Snipe Hunting at the Dump

 Bill, Beth and I went to the dump. Not just any dump but the Citrus County Solid Waste Management Landfill. They have a road around the operation where people can drive and see the various birds that frequent the dump as well as the large machinery moving the trash around. They call it the Eagle Loop as so many Eagles are in the area.

Thousands of birds circled overhead - mostly seagulls - but we saw 8 to 10 Eagles circling, landing and fighting to be king of the heap.

You can stop your car anywhere along the road but you have to stay out of the path of the large tractors and trucks. We had bright orange vests to wear if we got out of our car. We pulled up next to this Killdeer. You can see what long legs he has! I've seen many more Killdeer this year than usual.

Overhead, looking down into one of the retention ponds, we spotted this pair of Hooded Mergansers. As they were swimming away something else caught my eye.

There was a Wilson's Snipe on the bank. He was far away so my pictures aren't great. Beth was excited as this was a Life Bird for her.

A Life Bird is one you've never seen before and many birders keep an ever-growing "Life List."

Beth added this to her list - then returned home to Kure Beach where 4 more of the elusive birds waited for her! I think we taught her what to look for.

As we drove around, the pair of Headed Mergansers swam back.

Bald Eagles are such beautiful majestic birds - it's hard to see them picking in the trash. This bird is over 4 years old - the time it takes for full adult plumage.

Another Bald Eagle - a first year juvenile. Now that's a big baby!

And another. I assumed this bird with so much white was younger, but my book tells me it's actually a 2nd year juvenile. I didn't see a 3rd year - but it would have looked more like an adult with an almost all-white head and tail and dark-brown body.

Snipe Hunting at Paynes Prairie

Today was rainy and overcast but Bill decided we should go ahead with a scheduled trip to Paynes Prairie anyway. I wasn't so sure but, once again, Bill knows best. We arrived just as the rain stopped and the birds came out. It wasn't the best light for pictures, but that didn't stop me!

All of the usual herons, egrets and ibises were in attendance including this Little Blue Heron.

Several Pied-billed Grebe swam among the alligators.

No Prairie blog would be complete without some Coots!

Bill was the first to spot the Wilson's Snipe.

He didn't seem to mind that I took lots of pictures.

I love that little bit of orange on his tail!

Fabulous coloring!!

He really blends in with his surroundings - much like the bitterns that we occasionally see here.

Take a close look at this Blue Heron's profile. There is a Green Heron in the background.

He looks like he still has his breeding feathers.

I always love the Belted Kingfishers! This one was especially beautiful and one of the few birds where the female has more color than the male.

Another regular - a Snowy Egret and, yes, that is an alligator in the background. We saw hundreds of alligators and most were huge - over 12 feet. Where's Troy and Lizbeth?

We saw lots of sparrows flitting around in the bushes. They rarely stay still long enough for a decent picture, but this Savannah Sparrow was cooperative.

One of the resident hawks - I assume it's a Red-shouldered as they are the most common here in Florida.

Bill trekked ahead with the camera to try and get a shot of a huge frog several people told us about. No frog, but check out the head-dress on this kingfisher. This must be the male.

Bill specializes in headless armadillos. He tried to catch up with it, but the armadillo was too quick.

I spotted him on his way back.

This is a juvenile male Red-winged Blackbird.

And, of course, this is a male Cardinal. They were everywhere.

My new favorite bird - a gorgeous White-crowned Sparrow.

Why does this remind me of Christmas?

As we were leaving, these two Bald Eagles stood guard at the highway. Despite the lack of sun, we had a great time and will return again soon!