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.

Trash Birds

The Citrus County Landfill may seem like a strange place to go birding - but we spent over two hours watching trash birds. The landfill is very public friendly - especially for birders - and gave us maps, bright orange vests and instructions to stay near our car and away from the heavy machinery.

There was lots of trash and the odor wasn't always pleasant, but we were rewarded with some fabulous birds. There were more Bald Eagles then I've ever seen in one place. Vultures, both Turkey and Black, were everywhere and there were huge flocks of Gulls, Grackles, Cowbirds and Blackbirds.

King of the hill.

I'm still working on action shots.

This is a juvenile Bald Eagle - and we must have seen a dozen.

Another juvenile. They don't get their white heads and tails for almost 5 years.

I love this shot. He was sparring with another juvenile.

He took off and landed a couple of times.

Three Wild Turkeys crossing the road in front of the porta-pottie. I usually like nicer background for my pictures - but this WAS the nicer background!

There are two varieties of vulture here in Florida - the more common Turkey Vultures and this one - a Black Vulture. They have white on their wing tips - and ugly black heads.

On our way home we stopped to check on our celebrity bird - little miss Whooping Crane #16-10 (one of only 500). She is still keeping company with several Sandhill Cranes just up the road from OTOW.

In the next month or so she should head north - probably to Wisconsin. I hope she meets up with more of her own kind along the way. I'll be keeping track of her via Operation Migration.

This Barred Owl isn't from today's trip - in fact, it isn't even from this year. It was on the camera disk and I thought it was worth posting.