Not quite spring

This year again, spring is arriving slowly. At home in Garson we had 2 inches of snow this morning, April 2. Although I have been out regularly there has been very little bird activity. So I thought I would go back to our trip south to Florida. My wife Susan got a new camera for Christmas and with the many subjects posing for us on our travels she could not help but be bitten by the bird photography bug. As a follow up to my last post the following photographs are shots Susan managed to capture that I missed.

Willet (Tringa semipalmata) - Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park, Jacksonville, Florida - 2015 February 28

The first morning after arriving in Florida we hiked the beachfront at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park in Jacksonville. Here Susan was taking photographs of the waves washing up on the beach and caught this Willet in the act of picking a morsel out of the sand.

Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) - Canaveral National Seashore, Titusville, Florida - 2015 March 1

The next morning shortly after entering the Canaveral National Seashore we were rewarded with a fleeting view of several Florida Scrub-Jays. I was not quick enough with my camera but Susan managed to catch this bird just before it returned into the thick shrubbery.

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) - Canaveral National Seashore, Titusville, Florida - 2015 March 1

Not far up the road we stopped at a viewing area. Susan found this Killdeer foraging among the wet and tangled undergrowth.

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) - Canaveral National Seashore, Titusville, Florida - 2015 March 1

Travelling further along we came upon several Cattle Egrets looking for a meal in a grassy area. This bird spotted something ahead and its stalking behavior was almost catlike.

Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) - Canaveral National Seashore, Titusville, Florida - 2015 March 1

Continuing on we stopped for a hike along several kilometers of Atlantic beach. The strong onshore wind brought a steady procession of waves that sparkled in the sunlight. As Susan was trying to capture the scene she inadvertently snapped a photograph which included this pair of Ruddy Turnstone flying over the surf.

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) - Canaveral National Seashore, Titusville, Florida - 2015 March 1

Also soaring over the surf were numerous Brown Pelicans. They had surf riding down to an art. Soaring for what seemed like miles, catching the wind just above the waves, without any wing flapping required. We both tried to capture the process in a photograph and I liked this one by Susan best.

American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) - Canaveral National Seashore, Titusville, Florida - 2015 March 1

As seen in my previous posting a highlight of this sanctuary was Biolab Road where the variety and numbers of bird was amazing. This photograph shows several American White Pelicans, two Roseate Spoonbills and a Little Blue Heron all happily foraging within a few meters of each other.

Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) - Canaveral National Seashore, Titusville, Florida - 2015 March 1

After feeding the next important thing in a birds day is preening to keep feathers clean and aligned. Here two birds stand side by side accomplishing this task. This photograph shows the difference between the similar Tricolored Heron on the left and the Little Blue Heron on the right. The frontal view shows off nicely the white underbelly of the Tricolored Heron and the purplish head and neck of the Little Blue Heron.

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) - Shark Valley, Everglades National Park, Florida - 2015 March 3

A few days later we stopped at the Shark Valley Visitors Center in Everglades National Park. During our stay in Florida we regulary saw Anhinga's but this photograph that Susan took, shows one underwater coming up for a breath after feeding. The splayed tail feathers show why this bird is also known as the "Water Turkey".

Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus)
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
Sanderling (Calidris alba) - Indian Key, Everglades National Park, Florida - 2015 March 3

Later that day we took a boat ride out through the coastal mangrove islands. A sandy spit on Indian Key was the resting place for a large group of Royal Terns. Two Double-crested Cormorants were jockeying for space as was a lone Sanderling trying not to get lost among the bigger birds.

Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) - Bailey Tract, Sanibel Island, Florida - 2015 March 4

Here Susan managed a nice photograph of a Little Blue Heron with a snack. It seems like the heron is allowing a litle drip drying before the swallow.