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Colorful Migrants at Fort De Soto’s Mulberry Trees

Posted Monday, April 29, 2019Friday, May 17, 2019 Jess YarnellPosted in Fort De Soto

After Monday’s magical morning at the East Beach at Fort De Soto, I headed to the mulberry trees to look for more migrant birds. The first bird I saw was one I had missed earlier in the morning, a bright red Scarlet Tanager.

For years I drove by the mulberry trees without giving them a second glance. They’re just the trees around the ranger’s house. But during a week or two in April, they are a magical place filled with colorful songbirds passing through Florida on their migratory route north.

A pair of Indigo Buntings was hanging out in some low bushes. The beautiful male flashed his bright blue colors and the female’s brown feathers glistened in the sun.

The oak tree next to the ranger’s house is a great place to watch for warblers. Like this Black-and-white Warbler, who paused briefly in his bug hunt to stop and look at my camera.

There were several Black-throated Green Warblers hopping around. First they stayed high in the tree, then they headed down into some branches right overhead. At times I could have reached out to touch them. Definitely a case of “too much lens” but that’s not a hard problem to solve – you just have to zoom with your feet! ;-)

Off in the distance, I spotted a small bird with spots of yellow. I followed him for about half an hour as he came, went, and got closer. First I got an ID picture. Then I got a closer picture. Then I got a photo that I actually like! Say hello to the Yellow-throated Vireo…

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and the occasional oriole flitted in the trees overhead. There were more females than males. This one didn’t have mulberry stains on her chin.

I moved over to the fountain area and stood watching as the colorful feathers went by. The light was really bad but how often do you get to photograph these birds in FL? This Tennessee Warbler paused in a mulberry tree before hopping over to the fountain for a drink.

A Yellow Warbler flew by the fountain but didn’t like the branches that people had placed near the fountain. He circled around the fountain a few times and then took cover in some nearby palm trees. He’s not a fan of photographer-placed perches near his favorite water hole!

A few minutes later, a Painted Bunting hopped over to the fountain. He’s a “greenie,” either a female or a juvenile male. In my yard, the males all disappeared around mid-April (just in time for Tax Day!) The males migrate first, followed by the greenies about 10 days later.

Sometimes it pays to just stand and watch. After a Northern Parula and a Cape May Warbler flew in front of me, I spotted a small dark warbler in the palms. She’s a Blackpoll Warbler, a bird with one of the longest migration routes known.

My last bird of the day was this female American Redstart. These small warblers are best identified by their fan-like tails and their propensity to hop quickly through the branches, which makes them quite a challenge to photograph. I must have taken 50 shots where the bird was blurry or just plain missing from the image. So you can imagine my happy dance when I saw a frame that was in focus! ;-)

East Beach Sunrise and Migrant Birds at Fort De Soto

Posted Friday, April 26, 2019Friday, December 13, 2019 Jess Yarnell4 CommentsPosted in Fort De Soto

It’s been way too long since I visited Fort De Soto. I headed there on Monday morning to photograph sunrise, see some shorebirds, and maybe luck out with a handful of migrants. It turned out to be a spectacular day.

I pulled up to East Beach about fifteen minutes before sunrise, inhaled a deep breath of the salt air, and saw a Sandhill Crane wandering near a pavilion. It was the first time I’d seen a Sandhill Crane at the park. I followed him down the path until I saw a glimpse of the orange sky and the Sunshine Skyway bridge in the distance. That’s when the first magic happened, as the bird let me frame the sunrise with his call of good morning…

The morning light was soft, and the warmth of the sun felt good among the springtime breeze. I followed the crane in the direction of the bridge. Pelicans, gulls, and terns fished for their breakfasts in the water. Willets and Sanderlings darted among the lapping waves. It felt so good to be at the beach!

My plan for the morning was to photograph the sunrise at at East Beach, photograph shorebirds at North Beach, and then check the mulberry trees for migrants. But then the magic interfered. I saw a Prothonotary Warbler darting among the sea grapes, and I heard the tiny voices of migrant buntings and warblers and orioles. My plan quickly changed to “grab the Beast and start trying to capture all the tiny darters!”

The sea grapes were full of tiny Tennessee Warblers. Sea grapes are a source of nectar, and I think the birds were also drinking the dew that had accumulated on the leaves. Tired after a night of flying across the Gulf of Mexico, they were happy to find food.

Also busy foraging in the Sea Grapes were the Indigo Buntings. I love watching the bright blue males, and their feathers sparkled in the beautiful morning light. The females are a pale brown. The male in the image above has almost finished his molt into breeding plumage, but you can still glimpse bits of brown from his winter feathers.

Over my head, a pair of Osprey were building a nest. Periodically one of the birds would fly out, find a stick, and bring it back to the nest. I had to laugh as I saw him grab a really big stick, fly with it over the ocean, and then drop it into the waves. It’s hard work building a nest. But as much as I love photographing birds with nesting material, the migrants quickly diverted my attention…

This Orchard Oriole hopped to the top of a Sea Grape branch as if to pose for me. At first I was happy to find an Oriole amidst the warblers and buntings, but then I found a ton of Orioles, all feasting on agave blooms…

Oriole Bliss (Agave Blooms - Century Plant) — Oriole Bliss (Agave Blooms – Century Plant)

I didn’t know the name of the plant at the time, and after doing some reading, it’s a “Century Plant” that only blooms once before it dies. The nectar was just what the hungry birds wanted after a long nighttime flight. At least half a dozen birds hopped from flower to flower, flapping their wings and squabbling over their feast.

