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Springtime Fun at Lake Morton

Posted Wednesday, April 19, 2023Sunday, April 2, 2023 Jess YarnellPosted in Lake Morton

I’ve focused on American White Pelicans and Wood Ducks in my last posts from Lake Morton. But there’s a lot more going on there in the springtime! So today I’ll share some other images from those visits.

It’s nesting time! The Black Swans and Mute Swans make nests on the shore of the lake. If you’re lucky, you might visit on the day that the cygnets hatch. The city takes the babies away shortly after they hatch. The swan above made her nest in the middle of a bush. I bet it gives her some welcome shade as the weather gets warmer.

The Black Swans already had babies this year. The city trapped the family and put them in a small fenced cage on the shore of the lake. The cygnet is very cute. You can see that I took the above photo through the fence.

These swans haven’t had babies yet. But it sure seems to be on their minds! They were doing courtship head dances on the lakeshore one morning. I like how their necks come together to form a heart.

As I photographed pelicans one morning, I heard the call of this Yellow-throated Warbler in the tree over my head. The bird was singing, yet another sign that spring is here. He was in search of a mate.

These white ducks always come over to say hi when I visit Lake Morton. Lots of people feed them, so they assume I’m going to feed them, too. I always disappoint them. This one made me laugh, posed on the edge of the lake with a feather on his beak.

Yeah, I can’t get through a post without including a Wood Duck. I’ve really been enjoying hanging out with them this year! This bird’s reflection on the lake was perfect. So pretty!

I always know it’s springtime when the Common Gallinule chicks start to show up. These little black fuzzballs remind me of little aliens. These two are already getting kind of big. I think they are sharing a secret. Or maybe they want to ask that nice photographer to come back soon to play with them!

Zippy is a Real Boy! Ruby-throated Hummingbird Molt

Posted Monday, April 17, 2023Sunday, April 2, 2023 Jess YarnellPosted in Birds

With all the colts and pelicans and wood ducks lately, you haven’t forgotten about Zippy, have you? He’s my little Ruby-throated Hummingbird that showed up after Hurricane Ian last October. He wintered in the backyard and I got to watch his gorget molt.

When Zippy first showed up, I wasn’t sure if he was male or female. It wasn’t until I saw his first little red spot on his emerging gorget that I was sure that he was a little boy.

By late February, the base of his gorget was emerging. He had three little red dots.

By early March, his dot count was growing. He had five little red dots that would flash at me when the light angle was right.

The molt accelerated in the first few weeks of March. By the second week, Zippy’s red dots had connected into a nice little red necklace. He seemed proud to flash it at me!

I tried to get regular pictures, but he got harder and harder to photograph. He visited my flower beds in the early mornings, then transitioned to the hummingbird feeder in the afternoon. His visits got shorter and the flower bushes were denser as the spring progressed.

A week later, we had a multi-layer red necklace! You can see his dark feathers coming in under his white feathers.

Zippy’s last visit to my yard was on March 23. He almost looks like an adult male hummingbird here! His white throat feathers are almost all gone, and you can see the dark feathers and red gorget that are replacing them. He’s all ready to go off, find a breeding territory, and impress the ladies when he flashes them with that stunning red throat!

I have a Blink camera set up on the hummingbird feeder, so I got to watch Zippy’s molt in video form too. Enjoy!

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I will miss this little guy. He’s been a delight to watch in the backyard! I hope he comes back to visit. There’s still a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird here who needs a friend to help her build a nest!

Quiet Afternoon at Orlando Wetlands

Posted Saturday, April 15, 2023Sunday, April 2, 2023 Jess Yarnell2 CommentsPosted in Orlando Wetlands

You know the rush of springtime rookery activity is starting to fade when you stand there in the heat, photographing the White Ibis wading in front of you. I went back to Orlando Wetlands in late March, and the boardwalk wasn’t full of photographers! The sun was hot and the birds were not very active. The calendar had just declared the start of spring, but here in Central Florida, it was already starting to feel like summer.

This Great Blue Heron caught himself some dinner. I think it’s a siren. It wasn’t ready to be eaten. It wrapped itself around the heron’s beak, and the heron fought with it for a few minutes before executing the final gulp.

It was pretty hot that afternoon, and I saw a small handful of Roseate Spoonbills. The “Honey I’m home!” nest was unattended. I hope that means that the babies fledged successfully. Other spoonbills were raiding the nest and stealing the sticks. Here a spoonie stands triumphantly with a stick before burying it deep within a palm tree.

A Turkey Vulture flew in and posed in the afternoon light. Yep, you know activity has waned when you are happy to see a vulture. He looked over the empty branches that used to house the Great Egrets and asked “where did everybody go?” I had the same question!

The Wood Storks were still pretty active, flying in sticks on a regular basis. You could hear the baby wood storks high up in their nests in the cypress trees.

The light was pretty as the sun started to set, and it shone on this White Ibis who was foraging in the water. His face is coming into his breeding colors. Look at that bright blue eye!

I ended up leaving before sunset. I have a feeling my afternoon visits to the park are over for a few months. Maybe this was just an off-day. I’ll have to go back soon in the morning on my bike and see what other little families I can find!