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"!