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.

While we were out and about...

We always have our eyes peeled for interesting birds. Bill spotted this hawk on his way home from the flying field one morning. After checking my various references, we've decided it's a young Red-tailed Hawk.

The stripes on the tail are seen in juvenile Red-tailed Hawks. The signature red appears in adults.

He was a handsome specimen.

Unlike this goat that looks like parts and pieces assembled from other animals. We found him on the farm where the Sandhill Cranes and the Whooping Crane are spending the winter. I had to edit the picture just a bit as he was unusually happy to see us.

After an unusually heavy rain, Ray went looking for snakes but found this cute little guy on the side of the house instead.

On our trip to Daytona, we saw this Peregrine Falcon on the side of a high-rise motel.

The only other sighting of a Peregrine Falcon I've ever had (Fort Myers Beach) - he was also on the side of a motel.

I love ducks so I was pleased when we spotted these beautiful Hooded Mergansers in a local pond. These are the males.

And this is the female swimming close by.

Six Mile Cypress Slough and a New Life Bird

One of our favorite walks here in Fort Myers is the boardwalk around Six Mile Cypress Slough. It warmed up enough in the afternoon one day last week that we decided an outing was in order. Bill got the sighting and pictures of the day and the next five shots are his.

Just look at this gorgeous bird! It is a Yellow-throated Warbler and neither Bill nor I had ever seen one before.



Bill takes a more artistic approach to his pictures.

And he likes to try and photograph birds in flight. This is a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and I think the bird just decided to fly before Bill got the shot.

We see lots of birds at the entrance to the boardwalk. That's where Bill took this picture of a Blue Jay. Don't you agree that Bill needs his own blog?

The Hooded Mergansers are back on the smaller lake. The day was bright and the reflections on the lake played havoc with my pictures.

Since these birds are not sporting adult plumages, I can't tell the males from females. I suspect these are juvenile males and their bouffant head dress will turn the dramatic black and white that we saw on the male hiding in the weeds. My "Waterfowl of Eastern North America" book says males have yellow eyes and the female's eyes are dark.

We watched several of the ducks dancing on the cold water - splashing and looking like they were having a great time. I don't know if the dancing was some kind of display or if they were just playing.

Ducks out of the water look entirely different than when they are swimming. It reminds me of all our friends at the pool that we get to know as "bobbing heads" but we can barely recognise them with clothes and bodies.







This black snake was beside the boardwalk. He wasn't moving so we are not sure he was alive - and we didn't stay around long enough to find out.

More reflections - this Little Blue Heron looks like he is checking his feathers, making sure they are in place.

It's odd to see two different species together like this Ibis and Yellow-crowned Night Heron. The heron actually climbed further up into the tree and sat next to the Ibis while we watched.

This grumpy old man is a Black-crowned Night Heron. He was in his usual position on the side of the lake.

More Birds, Ducks and a Muskrat!

The other day I heard someone knocking - but there was no one at the door. Bill told me to check the roof. I was hoping to find Santa, but instead I found this Northern Flicker pecking on our wood shingles.

I discouraged that behavior - but not before I took a picture ...or two ...or three.

I'm not sure why we still have a Robin in the yard - I thought they migrated. Isn't he wonderful?

This is Quail Lake, part of a small, 113 acre park in Colorado Springs. There is a mile long walking trail around the lake, a boat launch for non-motorized boats, a children's playground and family picnic area and two viewing platforms. Apparently, the fishing is good as we saw several fisher-people - but we were there hoping to see a variety of ducks.

We saw the usual variety of Canadian Geese, Mallards and a few Goldeneye before spotting something new; this is an American Wigeon drake. The black-tipped bill and iridescent bright green eye patch is the key to identification.

This, I believe, is either an immature drake (male) Wigeon or a male with "eclipse plumage." I had to look that term up and learned that after breeding season in the late summer and fall most male ducks molt (lose their feathers) and change from the bright and colorful breeding plumage into a drab, female-like “eclipse plumage.” This one has the eye patch - but it was dull grey. Boy do all these variations make identification tough!

And this one is the female American Wigeon - no eye patch. This family must be just passing by on their way south as, according to my books, they do not stay in this part of the country.

The House Finch is a very common bird around here - but I liked this picture with the pine cones.

House Sparrows are also very common - but this female was posing so nicely that I couldn't resist taking her picture.

These are, of course, the very easy-to-identify male Mallards. Look at their tails and the way the hind feathers curl up.

Bill tells me these are the "trophy feathers" - and duck hunters like to show them off by putting them in their hat bands. They are also used to make fishing flies.

What are Sea Gulls doing swimming on a Colorado Lake?

I named the white duck Baby Huey. He is actually a Pekin Duck, and I learned that he is a domesticated breed used primarily for egg and meat production. It was bred from the Mallard in China and brought to the United States in the late 1800's. Due to its friendly nature, many people keep them as pets. It is widely believed that Donald Duck is modeled after a Pekin duck and the mascot of the insurance company Aflac is a Pekin duck. Baby Huey was probably some one's pet that was released in the park.

Baby Huey is trying to fit in with his distant cousins.

After leaving Quail Lake we headed back to Fountain Creek Regional Park. We were greeted by a group of Pied-billed Grebes diving for food.

The male Hooded Merganser is spectacular! I took so many pictures of the Mergansers, I exhausted the battery in my camera and filled my 4 GB disk.

We don't usually see a Great Blue Heron in a tree!

He looks much more at home wading in the shallow water looking for supper.

More Goldeneye Ducks.

And this was a surprise: a Muskrat! I don't think I've ever seen one before. He looked like a big rat with webbed feet.

Bill and I have been cooking today - making side dishes to take to Thanksgiving dinner at his daughter's. The house smells delicious. I made two pumpkin pies, some cranberry relish and a sweet potato casserole. Bill is making the ham and scalloped corn casserole. His son-in-law, Tim is making the turkey with dressing - and we can't wait!

I wish you all a Thanksgiving filled with family, good food and wonderful blessings.