We landed in Miami on Monday December 17th to spend a month in Florida visiting my sister Jan and my paternal sister Kathryn. They both live in Homestead, a city in Miami-Dade County, nestled between Biscayne National Park (Florida Keys) to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. A fantastic location for any bird enthusiast and I made good use of the opportunity.
However without fast internet and full photo-processing software I will only post a few pictures until I return home in mid January.
However without fast internet and full photo-processing software I will only post a few pictures until I return home in mid January.
Northern Mockingbird - mimus polyglottos
I immediately started picking out birds in and around Jan's garden. The easiest to photograph was definitely the Northern Mockingbird, Florida's official State bird. They are one of the most common urban species and appear to be quite unafraid of people.
Mockingbirds are great mimics and make a variety of human and domestic animal noises in addition to their own delightful song. Male mockingbirds will sing late into the evening in Spring, especially on moonlit nights. A fantastic bird.
Mockingbirds are great mimics and make a variety of human and domestic animal noises in addition to their own delightful song. Male mockingbirds will sing late into the evening in Spring, especially on moonlit nights. A fantastic bird.
 Northern Mockingbird - mimus polyglottos Probably the most clourful bird in the garden is the stunning Northern Cardinal. The bright red male is a handsome sight with its crest erect and shining eyes in a black face mask. They are resident birds that are a familiar sight at bird feeders and around seed bearing plants at any time of year.  Northern Cardinal - cardinalis cardinalis Here are a selection of other photographs of widlife in Jan's garden.
Close to Jan's house is Castellow Hammock, a small but fascinating little eco-reserve which is listed in "The Great Florida Birding Trail". This publication describes every birding hotspot in the State. A "Hammock" is a small elevated knoll of broadleafed trees. .Florida's hammocks contain the greatest number of tree and shrub species per unit area in North America. |
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - archilochus colubris
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - archilochus colubris
Castellow Hammock itself is a dark and densely wooded area and is therefore not rich in birdlife, but around the edges and in the surrounding large flowering shrubs and trees there are many species to be seen, including the tiny Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, Florida's smallest bird. I was fortunate enough to catch them on a sunny day so shutter speeds were high enough to almost freeze the action. Small hummingbirds beat their wings 38-78 times a second so even at 1/1500 sec. the wings still appear slightly blurred. The buzzing of their wings is sometimes the first indication of their presence, rather like a large flying insect. It was interesting to note that the only ones I saw that day were females and/or juveniles, which lack the ruby throat of the adult male.
 Ruby-throated Hummingbird - archilochus colubris |  Ruby-throated Hummingbird - archilochus colubris |
Another little bird with a great name, the Blue-grey Gnatcatcher can frequently be seen flitting around in the trees seeking out foilage dwelling insects. This very active little bird can be difficult to photograph as it never stops moving, so patience and persistance is required.
Blue-grey Gnatcatcher - polyoptila caerulea
Yellow-throated Vireo - vireo flavifrons
In fact I particularly enjoy photographing small birds, which are generally more difficult and demanding of patience than the larger species. It is also nice to get a good look at a larger-than-life picture of what in the field is often just a fleeting glimpse of a very small and fast moving subject. This Yellow-Throated Vireo for example was pleasing, as although it is common in the Summer months only a few over-winter in South Florida, so I was lucky to get a sighting, let alone a photograph of this very pretty little species.
Everglades Glory
The Everglades are a region of subtropical wetlands of Global environmental importance. They once occupied much of the southern half of Florida. They are basically a slow-moving river 60 miles (97 km) wide and over 100 miles (160 km) long, flowing southward from Lake Okeechobee near Orlando, into Florida Bay at the southern end of the State. Over 50% of these valuable wetlands have been drained and lost to agricultural and urban use, but in 2000 a plan to restore the Everglades was approved by Congress. It is the most expensive and comprehensive environmental repair attempt in history, but although signed into law the divisive politics that is typical of America has somewhat compromised the plan
Everglades Scene
Wood Stork - mycteria americana
My sister's house is just a short drive away from the main entrance to this amazing National Park, so Elena and I made a bee-line for it right away.
One of the first notable bird species we came across was a group of Wood Storks in the wetlands by the roadside. They were in company with a flock of female Boat-tailed Grackles who were not at all happy about the Red Shouldered Hawk perched nearby. Their noisy harassment eventually drove it away.
