A nice day!

Today I had some target birds I wanted to see as well as wanting to check some butterfly spots. I headed to a pond that they’ve been reported Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. It took a few minutes until I spotted a couple in the distance. There were lots of other birds too, but I was hoping for closer views of the ducks. I decided to leave to check the next spot, but before I reached the car seven more BBWD’s flew in and landed much closer. I got some decent shots and then headed to the second location where I saw two additional ducks and my first Black-crowned Night-heron of the trip. I then headed to one of my favorite butterfly fields where I finally found a really cooperative Zebra Swallowtail! Lots of great photos! While I was checking out the tremendous number of butterflies, I spotted a Five-lined Skink! I’ve seen them before, but these things are lightning fast! I did manage a couple shots before it was gone for good. Also, a nice find was a five-foot Black Racer! In keeping with its name, it was gone before I could get even one shot! Also, at the butterfly field were perhaps the highest number of Hairstreaks I’ve ever had in one spot. I had 13 Oak Hairstreaks and 2 Gray Hairstreaks! Definitely a high number.

Finally got the Zebra’s!

Today I decided to work my way around Lake Weir. I’ve birded and butterflied several spots around the lake, but I wanted to see if I could find some things that have been reported that I haven’t seen. It worked out great for everything. Stopping at a few locations I wanted to see if I could find terns. I had seen one on the lake at a great distance the other evening but couldn’t say which one. This morning, I found four FORSTER’S TERNS at Hampton Beach! I also had my first Killdeer of the trip. At my butterfly field I immediately spotted two ZEBRA SWALLOWTAILS! (above) I’ve seen one or two a day since I’ve been here, but I can’t even get close to them. Today, though they aren’t the greatest, I got several photos of this beautiful butterfly. When I got to my next stop, I had the same experience with ZEBRA LONGWINGS! (below) One finally cooperated, and I was able to get many photos of it. Those were two of my targets to get photos for this trip. I have seen them both many times but had no photos left from back in the day when I was able to get them. Now I have photos in my reports! Overall it was a great day, I had 47 species of birds around the lake and 20 Species of butterflies!

Still at it!

It’s been a busy few days. Lots of birds and butterflies to be seen. I’ve been spending a lot of time over at or near the Ocklawaha Prairie Restoration Area. Its quite a birdy area and is even better for butterflies right now. I picked out a lot with lots of disturbed areas of sand. It is really weedy, and the butterflies love it. I’ve had 18 species at this spot so far. A field right near our condo is another great spot, I’ve had 22 species there. My highlights so far are the life butterflies I’ve gotten. Ceraunus Blue, Whirlabout, Phaon Crescent (below), Southern Skipperling and Ocola Skipper thus far. Of species I’ve had in the past, the Hairstreaks are my favorite. I’ve had Oak, Red-banded, White-M and Gray Hairstreak so far. The weathers been great and I’ve seen lots of good birds too. One of my favorites is the Swallow-tailed Kite, I see one or two each day while I’m out. I should be visiting Apopka Wildlife Drive on Friday and we’re going to do Silver Springs as well. Not enough time in a day!

Purple Gallinules!

After talking with our friend Bob Wexler yesterday I had to head back to Emeralda Marsh this morning to try for the Purple Gallinules in a spot he told me about. He was sure I’d find them and get closer views than I’d had at Ocklawaha a few days ago. I headed over and walked to the spot he’d told me to and found the gallinules almost immediately. I had a total of four and had much better looks and photo ops than earlier in the week. I spent quite a bit of time with them, hoping I might see some young since so many of the Common Gallinules have chicks already, but never saw any chicks. Great morning!

Florida continuing

We’ve been busy! Hiking, birding and butterflying around central Florida. Today we returned to Emeralda Marsh to take the Wildlife Drive. It was very birdy and we had lots of neat encounters. A juvenile alligator was our first of the trip and we saw several more before the morning was over, some of them huge! A Black-necked Stilt was one of my highlights there. When we were done with the drive, we found our way to an old friend’s home. Bob Wexler used to be our next-door neighbor back in the day and has visited us many times through the years even though he and his wife moved to Florida twenty years ago. He was so surprised to see us and we had a great visit. Bob is an avid birder and we will get together next week to bird some of his local haunts. On the butterfly end of the equation, I’ve been trying several different areas with mixed results, but keep returning to the huge fields here in Loch Harbor! Late yesterday I came across a group of breeding “Whirlabouts”! (below) This unique skipper has an equally unique technique of flying and as soon as I came across this lifer, I knew what it was simply by the way it would flip in the air and end up on a nearby flower almost as if it had summersaulted. This field is reminiscent of the Cedar Field at home. I’ve already had twenty species of butterflies there and I think I will add more during the trip. Having a great time!

Having a great time!

