Stilt Sandpiper - Calidris himantopus

At Sarasota's "Celery Fields" in April we watched a large group of shorebirds foraging in a shallow fresh water pond. There were about 30 Long-billed Dowitchers in breeding plumage, along with about 15 Lesser Yellowlegs and a scattering of Black-necked Stilts. Out in the middle of the pond I spotted a single gray-backed shorebird with a slightly downcurved bill, feeding like a dowitcher but looking more like a Lesser Yellowlegs, both of which were nearby. Distant photo lacks detail, but good enough for an ID. The local biologist said they see them occasionally in small numbers. Stilt Sandpipers are often seen associating with dowitchers, usually in fresh water.

The Stilt Sandpiper nests way north in the Arctic tundra, then mostly uses the Central Flyway to head to central and South America for the winter. Some will winter along the gulf coast and in Florida. We first saw the Stilt Sandpiper on a memorable trip to Texas with Bob Stewart in April 2005, and some were close enough for good photos. First one is mostly in basic plumage, but with a splash of color behind the eye. Taken at Indian Point Park, Port Aransas, TX (near Corpus Christi).

​ I especially liked the next shot, which shows the adult in breeding plumage, now with black on the back and barring below. Molting birds blurred in the background. Note how the apparent length of the bill changes with even a minor shift in perspective. Nearby were breeding plumage dowitchers, not shown. Photos from 2005 taken with the old Nikon Coolpix 4500, a 4MP "twist-body"point-and-shoot camera.

Taxonomy notes - The Stilt Sandpiper is one of 19 species of shorebirds in the genus Calidris. Common Calidrids seen in California include our Western and Least Sandpipers, plus Sanderling and Dunlin. Less common along the coast are Red Knot, Pectoral Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper and Rock Sandpiper. Pretty much all of them breed in the Arctic and are long-distance migrants. We've even seen the occasional rarer species in California, such as the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Shollenberger Park in Petaluma one year) and Curlew Sandpiper (Yolo Bypass wetlands). Still waiting to see our first Stint!

Little Blue Heron - Egretta caerulea

The Little Blue Heron's range includes southern California (e.g San Diego), with the occasional vagrant to Northern California. They are more common in Florida, where we see them in both winter and spring and can follow the striking plumage changes that take place. In February 2014 we watched an adult foraging at Fred Howard Park, Tarpon Springs. The adult has a bicolored bill year round. In winter the bill is gray at the base, the iris straw colored, and the legs gray-green.

By April many adult Little Blues display changes known as "high breeding plumage". We watched this one almost every day on a visit to Tarpon Springs in April. A bright sky blue color now suffuses the bare skin around the eye and extends to the proximal bill, accompanied by darkening of the legs and iris. It has breeding plumes hanging from the crown, but lacks the profusion of aigrettes seen in the closely related Snowy Egret.

Same bird, but closer. I often had to back up as it approached, as it had become accustomed to seeing people here and took no notice of my presence.

A better view of the elongated breeding plumes is seen on this bird, Feb 20, 2012, same location in Tarpon Springs (Gulf Front Lagoon). The bare parts have yet to show any of the bright blue of high breeding plumage.

I've labored under the presumption that breeding plumage, and especially "high" breeding plumage, was restricted to adult birds. But in going through past images I rediscovered this one of a juvenile Little Blue Heron taken April 9 2012 at Corkscrew Swamp (southwest Florida). Viewers may recognize this as the "Lettuce Fields".

It struck me that the above bird, probably just shy of its first birthday, is exhibiting pretty dramatic breeding plumage, as evidenced by the sky blue color of the bare skin on the face and proximal bill, as well as the elongated plumes of the crest, back and lower neck. Leg color not easily seen here, but appears darker than normal winter plumage. Compare the plumes here to those on the adult above from February.

