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!

Paynes Prairie

It's been 6 weeks since my surgery and we decided it was time to try out my new hip at Paynes Prairie. We walked the La Chua Trail just before surgery and it was very difficult for me to finish the 3 mile loop. Yesterday we walked 2 of the 3 miles without any problems. I feel sure I could have done the whole loop but we didn't want to push it.

There were lots of birds, alligators and people enjoying the beautiful, sunny day. Our first avian sighting was this wonderful White-crowned Sparrow. 

We've occasionally seen them in Colorado, but never here in Florida. They were much rarer here in the southeast, but are slowly expanding their territory.

All of the usual herons, egrets and ibis were on hand.

It was breezy as this Great Blue Heron came in for a landing.

It's fun to see so many different kinds of birds together. The Anhinga has his wings spread, drying them in the sun; the White Ibis is keeping a close eye on the immature Ibis still sporting his brown feathers. Between them is a Little Blue Heron.

Lots of Pied-billed Grebes and another immature White Ibis to the right.

The Ibis keep their brown feathers for up to a year before they turn white.

You can just start to see the reddish blush on top of the Cattle Egret's head indicating he's ready to breed.

I love this shot of a Snowy Egret walking past this huge gator!

I was surprised to see so many Wood Storks as I thought they were further south. The way they were standing together in a group reminded me of Emperor Penguins.

We were playing peek-a-boo with a Great Blue Heron.

This Sora Rail was a nice addition to our list as we've not seen one here in Ocala before.

The Yellow-rumped Warblers have returned in droves. Note that the bright yellow patch is on the lower back not under the tail. The other smaller yellow patch is on the side.They were everywhere - rarely keeping still long enough for a decent shot.

Paynes Prairie

Bill, Terri, Ray and I visited Paynes Prairie during their visit to Florida. The day was chilly and there was fog and smoke in the air - so pictures were a challenge.

Yellow-rumped Warblers are plentiful - but this one was showing his colors, so I had to snap his picture.

There were several varieties of Sparrows; this one is a Song Sparrow,

...and this one is a Savannah Sparrow. I would never have seen this little fellow with his natural camouflage - but there was another birder with a spotting scope aimed at the prairie grasses by the walkway.

There were two very large bison who came too near to the trail so this cowboy came to the rescue and tried to herd them away.

They weren't too sure they wanted to leave.

But our hero prevailed.

Brown-headed Cowbirds are nasty birds - loud and dirty - but this one was almost pretty sitting in the grass by my open car window.

We spotted this Catbird by the entrance to the La Chua Trail. These birds usually stay hidden in the bushes - so it is rare that I can get a decent picture.

This is a Red-winged Blackbird. It's either a female or a young male.

Another female Red-winged Blackbird.

And still another.

Today we are Fort Jackson in South Carolina for grandson Nathan's graduation from boot camp. Nate - we are very proud of you!

OTOW Unique Birders at Paynes Prairie

My sister, Beth is here for a week and we're having a wonderful time. I have lots of pictures from our various adventures that I will get posted soon - I promise.

On Thursday, Bill and I took her with us birding with the OTOW Unique Birders to Paynes Prairie. It was a beautiful warm and sunny day. We met the rest of the group at the big tree in the Health & Recreation Center parking lot at o'dark-thirty to arrange car pools. Anne joined us and the delightful ride was a preview for the rest of the day.

The La Chua Trail into the prairie and the observation deck is about 1 1/2 miles one way. It begins in a lovely wooded area with huge Live Oak trees draped with Spanish Moss where we parked our cars. Just past the pay station ($2 per person) and the porta-pottie, we observed this Osprey sitting on a mess of a nest high atop the high power tower. On each side were Great-tail Grackles. One was terrorizing a Red-belliedWoodpecker that we could see only with binoculars.

In the trees were several Cardinals, both male and female - and boy are they getting red! Looks like Spring will come early this year.

Past the Alachua Sink and the hundreds of alligators in the pond and along the bank, the trail follows the river bed. Since it has been so dry, we saw just a splash of water compared to what has been there in past visits. The usual birds were present: Belted Kingfisher, Anhinga, Double-crested Cormorant, White Ibis, Snowy Egret, a Little Blue Heron and this Great Heron. We also saw what looked like a grey hawk in the bushes. I took lots of pictures - none of which were good enough to publish, but good enough to ID the bird as a Black-crested Night Heron.

This American Kestrel must be a resident as I think I see him in the same spot every visit - overlooking the water and the boardwalk.

Along the trail, a juvenile Northern Harrier flew overhead, behind trees, into the bushes and low over the scrub keeping us company.

It was a special treat to see a group of Sandhill Cranes close to the trail. We were able to get as close as I've ever gotten - and I took hundreds of pictures. They are large, magnificent birds with incredible coloring. I just couldn't get enough.

The bright red on their heads is amazing! ...and look at that orange eye and long black beak!

Elegant. I see why their feathers were so valued for ladies' hats in the 1920's.

Back at the observation platform, we saw lots of Red-winged Blackbirds - but no wild horses, feral hogs, bison or Whooping Cranes as in years past. We rested for a short time before beginning the walk back.

Overhead, more and more Sandhill Cranes were flying in. The cranes on the ground called to them and we enjoyed the loud chorus.

I told you I took a lot of pictures. They were just so beautiful - I couldn't stop!

Back on the boardwalk, lots of Palm Warblers flitted in the bushes.

I was surprised to be able to get a couple of fairly good pictures as they usually aren't still for very long!

After our walk, we drove to the 43rd Street Deli (or was it the 42nd Street Diner?) for a delicious lunch, more great company and our bird count. It was a delightful day with my sister and the Unique Birders!