O Caracara!

The crested caracara (Caracara cheriway)
Photo taken near Geneva in Seminole County, FL in 2008



It's official! While driving along an access road to a wildlife conservation area in Brevard County yesterday, looking for a bald eagle that had been reported to be in the area, I observed a large, dark bird slowly circling a small stand of cabbage palms in a nearby pasture. Pausing the car to get a better look through the binoculars, I realized I was watching a caracara deliver a small twig to its nesting tree. This family has been nesting regularly in this area for a few years and has become very popular with birders and photographers, causing the road to be posted as a "no stopping zone" to prevent harassment of the birds in their nesting area. So, the photos you see here aren't the greatest, but they are good enough to see that at least one of the pair has been banded and the nesting material was successfully delivered. The birds did not seem to notice me; perhaps that's because there is a deep, wide canal with a border of low shrubs that runs along the road and tends to hide vehicles as they pass.

Brevard County, 10/7/10

In this first photo, you can see the twig being carried in the bird's bill; since that wing spread is at least 48", there was a good deal of crashing and thrashing as it maneuvered through the fronds and into the nest, which is located in the middle of the top of the tree. You can also see the bright white feathers that mark the tail and wing tips of the caracara, making it a lovely bird to watch in flight. The caracara is a member of the falcon family, and its flight is very similar to those usually much smaller birds: long, slow glides and steady but shallow wing flaps.

Brevard County 10/7/10

This second photo shows one of the adults (I have no idea if it's the same bird or if it is the mate) exiting the nest a few seconds later. Respecting the "no stopping zone" directive, I did not stay to watch any further activity. I suspect that this is the same individual that delivered the twig and that the mate was in the tree, fashioning the nest, but I've never seen caracaras actually building their nest before, so I don't know what the usual procedure is. Perhaps someone who reads this blog will comment on that for us. The leg bands on this bird are predominantly light blue.

In February of 2009, I observed a pair of caracaras who were raising a family on the Orlando Wetlands in a tree that was just a few hundred feet from one of the walking berms. (That family is still out there, having built this year's nest even closer to the parking lot and main buildings of the park, to the delight of a handful of photographers and birders who noticed!) Those birds were loud and showy in voicing their disapproval of people getting too close to their nesting area (the caracara, apparently, is a very quiet bird, and the loud crackling noise they make, accompanied by a backward head thrust, is an indication that they are feeling threatened):

Unbanded caracara at Orlando Wetlands Park in 2009

We had no idea that was a threatened display until it was explained to us, a few days later; we actually thought is was some sort of cool mating display . . . duh. Now you know, too. Please back off, if you see this behavior! (Threatened species status requires that people respect a primary protective zone of 985 feet from a nest. Please realize that if you are on this road, you are within that zone! If you get that display and you do not back off, you are harassing the birds and are in violation of federal law!) I do wonder if this protection includes the men who are clearing the canal . . . those machines are loud, obnoxious, and the canal is definitely within the primary protective zone!

I wish this Brevard County pair good luck in their attempt to raise another brood. 



Walking in Turkey Creek

With a chill in the air this morning, it seemed like a good time to check for migrants down in Turkey Creek Sanctuary, and I wasn't the only one thinking that way, as I encountered several birding parties as I walked.

My first encounter was not, however, with a bird, but with a blue ringed dancer (Argia sedula), one of quite a few along the trails and boardwalks. Both males and females are in abundance. This little guy is only and inch and a half long, so I didn't realize what amazing blue eyes he had until I enlarged the frame on the computer . . . gorgeous, eh?

I tagged along behind a small group of birders, who led me to a family of American redstarts who gave us a good show as they were harvesting insects in the shrubs and small trees along the Hackberry trail. They don't hold still for very long and are often hidden by leaves and branches in the dense wood; I'm going to need more practice with manual focus if I'm ever going to be able to get a good photo of these little birds.

Another bird that is not so common in the sanctuary is the ovenbird; you would have laughed if you'd heard me calling after him, but he came down to see what all the noise was about. Still, being in such dense shadow and still set on auto focus, this is the best (actually the only) shot I got of him.

Of course, what I came down here for this morning was to see how the leps are faring this month; it's been a spare year for many butterfly species. (I've only seen two zebra longwings, the state butterfly of Florida, since last year!) This is a common checkerspot nectaring on Spanish needles. Lovely, isn't it?

Ever wonder what those little brown butterflies are that seem to be flitting around everywhere you look? Too fast, usually, to get a really good look at them? Skippers, as they are known, are among my favorite butterflies! This is a clouded skipper, a species that seems to be doing well in Turkey Creek this year.

And no lepping expedition occurs without almost as many encounters with dragonflies as with butterflies. The common green darner occurs all across the US, but is difficult to photograph because it doesn't spend much time hanging around where you can see them. This isn't the best species ID photo, but I just love the quality of light in this pic.

Perhaps it's a benefit of developing the patience of a birder, but I'm seeing more dragonflies and finding more opportunities to photograph them now that I'm hanging around birders! (That could also be a factor of the early hour most birders get out, when dragonflies are still warming themselves in the sun and making themselves easier targets! And we're always startling them off their perches, from which they quickly find a new one.)

Of course, no visit to Turkey Creek goes without an encounter with the resident rodents! My little friend gray squirrel met me this morning with a gangload of acorns in his grasp! He sat there right in front of me and ate them, one by one, dropping their shells onto the boardwalk right in front of me. . .

Tomorrow I'm birding near Pelican Island, a new bird-walk destination for me. Since I'm going to be tagging along with an expert birder, I hope to bring you some interesting "gets"!