White Pelicans: a rare sight
For me at least. I’ve seen them four times, that’s once for every two or three years that I have lived in peninsular Florida. Once I saw a hundred of them form a wheel high in the air, moving south on the wind faster than I could drive my car – without a one of them ever flapping a wing. I thought they were Storks but thanks to my Audubon friends I learned that I had seen the White Pelicans. On this blustery day they were fighting turbulence to make their transit altitude. They could not make a distinct formation but, spotted by us while still at low level, you can see what they look like as they soar.
swans at peace
To my surprise no humans were mauled in the making of this film. I waited all day to record a swanny smackdown but it never came. The lakes of downtown Lakeland, FL are loaded with swans and I saw them put up with unruly children, friendly ducks, clumsy Ibis, joggers and curious naturalists, even while sitting on their nests. BTW it has been English law for five centuries that all Mute swans, wherever in the world they dwell, belong to the Regent.
Google real time search: fun I can have at work
…men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead. but if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show now.
The Scroogy IT guy has warned there will be no social networking, video or even streaming audio. No personal webmail either. But now Google has real time search that updates just like friendfeed and it incorporates friendfeed and twitter posts! The feature is new this month and it was very entertaining at work today. The IT guys will not get around to caring that amuse myself this way for a long time to come. They never even finished chasing the myspace users. Learn more here: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/
All my best, merry Christmas and happy holidays,
P.
p.s. I love the wordpress snow!
Coots, Moorhens and Purple Gallinules
This film highlights these three Rails. You can see them together when you visit downtown Lakeland, FL which our local Audubon did yesterday. Here’s their website: http://www.westpascoaudubon.com/
The stars in order of appearance:
Ringneck duck
Am. Coot
Mute Swan
Moorhen
Purple Gallinule
Am. Alligator
White Ibis
The lakes visited were Wire, Mirror and Parker.
walmart does it’s own bad PR
These stately Live Oak trees were crudely cut for no apparent reason and then left in that state for months along US19 where they are seen by thousands of people each day. Can it be other than a deliberate statement?
Palm Warbler at the plant table
Video proof! I first photographed the Palm Warbler who fed at my table in late 2007. This is unusual because, of course, the bird is an insectivore and not a visitor to any feeder. But among the seeds I put out are a kind of engineered nutrition pellet for domestic birds and this warbler has learned to eat those. I believe this is the same individual that learned to eat the pellets and who has wintered with me since at least 2006. He returned about a week ago and will be with me until mid-March of 2010. I am happy to contribute to the life of this formidable bird for as long as we cross paths. Here’s what I wrote about him in 2/08.
And, yes those are flower spikes on the Black Aloe in the picture. I am aware this is often referred to as a nonblooming kind of Aloe. Mine blooms regularly with long rests. The flowers are large and coral – orange.
shuttle launch as seen from my street
Shuttle Atlantis launches as seen from my street at a distance of 120 miles. I’m working on my edit process to retain more of the cam’s original sharpness.
hundreds of Herons
Dawn at Safety Harbor municipal pier with hundreds of Tricolor Herons, Little Blue Herons and Snowy Egrets leaving their night roost. Local people thought the roost would be at a place called Alligator Lake. Also two Spotted Sandpipers and a Yellow Crowned Night Heron were found at Philippe Park. Thanks to Clearwater Audubon. Here’s their site: http://www.clearwateraudubon.org/
Additional: here’s the trip’s bird list, thanks Jo:
Clearwater Audubon Phillipe Park, Safety Harbor, Fl, Nov 21,2009 Merle Hubbard, leader.
Belted Kingfisher
White Ibis
Spotted Sandpiper Lesser Scaup
Willett
Brown Pelican
Bald Eagle
Forster’s Tern
Laughing Gull
Common Loon
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Blue Heron
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Black and White Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
House Wren
Hermit Thrush
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Gray Catbird
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue Jay
N Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
Cardinal
Fish Crow
Red-tailed Hawk
American Goldfinch
Red-Shouldered in this yard
I scrambled to get a camera on him but he stayed for several minutes and the encounter became one I’ll never forget.
fiddler crabs are coming
The Fiddler crabs at Key Vista are coming out en masse. Each of then has a unique pattern on it’s shell. Many look like faces.
Glossy Ibis at Holiday recreation complex
Glossy Ibis can be seen seasonally at the Pasco County Holiday recreation complex. A pair has been present for the last few days and I shot some video. The Ibis’ presence upset a juvenile Moorhen whose parents got involved. The Moorhen family bothered the Ibis until they left. I was very amused by the Glossy’s brief attempt to threaten a Moorhen.
The Glossys flew toward the TV towers where there must be a substantial roost. I have not figured out how to get to it but in the evening you can see hundreds of birds heading in.
Long-Billed Curlew
Clearwater Audubon visited Ft. De Soto, 10/31/09, halloween. I read there was a Long–Billed Curlew hanging around and by watching some birdwatchers we found it! What an elegant bird. I could not see what it was getting 10 or 12 inckes under the sand.
View the video: http://bit.ly/3kiCHW
Video window basics: http://bit.ly/1Ke2Y1
I also saw my first-of-season Coots, Redhead Ducks, Ruddy Ducks and Scaup and a flock of around 20 Magnificent Frigatebirds. Also in the video are Oystercatchers, Terns, Plovers, Marbled Godwits and a mysterious and beautilful feathery-flowered plant that enchanted me. Please tell me if you have a clue what it might be. The stick insects were mating despite the papparazzi. One shorebird remained unidentified, might be a Short-Billed Dowitcher.
paulie is big in the Old Empire
According to Youtube’s “insight” function there is a definite trend in my popularity. It seems my humble videos are most popular not in the US (where my English captions can be read and my music, obscure and unpopular, can be appreciated) but in Russia. Not the real Russia of today but the old Soviet Union of my Cold War youth, according to youtube’s map. I can’t say nobody was hurt in those days but wer’e all comrades now! So I say to you, my friends in the old Empire whom I love: поздравления!
1 comment