The Tricolored Heron displays similar high breeding plumage changes, and as with the Little Blue the bright bare parts are seen in both sexes.​ The Little Blue has been known to hybridize with both the Snowy Egret and the Tricolored Heron.​ 

Hybrid Little Blue Heron x Tricolored Heron, Hammonasset State Beach, CT, 7/28/2013.

Also of note, the Little Blue is the only member of the Heron Family (Ardeidae) where the first year plumage is white and the adult highly pigmented.  A number of species have a white morph (Great Blue Heron, Reddish Egret, etc.), sometimes classified as as subspecies.

Found it hard to research breeding plumage versus age, and particularly anything about "high breeding plumage", which is attributed to a hormonal surge  signaling a readiness for mating. Regarding the Little Blue's first alternate plumage (Alternate 1), Palmer writes, "…late first winter until age OVER A YEAR. At least new head, neck and mantle feathers…". Well, that explains the feather finery of the juvenile. And he continues, "REPRODUCTION  Age breeding begins not known exactly, but numerous references to breeding of white or pied birds suggests breeding at 1 year." ( Handbook of North American Birds Vol. 1 - Loons through Flamingos, Yale, 1962).

Many of the larger bird species don't breed until second year or later (some Albatross not until age 8!), so I was surprised about how early the herons can start. Well, it turns out that a number of heron and egret species are able to breed in their first spring, although I'd guess most of them don't. Maybe the white one above is precocious! Lot's to learn, and fun to share it.

Wilson's Plover - Charadrius wilsonia

We always try to plan a visit to Ft. De Soto Park if we're in Florida in April, looking for shorebirds, terns and hoopefully some trans-gulf migrants. We made our Ft. De Soto run on April 21st. A favorite location there is East Beach, a good stretch that is not used much by sunbathers or walkers, so good for shorebirds and terns. Wilson's Plover, pretty much a bird restricted to coastal locales, nests here in small numbers, and we see one of more Wilson's Plovers there every year. Here's a male Wilson's that foraged busily while most of the other shorebirds and terns were resting just above the water's edge. The male has a black forecrown, lores, and breast band. The wide white forehead continues back into the white supercillium. Note also the thick bill (once called Thick-billed Plover by some) and flesh-colored legs.

​A view from the side shows the long thick bill at its best. This bird has a bit of rufous wash at the nape above the white neck ring. These are vocal birds, giving out frequent chirps, perhaps to let other birds know whose beach it is. Had to wonder if a female Wilson's was on a nest in the vicinity.

Plovers are sight-feeders, and Wilson's is always on the lookout for small crabs at the water's edge. They are said to be fond of Fiddler Crabs, but no muddy substrate nearby so it found another crab genus for lunch. They shake each leg to remove it and then swallow the body.

We didn't see a female this year (hopefully there's one incubating eggs on a nearby nest), but here's a female Wilson's from same beach in early May, 2012, having successfully caught a small crab and brought it to shore.

From a 2012 post about a female Wilson's:

"Note how the black forecrown, lores, and breast-band of the alternate plumage male are a duller gray-brown in the female. Some females do have a dark forecrown, like this one, but not nearly as black as on the male. The lores (area between the eye and the bill) on the male are black, but light on the female. They both have pink or flesh-colored legs, which can help separate them from the Semipalmated Plover when you can't see the bill. Wilson's is the only ringed plover with pink legs, and in fact was once placed in its own genus, Pagolia, separate from Charadrius. There are 3 subspecies, and this is the nominate race, C. wilsonia wilsonia."

Ft. De Soto Park is a Pinellas County Park on Florida's Gulf Coast, at the mouth of Tampa Bay, southeast of St. Petersburg. Very popular with campers and beach-goers, so weekday visits are better for birding.

Florida Sandhill Crane - Grus canadensis pratensis

During our April 2015 trip to Florida we spent 3 days in the Sarasota area. We also ventured south a bit past Punta Gorda to visit the Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area (Florida Fish and Wildlife). The area is pretty dry, with lots of Slash Pine flatwoods, mixed with grassy areas and several wetlands. While driving south on Oilwell Grade we spotted a pair of Sandhill Cranes foraging in a grassy/shrubby area.

