David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
August-20-2007
Bulletin #11 – South Florida – part 6
Hello friends,
I have had the opportunity to visit Florida twice in the first half of 2007.
My first visit was to Sanibel Island in February. Last month, I had a business trip to Miami for a weekend and managed to spend about 2 full days birding with a great guide Paul Bithorn (305.431.5908 or email pbithorn@plumbers519.com.).
My wife, Linda, and I were staying on Sanibel Island, off the coast from Ft. Myers. It is famous as the best shelling location on the gulf coast. The beach has much human traffic and apparently the birds have become quite tame as they are very approachable. I have never before been able to walk to within 15’ from a group of gulls and terns.
Each late afternoon, a small mixed flock of gulls and terns was on the beach in front of the condo where we were staying. I was able to get close up pictures of several birds.
The first is a 1st summer plumage Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis). The second is the adult winter plumage.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109475101 click ‘next’ once
The next is a winter plumage Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis). Notice the black bill tipped with yellow.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475105
Lastly, there was a larger gull that I saw one afternoon when I didn’t have my camera. Fortunately, he came back to the same place every day. I was ready for him and I got many photos. It had a black back, so I knew it was either Lesser or Greater Black-backed Gull. The difference is the leg color, with Greater BBG having pink legs and the Lesser BBG having yellow legs. The Greater is also much larger.This was a Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus). This medium sized (21”) gull is primarily a European resident along the Atlantic coast, but it occurs rarely along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the USA. It was a lifer for me. Here are a couple of photos. The field marks are the black back, yellow legs, yellow beak with red spot, and yellow eye. The brown wash on head and neck is the winter plumage. In summer, the head and neck are pure white.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475107 click ‘next’ once
Several shorebirds also were very tame and allowed good photos.
This Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) shows a few black feathers under his wing. In fact the whole underwing is black, but this is the first and only photo where I saw the tips of the black feathers when the wings were folded.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475110 click ‘next’ once
The Sanderling (Calidris alba) is a common winter resident all along the Gulf Coast. Here is the winter plumage.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475114
The last photo is an Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) swimming. Unlike Cormorants who have at least some of the body visible while swimming, the Anhinga swims with its body completely submerged. Only the head and neck are visible. I saw this phenomenon twice in Florida, but managed only a single useful picture.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475115
Lastly, here are a couple of photos of Manatees, and endangered mammal.
The first shows an adult with a baby beside. The second shows the animals back covered with barnacles. There is a location to see these huge beasts near Ft. Myers and these photos were taken from the bank of the river at that location.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475117 click ‘next’ once
The Miami guide (Paul Bithorn) I used, was extremely knowledgeable, especially for the mangrove species and exotics. Many of the exotics occur in specific neighborhoods in the Miami area, and a casual birder would have a difficult time locating them. To contact Paul, call him at (305) 431-5908 or email him at pbithorn@plumbers519.com.
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David & Linda McDonald
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Bulletin #10 - South Florida #5
David & Linda McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
August-7-2007
Bulletin #10 – South Florida – part 5
Hello friends,
I have had the opportunity to visit Florida twice in the first half of 2007.
My first visit was to Sanibel Island in February. Last month, I had a business trip to Miami for a weekend and managed to spend about 2 full days birding with a great guide Paul Bithorn (305.431.5908 or email pbithorn@plumbers519.com.).
Between Sarasota and Ft. Myers and right off I75 is the Babcock-Webb preserve. It is one of the best place for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. The trees with the nest holes are marked etc. Unfortunately I didn’t see them. This is still a species I have never seen.
But I did get a different life bird there, the Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla). I was driving around and came upon a couple of birders who had a pair of nuthatches right beside the road. Here are a couple of photos. The second one shows the characteristic white spot on the nape of the neck.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109474250 click ‘next’ once
I also chased a beautiful male Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) for a considerable distance along a sandy trail to get the following photo.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474252
My wife, Linda, and I were staying on Sanibel Island, off the coast from Ft. Myers. It is famous as the best shelling location on the gulf coast. But, it is also famous for Ding Darling NWR. This fabulous wildlife sanctuary has a 4 mile paved road through mangrove swamps, forested area etc. Every day is as busy as High Island Texas in migration. One can drive along and pull off to the side to watch the birds or take pictures anywhere along the route. As well as lots of waders, there are alligators, raccoons and other mammals to see if one is lucky.
