April 24, 2014

Today's trip was to Women's Park. A lot of young babies, flighted, but still being fed by their parents. Very cool to see.

Muscovy ducklings

I had to use the fast-action sports setting on my camera to get these two shots. The parents move really quickly to stuff food into their constantly crying babies.

Boat-tailed Grackle fledgling

Mom feeding the fledgling

This gives me hope that I'm not missing the breeding season. Even though some individuals already have teenage babies, others are still messing with nesting material. Plus the safe dates for some species haven't even started yet. I need to not worry and just enjoy the process of discovery.

Muscovy Duck nest. What I wouldn't give to just riverdance the life out of those eggs.

Escaped pet bunny?

Killdeer

Escaped pet Red-eared Slider?

Mottled Duck

Our old friend the Pine Warbler

This was at another park down the street, Ruben Dario. The starling was nest building in there.

April 23, 2014

My next trip was to Morningside Park. Another block with no data and one other common species confirmed breeding.

Mottled Duck? Not sure

Trying to see if there was anything nesting in this cavity.

There wasn't.

Blue Jay eating what appears to be a honeycomb

Juvenile Little Blue Heron

Fish Crow nest building

April 21, 2014

So every time I go out now, I'm getting at least one new confirmed record, but they're of pretty common species. Now I'm getting restless for something new. It's amazing how quickly your goalposts shift.

Anyway, I went to the Normandy Shores Golf Course because Bald Eagles were reported around there. No eagles seen or heard, but I did get a new species confirmed and this block had no data before, so yay contributing!

Hard to see, but there was a Northern Mockingbird incubating a nest in a hedge in someone's front yard.

Momma mockingbird after I scared her off the nest trying to get a picture

American Redstart female

Prairie Warbler

White-eyed Parakeet

Great Egret

Juvenile Cooper's Hawk

with a prey item

April 18, 2014

Today's trip was a successful one to the Granada Golf Course. Three confirmed species recorded.

House Sparrows building nests.

Kind of hard to see, but that's an adult European Starling butt poking out of this cavity in the palm tree.

And there is the baby starling!

Fledgling Northern Mockingbird

Common Myna. I've never seen them around here before.

For some reason the adult mockingbirds would open up their wings when on the ground. I think it's part of their hunting behavior, to scare up insects. I'll have to double check.

Another fledgling mockingbird with parent!

There were enough starlings and mockingbirds carrying food around to sink a ship. I was really expecting to see a hawk with all this food around, but I wasn't that lucky. With all the fledged mockingbirds, I was worried that I'm reaching the peak of the breeding season, that I'm going to start seeing less and less breeders. But their safe dates last until the end of July so these are probably the early breeders.

April 14, 2014

Today's outing was a very successful trip to Kendall Green Park.

Pretty Anhinga

Turkey Vultures

Baby Loggerhead Shrike with parent!

The Loggerhead Shrike nest with the rest of the family in it.

I can understand why people pick up baby birds on the ground, fearing for them. They're so cute when all they can do is hop around. When I went back to try to photograph him again about a half-hour later, I couldn't find him. Maybe he was picked up by the feral cats or unleashed dogs in the park. Maybe he got back into the tree; I saw him try and fail to climb the trunk the first time. I love that I was there to witness him when I did though. I love nature.

European Starling with nesting material. This counts as a confirmed record.

Muscovy Duck young.

April 11, 2014

It's been a lot of swings and misses lately. I feel like I'm running out of parks to visit. I'll have to acquire a bike and start biking around neighborhoods soon. But there's still plenty to find out there, so much of Miami unexplored!

Today's trip was to Gwen Cherry Park. I got one confirmed record which is also a new species for the blog.

Tricolored Heron

They hunt by probing the muck with their feet and shading the water to help them see better.

The new species: Monk Parakeet

Nest building

Loggerhead Shrike

Squirrel

Look out! I don't know why this Fish Crow was so fascinated by the squirrel.

Female Painted Bunting

Killdeer!

Green Heron

Female Anhinga

Laughing Gulls drinking water in flight

I knew if I lingered here long enough I'd see a hawk and I did; I think it was a juvenile Cooper's Hawk. But it flew over me too fast and disappeared; I couldn't get a picture. Still, there was a lot going on at this park!