Sandhill Cranes in Florida are a non-migratory subspecies referred to as the Florida Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis pratensis. Reading the Birds of North America account (BNA #031, T Tacha et. al., revised 8-07-14) we learned that of the six subspecies of Sandhill Cranes there are 3 non-migratory subspecies. The Florida Sandhill Cranes number less than 5,000, and have declined about 30% since 1973. About 400 Florida Sandhills are resident in Georgia. The endangered Cuban Sandhill Cranes number only about 100 individuals, and the endangered Mississippi Sandhill Cranes with only 200 birds are not doing well either. Drought can be a serious problem, as Sandhills rely on adequate water levels to keep predators away from their island nesting spots.

The Florida Sandhill Cranes do nest at the Babcock-Webb area, so the 2 we saw are likely a bonded pair. We wondered why they were not nesting that day, as in April the Sandhills should be sitting on eggs. Turns out that Sandhill Cranes have a tough time succeeding at raising chicks, and not all pairs succeed. It may take up to 8 years raise their first chick, and the long-term breeding success is only about 0.3 chicks per year, making it difficult for populations to increase their numbers. Or maybe it was just too dry this year to even attempt nesting.

The various Sandhill subspecies differ mostly in terms of size, and length of bill/legs. The Florida Sandhills are intermediate in size between the Greater and Lesser Sandhill Cranes. The subspecies also differ a bit in the size of the bald red forecrown and the shade of gray on the body. The rusty stain often seen on adults, as here, is acquired by their tossing iron-rich soil onto themselves, giving new meaning to a "dust bath". 

Halloween Pennant - Celilthemis eponina

Gotta love the common names of some of the odonata, such as Vivid Dancer or American Rubyspot, and this one, the Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina).  I see from the range maps that this medium-sized pennant is seen widely in eastern 2/3's of U.S.,, extending up to Canada. Like most pennants it favors lakes and open ponds, and is said to be seen in large numbers in the Everglades.

At the Celery Fields in Sarasota FL, mid-April 2015, we saw only this single male Halloween Pennant. A stiff breeze didn't help things, but I did manage a few shots before it departed. The golden color of the wings and the pattern of dark markings make it an unmistakeable species. Check out the neon bright orange-red stigma. This may be an example of the reverse obelisk position, as the vertical hanging abdomen absorbs less direct sunlight on a hot day.

Four-spotted Pennant - Bracyhmesia gravida

As you might guess, the warm to hot climes of Florida make for good dragonfly variety. Bill Pranty's great book, "A Birder's Guide to Florida", lists 121 Dragonfly species, plus 47 Damselflies. Not only that, but his book also lists Florida's 166 Butterflies, 56 Amphibians, 123 Reptiles and 106 Mammals!

The Pennants include several dragonfly genera in the Skimmer family. Genus Celithemis, the Small Pennants, has 8 species found in the eastern  U.S., while genus Brachymesia, the Tropical Pennants, has 3 U.S. species.  The Metallic Pennants, genus Idiataphe, has only  a single species, the Metallic Pennant of south Florida, and genus Macrodiplax has only the Marl Pennant, and some authorities don't place the marl pennants in the Skimmer family at all! 

The Four-spotted Pennant, Brachymesia herbida, is common and widespread in our southern states, from SE Arizona over to Florida, and north along the east coast. It's a small slender skimmer that prefers open lakes, and it often perches on twigs. The male is dark, with a dark brown spot on each wing just past the mid-point, as well as pretty white stigmas. Taken at Lake Tarpon.

The female Four-spotted Pennant has less color in the wings, at least when young. Note how the black central line gets wider toward the rear (segments 7-9). This one from the Celery Fields on a hot day, when many of the pennants were staying cooler by pointing upward in the obelisk position.

