New Faces..and Old Friends
It is a steamy sunny morning on the Broward. The waning moon is partially obscured by clouds for a while in the early morning light. Fortunately the slight breeze is keeping the small gnats and mosquitos at bay. As I look up I see a small heron like bird flying from the west towards the rising sun. I think I have seen this same bird a few time earlier but it was high and moving fast. Today it is lower and within camera range. I press the doohickey as I lock on to the flying fowl.
I am correct in my assumption. My first confirmed Green
Heron sighting on the Broward. Although only a few frames are captured in the fly
by it is indeed a mature Green Heron. The tell tale dark green crown and brown
stripped neck and throat feathers are clearly seen in the photo. This small stocky member of the heron family
has not been seen but rarely on the Broward since I started watching but I am
glad to add it to my list of confirmed bird sightings. This small heron is one of the few tool-using birds and has
been filmed dropping pieces of bread into the water to attract fish and
catching them. Later I spot a group of three Green Herons flying overhead so although few in numbers they are definitely in the area now.
This week I also add another bird to my confirmed sighting list. A pair of black and white Swallow-tailed Kites. As I was attempting to photograph the Roseate Spoonbills I notice a pair of soaring hawk like birds circling over the trees behind me. Swallow-tailed Kites rarely flap their wings when flying, instead they use their swallow shaped tails like a rudder to maneuver in the wind. Their search pattern brings them directly overhead and indeed I now have a very recognizable photo of this South American raptor (found commonly in Brazil, Venezuela, & Argentina). The Kites migrate to Florida during the breeding season in the late spring and summer months and return to South America in huge swarms in late August. It feeds mainly on flying insects and the occasional tree lizard.
The ospreys, night herons and egrets and occasional spoonbill keep me somewhat busy also this time of year. I am still looking for better opportunities and action photos to share. It is nice to see the old familiar birds but meeting some new ones is always a treasure. Just like in real life encounters with two legged folks too! Hope you enjoyed them. Have a blessed week. Harry
The waning moon shines in the early morning sky.
My first confirmed sighting of a Green Heron on the Broward.
Swallow-Tailed Kite, a black and white raptor common to South America that breeds in Florida during the Apr-August timeframe.
The Swallow-tailed Kite uses its forked tail like a rudder and rarely flaps its wings in flight.
An Osprey soars overhead, its eye gleaming in the morning sun.
"George" the Yellow Crowned Night Heron on a fly by with muddy feet.
Wood Stork on a morning flight.
Female Osprey with itching claws anxious to grab a meal. The brown "necklace" feathers around the neck denote the female of the species. Males are all white under the neck.
A Snowy Egret on the hunt.
Black Crowned Night Heron flying by.
A Great Egret, an icon on the Broward, glides by.
Well Fiddle Dee Dee, time to go says the fiddler crab!