald Eagles - but this was the only one close enough for a decent picture.

One of a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers.

The State Bird - Mockingbird.

Several Brown Pelicans flew by for pictures.

And a large flock of White Pelicans flew overhead.

As we rounded the turn to head back, this snake blocked the road.

I heard one birder say it was a Water Snake and another was sure it was a Corn Snake. He sure was a pretty brown!

Brown Thrasher

The Brown Thrasher was back - sitting on the very top of the Live Oak - singing his heart out.

He's a beautiful, large bird with a wonderful song - so he is welcome here anytime.

We have more baby Sherman Fox Squirrels showing up at the feeders. I'll try to get some better pictures, but I don't want to scare them away - they are just too cute!

New Bird

We have a nice Live Oak tree with two bird feeders in our front yard that attracts a variety of birds including Blue Jays, Cardinals, Finches and Titmice. Today we spotted a new bird - a Brown Thrasher.

Look how long his tail is! His wings are a rich red-brown with two black & white wing bars.

His chest is speckled and his bill curves gently downward. This is the first Brown Thrasher we've seen here in the yard - so we were quite excited. (It's a yucky rainy day here in Central Florida so we are easily amused.)

Spring is definitely in the air. The Goldfinches are back but don't have their bright yellow color yet. This Mockingbird was singing his little heart out and we're starting to see more vivid colors on the Bluebirds and House Finches.

Momma Dove was showing her baby the sights from the roof of our neighbors house.

And this adorable baby Sherman Fox Squirrel was using his tail as an umbrella to keep the rain off his head as he searched for sun flower seeds under the backyard feeders. Bill took this shot from the lanai - through the screens, which is why it is so blurry.

Unique Birders

Today the On Top Of the World (OTOW) Unique Birders had their first field trip of the season. A dozen birders met at the nearby Shalom Park at 8:30 this morning. The weather was cool, but the sun was shinning and the skies were bright blue. Anne Merrick lead the trip down and around the various garden paths that criss-cross the well-manicured grounds.

It was difficult getting our resident birding expert Norm Lentz (far right) to put down his binoculars long enough to take this group shot.

This is the underside of a Yellow-throated Warbler. It's a lousy picture - but it sure shows how this small bird got his colorful name!

Action shot! We watched this Eastern Phoebe for quite a while while he scooted around looking for insects on a dead limb. According to Donald and Lillian Stokes' Field Guide to Birds, "25% or more of phoebe nests are parasitized by cowbirds."

Another shot of the Eastern Phoebe sitting high and mighty.

I believe this is a Palm Warbler. Norm adds "This [Palm Warbler] is a good, crisp representation of the Western (Brown) variant in non-breeding plumage. The Eastern variant is yellow in all plumages. Both are common in Florida during the winter (non-breeding) season."

He was shopping in the moss and it looks like he has some stuck on his beak.

This looks like a Northern Parula - but that wasn't on our list, so it probably isn't. * Norm confirms my identification and Northern Parula Warbler has been added to our list.



I love the adorable Tuffted Titmice.

It was difficult getting a good shot of this Red-bellied Woodpecker with the sun in the background.

The State Bird of Florida, the Northern Mockingbird. We saw quite a few on our walk. This one was enjoying the beautiful bright purple berries on the Beautyberry bush.

I thought I was going to have to crawl under the bushes to get a decent shot of this Brown Thrasher. He was hunting in the leaves for a meal of insects, lizards, snakes, or berries.

The Eastern Bluebirds are not as blue this time of the year as they are in the Spring - but they are still beautiful. We have lots of them in our backyard.

After our walk we went to the Oasis Restaurant for brunch, and compiled our list of the 25 birds seen on our walk. Nice outing! Thanks everyone!