Birds' Eye View

My new photo venture is focusing on just the head and eyes of the birds I find, and I got some good results. Have you ever seen a bird's tongue before? Now you can say that you have, and what an unusual looking tongue this Black Skimmer has. When birds are ready to mate and breed, not only do they get beautiful feathers to attract a potential mate, but the the "lores" around the eyes of some birds change colors too. Birds cannot act coy and just flirt without being serious. When your eyes change colors, all the birds of the opposite sex know you are ready to mate. Both male and female Anhingas have turquoise eyes when courting. Is this where people got the idea for eye makeup? Brown Pelicans aren't just brown during mating season. This guy looks like he was partying all night and his eyes are a little bloodshot this morning! I try to read feelings into the eyes and feathers of the birds too, although I know that is probably not a good thing to do. Birds probably don't even have feelings like people do, but the behavior implies feelings to me. This Osprey had been eating a fish on a branch of the sole remaining pine tree at a Hobe Sound NWR hillside. The wind blew his feathers, and we kept walking closer and closer. Yet he was determined to finish that fish no matter what happened. I imagine him trying to remember where he caught this fish so he can go back again tomorrow. The Green Heron had just been chased out of the lilypads by something, and he was mad about it. He squawked loudly while trying to climb back up out of the water, and his top feathers made these feelings very clear to anyone watching.

The Glossy Ibis looks dark and, well, glossy, from a distance. If they sun shines, it appears iridescent, otherwise a dark brownish-black color. The closeup shows that his head feathers are actually brown and white, and he has a distinct white mark outlining the edges of his beak. Do you notice this from a distance? Usually not. Since I don't have one of those 18 inch, mega-telescopic lenses, I use my converter (Panasonic says it gives the equivalent of 714 mm), set the camera for 8 megapixels, and shoot. When I get home, Photoshop lets me zoom in for those nice head shots, and crop out the excess foliage. I'm content with the results, and really have no desire to carry around 30 pounds of equipment and a tripod every time I go out.

The colors to be found in a bird's eye fascinate me too. Most mammals will have brown eyes, and people of course, have a variety of colors. Some bird eyes are a solid dark color, while others are red or yellow, and the pupil stands out. This Tricolor Heron has red eyes, while the Osprey's eyes are yellow as are the Green Heron. I wonder if there are any studies about this difference? Does it improve the vision? Is there some survival factor to red eyes? And how in the world would any scientist ever be able to come up with a reliable answer to these questions? See, birding can broaden your mind!

By the Sea, By the Sea

How relaxing the beach can be. If you are a birder, though, you still take binoculars and camera when sunbathing. You never know when a wonderful photo op will present itself!

The beach for our condo in Pompano Beach hosted a steady population of Black Skimmers, Sanderlings, Willet, Ring Billed and Herring Gulls, some Ruddy Turnstones and Black Bellied Plovers. I thought the birds were vacationing at their timeshare too, since they congregated at the same spot on the beach every day, along with the two legged winter visitors. If a strolling tourist came too close in their walk along the beach, the birds might walk a little faster themselves, or take wing for a quick flight to circle around the intruder. Once the person was gone, they quickly reclaimed their original spot. I don't think they used much sunblock though!

At first glance, the Sanderlings and the Black Bellied Plover resembled each other. The Sanderlings spend all day running back and forth before the waves, probing into the wet sand. Those short legs can really move! The Black Bellied Plover looks nothing like the field guide picture since it is in winter plumage - a challenge for winter birding trips. The black belly is gone, but when they take flight, you do see the distinct black spot under their wings, validating a tentative identification. Also, a real size difference is apparent when they are closer together. The Ruddy Turnstones were unafraid of people along the beach. Their darker brown coloring blended in so well with the brown of our beach. Also, they foraged along the kelp and other debris washed up with the high tide, blending in even more. In fact, as I reviewed the photos, it was hard to find one without a bit of manmade trash in it. The taller Willet is a solitary visitor, rather than a sociable bird, and hides a striking black and white pattern under its wings, until it takes to the air. The Black Skimmers preferred standing around, soaking up the sun and gossiping with each other. When someone chased them away, they settled back down again quickly. While in flight, their large bills pointed down, as if too heavy to hold up. I asked the beach concession person, who spends every day on the beach, what time he saw the skimmers feeding, sinceI wanted to get some photos of their unusual fishing method. He laughed and said he never really saw them feeding on this beach at all. They must go somewhere else for their fishing! Gulls are sometimes difficult to distinguish since immature gulls have different colors than the adults. Gulls and Terns may also display different plummage in the winter. Herring Gulls are the largest, no matter what color, and they can be aggressive with the others. The Laughing Gull loses his black head as do the Royal Terns, who just look bald! If I go back in the Summer, I'll have to learn a whole new image for them.

