Early December 2021, sightings

Orchid Bee, in a Pineneedle butterfly garden.

This post is a collection of recent sightings in Wildewood. 

As I headed out for a walk this morning, Pat told me about the Barred Owl swooping over her to land on Nadia's courtyard wall. This week. A little later on the walk, Michael said he woke his wife to listen with him to two Barred Owls caterwauling in Springlakes. 

Daily I see warblers in the Laurel Oak canopy behind our place.

An early morning sunrise on a Red-Bellied Woodpecker. A male.

And a female.

In the same tree.

A Wood Stork and an American Fish Crow sharing a Norway Pine treetop. I knew it was a Fish Crow by its call.

A Red-Shouldered Hawk calling and calling. Tom was walking home from laps at the pool and heard it. I checked, and here hawk is:

Calling to who? I found them both here. Looks like it's find a mate season.

On Thanksgiving day, Marc Holtsberg sent this photo - an American Bald Eagle, taken in our neighborhood.

And, a few days ago, he photographed a juvenile American Bald Eagle in the Springlakes area off of Wildewood Drive. 

An Orchid Bee - a living jewel! 

On the big pond, a lot of Wood Storks following the rules. Looks like that Great Blue Heron has a mind of its own as it heads to the pond.

This is how some of our shell-back neighbors greet each other. Peninsula Cooters.

Birds are habitual. So, if you see a hummingbird at a particular place at a particular time of day, try again the next day. Chances are you'll get another sighting. This Osprey is on a Slash Pine branch many mornings I walk - I watch it leave to then grab a fish from the pond behind Tidewater.

Tricolored Heron, last of the molt. 

Looking up

White Moonflowers seek the light of the moon.

The Hunter's Moon begins to set in the west. I think of Lesley who swims laps under the moon and stars. Every morning.

Wise people say that if you're feeling agitated, step outside and look up. I did and felt a spontaneous breath arise. I decided to take photos of the sky. 

Looking east. I wondered if this is a contrail. Marc Holtsberg might know.

Southeast.

East.

As the rising sun warmly lit morning, I noticed that Lesley and I weren't the only ones looking up. 

This is a Little Blue Heron - a one-year-old (so say the birders who know way more than I do). Little Blue's attention is caught by an Osprey making its call. 

What Osprey? This one.

Did you wonder why Little Blue has white patches? They are feathers left from its juvenile molt into adulthood. Look HERE. 

Anhinga looks up.

This one perches on a dead tree limb behind Tom and Jeanne's place. 

WWI lets some dead tree trunks remain - that's so healthy for the habitat because they're a treasure trove of bird meals (insects), and 5-star nesting spots.

A Northern Mocking Bird.

A Bluejay.

Arriving home, I heard the Belted Kingfisher! I looked and clicked. More photos of the Kingfisher to come. But here, the Kingfisher with another flyer.

Cooler temperatures and a little inversion

A Snowy Egret eyes cold-stunned fish, 10/18/21.

Delight! A cold front moved through last night and this morning the temperatures were cooler. As I do each morning, I stepped out the front door to look up and say hello to the sky. I circled around to the butterfly garden. Dawn's light made me gasp. So beautiful.

Hello red passionflower.

Then I noticed birds. White Ibis.

The difference between temps yesterday and today caused a slight pond inversion, which meant birds lined the shore for stunned and slow swimming fish. 

There were Great and Snowy Egrets.

Then many. 

A Great Egret wades in.

Eating was easier. The birds looked so happy!

Maybe its neighbor Betty we can thank for this incredible morning since just yesterday I hugged her "welcome back" and she said, "Susan, where are all the birds?" The birds may have heard her question.

It wasn't just herons and ibis. An Osprey in the tree above them!

There Osprey goes in for the dive.

Here is a photo of the same view, same month and time of day - 5 years ago!

Birding fosters community

Wood Ducks, male and female and a Mottled x Mallard duck. March 6, 2021

Birding fosters a sense of community. It is delightful to hear from you about what you're noticing in Wildewood Springs. 

Steve from Woodlawn emailed. "Saw the Wood Ducks bobbing head courtship behaviors. Time to watch them." Yesterday I watched for over an hour and noticed that 2 hens are tending the nesting box! This photo is early morning; perhaps this is the nesting wood duck family.

Late morning, I can almost hear this hen say, "Your turn." Notice the change in light quality?

Maureen reported Red-shouldered Hawks mating at the corner of Wildewood and Oak Drives. If these red-shoulders have chicks, they'll look like this.

Maureen is a Lakeside neighbor who regularly picks up trash in and around our neighborhood. Maureen, do I say thank you enough? Thank you.

Faith saw an Osprey carrying large nesting material to their nest in the neighborhood and later, a pair perched together atop a tree on Wildewood Drive. She also saw one fly while carrying snake (a delicious meal if you're a raptor). So here is a photograph of a Wildewood residing Osprey taken by neighbor, Marc Holtsberg. Maybe its chick from last season is one Faith saw returning to its nest to have a family.

(Faith also saw 3 otters playing in the big pond. I photographed one in the Pineneedle pond this morning.)

Walter saw a Green Heron. I saw one of the pair flying back and forth nearby and then perch. I photographed it with Walter's camera. He loaned it to me when mine was recharging. Thanks, Walter.

Lois paints from her second story porch. While painting she said she had a visit from a small bird nibbling small insects from the window. Maybe it was a Blue-grey Gnat Catcher.

Or a warbler? Was it this one, Lois? A Palm Warbler? I took this photograph near the carport where your car is. Or look at this post for other warbler types. What luck to see these sweet, small birds up close.

Betsy mentioned that her sister who is visiting Wildewood thought that she saw an Oystercatcher since it had orange on its beak. This is possible, though I've not had a sighting in Wildewood. Head to the beach and you'll see them. 

Using that orange on the beak for a clue, I've seen the Black Skimmer skimming the big pond. Mostly I see them at the beach in large groups. Here is one of 3 skimming the water and some other photographs I took of their courting behavior.

Or, perhaps Betsy's sister saw a Common Moorhen or Common Gallinule. There are regular sightings of this bird here, especially on the edge of the big pond. 

Or maybe, it was a Muscovy Duck. Here's one I photographed near Timberlake. The fun part is that with our clues, we can check bird books and websites for help with identification.

Some exciting news! 

This week Jeanne and Tom Higbee and Toni had their first sighting of a Yellow Crowned Night Heron in the Slash Pine that held multiple nests for over five years. Though they are year-round residents in Florida, this is the time of year that they nest. Betty Pander wrote to say she saw the Herons on the bleached branches across from the Pineneedle and Woodlawn pond. Their sightings inspired me to go outside and look. There were 3 on the bleached branches.

Then they flew off in the direction of the Slash Pine they favor.

At 4 AM, I saw one of my favorite wildlife neighbors, an opossum, from our back window. I've been a fan ever since I had a chance to hold one when a wildlife group visited my classroom years ago. I wrote about how the opossum is a good friend to our habitat. 

Last, a common query: have you heard those two geese (Canada Goose) fly over like they're our early morning alarm clock? I have. These two.

Here is one settling in for a nap after waking us up.