These next 3 photos were taken by my wife Linda, with the landscape camera. The first shows typical mangrove swampy area in Ding Darling at low tide.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474253
The next 2 show the extensive number of wading species and water birds seen in Ding Darling. How many species can you find in each photo?
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474255 click ‘next’ once
Here are some of my photos from Ding Darling. The birds are quite tame as there is so much vehicular traffic. Often with the 500mm lens, I would have to move away from the bird so I could get the whole bird in the photo!
The first is one of my favorite. It is a preening Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474257
There were many Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) seen here. Did you find the Wood Stork in the second picture above? Here are several photos of this magnificent bird. The first photo showed the pink feet. I did not know this feature of the Wood Stork. Notice the bare black neck and head. Also, they will completely submerse their head to capture food.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474258 click ‘next’ once
I also got a good photo of the Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor). This is a non-breeding adult.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474261
Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator) were common and easy to photograph. Here are the male and female of this species at Ding Darling.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474262 click ‘next’ once
The Miami guide (Paul Bithorn) I used, was extremely knowledgeable, especially for the mangrove species and exotics. Many of the exotics occur in specific neighborhoods in the Miami area, and a casual birder would have a difficult time locating them. To contact Paul, call him at (305) 431-5908 or email him at pbithorn@plumbers519.com.
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David & Linda McDonald
Note – photos with the name preceded by an asterisk were updated for this blog and the text was edited accordingly.
Friendswood Texas
August-7-2007
Bulletin #10 – South Florida – part 5
Hello friends,
I have had the opportunity to visit Florida twice in the first half of 2007.
My first visit was to Sanibel Island in February. Last month, I had a business trip to Miami for a weekend and managed to spend about 2 full days birding with a great guide Paul Bithorn (305.431.5908 or email pbithorn@plumbers519.com.).
Between Sarasota and Ft. Myers and right off I75 is the Babcock-Webb preserve. It is one of the best place for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. The trees with the nest holes are marked etc. Unfortunately I didn’t see them. This is still a species I have never seen.
But I did get a different life bird there, the Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla). I was driving around and came upon a couple of birders who had a pair of nuthatches right beside the road. Here are a couple of photos. The second one shows the characteristic white spot on the nape of the neck.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109474250 click ‘next’ once
I also chased a beautiful male Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) for a considerable distance along a sandy trail to get the following photo.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474252
My wife, Linda, and I were staying on Sanibel Island, off the coast from Ft. Myers. It is famous as the best shelling location on the gulf coast. But, it is also famous for Ding Darling NWR. This fabulous wildlife sanctuary has a 4 mile paved road through mangrove swamps, forested area etc. Every day is as busy as High Island Texas in migration. One can drive along and pull off to the side to watch the birds or take pictures anywhere along the route. As well as lots of waders, there are alligators, raccoons and other mammals to see if one is lucky.
These next 3 photos were taken by my wife Linda, with the landscape camera. The first shows typical mangrove swampy area in Ding Darling at low tide.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474253
The next 2 show the extensive number of wading species and water birds seen in Ding Darling. How many species can you find in each photo?
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474255 click ‘next’ once
Here are some of my photos from Ding Darling. The birds are quite tame as there is so much vehicular traffic. Often with the 500mm lens, I would have to move away from the bird so I could get the whole bird in the photo!
The first is one of my favorite. It is a preening Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474257
There were many Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) seen here. Did you find the Wood Stork in the second picture above? Here are several photos of this magnificent bird. The first photo showed the pink feet. I did not know this feature of the Wood Stork. Notice the bare black neck and head. Also, they will completely submerse their head to capture food.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474258 click ‘next’ once
I also got a good photo of the Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor). This is a non-breeding adult.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474261
Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator) were common and easy to photograph. Here are the male and female of this species at Ding Darling.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474262 click ‘next’ once
The Miami guide (Paul Bithorn) I used, was extremely knowledgeable, especially for the mangrove species and exotics. Many of the exotics occur in specific neighborhoods in the Miami area, and a casual birder would have a difficult time locating them. To contact Paul, call him at (305) 431-5908 or email him at pbithorn@plumbers519.com.
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David & Linda McDonald
Note – photos with the name preceded by an asterisk were updated for this blog and the text was edited accordingly.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Bulletin #9 - Miami parrots
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
August-2-2007
Bulletin #9 – South Florida – part 4 – Miami parrots
Hello friends,
I have had the opportunity to visit Florida twice in the first half of 2007.