Wetlands and Water Treatment

The name, Wakodahatchee, is derived from the Seminole Indian language and translates as "created waters." The created waters at Wakodahatchee Wetlands are an example of people giving something back to nature. Fifty acres of unused utilities land have been transformed into a wetlands ecosystem. Every day, the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department's Southern Region Water Reclaimation Facility pumps approximately two million gallons of highly treated water into the Wakodahatchee Wetlands. By acting as a natural filter for the nutrients that remain, the wetlands work to further clense the water. As always, click any picture to see a larger version.

In addition to providing educational and recreational opportunities for the public and habitat for wildlife, the Green Cay Wetlands naturally filter several million gallons of highly treated water each day from Palm Beach County's Southern Region Water Reclamation Facility. The wetlands also help to recharge groundwater resources and keep water in the earth's water cycle. To accomplish this, Green Cay incorporates 86 different species of trees, shrubs, grasses and aquatic vegetation on a former vegetable farm.

Palm Beach County government takes care of water treatment and provides much needed wildlife and bird habitat at the same time. Boardwalks through and around both wetlands provide an unprecedented opportunity for birders to see and photograph a large variety of birds including wading birds, raptors, and migrants, along with multitudes of turtles, fish and, of course, alligators. Small islands with trees are filled with nesting Anhingas and Great Blue Herons. Even non-birders are amazed at the birds easily seen and heard and appreciate a little help from someone who knows the names of those beautiful birds. How often will a visitor, in Florida for only a week, have an opportunity to observe courting and nesting behavior of wetlands birds? You could traipse out into the wilds of the Everglades on an airboat, and still not have a good chance. At Wakodahatchee, however, several small islands provided a rookery with nestlings of various ages and development levels. It makes a mother appreciate the efforts of other parents, and be glad that she can feed her babies with a spoon, and not by regurgitating fish for them. At least the Anhinga doesn't have to wash dishes or change diapers! This Anhinga couple are still courting, and their eyes change colors to show their readiness to mate. Big Kudos to the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department for some wise decisions. Imagine, supporting the environment, wildlife and tourism at the same time! It can be done. This baby Great Blue Heron and I thank you!

Birder's Paradise - Palm Beach County

We just returned from a fantastic week in Florida, birding every day. I dowloaded 772 photos to my computer, and had deleted at least another 80 or so from the camera directly each night while we were there. That's the delight of digital photography - take lots of pictures, and don't worry about the ones that don't turn out right. I hardly know where to start.

We added five new birds to our life list. Well run nature preserves provided large numbers of birds to photograph while standing on a boardwalk. One preserve sponsored a Nature Photography class that we attended and got some great pointers from a 20 year veteran nature photographer. It's breeding season, so some birds were in their courting feathers, while others tended their babies.

The Purple Galinule (where do they get these names!) did not show itself in Alabama, so I was specially glad to find it now. They have iridescent feathers, and bright yellow legs with long toes. Climbing up and down the branches nibbling on flowers, they hang upside down and can run across the lily pads. The Sora is a shy marsh bird, with beautiful brown feathers and a yellow bill. Snail Kites are found only in South Flordia, and eat only apple snails. This one landed across the marsh with a snail to eat, so we didn't get a good view of it's head, since it was concentrating on lunch.

You meet such interesting people on the beach, and one birder from New York told us were to find the Florida Burrowing Owl. It digs burrows in the sand, preferring places with short grassy areas, such as parks and airports. The Pompano Municipal Airport has an area with at least 15 burrows, just inside the fence. It looked like a prairie dog village! Most of them were visible through the scope, but not the camera. They watched the cars going by for entertainment, turning their heads quickly from right to left. A passing skater advised us to move down a bit to see a burrow right against the fence. The fence itself interfers with the pictures, so just ignore it. The little birds were the cutest things!

