Stepping outside to look up

Good, beautiful morning, about 7:00 am, 4/9/23 (Easter)

I begin the day by stepping outside to look up. I see this sky. 

Often I walk and then sit down for at least 20 minutes. When I still and sit, I notice what's around me.

I heard someone say again, "There are no birds now." Maybe this was a comment about migration. The many different warblers that filled the oak behind our place have left. But, oh my goodness, there are birds. 

10 Wood Duck ducklings a few days ago. I saw them leave a natural area and hop into the pond. Maybe this was their first day. 

Saturday afternoon, 4/8/23 - there are 6 ducklings. A Little Blue Heron is in the foreground.

Female Downy Woodpecker, April 2023. Difference between Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers? HERE.

There are many ducks. Here is a Lesser Scaup, male.

Blue-winged Teal Duck, male and female (dabbling)

This (I think) Mallard female duck is going to get in trouble.

An Eagle flew overhead.

Susan Herman shared a photo of a soon-to-be Monarch chrysalis.

From the butterfly garden, I took a photo of a soon-to-be-born Monarch butterfly.

Behind Pat and Cathy's place, a Belted Kingfisher in the Southern Live Oak.

Cardinals are plentiful! A male portrait.

 A female looking for Betty, or its male partner.

Yeah. She's looking for him. A male Cardinal looking back at that female.

Tri-Colored Heron, breeding plumage. This photo shows its neck. That is a good identifying clue.

The TCH used its wings to hop along the shallow water to catch fish.

It caught one!

A Brown Thrasher. Not as good a photo as Barb would get, though you get the idea.

Three male Wood Ducks, big pond.

Behind our place, a pair of Great Blue Herons. One in the water spray mist.

The other a distance away. They kept an eye on each other.

Keeping an eye on us. This curious juvenile Raccoon came down far enough to peek out over the yellow orchid blooms into our back window. Happy spring morning little masked-guy.

Brown Anole often checks us out, too. After all, we share a neighborhood and world.

Enjoy this beautiful day! Take a chair outside and sit in the shade. After 15 minutes, the birds will get used to your presence, and if you're like me, you'll wonder why you don't spend more time in nature. This wonderful photo was taken by Terry.

Big pond duck meet up

Female Northern Shoveler Duck snuggled into a ball shape, and male Shoveler. 

About 8:30 this morning (2/4/22) I noticed a lot of ducks meeting in the middle of the pond - mallards, ring-necks, scaups, shovelers, widgeons, and mixed breeds.

Before I arrived at the pond's edge, I noticed a commotion of small birds in the Southern Oak trees. I heard then saw Grey Gnat Catchers. I got a photograph of one.

Polioptilids (a Gnatcatcher's formal name) glean small insects and other arthropods from leaves and branches, often flicking their tails actively as they forage. Despite their name, they very rarely take flying gnats on the wing.

A Tufted Titmouse singing like it was the best day ever. I agreed.

A female Downy Woodpecker. The tapping sounded like drumming. Both sexes drum on trees to claim territories, attract mates, and signal readiness for mating. The drumming is made up of very rapid, steady strikes almost fast enough to blend into a single sound.  All About Birds

A male Red-Bellied Woodpecker on an adjacent tree showing evidence for the red-belly name. "Hey, I hear you, Downy Woodpecker, nice drumming.

Then there were several Palm Warblers. Here's one.

And then, oh my duck galore.

American Wigeon pairs were happily eating and making sounds like this. Wigeons are one of the more vocal ducks - their 3 part nasal whistle sounds a bit like someone softly blowing through a kazoo. Once you listen, you'll be able to identify this duck without seeing its markings.

A male American Widgeon has  a wide green postocular stripe seen when the light shines on it just right. Like this.

Two male Ring-Necked Ducks. So that ring neck identification? It's a cinnamon ring at the base of the neck, which gives the duck its name. It's a very poor field guide seen only at close range in good light. To date, I haven't seen it.

Northern Shoveler. Female and male. That beak is shovel-shaped all right.

Female

Male shoveler.

And last, a pair I've photographed over the last couple years. A mallard hybrid and a female so mixed in breed that a duck like this is referred to as "weird." (All About Birds says more about confused domestic ducks and hybrids here. 

Well, I got a look at how confused-hybrid happens. These two were swimming along.)

A male Muscovy Duck appeared. The pictures show what happened.

And just like that, a pair became a trio.

Everything we have and enjoy has been given by others

Coral Bean, butterfly garden, Pineneedle

Such celebration! 

Walter texted that a Great Blue Heron was in the butterfly garden. Betsy and Jim, enthralled, watched an Eagle soar over the big pond. Betty delighted in a Little Blue Heron. Diane K.'s granddaughter has fallen in love with a pair of Muscovy ducks.

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird visited this Coral Bean plant (red tubular flower) in the butterfly garden. Every day for 4 days. After the 4th sighting, I began to think about all the gifts we have living here.

This extraordinary COVID time forces me to see that my life, the water I drink, the air I breathe, the food I prepare and eat, the birds and wildlife in this Audubon habitat we share —well, it's a gift from others, just like the mature oak and pine groves in the neighborhood, the ongoing upkeep of our buildings, neighbors helping neighbors, or volunteerism to maintain our homes.

Sometimes neighbors send gifts. Like this sweet poem from Faith Buell. 

I looked out my window

And what did I see?

A pileated woodpecker

In my maple tree!

Definitely made my day!

A he or a she?

I cannot say.

Marc Holtsberg sent these stunning photographs he took of Ospreys in the neighborhood.

Marc also shared his photograph of one of the occupied Springlakes Wood Duck boxes. These boxes have provided seasons of broods.

I visited the Pileated nest. This female is probably incubating eggs. Staying put. I understand her.

The male Pileated (with red cheek stripe) flew in soon after I arrived and climbed into their excavated place and peeked out. (See the difference, Faith?)

A pair of Downy Woodpeckers are nesting on Wildewood Drive. She peeks out.

A male Downy visited her.

Perhaps the male brought her something like this male Cardinal who carried whatever it is in his beak to his female partner.

Woodlawn Village has two new Wood Duck nesting boxes. 

One is dedicated to Geralee's dear friend, Betty (Steve and Dave's mom, Geralee, is the one who long ago hung a Staghorn fern on the live oak tree behind her unit.) 

Steve who built the nesting boxes said that within 5 minutes, birds noticed. One nest is already active (has eggs).

Even the Red-bellied Woodpeckers checked out the nesting box.

Late this evening, I checked the big pond for the 8 ducklings. I only saw 3. Sigh.

On the way home, I saw a Swallow-tail Kite above. I'm not so good at photographing birds in flight, but maybe you get the idea. 

I returned home to find Spoonbill Roseate resting outside our window. 

This is the bird with an injured leg. You've probably seen it hanging out with Great and Snowy Egrets. I photographed it last week with an adult Spoonbill. What joy and inspiration watching this bird adapt.