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Showing posts from September, 2016

Yellow Warbler

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Yellow Warbler During late August and September, Yellow Warblers come through Lake Apopka in huge numbers. It's not terribly unusual to conservatively estimate 30 or more individuals along the lake shore.  I suspect this is largely because there are so many willows near the lake shore, and the drive takes you right between the willows and the lake. I think they're beautiful birds.  A few weeks ago, I was driving along the drive next to the lake, and I saw a few all in one tree. I pished a little bit, and then all of the sudden there were at least 10 there. I don't know that I've ever seen so many Yellow Warblers in any one place. This was my best photograph from that time.

Common Myna

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Common Myna Florida City Cracker Barrel I had a meeting in Miami last week, and I've never seen a Common Myna.  So I decided to drive a half-hour farther south than my meeting to visit the Cracker Barrel at the end of the Florida Turnpike. I'd been told that's pretty much a guaranteed spot to find them.  It took about 15 minutes before I saw about 15 of them on the power lines behind the Cracker Barrel. That was a lifer for me; well worth the extra hour of driving to locate the bird.  On my way back home, I dropped by some of my favorite South Florida birding locations to see what I might be able to add to my Florida year list. I ended the day with 8 new Florida year birds, including 2 lifers: one countable (Common Myna) and one not (Mitred Parakeet). I was slightly irritated that, on my way back through Miami, I stopped to get gas. Guess what bird I saw fly right by me? Common Myna. Figures. But I wouldn't have been able to get a photo of that bird like the one I g

Mead Gardens, 9/19/2016

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Cape May Warbler Last week I drove out to Mead Gardens, hoping to see a Wilson's Warbler that had been photographed there the day before.  Unfortunately, it either moved on or hid from me the whole time I was there, but that's to be expected. Thankfully, a few days later another Wilson's Warbler showed up at Central Winds Park right near my home and I got to see that one.  I had two consolation prizes at Mead, though.  First, and beautiful Cape May Warbler was extremely cooperative with me,  posing for pictures and everything. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher And second, I was able to get my first presentable photos of a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher that had been hanging out here for the last couple days. I've only seen three of these in Florida, and they've always been pretty difficult for me to photograph.  But this one flew very close to me.  These photos could certainly be improved with better light and background, but at the very least, they are photos I don