Blue-winged Teal - Anas discors

We don't see many ducks in Florida, in part because we bird mostly along the coast, but mostly because we arrive there after many ducks have departed to their breeding grounds by mid-April. The Blue-winged Teal departs later than most ducks, so we were able to see a number of them on the ponds at the Celery Fields, east of Sarasota. Here the male is resting in shallow water, viewed from the north viewing platform. Note the spatulate bill, a little shorter than that of the Cinnamon Teal, seen in the western U.S.

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I was pleased that the bird decided to stretch, giving a view of the neck not normally seen when simply floating or dabbling, but rather seen during displays or in flight.

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From the BNA account: "Blue-winged and Cinnamon teal, along with the 4 species of shovelers constitute the typical blue-winged ducks, subgenus Spatula."

Western Willet - Tringa semipalmata inornata

"Map and Calendar" often proves helpful when trying to identify a puzzling or atypical bird, a  tip I first learned from Mark Pretti. So when I photographed some Willets in April on Florida's Gulf Coast (Tarpon Springs/Ft De Soto) I made the natural assumption that the birds must be Eastern Willets, a Willet subspecies we often see on summer visits to East Haven, CT. My recent posting included 3 different Willets (last 3 photos below). They were not as "ornate" as I would have expected, but that wasn't enough to make me dig deeper.

Well, thanks to Dan Singer, who many of you know as a highly experienced bay area birder now residing in Marin, I get a chance to correct my mis-identifications. Here's what a breeding plumage Eastern Willet should look like, from a July visit to Hammonasset State Beach. Take note of the bill length, shape, thickness and color, and read on:

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Dan was kind enough to send me a careful analysis of the Willet shown below, whichI had called "Eastern".

"I believe these willets are all Western Willets. The first one is the easiest and the one I’m most certain of."

"The distinction between the two subspecies can be subtle. Using a combination of characters is best, but on the first bird bill shape, length, and pattern are enough to identify this one as Western. Eastern has a shorter bill that looks proportionately thicker at the base, giving it a more conical shape, the bill usually looks more two-toned with the basal half often looking pinkish, and the bill often shows a slight droop distally."

Continuing, Dan wrote:

"The second two birds are more problematic to evaluate, and the second bird in particular doesn’t look very long-billed like Western. However, everything else about bill shape and color seems fine for  Western."

Further:

"The third bird also looks like it has a rather short bill, but the angle of view is probably affecting perception. Otherwise the bill looks typical of most Westerns."    (Photographer's note - Dan is correct about the distortion, as when a subject is partially looking towards the camera we get something called "fore-shortening", i.e. the bill is actually longer than the photo would suggest).

 

Dan concluded with critical remarks regarding "map and calendar" for the Willet subspecies:

Note the last two birds show very worn wing coverts, which suggests these birds are in their second year (born last year). Eastern Willet winters south of the US and many/most second year birds don’t migrate north in the spring, but instead spend their first breeding season on the winter grounds. Western Willet winters along the south Atlantic and Gulf coasts - just to make things confusing for us birders - so seeing birds with heavily worn coverts is not unusual. 

Black-bellied Plover - Molt to breeding plumage

April and May are time when many birds are molting, often transitioning to full alternate (breeding) plumage just before departing north. The Black-bellied Plover, Pluvialis squatarola, is seen often on both coasts, and in April we can see pretty much the entire spectrum of the pre-alternate molt.

In basic plumage the Black-bellied is a study in gray and white, sort of a muted salt-and-pepper look. The bill size and shape, plus the lack of any yellow or golden highlights, serve to distinguish it from the other Pluvialis plovers.

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Often along the same stretch of shoreline (here mostly at Fred Howard Park, Tarpon Springs, FL) we see individuals at various stages of their molt.

 

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I thought this one above looked a bit "oiled", but I think the few black feathers of the throat and neck are just evidence of the dramatic changes to follow. We now see the beginning of the "black belly" for which they are named, a feature shared by the Golden Plovers. The new feathers on the back and wings create a more striking contrast to the muted look of winter.

As the molt progresses we see more black on the head, neck and belly. This one was at North Beach, Ft. Desoto.

