Wood Duck chicks just after hatching - July brood

Sunday morning, 7.9.23 @ 8:30 am  

Wood Duck hen and 5 chicks (one hidden from view)

I woke early and sat outside on the screened porch. I'm at the end of a summer cold, and the heat and humidity were comforting. Perspectives change! Before the cold, being outdoors felt too hot, miserably hot.

I noticed how still and quiet it was at first, though in reflection, that feeling was there because I had not yet settled into being, noticing my breath and sitting with life as it was. Because a few minutes later, I noticed a stirring in the orange Ixoria.  Two Carolina Wrens flitted about! Maybe they'll build a nest.

I closed my eyes and heard: Pileated and Red-bellied woodpeckers, Fish Crows, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Cardinal and Grey Gnatcatcher chirps. A Tri-Colored Heron flew in. Noisily. With a guttural, nasal call. It sounds like this. 

When I opened my eyes, I looked across the pond to the Southern Live Oak. A Wood Duck hen was leading 5 chicks to the pond. I saw the hen and 5 chicks again today, Monday.

Our actions affect others

Great Egret and its lunch - a rat! 7.3.22

Behind one of Pineneedle's butterfly gardens in the pond is a black ring*. In July last year, a Mallard hen took her chicks to practice climbing up and down the ring's edge.

A Wood Duck family did the same thing two years ago in July.

Other birds perch on the ring. An Anhingha swallows a caught fish. Cormorants dry their wings. Daily I look to see what's happening.

So I need to tell you that recently I noticed two deceased birds inside the ring: What's this Bird? said they were two Muscovy Ducks. I don't know what happened, but I thought they were poisoned since they were not visibly injured nor eaten by other wildlife. I did not retrieve and take them to Wildlife, Inc. for tests when I first saw them. They decomposed in the center of the ring. 

So, though I'm uncertain about the cause of death, this is another opportunity to share information about poisons and encourage using extra care around the use of pesticides, herbicides, and rat poisons.

Wildewood Springs HOAs disallow rat poisons because of their disruption to wildlife habitat and cycles, the cruel deaths to wildlife, and in the words of a vermin control specialist, "Poisons don't work." Vermin are best controlled by their predators. 

Besides Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons eat rats. It's a favorite food. If a rat has eaten rat poison, it dies slowly. If eaten by another animal, that animal dies, too. Fewer Great Blues and Great Egrets and Raptors = more rats.

Eagles like rats, too. 

Gail and Ed Straight of Wildlife, Inc. told us about the sick American Eagle they tried to save when it was found on the IMG golf course. 

Something the Wildewood Springs community does best - we share information that helps us maintain this rare and precious wetland habitat. Perhaps there are some wildlife we don't like, but we can enlarge our perspective to see that there is room for all of us. Even a need.

PS Great Egrets also eat fish, and strike elegant poses.

 * The black ring's purpose is to hold a pipe that draws water to irrigate Pineneedle's landscape. 

What a full wildlife morning!

Northern Cardinal fledgling, May 22, 2021

Yesterday my new camera arrived, so I headed out hoping I'd have something to share today. I do!

I heard frantic Northern Cardinal chirping and noticed a grey cat leave the front area of a unit. The adult pair continued their alarm call while flitting from the ground to the roof line, as if intentionally distracting the cat. Papa cardinal was fearless.

The cat ran off. Then I found the nest and a fledgling. (May 22, 2021) 

The adults together flew from the fence to the fledgling and then to the nest. Baby bird found its way back.

See the tip of the tail of the male guiding the fledgling?

Next I saw a Great Crested Flycatcher.

A European Starling fledgling. There were two, here's one:

A Northern Mocking Bird fledgling.

A Wood Duck pair seemed to snuggle while their chicks played and bathed in a safe corner of the pond.

Two of the six ducklings, backlit by the rising eastern sun.

A male Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Every day I scan the Barred Owl's territory. This bird camouflages so I slowly moved my gaze along the Southern Live Oak branches. I was about to give up and then came its call that sounds like "who cooks for you?" 

