Yesterday was a beautiful morning to be out at Lake Apopka. The yellow flowers are all over the marsh, and the blue sky was beautiful as I played peek-a-boo with warblers.

At this time of year, one of my favorite places to hunt for warblers is at the Crazy U. Several Prairie Warblers were hopping in and out of the trees. One was even singing, which surprised me for October (or maybe one of the many birders was playing a call.) Not at all timid, the Prairie still in breeding plumage hopped out on the top of a bush and posed for my camera.

The other warblers made me work harder. This Yellow Warbler stayed pretty deep in the tree most of the time, but popped once or twice to play peek-a-boo. It was fun to run into Roberta and help her see this beautiful guy, too!

The most common little bird this morning was (aptly named) the Common Yellowthroat. I saw males, females, and first-year juvies out searching for breakfast. Most darted out only briefly to grab a bug. This female, though, posed beautifully in the soft morning light against a gorgeous green background.

My other fun find of the morning was a small group of migrating Pied-billed Grebes. A couple of them still showed the faint lines of their baby plumage. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen a grebe nest at Lake Apopka – maybe next summer!