 

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​Lastly, from visit to North Beach in April of 2009, we were treated to a Black-bellied Plover in full alternate regalia:

Ruddy Turnstone - Arenaria interpres

A striking shorebird on Florida shores is the Ruddy Turnstone in breeding plumage. In April they are present in good numbers, fattening up for the long flight to breed in the arctic tundra. We do see Ruddy Turnstones on the west coast, but in smaller numbers. Some of them winter at spots like Bodega Bay, where they hang out with our Black Turnstones. Here's a Ruddy from Fred Howard Park in basic plumage, just starting to develop some color.

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Nearby the other Turnstones were looking pretty spiffy. Note the mound of sand at the base of the bill, almost covering the nostril.

Turnstones use their bills extensively while foraging, usually to flip over stone or shells along the shore, or at Bodega Bay more likely to flip over the algae looking for hidden morsels. At Fred Howard Park some of the Turnstones were digging impressive excavations in the sand, which explains the sand that collects sometimes on the bill:

We watched one turnstone dig for 5 minutes at a frenetic pace. Never did see it find prey of any size, but maybe it was eating while it was digging. A video captured some of the action.​

A bit further south (along the Honeymoon Island Causeway, Dunedin) we saw many Ruddy Turnstones on the narrow stretch between the road and the water. Here's one with a clean bill, which shows the location of the nostril. The orange legs are present year-round, which sometimes helps picking out a Ruddy that's hanging out in a large flock of Black Turnstones on the west coast, such as at Bodega Bay in the winter.

Florida Butterflies - Gulf Fritillary and White Peacock

We spend most of our time looking at birds when in Florida, but it's pretty hard to ignore the dragonflies and butterflies.

These 2 species are in the family Nymphalidae, the brush-footed butterflies. The front feet are quite small in this family, which also goes by the named "Four-footed Butterflies". The brush-foots are the largest butterfly family, with over 6,000 species!

At my cousin's condo we watched a number of bright orange butterflies nectaring on flowers near an open grassy area. Had no clue what they were, and that very day Jackie Sones wrote from her Bodega Head blog about the Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, which proved to be the very same species I photographed. It's in the subfamilyHeliconiinae (Heliconians and Fritillaries). Here's the top view. Note the 3 white dots surrounded by black on the forewing:

Often times a butterfly's underwing pattern is just at striking, and it was certainly true for the Gulf Fritillary:

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​The Gulf-footed Fritillary is very common across the southern U.S., especially in the Southeast. Large numbers migrate to Florida. Its range extends all through Central America and into South America.

Another brush-foot that we saw at many locations was the White Peacock, Anartia jatrophe. The genus Anartia,the Peacocks, has only 5 species. Their tribe is Victorinini. This individual was patrolling an area along the shore of the Venice Rookery:

The White Peacock is a tropical species, with a range from Argentina and all through to Mexico, and like some tropical birds the range includes South Texas and Florida.

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Thalasseus Terns - Royal and Sandwich

Having watched birds at Florida beaches for the last 10 years, I've wondered at how often many of the shorebirds choose to frequent heavily used areas, which of course includes many hundreds of miles of the Florida coast. Struck me that maybe over the years these birds have "learned" that humans not only pose no direct threat to them, but maybe even provide a level of protection from predators. At Venice Beach in April we watched a shoreline roost site of over 100 terns . Periodically beach-goers walking on the packed sand near the surf line would approach the terns, at which point the terns casually moved about 8' away from the surf to allow the walkers to pass, and then immediately closed ranks and reassembled closer to the water. Their comfort with human presence is surprising, and makes them ideal subjects for photography.

These Royal Terns (Thalasseus maximus) are part of the large group we watched. Their deep orange bills are shorter and thicker than those of our west coast Elegant Terns, but not as thick nor as red as the bill of the Caspian Tern. Royal Terns at 20" are large, almost the size of the 21" Caspian Tern, meaning that are as big as many gull species. Did you spot the interloping tern above?

