New gang in town

Hooded Merganser playing  submarine

Great Egret reflecting  Click on the photo and look closely to the left of the heron's back at the five mergansers in a feeding frenzy

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - We seldom see a merganser at nearby Sunrise Park, let alone five of them (3 male / 2 female).  Maybe they will hang around a week or two.

Contrast

I wish I had a cool black-and-white suit.

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Checking back through the gallery of our final morning at Merritt Island NWR, I spotted a stylish newcomer to my collection.   The American Avocet sports nifty black-and-white coloring for their winter wear.  Meanwhile, the American Coot looks a bit drab year-round.  The Avocet's needle-style beak makes them appear like hummingbirds on steroids.

Express mealtime

Black Skimmer skimming...

...and skimming

...and skimming

TITUSVILLE, FL - - Today was 'check out' a couple of new places in Merritt Island NWR.  East Gator Rd, a twisty and narrow one lane-plus marl track out among the mangroves, didn't produce any gators.  We didn't really expect any despite the colorful name.  We also didn't expect to come upon a Black Skimmer working on his breakfast.  Neither did we expect him to zip in front of us in one direction and then the other, over and overt again.   But he did.  These three photos are representative of the activity.  There was never any indication whether or not he ever got anything to eat. 
     Click on any photo for a larger view.  Check out Lydia's FlickR account via the link elsewhere on my blog.

YUK!!!

Hey!!  Who put that worm in my breakfast cereal??

Osprey attitude

Osprey are very good at watching...

...And leaving just as you are ready to make them a star.

Sometimes, they even return just to spite you.

TITUSVILLE, FL - - Usually, in this game of 'seek and fly'  it's the osprey who wins.  This time I got lucky. Click on the first picture to see the shots in large format.

New arrivals

Bald Eagle

Male Anhinga...with breeding eyeshadow color

Mr. Hooded Merganser

Limpkin under cover

TITUSVILLE, FL - - The annual Space Coast birding and wildlife festival is on in Titusville so we've headed our for two days of chasing birds.  Usually we get rewarded with a few new arrivals when we visit the Viera Wetlands.  This trip proved no different,  although the eagle, perched and posing,  is an exception as they usually do a high altitude fly-by and disappear.

Dead 'possum on the sidewalk

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - It's a cool, gray day in OB.  The light is bad, there's a slight  wind and the birds are hiding anyway.  However, there was activity in our backyard. 
     For no real reason, I took a look out a back window at our sidewalk.  I saw birds congregating and not the type I expect to see or want to see.  A black vulture and a turkey vulture were checking out something on the sidewalk.  The last thing you want is for vultures to think your house/back or front yard is a gathering place.
     I went our into our Florida room to check on what might be the attraction.  I smelled it before I saw it...a dead' possum lying on its back with its guts spilling out.  The scavengers left when they heard me.
     So, plan A:  scoop it up with a shovel, bag it and drop it in our trash can to await Thursday removal.  Or, plan B:  dig a hole and bury it.  Plan A seemed the best choice. While I was scooping and bagging their intended meal at least six large birds circled in the vicinity.  The 'feathered telegraph' works very well.

A place in the sun

A PLACE IN THE SUN TO REFLECT

TO GROW

TO DEBATE

TO HANG OUT AT LOW TIDE

TO CHASE THE NEXT MEAL

Waiting, floating and flying

A Northern Pintail (duck) family hanging out in Merrit Island NWR

Pied-billed Grebe blending in.  Lake Woodruff WR

  Red-shouldered Hawk. On the wing in Lake Woodruff WR

Flight time

Lift-off

Coming in for a landing

Oops!!

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Our first 2013 trip to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge offered us plenty of roseate spoonbill action.  The 'bills and their cousin the ibis were working hard at finding lunch in a coastal swamp alongside Bio Lab Road.  We spent the first 2-miles of the 3+ mile drive watching the frequent activity of osprey and great blue heron.  Then, we hit a marshy area and a large group of 'bills, ibis, wood storks and a few egret sucking up mud bugs and whatever else tastes good.  All was well until a noise spooked the group and madcap flight ensued.

Dead squirrel in the middle of the lawn

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Not too much happening in OB.  But once in a while we get a bit of excitement.  We have lots of squirrels in the neighborhood. The gang seems to play tag, zip up trees and limbs and tightrope walk across all sorts of overhead wires.  
     It was misty this morning.  Rocky (named after a famous Saturday morning cartoon character) was zipping along and (apparently) decided to jump to another wire...which he/they do all the time.  Of course, you want to make sure you don't touch both wires at the same time or...ZAP.  One moment you're a high wire artist thinking about all the nuts you've got stored up and the next you're toast....literally.
   We were surfing the 'net when Lydia heard what sounded like like a transformer blowing just as the lights went out.  This has happened enough times that we know the location of the culprit.  This time, though, I didn't have to walk far as a neighbor was standing outside her house talking to another neighbor about the body in the grass.  Case solved.  And the Florida Power & Light crew were nice enough to remove the scorched critter after they finished repairs.