Wildewood Wonders: Black-bellied whistling Duck

Showing posts with label Black-bellied whistling Duck. Show all posts

Room for all of us

Opening with very young wings.

I haven't yet said that the Barred Owl pair shares territory with the Yellow-Crowned Night Herons. As I approach the nest early mornings, I hold my breath hoping there continues to be room for all of us. Seeing this chick do what it inherently knows to do encourages me to carry on with whatever this day brings.

A few things are different this YCNH breeding season:

The YCNH chicks are often alone. 

This differs from past years where one adult would stay at the nest and one would forage and return to feed the chicks.

The adult YCNHs are not building the nest edges higher.

YCNH pair would at this point in the raising-young-process be gathering live twigs to weave the nest higher (like making a play pen) as the rambunctious and not quite skilled chicks flap-hop in the nest. I have not seen much of this behavior.

Perhaps the new owl neighbors affect the herons. 

So, look at this pose: 

I see in heron's outstretched wings a heart. My thought - in times of difficulty (for example, herons having a Barred Owl neighbor) the only sane response is love. This YCNH chick notices.

That's one chick, but I know there are at least 3 in this nest. How can I be sure? I count beaks.

I leave with a thought that all is well for both herons and Barred Owl(s). 

What owl you ask? 

This one. Neighbor Marc Holtsberg took these gorgeous photos of one of the two resident Barred Owls. 

I continued walking through the open area near the pond of Woodlawn. The light made the birds look perky. I saw:

A Northern Cardinal (molting).

A Green Heron

A male Red-bellied Woodpecker

A Pileated Woodpecker (one of the 4 reported here recently) briefly still and then noisily flitting about on an insect hunt.

One more time I swung by the Slash Pine to check the YCNH chicks. I saw but was not quick enough to get you a photo of a pair of Downy Woodpeckers - the smaller-billed woodpecker. 

But, wow, I did get this photo of visitors in the same Slash Pine as the herons: Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks! See why the black-belly name?

Besides bird sightings, I love when I see neighbors along the way. I met Lawrence, WWS1 security person. He told me about seeing a fox in the Springdale and Sherwood backyard areas. This was the best news! I would love to photograph a resident fox.

I also said hello to Cali (Calliope) and her sweet dog Diamond and met Paula who lives in Pinehurst and her visitor, Steff from the Central Park area of New York City. Paula, Steff and I were mesmerized by a napping Spoonbill Roseate - a special spoonbill, the one with a leg injury. I've photographed this spoonbill for three seasons. Precious bird and neighbor connections.

June 1, 2021

Connecting with neighbors and birds

Wood Stork, November 2019. The big pond.

On a recent walk, I reconnected with Renee who lives in Oak Village. She asks, "What did you see today?"

I tell then ask, "What birds have visited you recently?"

"There is this Northern Cardinal that comes regularly. I sometimes think it is there to visit my parakeet."

This is a Northern Cardinal I photographed and now I wonder if it's the one that visits Renee's parakeet.

Later, I pass Faith who lives in Springlakes. She told me about a woman who has lived on a nearby street for fifty years (not in Wildewood or Springlakes) and remembers Wildewood Springs and Springlakes as a cow pasture. Plus, she raises monarchs. And then, Faith talked about the big pond and the birds we'll see.

Here are the birds I photographed since my last post.

Happy Cormorants! A group of cormorants has many collective nouns, including a "flight", "gulp", "rookery", "sunning", and "swim" of cormorants.

These two juvenile Wood Storks sat at the edge of the pond.

Then, ready to fish again, one stood up.

A Brown Pelican's gaze.

A Pied-bill Grebe catches a fish.

I eventually sat in an area of shade near the pond, though far enough away not to disturb the birds. Just like the birds, I took a breath and break. Soon, a rat-a-tat from above. A Pileated Woodpecker. I spotted this beauty by the flash of red. This is what I first saw.

I used a long-range lens to see how it twists and turns to find an insect lunch.

Busy, busy, busy. Seemingly hiding from my curiosity.

And then. I caught an in-between hop up the trunk.

Still busy.

And then, a pause.

An Osprey.

A Belted Kingfisher. Oh, that rattle call thrills me.

A Great Egret balances on a tree top.

On my walk home I see a Red-Shouldered Hawk in Wild Palm Village.

In front of the first Pineneedle entrance near the newly planted Blanket Flowers, a Downy Woodpecker pair. The male has red on the back of its neck.

A Tufted Titmouse. Can you find it?

There!

Hello to Tom and Jeanne and a Northern Mocking Bird gets a drink in Woodlawn's pool.

A Mourning Dove. I can hear its call just looking at this photograph.

And then, right on the driveway near the Pineneedle mailboxes and newly planted bougainvillea, a Palm Warbler. It's a challenge to photograph them in the tree canopy. I'll be darn, right in front of me on the ground. With a caterpillar. That's how it goes.

A walk before sunset to check a pond near Sherwood where I often find Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. Many whistlers amongst other duck pals.

Posted 11/29/19

An early morning Glossy Ibis gathering (and BB Whistling Duck Family update)

Glossy Ibis

I continue to visit the pond to check on the Black-Bellied Whistling Duck Family. Today, new friend Faith from Springlakes and I checked the pond at noon, later than I usually walk. We didn't see them. However, yesterday is a different story.

I found a group of birds hanging out!