Great Egret - Ardea alba

During a quick outing to Bodega Bay last Thursday (cold and windy!) we stopped at Porto Bodega, the sport-fishing boat pier best known to birders as the departure site for pelagic trips to Cordell Banks. Best sight there was a Great Egret in high breeding plumage, showing day-glo green lores. Too good to pass up for a photo, although the bird was a bit too close for a full body portrait.

Many species in  Heron family ( Ardeidae) show dramatic color changes of the bare parts early in the breeding season, often referred to as "high breeding plumage". Often the color, fades quickly after the eggs are laid. Both sexes usually show these changes, likely indicating a hormonal readiness for mating, although the one above may have arrived late to the party, as most Great Egrets by now are tending to young in nest. Hard to find a good physical explanation of the color change in my searching. The color is not from pigments, so it's probably a function of  structural colors, or increased blood flow, of a combination of the 2.

Speaking of nesting Egrets, at the same Venice Rookery island where we watched the Anhingas there was a small number of Great Egret nests with chicks of various ages. These 3 nestlings may have been practicing how to best entice an adult to regurgitate food by pulling on the bill, or more likely just asserting sibling dominance, which can be brutal. They hatch asynchronously, so the larger chick on the right will has a distinct advantage.

Most of the adult Great Egrets there were still in striking breeding finery, hard for a bird photographer to resist….

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Btw, still time to view nesting egrets at the West Ninth St. colony in Santa Rosa (Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Cattle Egrets, and Black-crowned Night Herons).​ Link is from Colin Talcroft's great website site for birding in Sonoma County.

Anhinga, a.k.a. American Darter.

Florida is a great place to observe the Anhinga, Anhinga anhinga. Yep, common name, genus, and species are all the same word, derived from a South American tribal name for this unique species. Outside the U.S. the Anhingas are known as Darters, and depending on who you read there are from 2 to 4 Darter species. Ours is sometimes referred to as the American Darter, and the others are the Australasian, Indian, and African Darters.

Remember, in 2010 the family  Anhingidae was moved into a new order, the Suliformes. The Anhingas are probably closest to the Cormorants (Phalocrocoracidae), now also in Suliformes. Other Suliformes families include the Boobies/Gannets (Sulidae), and Frigatebirds (Frigatidae).

The dagger bill is a perfect weapon for spearing fish in the side, which is how the Anhinga captures its prey. The first bird a subadult, which dropped in at the small marina near my cousin's condo. Young birds lack a red iris, and are browner.

Second shot shows more of the bird. Note the long tail, well worn, and the relative lack of black and white plumage. Older birds will shown a much darker belly and the female will show a sharp division between light breast and dark belly.

Both male and female Anhingas has striking white feathers in their secondary coverts. Here's a female Anhinga, sitting on a nest at the Venice Rookery, which occupies a small island in a pond in Venice, FL. Her soft brown neck  is folded. The Anhingas seems to have inserted a dark ridged foreign object as they built the nest.

The Anhingas are colonial nesters, and seem happy here to share the safe island refuge with other species, including Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Yellow-crowned Night Herons, and a single pair of Double-crested Cormorants. An Anhinga nest on the "back" side of the island had a good crowd, showing chicks of various ages. Even the large bird on the right is a youngster, as judged by the short bill. Count 'em!

The large fledgling on the right may of course belong to a neighboring clutch. I counted six birds in the grouping.

The adult male Anhinga has a black head, neck and breast. This one along the shoreline of Lake Tarpon, in Tarpon Springs. Anhinga large wings are not waterproof, so they have to spread them to dry in the same manner as the Cormorants. Anhingas soar effortlessly to high altitudes, which allows them to disperse as vagrants fairly widely in the eastern U.S, and even to inland locations. Check eBird, and you can zoom in, too.

Lastly, 2 shots of the high breeding plumage Anhingas develop bright colors in the bare skin around the eyes and on the face. Suboptimal pictures, but they some of the bright blue orbital ring and the neon on the face. The blurred female in the foreground shows some of the same bare skin colorations.

This one from Fred Howard Park, 2012: