Tuesday, January 21, 2014

A Holiday Birding Trip

The weather forecast for MLK day weekend was perfect (not that I put much faith in weather forecasters), so I planned up a two day birding jaunt to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm rookery, then to Viera Wetlands, and finally to Merritt Island National Wildlife Reserve (MINWR)... three of my favorite birding spots within reasonable distance from Jacksonville.

First stop on Sunday afternoon... the St. Augustine Alligator Farm.  Does this seems like cheating?  You know, like shooting lions in a zoo?  Well... for alligators it is, as they are captive at the farm... not that you need a zoo to shoot alligators in Florida.  But for birds, the rookery is simply a product of natural selection.  The farm does nothing to artificially attract or protect the birds that breed on their property.  The birds choose to breed there because of the protection from predators that the alligators provide. 

The rookery doesn't really get fired up until late February, but I had a hunch that the Roseate Spoonbills might be active, since last year they already had chicks in the nests on March 1st when I made my first trip there.  Sure enough, there was a pair courting one another while I was there.  I predict another early breeding year for the Roseates.


The light was beautiful and the park practically empty.  I hung around in the rookery until well after closing time, waiting for the sun to set and provide that magical light.  Special thanks to the Alligator Farm folks who I guess are somewhat lenient on their photo contest winners.


There were a few Egrets in the rookery, but not even close to the hundreds that show up during the breeding season.


The next morning, the alarm rang at 5:00AM, and I was on the road headed south at 5:12.  I wanted to make Viera Wetlands at or shortly after dawn.  There was pea soup fog in Jacksonville when I left, and it remained that way all 180 miles to Viera.  I arrived shortly after sun-up, but with a heavy blanket of fog still on the ground.  I walked into the impound because the levees hadn't been opened to vehicular traffic yet.  I found it almost exactly as I left it last spring... beautiful and chock full of every kind of Florida bird.

The fog made any shooting over about ten feet impossible, but I did manage to snap this shot of an Egret with a nice reflection in the thinning fog.



After a short wait, the fog lifted and provided clear shooting conditions.  The Great Blue Herons were nesting, just as I expected them to be.  They put on a dazzling display.  It's really something everyone should make time to see at least once in their life.  They are such majestic birds, and you can watch from a close distance at the wetlands (although not quite as close as Wakodahatchee down in Palm Beach).


There also happened to be a bunch of Green Herons in the wetlands... a species that I don't see very often up in Jacksonville, so I snapped a few pics of them.  They have such an interesting feather pattern... particularly the more mature birds.



Viera is also a reliable spot to find a Glossy Ibis... again, a species not seen very often in Jacksonville.  They could be confused with an immature American White Ibis, but the darker color of the beak and the glossy feathers give them away.



At lunch time, I ate a six pack of peanut butter crackers on the drive over to MINWR.  I didn't want to waste any time stopping for lunch!  First stop was Peacock's Pocket road.  I got all the way to the end where it turns north along the water, only to find it closed for duck hunting season.  Hmph!   About face and back to Catfish Loop road.  The wetlands seemed a little slower than I expected.  I didn't see much to excite me, certainly not the bounty I found there last March.  So, I thought I'd try Biolab Road (yes, there really is a Biolab road).  That proved to be a wise move.  I swear, you could just drive up and back the five mile dirt road all day, and every run up or down the road would reveal something new and exciting.

This particular day, the Ospreys were entertaining.  This one had what looked to be about a five pound mullet in his grasp.  How he hoisted it out of the water and up into this tree... I have no idea!  I'm pretty sure his look is saying, "My fish!  Stay Away!"


Check out the unusual claw pattern of the Osprey.  They have two opposable claws, like four thumbs.  Next time you think you're all thumbs, think of an Osprey.  Nothing is going to escape that grasp!



On the next pass down Biolab Road, I happened upon this Great Blue Heron wrestling with a Jack that looked way too big for him to get down his skinny neck.



Never underestimate a Great Blue.  I think they could get a fence post down that gullet if they tried hard enough.  Sure enough, one drop and recatch and about five minutes later, down the hatch the Jack went...


I took a break from Biolab and headed over to the Blackpoint Wildlife Drive.  To be honest, I usually stay away from this drive because, A.) It cost money (I'm cheap).  And B.) It's usually more crowded (I'm a snob).  Turns out objection A was resolved by the federal holiday (freebie).  Unfortunately, objection B was in full force.  About half way through, there was a crowd of cars and people clogging up the narrow dirt road.  There was so much gawking going on that I thought perhaps they had seen a clump of seaweed in the likeness of Jesus' face or something.  I half-joking said to myself, "I bet it's just an alligator."  Guess what... it was an alligator!  Ugh!  The license plates spelled out the story... New York, Michigan, Massa....(however it's spelled).  Of course, the Wyomingans probably laugh at the Florida license plates when we stop for a buffalo. 

Anyway... the tide was seriously out on the strong westerly, so the flats were nothing but mud.  I did see this pair of Little Blue Herons hanging out waiting for the tide to come back up.



Back to Biolab Road... on the last pass down Biolab, I found this beautiful Reddish Egret.  I'm of the opinion that a fully mature Reddish Egret is the most elegant shore bird in Florida.  They are absolutely beautiful, and not as commonly seen as some of the other species.  I forgot my 2X extender, and this was the only shot all day that I really missed it.  I wish I could have shot this at a higher resolution.



See more Great Blue and Little Blue Herons here.

See more Egrets of all types here.

See more Roseate Spoonbills here.

See more Green and Tricolor Herons here.

See more of all types of Florida Water Birds here.


And, see much more of everything at wlpearce.com.

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