My first visit was to Sanibel Island in February. Last month, I had a business trip to Miami for a weekend and managed to spend about 2 full days birding with a great guide Paul Bithorn (305.431.5908 or email pbithorn@plumbers519.com.).
The last group of exotic birds in Miami are the parakeets and parrots. These are all escaped or introduced birds. Miami and Los Angeles are home to more than a dozen mostly Neotropic birds in this family.
In Miami, they are very local in specific neighborhoods, and a good guide is essential to quickly navigate around the known areas. Paul Bithorn was superb and I had a great time seeing and photographing these birds. I have been to the tropics numerous times and the parrots are the hardest to see, but easy to hear with their squawking. Locating a mostly green bird in the rain forest is a challenge. In Miami, they were relatively easy to find in the scattered trees of a suburban area. We ended up with 7 species in 4 genera. There are numerous others for another visit to Miami, but these are the most commonly encountered.
The first is probably the most common parrot encountered in the USA. The Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) is a native of southern Brazil and Argentina. I have seen it in its home range. In the pet trade it is known as the Quaker Parrot. It builds large communal nests in trees or power transmission towers. According to Sibley, colonies can be found across the USA as far north as Oregon, Illinois and New York. We have them in numerous locations in the Houston area and I have actually had an occasional one fly over my house. It has been established long enough that it is an ABA countable species.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109472852
The next genus is the aratinga parakeets. As you know, parakeets are smaller parrots with long pointed tails. There are several species of these in Miami, but I was able to get photos of only 2 of them due to time restraints. They differ mostly with head, face and wing colorations. These parakeets are about 13.5 inches in length.
The first is the Mitred Parakeet (Aratinga mitrata). This was the most common aratinga that I saw on my visit. It is distinguished by red on face, red spots on head on neck and red socks. Here are a couple of photos of this bird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472855 click 'next' once
The other aratinga is the Scarlet-fronted Parakeet (Aratinga wagleri). It has a deeper red on the face but only occasional other red spots on head and neck. It also has extensive red on the wing bend and underwing as shown. Here are 2 photos of this bird. Notice how closely these 2 parakeets resemble each other. Without my guide for confirmation of the ID of them, I would have been very confused.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472859 click ‘next’ once
Neither of these 2 aratinga species are ABA countable birds, but both were lifers for me.
The other parakeet genus that I saw was brotogeris. Originally called Sulphur-winged Parakeet, this was an ABA countable species. However about a decade ago, it was split but only 1 of the splits is ABA countable, even though both species of the split occur in Miami and the non-countable one is more numerous! Go figure! These are small parakeets only 8.75 inches long.
The countable species is the White-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus). They have extensive white wing patches visible when flying, but perched, only an occasional bit of white is seen on the wing. It also has a large yellow wing patch. Look also at the face. There is a very pale blue patch between the eye and bill. These are the distinguishing marks from the other split partner. I was very confused seeing them in the wild, but with the photos, I can see clearly the differences that weren’t apparent through the binoculars. Here are a couple of photos of this bird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472863 click ‘next’ once
The other half and non-countable split is the Yellow-chevroned Parakeet (Brotogeris chiriri). There is no white on the wings and the face is entirely green.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472869 click ‘next’ once
Parrots are larger than parakeets. The genus Amazona is a large group of neo-tropical parrots. The are heavy bodied and have square tails. There are several species in Miami of this genus.
The first is the Red-crowned Parrot (Amazona viridigenalis). This bird is native to northeastern Mexico and does occur in the Rio Grade valley of Texas naturally. But, most of these Texas birds are felt to be escaped pets. It also occurs in Miami and Los Angeles as escapes. It is an ABA countable species. Notice the red crown, blue nape of neck and square tail. He is 13 inches long.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472876
The other amazon is the Orange-winged Parrot (Amazona amazonica). This bird is native to South America and established in the Miami area. It is not an ABA countable species. The field marks are the yellow and blue on the head and the orange wing feathers (just visible in this photo.)
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472880
The Miami guide (Paul Bithorn) I used, was extremely knowledgeable, especially for the mangrove species and exotics. Many of the exotics occur in specific neighborhoods in the Miami area, and a casual birder would have a difficult time locating them. To contact Paul, call him at (305) 431-5908 or email him at pbithorn@plumbers519.com.
