Last stroll through WWS of 2023

Barred Owl, December 29, 2023

A new year begins. May it be rich and meaningful!

As you might know about personal loss, the two months since Terry died have been full of grief with a particular loneliness and longing to talk to him about this remarkable dying experience. John O'Donohue knew of this when he said, "Lonesome for all the conversations we never had," and more. Conversations spontaneously arise in my mind as I wonder what Terry would think. 

When a wave of grief arose, I'd step outside and start walking. To be with the birds and trees. With nature. 

Poet Rainer Marie Rilke's recommendation for when things get turbulent and troublesome: stay close to nature. I have. So here are some things I noticed and photographed. 

I'll begin with the lucky sighting of a Barred Owl two days ago, around 4 PM, across the pond from the butterfly garden in Pineneedle near my place. I've heard it multiple times very early (3 - 5 AM), and then yesterday, I heard caterwauling, so it looks like a pair might nest nearby.

Cormorants on the big pond. Many of them! 

Wood Storks resting. Edge of big pond.

A female Eastern Grey Squirrel. Notice her teats - nesting in a Laurel Oak.

Mourning Dove taking a bath in a puddle.

A pair of Limpkins, north Wildewood. A Limpkin hanging out with juvenile Wood Storks, big pond.

Anhinga catches a fish.

Red-bellied Woodpecker. See the red belly?

Tri-colored Heron, north Wildewood pond near Pickle Ball courts.

Bluejay and Northern Cardinal

So many ducks in the ponds. This is an American Widgeon.

Monarchs finding nectar in Orchid tree blooms. Woodland Village.

European Honey Bee hive, north Wildewood Drive in a wooded area.

The Dombeya tree is blooming, and the bees are delighted!

A bird of a different sort - took a helicopter ride with a granddaughter. What fun! Saw the gulf from a bird's-eye view.

Step outside for 5 minutes, let me know what you see

Wood Duck male and female, checking out the nesting box behind Steve Rumpf's place

I stepped out the back door to see what I could see. 

In a short five minute span of time, I saw wildlife. First, Eastern Gray Squirrel is known as nature's tree planter since it caches acorns and then forgets where they all are.

A Tri-Colored Heron. Are you thinking, "Hey, is that a Tri or Little Blue Heron?" Look here and learn how to distinguish the two herons. Clue - it's in the beak and breast colors.

Anhinga is around most days. While spring cleaning in the pollinator garden, it rained lightly for about a half hour. Before flying to the Southern Live Oak across from us in Woodlawn, Anhinga sat on the black pond ring that suspends the irrigation pipe that draws water for our neighborhood. 

Before dawn, I hear this sound (click listen here) and was able to identify anhinga who was also awake.

Across the pond, I saw a Great Blue Heron practicing choosing material for a nest. 

That's a pretty amazing twig, Great Blue Heron.

Heron dropped the twig, now fascinated with an array of choices.

A Red-Shoulder Hawk landed briefly. 

As my five minute break ended, I looked for the Florida Mottled Duck pair nesting in the wild area of the butterfly garden. I noticed a nest there every spring for the last few years. Often a Mallard-mix duck hangs with this pair. I look forward to ducklings. 

Last, as if in a call out that it's not always birds, birds, birds, an otter says hello.

PS.  I wish I had photos of the Barred Owls I hear most mornings. They are here in WS2A! I take that as good reporting on our incredible habitat. Joel Sartore's photograph from Instagram and informative encouragement: 

Barred Owls courting

Male and female Barred Owls, 6:45 AM, October 28, 2021. Wildewood Springs. Photo: iPhone.

I heard two Barred Owls caterwauling around 4:30 AM. It sounded like THIS (a short video). 

I headed out to find them. I rounded the bend of Pineneedle and one swooped over me and flew to the Slash Pine tree adjacent to Wild Palm, the Pineneedle section.

They looked like this (screen-grab from the video, not my photo).

They seemed to nod to each other, bowing, and sometimes half spreading their wings. Then one flew off and landed in a nearby Canary Palm and shimmied down the truck looking for what I imagined to be a lizard or vermin treat. Thunder rumbled in the background - a cold front approaching. It flew to its partner and gave it whatever it found. It was too dark to confirm the food. 

Love is in the air? I noticed these two frogs as I hurried inside before the rain.

NOTES

From Birds of the World:

"...the Barred Owl is territorial throughout the year and monogamous, raising 1 brood a year. It is a true generalist predator, much like the Spotted and Great Horned owls, consuming a variety of birds up to the size of grouse; small mammals up to the size of rabbits; and amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates."

Healthy owl population is a sign of a balanced ecosystem

Great Horned Owl adult and two owlets, 2018. More photos here.

I recently woke (about 5 AM) to the call of a Great Horned Owl. This is the easiest owl to identify because of its ear tufts. However, because I heard it before dawn, I could not get a photograph. 

Pat recently saw a Barred Owl in the neighborhood while walking - likely the one many of us have sighted or heard in the last half year. Here is its call. 

And, I occasionally hear the call of the Eastern Screech Owl. (Tell me if you ever hear its call.)

All this (Wildewood owl sightings and sounds) is good news. Joel Satore, an inspiration to create this website, says that "a healthy owl population is a sign of a balanced ecosystem. (Follow him on Instagram.)

In order for owls to thrive, populations of the species they prey upon must be abundant and healthy as well - a pattern that continues down the entire food chain. This means that if the health or number of prey species declines, something in the environment has changed and is altering the natural structure of the food web. A world without owls would spell trouble for humans, as their role as a top predator of rodents protects us from the spread of diseases and protects our crops from being raided."

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