If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
A few weeks ago, we visited Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near Titusville, Florida, USA. We saw fewer species than we have seen during other visits. But we did see some of our favorites.
Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
In recent weeks, a Red-breasted Sapsucker has allowed me to photograph it. I have wanted this opportunity for a couple of years. Two years ago, I saw one but had already packed up my camera gear and lost the opportunity. So, I was excited to finally see one.
A year ago, I was in Florida and was given the opportunity to photograph a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. That was special also.
The images I captured shows a signature behavior of sapsuckers. They peck to create a round hole from which the suck the sap. They get the sap from one hole then create another. In doing so they create horizontal ring around the tree. They may create many of these rings. If you see a tree with rows of holes, in horizontal rings, you may have a favorite tree to watch for sapsuckers.
According to All About Birds from Cornell Labs, the Rufous Hummingbird may follow a sapsucker and finish any sap left in a fresh hole.
Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
Today I am sharing images of some woodpeckers and some cousins. The Red-bellied Woodpecker and the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker are from Florida, the others were from the Sacramento Area.
Look closely at the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and notice the tree on which it is perched. Note the ring of holes around the tree. When a sapsucker feeds it moves around the trunk leaving a tell tale ring of holes around the tree.
Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
Today I am sharing a few more songbirds that I have photographed over the last several months. The Cardinals and the Brown Thrasher were taken in Florida, the remainder here in the Sacramento area.
Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution.
Today I am sharing images of birds that hang around marshy areas.
The American Avocet can be found in marshes in the Western United States, the Southeast Coast and Gulf Coast of the US as well as Mexico. It is generally seen in inland portions of the US only during breeding and when migrating to breeding grounds. It nests on the ground. It forages by walking in shallow water, swishing its head back and forth to capture aquatic invertebrates.
The Limpkin is found in Florida, the Yucatan Peninsula, and the Caribbean. They nest on the ground. They forage day and night specializing in eating apple snails. Their bill seems specifically adapted to eat them. I have never heard the call of a Limpkin, but I read that it is otherworldly.
The Common Moorhen, also known as the Common Gallinule, is found along coastal section of the United States as well as Mexico and the Caribbean. They sometimes nest in trees and shrubs but mostly nest on aquatic plants near the water’s edge. They swim when foraging and eat aquatic plants.
The Purple Swamp Hen, also known as the Purple Gallinule, lives in Florida, parts of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, and the Caribbean. They attach their nests to standing or floating vegetation in the marshes. They eat aquatic plants, insects, spiders, small frogs and fish, and eggs and nestlings of other birds.
The Greater Yellowlegs is found across most of North America and the Caribbean. They nest on the ground. They forage by wading and stabbing at aquatic invertebrates.
Today I am sharing some of the raptors we saw on a birding adventure in Florida. The collection includes the Burrowing Owl, the Florida subspecies of the Red-shouldered Hawk and the Black Vulture.
The Burrowing Owl is an interesting character that does not fit our stereotypes. Our literature is full of owls. They are the wise, stealthy, mysterious creatures that hunt at night, flying silently and swooping down to take its prey. The burrowing owl lives in burrows under the ground. They are comical to watch as they stand outside their burrow staring with eyes wide open, twisting their head back and forth like R2-D2 of Star Wars. They can fly to hunt but they also watch and attack or walk while hunting. They forage by day or night and eat invertebrates, insects and sometimes a mouse or shrew.
The Black Vulture is a smaller cousin to the Turkey Vulture found along the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern states of the United States as well as Mexico, the Caribbean and extreme northern South America. The Black Vulture has a gray head and its wings are all black except for a very large section of white at the end of the wing. In contrast, the Turkey Vulture has a red head and its wings are white along the underside trailing edge.
The Florida subspecies, called extimus of the Red-shouldered Hawk is a paler colored bird than the western group, called the eleganz, we see here in Northern California.
Info from: Cornell Labs All-About-Birds and the Stokes Field Guide to Birds of North America.
Note: Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
Today, I am sharing some more images from my February birding adventure in Florida. Most of the birds are songbirds. However, I have a jay and a couple of grackles in the set also.
Note: Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution.
Earthwatcher 