Here's another look at the Royal Terns. The foreground birds are in alternate (breeding) plumage, while the one one to the rear is still working on getting its black cap:

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​About a dozen Sandwich Terns, Thalasseus sandvicensis,  gathered at the edge of the group furthest from the water, a pair with raised crests drawing our immediate attention. Their yellow-tipped black bilsl argues that this one should have been the one called "elegant". The blurred foreground bird isprobably a Caspian Tern.

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The above Sandwich were vocalizing, with crests raised, so I zoomed in. Quick switch to video mode captured a courtship dance, culminating in mating. The activity was not preceded by the usual courtship feeding, where the male present a fish to the female, but she seemed eager to explore a match none-the-less. Almost seemed like she was giving directions to male in the sequence that follows: Mating Sandwich Terns, Venice Beach, FL.

Let's turn to tern taxonomy (groan). In the 2000 edition of Sibley most of the terns were in the genus Sterna, with a few smaller terns in other genera. In 2006 they decided to split up the genus Sterna. 3 species were moved to the genus Thalasseus (Elegant, Royal and Sandwich), and others that moved to new genera,  including Caspian, Gull-billed, Least, Sooty and Bridled Terns. Check out the changes in one of my favorite sources:

Taxonomic Changes.

The 15" Sandwich Terns are said to be less aggressive than other tern and gull species, and often rely on bigger species like the Royal Tern to guard their crowded island nesting sites. The Royal Terns seem comfortable with their smaller cousins nearby.

Black Skimmer - Rhynchos niger

We occasionally see the Black Skimmer in the North Bay, but they are more reliably found in the South Bay, where they breed. In Florida the Black Skimmer is seen regularly along the coast, often roosting on a beach with terns, shorebirds and gulls.

This one was at Fred Howard Park, Tarpon Springs, hanging out with Royal Terns and Laughing Gulls. Note how the camera focused on the Laughing Gull and the Royal Tern, so the Skimmer is a bit blurred.

​I walked a little closer and after waiting a bit the Skimmer could be seen more by itself, allowing better focus. The Skimmer may look a bit grotesque on land, but it is a marvelous long-winged aerialist, foraging by flying low over the water with the over-sized lower mandible skimmer the surface for small fish.

We used the see Black Skimmers in good numbers at Fred Howard Park, but heavy use of the area by beachgoers and kayakers seem to have caused them to roost elsewhere.
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Roseate Spoonbill - Platalea ajaja

The Roseate Spoonbill an unmistakeable species, and a rather stunning one. We don't see them on every visit to Florida, but at certain locations like the Ding Darling refuge on Sanibel Island they are reliably found. We were pleased to see several at the Celery Fields near Sarasota during out visit in April. The colors alone suffice for identification, even when the amazing spatulate bill in tucked away. Note the pale apple green color on the bare crown.

The birds we saw were all adults. Juveniles have white feathered heads and lack the red iris and bright carmine wing coverts. The breeding adult has a patch of pink curly feathers on the breast signaling alternate plumage, which means it is at least 3 years old. The head, neck, and bill in the second photo remind me of our Brown Pelican, and in fact the Ibises and Spoonbills were moved from the order Ciconiiformes to their new place in the order Pelecaniformes (See graphic below) .

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​Another Pelecaniformes feature seen in some Ibises and Spoonbills is the gular sac or pouch in adult breeding birds, sometimes a bright saffron-orange in high breeding plumage. Here we see a suggestion of the pouch, lacking in color, and the bright red of the legs almost matches the wing coverts:

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My camera/scope struggle to get decent flight shots, but I'm including this blurred shot because it shows features not shown well above, namely the orange tail and the bright red rump patch:

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It appears the Black-necked Stilt was startled by the sudden take-off. If one had only the briefest glimpse of a large pink bird it might suggest a Flamingo, but Flamingos have black wing-tips, like our American White Pelican.

Taxonomy note: There are 6 species of spoonbills in the world. The other mostly white ones are the Eurasian, Black-faced (Japan,Korea,China), African, Royal (Australia) and Yellow-billed (SE Australia). The Spoonbills and Ibises comprise the family Threskiornithidae, with the Spoonbills making up the subfamily Plataleinae.