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Friendswood Texas
August-2-2007
Bulletin #9 – South Florida – part 4 – Miami parrots
Hello friends,
I have had the opportunity to visit Florida twice in the first half of 2007.
My first visit was to Sanibel Island in February. Last month, I had a business trip to Miami for a weekend and managed to spend about 2 full days birding with a great guide Paul Bithorn (305.431.5908 or email pbithorn@plumbers519.com.).
The last group of exotic birds in Miami are the parakeets and parrots. These are all escaped or introduced birds. Miami and Los Angeles are home to more than a dozen mostly Neotropic birds in this family.
In Miami, they are very local in specific neighborhoods, and a good guide is essential to quickly navigate around the known areas. Paul Bithorn was superb and I had a great time seeing and photographing these birds. I have been to the tropics numerous times and the parrots are the hardest to see, but easy to hear with their squawking. Locating a mostly green bird in the rain forest is a challenge. In Miami, they were relatively easy to find in the scattered trees of a suburban area. We ended up with 7 species in 4 genera. There are numerous others for another visit to Miami, but these are the most commonly encountered.
The first is probably the most common parrot encountered in the USA. The Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) is a native of southern Brazil and Argentina. I have seen it in its home range. In the pet trade it is known as the Quaker Parrot. It builds large communal nests in trees or power transmission towers. According to Sibley, colonies can be found across the USA as far north as Oregon, Illinois and New York. We have them in numerous locations in the Houston area and I have actually had an occasional one fly over my house. It has been established long enough that it is an ABA countable species.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109472852
The next genus is the aratinga parakeets. As you know, parakeets are smaller parrots with long pointed tails. There are several species of these in Miami, but I was able to get photos of only 2 of them due to time restraints. They differ mostly with head, face and wing colorations. These parakeets are about 13.5 inches in length.
The first is the Mitred Parakeet (Aratinga mitrata). This was the most common aratinga that I saw on my visit. It is distinguished by red on face, red spots on head on neck and red socks. Here are a couple of photos of this bird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472855 click 'next' once
The other aratinga is the Scarlet-fronted Parakeet (Aratinga wagleri). It has a deeper red on the face but only occasional other red spots on head and neck. It also has extensive red on the wing bend and underwing as shown. Here are 2 photos of this bird. Notice how closely these 2 parakeets resemble each other. Without my guide for confirmation of the ID of them, I would have been very confused.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472859 click ‘next’ once
Neither of these 2 aratinga species are ABA countable birds, but both were lifers for me.
The other parakeet genus that I saw was brotogeris. Originally called Sulphur-winged Parakeet, this was an ABA countable species. However about a decade ago, it was split but only 1 of the splits is ABA countable, even though both species of the split occur in Miami and the non-countable one is more numerous! Go figure! These are small parakeets only 8.75 inches long.
The countable species is the White-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus). They have extensive white wing patches visible when flying, but perched, only an occasional bit of white is seen on the wing. It also has a large yellow wing patch. Look also at the face. There is a very pale blue patch between the eye and bill. These are the distinguishing marks from the other split partner. I was very confused seeing them in the wild, but with the photos, I can see clearly the differences that weren’t apparent through the binoculars. Here are a couple of photos of this bird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472863 click ‘next’ once
The other half and non-countable split is the Yellow-chevroned Parakeet (Brotogeris chiriri). There is no white on the wings and the face is entirely green.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472869 click ‘next’ once
Parrots are larger than parakeets. The genus Amazona is a large group of neo-tropical parrots. The are heavy bodied and have square tails. There are several species in Miami of this genus.
The first is the Red-crowned Parrot (Amazona viridigenalis). This bird is native to northeastern Mexico and does occur in the Rio Grade valley of Texas naturally. But, most of these Texas birds are felt to be escaped pets. It also occurs in Miami and Los Angeles as escapes. It is an ABA countable species. Notice the red crown, blue nape of neck and square tail. He is 13 inches long.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472876
The other amazon is the Orange-winged Parrot (Amazona amazonica). This bird is native to South America and established in the Miami area. It is not an ABA countable species. The field marks are the yellow and blue on the head and the orange wing feathers (just visible in this photo.)
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472880
The Miami guide (Paul Bithorn) I used, was extremely knowledgeable, especially for the mangrove species and exotics. Many of the exotics occur in specific neighborhoods in the Miami area, and a casual birder would have a difficult time locating them. To contact Paul, call him at (305) 431-5908 or email him at pbithorn@plumbers519.com.
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
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