2020 was a good year for at least one thing. I put my bird feeder up in late October and attracted a male painted bunting in full color in early November. To our delight, he has stayed with us since his initial visit. I have been on a mission to get a photo of him when he is NOT on the feeder. After almost 2 months, I finally succeeded!
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
It’s been a while since the last post. And there has been a lot happening. I’ll break out the specifics in separate posts, but I wanted to report that the migration is in full force. We have been seeing numerous visitors for several weeks including many species of ducks. The robins have been everywhere. Some of the migrants have continued south and will return in the spring. Like the snowbirds, others will stay here usually until March before heading back north.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
The landfill is always a good place to capture some good photos of bald eagles. The days after a holiday are even better as all the scraps from those big meals eventually find their way to the landfill and the birds have their feast. In addition to the eagles, there are vultures, crows, and countless gulls.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
Thanks to my good friend Art Nadelman, I was able to locate a recent migrant to the area. Scissor-tailed flycatchers are found mainly in Oklahoma, Texas, and Mexico. Occasionally their winter migration route to southern Central America takes them a little off course and they can end up here in Florida. They’re fun to watch as they sit along utility wires and fences waiting for insects to fly by. Then they burst into action and snag their meal.
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
The hooded mergansers have begun arriving for the winter. We often find them on small retention ponds around the area until February. They are typically wary but this flock of around 15 birds found a small little pond to their liking next to a very busy intersection. I seldom get an opportunity for a decent photo of a bird that is sharply backlit, but the reflections worked this time.
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
Bald eagles have gotten very active as the mating season has begun. This always offers some good photo opportunities. The birds are active hunting for food and nesting materials. We are fortunate to have a pair that built a nest a few years ago that is very easy to photograph.
A few pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
Yesterday we endured a 2+ hour ride with hopes of finding some beautiful scissortail flycatchers. But the flycatchers apparently decided to move to a different undisclosed location. So instead of photographing flycatchers, we had the pleasure of watching and capturing some images of 3 snail kites.
These are amazing birds that glide across shallow waters hunting for huge apple snails. They are about the size of a crow. They are native to central and south America but are only found in Florida in the US. The snail kites in Florida are now listed as endangered because of habitat loss.
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
Last Friday we went to Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, FL to photograph a rufous hummingbird. They are most likely to be found in the western US. But they are appearing more frequently in other parts of the country. Their copper and green colors are striking.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
This past Friday we visited Lake Morton in Lakeland, FL. It was a great day for photos. We saw several beautiful wood ducks and mallards. There were a few ring-necked ducks that have arrived from their northern summer homes. The lake is famous for its flock of mute swans and black swans. For anyone visiting central Florida, I would highly recommend a stop at Lake Morton.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.