We are well acquainted with the Mourning Dove and it's quiet cooing. Florida is being invaded by the Eurasian Collared Dove. Although it resembles the Mourning Dove, they act like they are on steriods - very agressive, chasing other birds around and sounding like Ninja Doves.

Icy Indiana

A cold sunny Monday holiday lured us to Patoka Lake in Indiana, purported to be the home of Bald Eagles. Where the wind blew across the middle, the lake was not frozen. All the sheltered coves were covered in ice however. A small flock of ducks paddled in the waves and a pair of Hooded Mergansers landed near them. The Canada Geese just gave up swimming and snoozed on top of the ice, joined by one lost Snow Goose. Ground water seeping out between layers of sandstone along the shore froze into silent white waterfalls. The surface ice was surprisingly clear and rocks on the bottom easily visible. Water erosion from millenia ago shaped the sandstone bluffs atop the ridges.

Since I don't care for winter sports that make your toes tingle and your nose run, I haven't been near any frozen lakes before, and was surprised at the sounds made by the ice. Creeaaakkk... I turned but saw nothing. Must have been the ice sheets shifting on top of the water. A quiet skittering noise was not figure skating mice after all, but only dry leaves blown along the surface by the wind. At the marina, one man turned a pontoon boat into an ice breaker to keep the harbor accessible to any boats braving the weather in January. Just imagine the noise the real ice breakers make on the Great Lakes!

Once again, the target bird eluded us, although we saw Red Tail Hawks, a Harrier, a flock of Bluebirds, Tufted Timice at a feeder, Killdeer and Kingfisher near the lake, a murder of Crows, and one soaring bird which dashed our hopes by turning out to be a Turkey Vulture rather than a Bald Eagle.

When is Now?

This blog is called "Life, Birding, Photos and Everything" and Life has been on my mind the last few weeks. Usually, I just drift from day to day, sometimes thinking about plans for the next vacation or birding trip, sometimes remembering a past occurrence, and sometimes just dealing with today. A recent article in the comics of the local newspaper, believe it or not, focused my thoughts more precisely.

When is now? the writer asked, then answered himself, "Time is a lot like a string. Your now is like a bead that is always gliding along that string and the gliding never stops. That means every single chunk of now is an ending of something and a beginning of something else. Everything all the time is now. Yet as soon as you begin the merest thought of now, it is already in the past. Everything is connected, including the way time flows."

As a child, you think your life is fixed and reliable, yet as you grow you find that the only constant in life is change itself. Your parents grow old and die, then you become the ones that children look up to, and the children themselves become adults, responsible for making their own decisions in life. Even my 20-something son notices how quickly time seems to go now.

One of our dear friends has been diagnosed with cancer, and his prognosis is not good. Other friends have been ill, but none of them affected me as much as this. Then I got a letter from a college roommate who is fighting breast cancer. I don't know if my distress is for their suffering and the loss their families feel, or my recognition of my own mortality. This could happen to us just as easily as anyone else we know.

Seize the day, live for the now. Enjoy the sunrise and sunset, the birdsong at dawn. Tell someone you love them. Now is all we have really.

Indiana Eagles

"Oh, what a beautiful morning," we thought as we drove over the Ohio River into Indiana for another birding trip with the Beckham Bird Club. The sunrise shone pink behind our shoulders, while the full moon set behind the Kennedy Bridge. My camera, unfortunately, was in its case in the back of the car, so there are no pictures. With such a great start, we expected a cool but sunny day, and boy, what a mistake that was! The clouds only broke once, and the temperature never got warm enough to be pleasantly brisk. Giant frost crystals awaited us at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge when we arrived, but we were not deterred and drove off to see the birds.

At our first stop we saw Canadian Geese and Mallards swimming in the pools between ice sheets, a Great Blue Heron trying to stay warm in the brush nearby, and two Wilsons's Snipes. The Killdeer slipped around trying to walk on the ice. A Harrier flew overhead then on to the next small lake. Soon, a larger bird came over, and it was a Bald Eagle, which circled the lake then landed in a tree to survey the neighborhood. Closeups indicated that this bird had just recently acquired its white feathers, as we could see remnants of brown feathers on his head and the tip of his tail. He posed in the tree while we all took a look with the scopes, then moved on. The Blue Heron directly under the Eagle kept his head pointing straight up to keep a close eye on this big guy.