One of the first notable bird species we came across was a group of Wood Storks in the wetlands by the roadside. They were in company with a flock of female Boat-tailed Grackles who were not at all happy about the Red Shouldered Hawk perched nearby. Their noisy harassment eventually drove it away.
 Red Shouldered Hawk - buteo lineatus |  Boat Tailed Grackle - quiscalus major The Anhinga Trail is a World famous birding site which did not disappoint. However the Alligators were the most obvious form of wildlife, and they were very large and surprisingly noisy. . |
American Alligator
Anhinga - anhinga anhinga
I had no idea that alligators could roar, we heard them first and I thought it must be a puma or a bear, but no, the alligators were all growling and roaring loudly, a very unnerving sound when one doesn't know what manner of creature it comes from.
Once we got over the initial fright and saw the source of the noise we started to note the many and varied bird species that frequent the pools and swamp trails of this superb location. The Anhinga itself is a fascinating bird which embodies the mysterious, Spanish moss-draped interior wetlands of South Florida. At first glance they look similar to a cormorant but are much longer and slimmer with a long, snake-like neck and needle-sharp bill which is used to spear fish. They are even known to eat young alligators at times. Theya re also powerful flyers and can be seen soaring vulture-like over the swamps and lakes.
Once we got over the initial fright and saw the source of the noise we started to note the many and varied bird species that frequent the pools and swamp trails of this superb location. The Anhinga itself is a fascinating bird which embodies the mysterious, Spanish moss-draped interior wetlands of South Florida. At first glance they look similar to a cormorant but are much longer and slimmer with a long, snake-like neck and needle-sharp bill which is used to spear fish. They are even known to eat young alligators at times. Theya re also powerful flyers and can be seen soaring vulture-like over the swamps and lakes.
 Anhinga - anhinga anhinga |  Turkey Vulture - cathartes aura |
Turkey Vulture - cathartes aura
Speaking of Vultures probably the most numerous bird in South Florida is the Turkey Vulture. These can be seen everywhere over the highways in search of roadkill. Although quite elegant in flight they are ugly brutes up close with a naked red scaly head to minimise parasites and infestations from their carrion diet.
The Brothers Grimm, Black Vultures - coragyps atratus
Another quite common species here is the Black Vulture. A smaller species than its European counterpart it often benefits from the Turkey Vulture's better sense of smell so arrives later after observing their behaviour. It is however more aggressive and muscles its way in to feed very successfully.
Death of a gecko, Great Egret - ardea alba
The Everglades are a natural home to all kinds of herons and egrets. Great Egrets are common, this one was about to swallow a gecko even though it´s throat was bulging with some other unfortunate creature it had swallowed earlier.
Another very elegent white egret is the Snowy Egret. This one below was being harassed by a Tricolored Heron and the pair looked quite evenly matched.
Another very elegent white egret is the Snowy Egret. This one below was being harassed by a Tricolored Heron and the pair looked quite evenly matched.
Great Egret and Tricolored Heron - egretta tricolor
Great Blue Heron, white morph - ardea herodeus
Bird identification can be frustrating. Having no knowledge of American birds I was relying upon reference material, primarily "Sibley´s Birds", the US birders "Bible" which I had purchased as an app. for my iPhone. Naturally for this one I looked up all the white egrets, Snowy, Great White, Cattle, but it didn´t fit any of them. Finally, After much searching I discovered that it is actually a Great Blue Heron! Yes, I know....it´s not blue, it´s a White Morph! now why didn´t I think of that? Oh well.
No such problem identifying the Green Heron, America´s smallest. Its diminutive size is its main feature but it is a very attractive bird that sits rock-still for long periods waiting for fish to swim by, which it then grabs with lightning speed.
No such problem identifying the Green Heron, America´s smallest. Its diminutive size is its main feature but it is a very attractive bird that sits rock-still for long periods waiting for fish to swim by, which it then grabs with lightning speed.
Green heron - butorides viriscens
Tricolored Heron - eggretta tricolor
This is the Tricolored Heron, immediately identified by its pure white belly. It has a habit of running to chase fish and is very quick. It is very common in the Everglades