Purple Gallinule

Things are going well in Florida! I’ve been birding and butterflying each day with excellent results. This whole area is new to me so the places I’m exploring are new as well. I’ve hit the following locations so far. Emeralda Marsh, Carney Island Conservation Area, Hope Park and Ocklawaha Prairie Restoration Area. I recommend them all! I have seen 65 species of birds, 20 species of butterflies and 3 species of reptiles so far. We’ve been fortunate to have a Limpkin visit our beachfront each morning feeding on snails and a pair of Otters have come by a couple of times. I’m including some photos of some of the highlights. Tomorrow, we take the Wildlife Drive through Emeralda Marsh (were only able to hike part of it as drive is only open on weekends), there should be an abundance of wildlife on this route. I will update you on how it goes over the weekend.

White Peacock Butterfly

Gopher Tortoise

Florida!

Eddie and I are in Florida for a couple of weeks. It has been five years since we’ve been able to travel and have been looking forward to this for some time. We are staying in a beautiful condo on Lake Weir in Summerville. It is a great location for both birding and butterflying. I will post some notes about our trip from time to time and post some photos from each days adventures. My photos from today are a pair of Sandhill Cranes with their chicks and an Oak Hairstreak Butterfly. Enjoy!

New York State Allen’s Hummingbird!

This has been a long-awaited post to my blog. Back in October 2023 I was notified that an Allen’s Hummingbird had been coming to a home in Riverhead Long Island for the last several days. I was put in touch with the homeowner who invited me to her home to see the bird. The bird had already been seen by a number of New Yorks outstanding birders and photos had been sent to Sherri Williamson in Arizona for her expertise in identification with all hummingbirds. She detailed all the reasons that the bird was an immature female Allen’s Hummingbird, a first record for New York State! The situation was such that there couldn’t be too many people come to the home to see the bird so a system was set up with the homeowner extending invitations to birders as she was able to accommodate them. Marybeth is a wonderful bird enthusiast who was so generous to so many during the birds stay. I can’t thank her enough for her hospitality! Here are a few photos of the bird that unfortunately aren’t enough to confirm it as an Allen’s. Fortunately, many excellent photos were obtained of her rump and rectrices which confirm her to be an Allen’s. I suggest you check out the many excellent report that will surface in ebird in the near future that show the extremely thin outer rectrices (#5) on each side of the tail which are diagnostic to the species. There are several other more subtle features that Sherri was able to point out that indicate Allen’s which will also be noted in at least some of the reports.

More new birds!

Friday the 12th was another good day with more new arrivals in the county. I covered the water again, ever hopeful, but no new species were found. Common Loons and Bonaparte’s Gulls were the best birds with some Lesser Scaup and Ruddy Ducks seen as well. Once I arrived at the Bashakill things began to pick up. The weather was terrible, but birds were still moving. Kevin Kriescher had notified me that he had found a GREAT EGRET at the Main Boat Launch. I let Scotty know and he was already on it when I got there. Once we moved to Haven Road, three more Great Egrets flew over! Also at Haven were an abundance of swallows including my FOS Northern Rough-winged Swallows! Trees and Barns were the others present. Warbler numbers were down yesterday, but few of the common ones could be found in the usual spots, Pine, Palm and Yellow-rumped. I birded the Horseshoe Trail a little later in the day, hoping for a Blue-gray that I never found, but was surprised to find my FOS Common Gallinule just off the trail. The bird called several times while I was there but didn’t show itself in the dense cattail stand. Three new birds for the day wasn’t bad at all. As you might guess, photos in the pouring rain were tough.

An amazing day!

This morning, I headed out to check the water, my regular routine at this time of year. Unfortunately, little was to be seen. Once I found all the same birds I’ve been seeing I decided to head to the Bashakill. I was just about to leave the Neversink Dam when a falcon came flying in my direction. Fortunately, it flew right up the dam and was easily seen to be my FOS MERLIN! It wouldn’t be my last today. Once I arrived at the Bashakill I quickly ran into Scotty Baldinger. We were talking at the Pine Boat Launch when a BROWN THRASHER began singing only twenty feet from us. As we struggled to get better views through the thicket it was in, I saw a second thrasher jump up and sit by it for only a second before dropping into the understory. Scotty and I separated, breaking for lunch. I was only home a short time when Scotty called to say he’d found two CASPIAN TERNS at the Main Boat Launch! I zoomed down to see them. We spent some time with the birds and then went our ways again. Once I had completed some things I needed to do, I returned. I was watching all the birds when first Renee Davis arrived and then Scott Graber. As we talked the sun came out, not fully, but enough to create some thermals. Almost immediately I spotted two BROAD-WINGED HAWKS! What happened next was completely unexpected. We called Scotty Baldinger, who joined us to view an amazing hawk watch. Wave after wave of raptors streamed through the Bashakill. The next surprise was a PEREGRINE FALCON, the first of three that would pass. We had Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, Broad-winged Hawks, Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned Hawks, Merlins and Kestrels and Northern Harriers! Nine Common Loons flew over as well! In all we had about 130 raptors in just over an hour before it clouded up and began misting again. What a fabulous day and great that a group of us were able to share it together!