Another agave plant was nestled behind some sea grapes, and through a small window in the leaves, I could see orioles coming to nectar. The bird above is a male Baltimore Oriole, and the one below is a male Orchard Oriole.

Migration is such a feast of colors! The male orioles are bright orange, and the females are bright yellow. There was a perch above the agave plants where the birds would wait their turn. It made for beautiful portraits…

The orioles weren’t the only birds who enjoyed the nectar of the agave. I saw a couple of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds dart in and nectar when the flowers were free. It’s almost impossible to imagine that these tiny birds fly 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico in one night. The poor bird must have been famished.

Blue, yellow, orange…where was red? I didn’t see any male Summer or Scarlet Tanagers in their bright red coats at East Beach that morning. This female Summer Tanager isn’t as brilliant as her male counterpart, but her feathers shone beautifully in the bright morning light.

My last bird at East Beach was a Cape May Warbler. Then I headed off to the mulberry trees, where as it turned out, I found more colors of the rainbow. More on that in the next blog post!

Springtime Stop at Lake Morton

Posted Saturday, April 20, 2019Thursday, May 16, 2019 Jess Yarnell1 CommentPosted in Lake Morton

It’s been too long since I’ve been to Lake Morton. It’s the best time of year to go, too, with all the springtime babies and birds in breeding plumage. Last Saturday was a cloudy, overcast day but I cranked up the exposure compensation and thoroughly enjoyed my walk. :)

Most of the winter ducks have left Florida, but a few Ruddy Ducks and a couple of Ring-necked Ducks were still present at Lake Morton in early April. I love the blue beaks that form part of the male Ruddy Duck’s breeding plumage.

With the less-than-ideal lighting conditions, I opted to leave my Beast at home and use just the intermediate telephoto. The birds at Lake Morton are tame enough to allow fairly close approaches, and it felt good to leave some of the weight behind!

Did I mention cute baby ducklings? This crew was resting in the grass next to their exhausted Mallard mom.

The Mute Swans nest in March and April. The birds are very protective of their nests and babies, so it’s best to give them a wide berth. Several nests were empty as the City of Lakeland moves the birds to cages as soon as the cygnets are born. This mom was still on eggs. She looked like she was ready to get up and move around a little.

A few American White Pelicans are still hanging around at Lake Morton. They head to the northern US to breed. There’s a large colony in northern Minnesota that has yielded several tagged birds that wintered in Lakeland in years past. I love to watch them glide on the water…

…and sometimes they take a nap on the brick walls at the lake’s edge, making it easy to get close-ups of their beautiful faces and feathers.

This Limpkin had just caught an Apple Snail when I happened upon him. I immediately dropped to my knees to photograph him at eye level. He repeatedly stabbed the snail with his long beak, using it to pry the snail out of the shell. In the photo below, he looks like he’s posing with his prize.

Lake Morton is an excellent place to photograph Wood Ducks, as the usually skittish species is fairly accustomed to all the people that walk around the lake. It’s such a special place. As I walked around, I found photographers, toddlers feeding the birds, young adults out for a run, seniors out for a stroll, and a family taking early Easter portraits with a professional photographer. These ducks weren’t worried about all the passersby. They focused on preening each other, and I bet we’ll see some cute baby ducklings from them later on in the season.

A little while later, in one of the few moments of sunshine that morning, I came across another drake Wood Duck at the water’s edge. I laid down on my stomach and edged forward as he preened himself in the sunlight. His feathers sparkled. What a gorgeous bird!

The ducks weren’t the only birds forming breeding pairs. I came across this pair of American Coots preening each other. They were quite gentle as they nuzzled. It was sweet.

Muscovy Ducks are another familiar sight at Lake Morton. They have the most interesting faces. This male watched me from a distance.

The Muscovy babies are so cute! A female duck had a brood of about 5-7 ducklings. As soon as she saw me, she headed for the water, and I thought it was great that she protected her babies. Then they swam right up to me, climbed out of the water, and waddled right up to me. I can tell people feed them. I wish they weren’t quite so accustomed to people…it’s not good for them. In years past, a sweet bird affectionately dubbed Father Goose has watched over little families of Muscovies. I didn’t see him on this particular morning.

The White Ibis were starting to lose their breeding plumage, but I found a couple of individuals with bright red-orange heads still. This female walked right in front of me and even gave me a nice head angle. Then she went off to hunt for bugs in the grass.

The swans definitely enjoy their baths. Throughout the morning, I stopped to grin at the beautiful birds as they splashed in the blue water. You can see how the City trims their flight feathers to keep the birds from leaving the lake.

My last bird of the morning is a “common” bird with very striking breeding plumage. This Double-crested Cormorant sat on a brick wall, looking at me and showing off his double-crested tufts of feathers that he sports only during the breeding season. His eyes are a bright blue. His mouth also turns an electric shade of blue. I sat there watching him for several minutes, but he didn’t feel like showing off his mouth for me.

So despite the icky weather, it was a very enjoyable morning at Lake Morton. My favorite photo opportunities were with two families that will get their own blog posts soon. Come back to read more!