Terns & More

Terns species sought after by birders were returning to their nesting grounds on the keys near Fort Jefferson. - Brown Noddies are flying close to the surface, Sooty Terns higher ...

Both species appeared fully engaged in courtship (bringing food for a potential mate) ...

Sooty Tern

Sooty tern

Brown Noddy

Brown Noddy

 Elsewhere around the island, there were a variety of pelagic and shorebird species. A sampling ...

Willet

Royal Tern

Black Skimmer

Good Birding ! !

Florida - First Posting

Just less than a week ago, I returned from a week in Florida - a welcome respite from the harsh winter "enjoyed" by the Northeast. It has taken a while to process the photos.

There were several days with good birding, and good bird photography opportunities. This post will get things started. It seems appropriate to start with Florida's state bird, the Northern Mockingbird. These birds were singing their joyful mocking songs everywhere we went ...

Northern Mockingbird

First - Wakodahatchee & Green Cay, in the Boynton Beach-West Palm Beach area. Both are the final stage of water treatment facilities. Wetlands with extended boardwalks provide pond and marsh habitat for wetland birds and some of the best viewing opportunities to be found anywhere. Much more will follow from these sites. For now, three residents: Great Egret, Glossy Ibis, Pied-billed Grebe.

Great Egret

Glossy Ibis (non-breeding plumage)

Pied-billed Grebe

From Everglades Nat'l Park, two year-round residents (although maybe these particular individuals will be moving northward for breeding), Black-necked Stilt and Eastern Meadowlark ...

Black-necked Stilt

Eastern Meadowlark

From the Keys, and everyplace else along the coast, Brown Pelican ...

Brown Pelican (adult non -breeding)

And from Dry Tortugas Nat'l Park, a year-round resident - Royal Tern - and a winter resident - Ruddy Turnstone.

Royal Tern (non-breeding)

Ruddy Turnstone (non-breeding)

The "up-close and personal" wetland birds (and some non-wetland birds) will follow in subsequent posts.

It was a week of warm weather and Good Birding!

Wetland and the Shore

I am in the midst of a short stay in Philly and have squeezed in some walks at Heinz NWR and at Cape May. Here are a few images.

The waders at Heinz were stand-out, including as many Great Egrets as I have seen in one place in a long time ...

Great Egrets

Great Egrets

Great Blue Heron

Green Heron

Green Heron

Along the shore, terns were the stand-out (alas, :( no Whiskered Tern)

Common Tern

Forster's Tern

Royal Tern

Royal tern

Good Birding!!

Cape May - Terns, Butterflies, and Dragonflies

While visiting family in Philadelphia, I managed a day trip to Cape May. I was about a week early for warbler, song bird, and hawk migration. But in places I felt like I was in the middle of a butterfly garden. And ... in a continuing expansion of subject and interest, dragonflies captured my focus. Here is a sampling of images from the day ...

Terns, oystercatchers, and skimmers were gathered along the beaches near the conservancy. A particular delight were the Royal Terns ...

Royal Tern

American Oystercatcher

A dozen species of butterflies were tallied. The most stunning was this Red-spotted Purple ...

Red-spotted Purple

I am a novice with dragonflies, so please let me know if you disagree with the IDs on the following ...

Common Whitetail

Twelve-Spotted Skimmer

Swamp Darner

Swamp Darner

Good everything!!