The next lake didn't offer much for the water birds, since there wasn't as much water as we had seen there before. In addition to the Canadian Geese, we saw a few Black Ducks, some Green-winged Teal, and a Pintail Duck - a life addition for me. A Goose slid on the ice and landed on her tail, just as I would have while walking on ice. Two Red-Shoulder Hawks perched in trees across the lake, and we tried to pish some smaller birds in with little luck.

River Otters have been released at Muscatatuck, and we found a family of five in one of the more remote lakes. At first, they looked like fish in the water, until we put the scope on them, which was hard considering how quickly they swam. An old beaver lodge had been renovated for the Otter family, and everyone came out to welcome the newcomers.

After lunch, the group moved to Hardy Lake State Park, which I had not visited before. Right away we saw a lone Loon (my first) out on the lake, and two Bald Eagles flying overhead. Some American Coots patrolled the edge of the lake. Horned Grebes and three Common Mergansers joined them, also increasing my lifetime list. The lake was large enough that we lost sight of several birds and never did identify them successfully. A Large Eared Owl had been sighted in the woods in other years, and Blue Jays called loudly the entire time we walked there. Might the owl still be around? We tried to call one down with a recording, and although we found no owls, the Jays finally got quiet. Hark! Is that a Crane calling? Quickly scanning the sky with binoculars, we found a long V of Sandhill Cranes flying over the lake and out of sight. Tom had seen a flock at Brownstown, which landed and left again in a few minutes, so this was a bonus for the day.

By the end of the afternoon, many of us were tired, cold and thinking about heading home, when both Bald Eagles came right towards us. One landed in a tree, while the other began to swoop and dive, obviously going for a fish. Something was wrong with my camera settings, and I couldn't get any clear shots, although the Eagle repeated his actions for me to try again. The Loon started singing its plaintive song, and the cold, dreary day became perfect. Then I remembered the movie setting. Just click to see if the Eagle finally catches the fish before it flies off. Overall, the leader announced, we saw 60 different species during the trip- a pretty good total for a cold gray day in Indiana.

Purposeful Birding

Birding is an adventure. I walk around and see what I can see. If a more experienced birder is along, I get to see more birds that I would otherwise have missed. When you go out looking for a particular kind of bird, however, you may be in for a disappointment.

Birding Rule #23 - the birds haven't read the schedule of when they are supposed to be at a particular location.

Last Saturday we drove to Brownstown, IN, to look for Sandhill Cranes in the fields along the river bottom. In other years, thousands of Cranes stopped here on their way south. This year has been very dry, though, and there was not ONE Crane to be seen anywhere. We saw a few Snow Geese, and a Snipe (which I always thought was a lie to tell a tenderfoot outdoors), some Kingfish, and lots of Killdeer. The Pine Siskin moved around too fast for me to actually spot. The harvested fields were full of Meadow Larks, and we found several Red Tailed Hawks and Northern Harriers. The male Harrier perched on a fence post far away, and even the experts weren't sure what it was. One other person saw him wearing white Cleopatra makeup around his eyes - a new field mark that I didn't know before. The white rump doesn't show when they aren't flying. The afternoon was pleasant, the sunset was breathtaking, and I enjoy meeting other birders with the Beckham Bird Club, so I consider the day successful even though we saw no Cranes. The birds that just pop up unexpectedly are the most rewarding to me. Yesterday it was windy along the river at the Falls, so I took a birding walk in another location. There are a couple of small beaver dams along this creek, and I was hoping to see some ducks on them. Sorry, no ducks, but I did see an industrious little Downey Woodpecker. When I got home and sorted through the pictures on my camera, I noticed a mass exodus of small birds in the backyard, followed by a Cooper's Hawk landing right outside the window. Finding no lunch, he flew into a nearby pine tree, preened a bit, then took off for another yard. See, this is what I mean. I get more excited about a bird that I see because I was at the right place at the right time, than one that everyone is looking for. This is the adventure. And by the way, while driving along the Interstate yesterday afternoon, I saw a V of large birds with long necks and long legs--the elusive Sandhill Cranes came to me, but it's hard to track them when driving 65 mph in the opposite direction. Adventure comes unexpectedly!

