Softly alert and open

 

Can you find the Tufted Titmouse? 

Birding takes a sauntering gait and widened peripheral vision. Funny, when I place gentle attention on my breath, I relax a bit. Enough to step into being with nature and open to what arises. When I hear a bird call, I stop and pause. I look out and up in the direction of the sound and wait for a flutter of movement. 

I heard this call. 

Then I sensed a flutter in a Sabal Palm. That photo shows the challenge of locating a tiny bird in the expanse of green we are so privileged to share with all wildlife. What an incredible place Wildewood is!

Titmouse flew to a Southern Live Oak. I saw one bird but heard reciprocation.

And then two! A pair flitting here and there, calling to each other. Getting these photos was lucky. (Today is March 17, 2023 - happy St. Patrick's Day!)

Here are other sightings of the Tufted Titmouse in our neighborhood.

All About Birds says that titmice often flock with chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers. Nearby, this Red-bellied Woodpecker.

In the lens: White Ibis, Blue-headed Vireo, Titmice, Yellow-Crowns

White Ibis

March 6, 2022

I took walks this weekend, so here is a showing of what I saw in the neighborhood. There are so many birds in the canopies, usually pairs. A sign that spring arrives soon.

Blue-headed Vireo (another photo from about this time last year)

Yellow-Crowned Night Herons, they're back! Courting and snuggling. Remember, that deep mustard color on the crown designates female.

Male Hairy Woodpecker

Pine Warbler

Northern Cardinal, male

Tufted Titmouse, actually a pair. Here's one of them.

They are fast!

A Male Red-Bellied Woodpecker enjoying the Bottlebrush Tree.

A Northern Mockingbird

Limpkins chasing each other, then building their nest in an untrimmed Sabal Palm. 

American Fish Crow

No photo, but walking home from the pool two nights ago, we saw and heard two Barred Owls caterwauling. Now, if they'd just choose that nesting box in Pineneedle to make a family.

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.

Recent visitors to the owl nesting box

Look! A Tufted Titmouse in the owl box.

Barb Reis has her eye (and camera lens) on the owl nesting box. All photographs on this post are hers .

The titmouse gathers wood chips from the floor of the nesting box. For a nest perhaps?

A Red-bellied Woodpecker, female. 

A pair of squirrels take cover after a rain.

A Great Crested Flycatcher in the owl box - is bird daydreaming?

And then...oh my goodness. We have been waiting for a Barred Owl to find the box!