Sometimes, it's easy to spot the Barred Owl. Like this photo from Pat Larkin taken a few days ago (on May 9, 2021). Why hello.

In case you were wondering if a Barred Owl would prey on any WWS dogs - the largest Barred Owl known weighed 2 pounds, 2 ounces. A Barred Owl will not catch and eat anything that exceeds its weight. 

Diet: 55.0% mammals, 23.1% invertebrates, 16.1% birds, 3.3% amphibians, 2.5% fish...Considered a seminocturnal to nocturnal hunter, although diurnal hunting observed. Hunts in a sit-and-wait fashion from an elevated perch scanning area for prey. Acute vision and hearing apparently used to locate prey. Takats (91) observed a female drop from a perch to capture a vole on the forest floor, as well as make several passes in attempt to capture a red squirrel (Tamiasciuris hudsonicus) in a tree during the day. Known to perch over water and drop to capture fish (92). Observed wading in shallow water to capture fish and crayfish (M. Gibson pers. comm.). Reported to hunt from the ground, running and pouncing on prey such as amphibians (93, 6, KMM)...Hunting activity highest immediately following sunset (6). Birds of the World  

On this day (April 2), I saw...

Spoonbill Roseate

What delightful temperatures today.

A front passed through lowering the temperature and giving us a late evening rain. March 2020 is on record for just a trace of rainfall (.01 inch, TPA International Airport). Plus it's on record as a hot March. Hot and dry means Florida Wildfire threats are in place. 

I headed over to the big pond and stood under the magnificent Slash Pine trees enjoying the cool breeze. Then this Wood Duck female and 8 chicks caught my eye.

Mama duck led her flock to feed on Papyrus growing at the water edge.

A Peninsula Cooter had its nose above water, floating in the late-afternoon sunshine.

A pair of Spoonbill Roseates flew in. 

The one with black and deep pink color is an adult. The other with lighter plumage coloring is younger. 

What was that? My eye caught movement in the pond. Oh! Hello, otter. 

Then, oh no. 

I saw otter go underwater and watched its telltale line of bubbles quickly head to the Papyrus plants. 

Since I can't fly, I sent my best uplifting thought to the Wood Duck family: stay awake, someone's hungry! As if telepathy worked, I witnessed a fast response. Mama Wood Duck called an alarm and flew just above the water towards the middle of the pond. Chicks followed demonstrating a remarkable ability to, what looked like, walk on water. Look.

One fell behind. 

I take photographs with a long-range lens so it wasn't until I got home that I realized a miracle. Or luck. All 8 chicks survived. I could have saved my tears.

Otters (there were two), kept going. 

Further upstream was what I believe is a Florida Mottled Duck female with chicks. I could not get a photo afterward to see how they fared. I didn't witness a fast swim away from this family.

Life is a good teacher and friend says Pema Chodron in her book, When Things Fall Apart, Heart Advice for Difficult Times. That book was a huge help to me years ago. Still is.

I continued a saunter around the pond. I heard, then saw, a Tufted Titmouse. See the rust orange bar under its wing? Dead giveaway for identification. That and a light grey coloring.

Next, a Pileated Woodpecker on a Southern Live Oak, the one we often see with strands of Spanish Moss waving in the breeze. I bet if Pileates voted, this might be their favorite tree.

This tree and woodpecker are near a row of Pineapple plants. All of them held soon to be mouth-watering delights for these neighbors.

I put my camera away for the rest of the walk except to check the Yellow-crowned Night Herons. A neighbor reported that they were not there. Ah. But they are. Low in the nest, just like us, they are settled in for about 6 weeks. They will alternate incubation responsibilities with their partner.

At dusk, I wanted another peek at the big pond. I noticed the Wood Duck family happily paddling, perhaps toward home for the night. 

We are in a stay-at-home order because of Covid-19. Walks are allowed. So, it is my hope that what is posted here brings smiles, even reminds us of how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful place at an extraordinary time.

Wood Duck family

With all the night-heron attention, it might seem that it's all about their chicks. So today, about 8:00 AM on June 5, 2019, a Wood Duck female and six chicks.