The Golden Fall Days

In only a few weeks, I will be looking at these pictures, fondly remembering the warm days of Autumn. When the trees are bare, and the sun hides behind the clouds, this day when the leaves fluttered gold and scarlet will make me sigh wistfully. We joined the Beckham Bird Club on a birding trip to Charlestown State Park in Indiana, then drove up Utica Pike along the river to an old river town with no grocery store and no gas stations. What do you do with a quarry when you can't quarry any more rocks from it? Build houses. A very imaginative developer has started a housing project named Quarry Bluff, using an old rock quarry, complete with lake, to build rather pricey houses inside the pit. The lake was pristine, but the view was limited to the surrounding rock walls. Our first stops in the park had no birds at all, and we started trying to remember the lowest count for a Beckham trip - nine someone said - thinking that we might top it today. When we drove down to the Ohio River, though, we hit the jackpot in the bottom meadows. All the goldenrods had turned to brownrods but so had the Gold Finches, wearing their drabber winter colors instead of the bright gold of summer. The Bluebirds were still as blue as the deep autumn sky, and we were serenaded by the original Jazz Singer - a syncopated White Throated Sparrow, accompanied by his backup group, the Song Sparrows. Phoebe bobbed in time to the music and flocks of Robins rocked in the treetops. A Towhee stopped in to see what all the fuss was about, and added his two cents worth to the song. Several deer ran into the woods ahead of us, and a flock of Wild Turkeys crossed the road (you know why, don't you?). The best part of the morning was the Red Tailed Hawk that soared above, turning to show off his red tail. What a thrill! I have pictures of Ospreys, Peregines and Bald Eagles in flight, but until now, nothing for the Red Tail. When we returned to Jeffersonville for lunch, we strolled along the river admiring the houses with a river view, and debating whether we would ever want to/afford to live in something like that. Under the old Big Four Bridge, better known as the nesting site for Louisville's Peregrine Falcon family, we saw some Mallards taking a nap in the shade after chowing down on the corn scattered for them on the sidewalk. Once again, I was awed by the beauty of this bird, which is so common we often take it for granted. Oh, it's just another Mallard. Birding teaches me not to take anything for granted. Every bird, and every person, can be beautiful if you just stop to look.

More than Just 'Bama Birds

On every birding walk or trip, I enjoy the non-feathered parts of nature too, and Mobile Bay abounds in wildlife. The alligators attracted our attention immediately. On our first trip to a boardwalk along the edge of the bay, we saw a floating log that turned out to be an alligator at least 10 feet long. Sometimes only it's nose and eyes appeared, while minutes later you could see the entire length of its rough, scaly back. It didn't appear to be hunting anything in particular that we noticed, but as it got closer and heard us talking, it decided the neighborhood was too crowded, then simply sank down and disappeared. In the town of Daphne, a creek flows into the bay in an area known as Alligator Alley, where the alligators could climb up into the hotel parking lot if they wished. This one was perhaps 6 feet long. A few days later, we found the baby, only about 12 inches long, at the Daphne park. A friend lost his daughter in an alligator attack, so we are very careful when they are around.

Insects were far more numerous. The Gulf Fritillary butterfly floated from one flower to another at every stop. Yes, I did have to search to find out how to spell that name! The dragonflies were truly enormous though. I kept saying, "There's a hummingbird" and it was a dragonfly every time. We never did see any hummingbirds. The dragonflies must have been preparing for something, since they never did land and just sit like they do in Kentucky, so I was unable to take any photos of them. We won't even talk about the mosquitos.

Baldwin County, Alabama, has more species of carnivorous Pitcher plants, the guides told us, than anywhere else. Pitcher plants grow in sunny, damp bogs, thriving in poor soil. Prescribed fires keep trees and shrubs from growing large enough to shade out these rare plants. Flies and other insects are attracted to the scent, land on the lip and slide in, but they can't fly out, and are slowly digested by the plant. I always thought only tropical rain forests would have carnivorous plants, not Alabama!

Mammals were a little harder to find, although we saw what we think were bobcat tracks once. At Fort Morgan, in between squalls, a long-legged Red Fox came out and just looked over the ocean. Birding teaches you to look quickly for all the wonderful creatures that abound in Nature. I am constantly amazed at the variety of animals we see in places where there are too many people to begin with. How wonderful that they can adapt! How sad that so many others cannot.