They’re Ba-ack! First of Fall Painted Bunting!
It’s reassuring to know that in the midst of a crazy year, the birds are right on schedule. Our first of fall Painted Bunting showed up in the backyard on October 14. :)
Flight Shots around Lake Apopka
On the morning that I photographed the purple pole vaulters, I also enjoyed lots of flight shot opportunities with birds from the south side of Lake Apopka. It was one of those mornings that an intermediate telephoto lens was just perfect. You never know when a pair of Black-bellied Whistling-ducks will fly by!
The Rock Pigeons that showed up in Whiskey’s backyard must be friends with the pigeons near the lake. Or maybe the pigeons are big fans of the lady that brings them bread every morning. As soon as she showed up, birds started flocking in.
This Osprey wasn’t interested in the free food. He spent a good part of the morning in the Snail Kite’s tree. Then his buddy showed up and they fought over who got to perch in the tallest part of the cypress tree. There was much screeching involved.
Sometimes it’s about being in the right place at the right time. I’d been out on the dock looking for the snail kite. I headed back towards my car, turned around, and whoosh! this Red-shouldered Hawk flew by.
The alligator flags were pull of Purple Gallinules and juvenile grackles. Everybody was calling and the marshes echoed with the bird sounds. The loudest birds were the juvies, who didn’t seem to realize how scruffy they look in their summer molt!
I wandered back out on the dock. At the end, a pair of Tricolored Herons were playing Musical Railings. It was an adult and a juvie heron. The adult swooped in to scare off the juvie, who flew in a big circle and perched on the opposite end of the dock. Then the adult chased him off again. And again. Finally both of them took off.
Finally I caught a glimpse of the Snail Kite. She flew in close, at one point flying straight towards my camera lens. She didn’t have an apple snail with her, but she showed off her sharp beak that’s specially curved to help her extract snails from their shells.
The Snail Kite headed out to the lake and I headed back to my air-conditioned car. You know you’ve had a good morning when you’re already thinking about going back! :)
Purple Pole Vaulters!
I love watching the Purple Gallinules at this time of year. The alligator flags are tall and full of purple blooms and purple birds! The colorful adults are gorgeous and the juveniles are starting to show their beautiful colors.
They walk carefully out to the edge of a reed to nibble at the flowers. Sometimes the weight of the bird is too much and the reed falls over. It always makes me think of pole vaulting. :)
This adult reached very carefully to grab a purple flower. The birds chatter to each other and the whole marsh comes alive with their calls. “No, I haven’t fall in the water yet!”
This bird paused his breakfast for a few minutes to stare at me. I love the pale colors of the juveniles, a promise of the bright colors that they will be sporting next year.
This juvenile was fearless. He wandered very close to me and let me take some head shots. I love the light and the look of curiosity on his face.
If you have a pond with alligator flags growing near your house, check it out. You may get a chance to chuckle at these fun birds!