Florida Birds - Part 3

Continuing with this series on Florida birds, below are highlights from the gulf coast.

First up, Nanday Parakeets.

Hello!

These guys were everywhere, usually seen in large flocks and very loud. These birds are not native, but are a result of escapees from the exotic bird trade establishing themselves in the area, and they seem to be thriving.

This one was seen in a city park investigating all the holes in the trunk of a palm tree. You can just barely see its red "socks" that are visible when they perch.

A typical flock in flight:

Compare the black-headed Nandays with the all-green Monk Parakeets who also inhabit the area (and Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn). These birds also appear in large flocks and the one below is seen guarding part of a communal nest on a water tower.

Monk Parakeets flying:

This is a terrible photo, but it's the only one I was able to get of a flock of Blue-Crowned Parakeets. I'd never seen them before and I spotted this group on a dark and cloudy morning. Their calls were different than the Nandays and Monks, so I snapped a photo and was happy to discover a new bird for my life list. They are not widespread across the state, but seem to exist in three major areas (according to eBird). I feel lucky to have seen them when I did and, next time, will have to try and get better views.

Meanwhile, many of the birds NYC enjoys in spring, summer and fall are hanging out down south this time of year. This Prairie Warbler was found foraging for insects in a mangrove swamp.

Another migratory bird we see in NYC during warmer months is the Black and White Warbler. I found this one in some shrubby trees along with Palm Warblers and Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers.

One of my favorite birds that I rarely (well, never)  get to see up north is the Loggerhead Shrike.

I love their black masks and the way they command the area where ever they are. Any time I was in the presence of one, I felt like it was in charge of everything going on.

No swimming!

Another favorite (I have a lot) is the Limpkin. They eat snails and this one was finding quite a few in a random pond behind the hotel where I was staying.

Of all the wading birds, the Tricolored Heron has to be one of the most beautiful. I found a lot of them during this trip, more than I've ever seen.

Every post must include an Osprey!

Sunsets on the gulf coast are amazing. I grew up on the west coast and miss seeing the sun set over the Pacific Ocean, so seeing it go down over the Gulf of Mexico is the next best thing.

More to come...

Florida Birds - Part 2

Following my earlier post on Florida Birds, here are some more highlights from the same birding trip.

For me, the Anhinga is a quintessential Florida bird, an it's one of my favorites. The way they move their snakey necks around like they're doing yoga poses is really cool to observe. And their loud calls are impossible to miss.

This Anhinga seems to approve of this sculpture by artist Paul Eppling at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve.

In the same location, a flock of at least 50 Magnificent Frigatebirds swirled high over the water. I've never seen so many before, and the sight of them silently gliding around the sky was stunning.  They were really high up and hard to photograph, but you can see in this photo that there is one juvenile in the middle with the white head, flanked by two males with red throat patches.

Early one morning, we had an interesting encounter with some Bald Eagles. This adult had been hanging around a lake for a couple of days and I was hoping to see it on this morning.

It did not disappoint!

The adult eagle flew past me, followed by a second eagle. I could see them turning around at the end of the lake, so I waited for them to fly back towards me. Just as they came out from behind some trees, the eagles got into a skirmish right over the water.

The eagle on the left (above) is an immature, and the adult (above, right) was not happy to have it on its turf.

The pair grappled in the air, shrieking loudly.

To my surprise, the adult eagle plunged into the water!

The immature eagle flew off, leaving the adult to flounder around in the water before recovering itself and taking off to chase after the young interloper.

You can see in the photo below the eagle has its eye on something above it, which would be the other eagle.

The whole episode lasted just a few seconds, so I was ecstatic to have been able to witness it.

Black Vultures were numerous and could be seen almost everywhere.

Can you spot the Osprey in the middle of this photo? Ospreys are large birds, which shows just how enormous this palm tree is.

If you've been wondering where all the NYC ospreys go in winter, there's a good chance they're enjoying the fishing down in Florida.

Another bird I really love is the Pileated Woodpecker. They can be found all over the eastern US, but they are rare in NYC. I was able to see several during this last trip south.

Back in December 2019, I visited Manatee Springs State Park, where vultures and woodpeckers were the stars of the day. It turned out to be one of my favorite birding experiences and you can see my post about that particular visit here.

 

The creatures below are not birds, but definitely worth noting.

Lizards were everywhere I went during this trip. I am a novice at identifying them, but I think the majority were Brown Anole lizards.

This Gopher Tortoise had zero sympathy for me as I was being traumatized by a bazillion mosquitoes.

And it wouldn't be Florida without an American Alligator.  This one was small - about four feet long - and was just chilling in a shallow lake, as they do.

I went crazy taking photos during this trip, so there will be more to come...

2023 Fall Foliage - Part 3

I thought I was done with fall foliage for the season, but there are still quite a few trees around in blazing color, so I couldn't resist a few more photos. Highlights below are from Governors Island and some cemeteries, which are usually good places for finding decorative trees.

This is the last colorful stand of trees in Nolan Park on Governors Island.

These red and yellow trees were photographed a week apart (top photo is more recent).

I missed the peak time for the orange Japanese Maples in Woodlawn Cemetery this year, but there were still many bright leaves to be found there this past week.

I'm not sure what types of trees these are, but I love the intense orange color.

And then there's this red, which is so bright, it never looks natural in a photo but the color is all real. Nature is amazing.