My Painted Buntings have only been gone for a couple of weeks and I already miss them. The photos in this blog post were taken on April 13. I had at least 4, maybe up to 6, males in the yard that afternoon. All the males departed that week, leaving about half a dozen greenies, who stuck around until the end of April. I had one migrant greenie show up for a night on May 2. Now the backyard seems very quiet.
Painted Bunting (Male)
I put out a couple of branches in strategic locations and sat back to enjoy the last moments with these beautiful birds. A greenie was curious and wondered what I was up to.
Painted Bunting “Greenie”
This year we had a pair of Gray Catbirds in the backyard. They would sit on opposite sides of the yard, calling to each other. “Meow!” “Meow!” It was fun to watch our gray cat’s head turn back and forth as he listened to the calls of his buddies.
Gray Catbird
The cardinals never mind posing for me on the perches that I place near the feeders. The male repeatedly came and went from the feeder, making me suspect that he was taking food back to a nest of hungry little babies.
Northern Cardinal
The Painted Buntings were obviously gearing up for a long migration flight. They spent more time than usual at the feeders. I’m glad I only have to wait until October, when they will start returning for the winter.
On a Saturday morning in late April, the Birdcast migrant forecast showed a good flow of migrants over Central Florida. I headed to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive (LAWD), hoping to see some migrant warblers at the Crazy U. If you’re not familiar with LAWD, the Crazy U is a bend in Lust Road towards the beginning of the wildlife drive. There’s a patch of trees that seems to be attractive to the little birds. On this particular morning, I wasn’t disappointed. The trees were hopping with small birds who made a brief visit on their way north.
American Redstarts were flitting all over the place. These small birds move very quickly and are hard to photograph, especially as they dart in and out of the shadows and branches.
American Redstart (Male)
Black-and-white Warblers are usually found foraging on the trunks or big branches of trees. They don’t mind hanging out upside-down, like goldfinches. This one paused for a quick moment to look at my camera before continuing his hunt for breakfast.
Black-and-White Warbler
I’ve only had a handful of opportunities to see Black-throated Blue Warblers. Although I’d seen a male before, I got to see my first female that morning.
Black-throated Blue Warbler (Male)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (Female)
An Orchard Oriole made a brief appearance in the treetops. All cameras quickly pointed at him as he stood peering down, wondering what all the fuss was about.
Orchard Oriole (Male)
The Palm Warblers that winter in Florida share with us their pale non-breeding feather colors. It’s fun to see them molt into their rich yellow and brown colors as spring advances. All the photographers would focus on this guy, sigh, and say “just a Palm.” Poor little bird, it’s not his fault that everybody already has dozens of pictures of his friends!
Palm Warbler
Prairie Warblers can be found in Florida pretty easily during the wintertime. This one was just starting to get his springtime plumage. His breeding plumage will be quick striking with the sharp contrast between black and yellow.
Palm Warbler
Northern Parulas were all over the place. A couple of them paused briefly in the treetops as they hunted for bugs. One seemed to think he was a hummingbird as he hovered to gain access to his prey.
Northern Parula
Northern Parula
I found at least one male and one female Common Yellowthroat moving with this mixed flock of warblers. One played peek-a-book with me through the tree leaves.
Common Yellowthroat (Male)
I love the bright colors of the Yellow Warblers. They are one of the easier migrant warblers to find and photograph.
Yellow Warbler
The Blackpoll Warblers are among the last to move through Florida. A couple of females were in the flock this morning.
Blackpoll Warbler (Female)
All in all, it was a great morning to enjoy the sunshine, chat with a few fellow photographers, and challenge myself to photograph as many flitting fliers as possible! :)
It’s getting to be one of my favorite times of the year…summer and beaches and nesting shorebirds! On our way back from Cape Coral and Sanibel, Rich and I stopped off at a skimmer colony in Sarasota to see if the nesting was underway. Yep, I think it’s safe to say that we’ll have baby skimmers in a month or so…
Black Skimmers Getting Ready for Tiny Cute Fuzzballs! :)
It’s such fun to watch these birds in their nesting colony. They fly in and out constantly, and their calls to each other sound like dog barks. They nest in a small area of the beach, tightly packed together. There’s safety in numbers. Although I didn’t see eggs on this visit, the birds were definitely paired up.
Black Skimmer Pair
The Black Skimmer is distinctive with its bill shape. Unlike most birds, the Black Skimmer’s lower mandible is longer than the top, making it easy for the bird to “skim” for fish in the ocean. It’s fun to wade out in the water and get closer to them as they fish.
Skimming for Fish
I also get a chuckle out of watching “skimmer skirmishes,” when two birds will start fussing at each other and then take to the skies to fight. I guess when you nest in really close proximity to your neighborhoods, the occasional squabble is bound to occur.
Skimmer Skirmish
These birds can be very graceful in flight. The winds were right that afternoon for nice flight angles against a green beach background.
Black Skimmer in Flight
The skimmers were not the only birds with courtship on the mind. This pair of Laughing Gulls was sporting breeding plumage and showing decided interest in each other.
Laughing Gulls
This pair of Royal Terns got inspired by all the nesting skimmers. You can see the colony in the background. I haven’t yet photographed Royal Tern chicks…maybe this year will be the year!
Royal Terns
Not too far away, a Ring-billed Gull found a large fish and stood protecting his victory.
Ring-billed Gull
It was a really fun afternoon. I’m looking forward to spending more time at the beaches in the upcoming weeks, especially as the baby fuzzballs start hatching!
