5/9 and 5/11/23: Amelia Island, FL: A Great Crested Flycatcher came out to look at us looking at him. Also: Red-shouldered Hawk hunting , Pileated Woodpecker , Red-bellied Woodpecker (m. feeding juvenile a lizard), Canada Goose with young , Least Tern at sunrise , Eastern Bluebird (m), Mottled Duck (probable hybrid), Solitary Sandpiper , and Spotted Sandpiper .
5/6 and 5/7/2023: Amelia Island, FL: An elegant Great Egret was hunting and posing for us on a beautiful morning while a molting 1st year male Blue Grosbeak ate prickly seeds. A Bobolink (m) was a surprise! Then: Black Vulture , Brown Thrasher , Belted Kingfisher , Eastern Bluebird , juvenile Mourning Dove , Turkey Vulture , and that young Wild Turkey that has been seen on Island lately.
4/26 and 4/7/23 Merritt Island NWR, FL: The refuge was a bit quiet but we caught a Snowy Egret with a huge shrimp (never saw the bird swallow it), Lesser Scaup (m) taking a bath, Common Grackle (m), Anhinga , Common Gallinule , Cape May Warbler (f), and Black-crowned Night-Heron . Then: Eastern Kingbird , Common Ground-Dove , Great Blue Heron , Green Heron on nest , and a White Ibis trio roosting on a beautiful day.
4/26/23 Homestead area, FL: Well, this was a special morning – a male Barn Owl! (In the hopes of protecting the owl from being harassed – please don’t ask us exactly where. We followed our ethics rule of 3 flights; then we let him be, though we surely wanted more pictures of him!) It was thrilling to see him in the daylight sunning himself. Also: Bobolink , Burrowing Owl , Bronzed Cowbird , and Common Grackle .
4/25/23 Key West and Key Largo, FL: Got into some small flocks of warblers and a few of the little ones were most obliging: Blackpoll Warbler (m), Cape May Warbler (m,f,), Northern Parula (m), Black-throated Green (m), Common Yellowthroat (m), Tennessee Warbler , Ruby-throated Hummingbird , and Prairie Warbler .
4/24/23 Key West, FL: A very friendly Ovenbird was almost underfoot while a Prothonotary Warbler took a bath for us. Also: Indigo Bunting , Blue Grosbeak with a moth , and Worm-eating Warbler hunting for food.
4/24/23 Homestead area, FL: Smooth-billed Ani , Bronzed Cowbird , Loggerhead Shrike with young , Northern Bobwhite , and a distant Burrowing Owl .
4/22/23 Amelia Island, FL: A brief visit to the forest at sunrise caught a Baltimore Oriole (f), Brown Thrasher , Painted Bunting (m), and a Red-bellied Woodpecker (m) at nest. Spring has Sprung!
4/7/23 Torry Island, FL: A Purple Swamphen study – it was interesting to watch it eat! Also: Common Grackle , Tropical Kingbird , Northern Rough-winged Swallow , and Palm Warbler .
4/7/23 Brewer Park, Coral Gables, FL: We found the female Red-legged Honeycreeper that was being reported at the park. A BIG thanks to the birder who heard it and called us over! That made it easy. Then, a lovely Swallow-tailed Kite paused in a nearby tree to preen while a Green Heron kept flying in for nest sticks. Also: juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron , Red-bellied Woodpecker , and some images in poor light of a very loud Chestnut-fronted Macaw and a Orange-winged Parrot group which were still of interest to us.
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