Monday, April 15: Cypress Dome

Today was a good day for Swallow-tailed Kites. Three of the four nests checked had kites nestled down incubating eggs. The fourth nest might have, but there wasn't a good angle to see what was going on in the nest.

The kite in the photo at the lower right is peeking out over the edge of nest CD98.

The best kite sighting was near one of the other nests. In addition to the kite in the nest and two perched in a nearby pine, nine kites were circling and calling together over a wet prairie just to the west. They continued for several minutes before dispersing to forage. Sixteen kites total were seen during the morning, which was the greatest number of kites in any day so far this season.

That number was surpassed only by 23 Northern Cardinals and 19 Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

It was a relatively quiet morning. After the kites, the nicest observation was four Leopard Frogs. All were small and in the same drying puddle of water.

Three immediately hopped into the bordering grasses. The fourth in the photo hopped out but paused in the open just long enough for a quick photo. They were only about half adult size.

They along with Green Treefrogs, a Squirrel Treefrog, and Brown Anoles were the only herps seen or heard.

The only butterflies were one White Peacock and three Great Southern Whites. Dragonflies and damselflies were much more common with eight species seen.

One new sighting for me was a female Common Green Darner. It was unusual for two reasons. First, it was the first female I've seen; lots of males have been observed in the past. And second, it landed and perched. The males have always been in non-stop motion patrolling their territories.

Tuesday, April 16: Flint Pen Strand

A bonus to starting out well before sunrise was being serenaded by a Whip-poor-will. Even though it sounded as though it was very close, it wasn't visible in the low light. I listened for a short while to be sure that it was a Whip-poor-will and not a Chuck-will's-widow.

Although it was cool to start the day with the temperature in the upper 50s, it was very calm. The lake was mirror flat when the sun rose. That photo is at the top of the page.

Not much was moving until the sun rose. The White-tailed Deer at the right was one of two making its way from the reeds between the lakes to the marsh. The sun shining through the mist rising from the lakes created a surreal scene.

It was very quiet just after sunrise except for the pair of Sandhill Cranes in the marsh. As birds began to awake, a Sedge Wren called from the willows and a Marsh Wren began a long song from the reeds between the lakes.

The Tricolored Heron at the lower right was foraging along the bank of the east lake, raising its wings and sprinting through the water to disturb prey and make it easier to catch. It was quite successful.

Common Gallinules, a Spotted Sandpiper, and two Killdeer were also doing a good job securing breakfast around the edges of the lake.

The female Snail Kite made a brief appearance. Her favored hunting habitat, open shallow water, is disappearing. As the water levels drop, most of the shallow water is now in vegetation instead of in the open. That's ideal for Limpkins hunting Apple Snails, but not good for Snail Kites.

The kite flew off to the west, over the canal and past the cypress dome. The days of finding her everywhere in the marsh are drawing to a close and she will move to better foraging territory.

Both of the Red-headed Woodpeckers were around the southeast corner of the orange trail. The one in the photo was napping briefly while its mate drummed on a snag before flying east to the cypress dome.

The most often seen and heard of the 36 species of birds were, of course, Boat-tailed Grackles. After them, the most frequently found birds were Glossy Ibis, Red-winged Blackbirds, Northern Cardinals, and Common Ground Doves.

Butterflies were almost non-existent with only one Monarch seen. Eight species of dragonflies were identified with 72 Halloween Pennants far outnumbering all of the other species combined.

None of the herp sightings were unexpected. However, finding three different Black Racers was unusual.

My yard

The Eastern Screech Owl made two different visual appearances in it hole during the week. It looks a little disgruntled in the photo at the right, but there was some movement below its tree that caught its attention. After a slow look, it went back to semi-napping and enjoying a little sun before disappearing back into its hole.

The owl was out and about Monday night around 10 o'clock. Its call was quite distinguishable through the open bedroom window.

Both male and female Painted Buntings were still here at the start of the week. They were draining their finch food tube feeder at a rapid rate; it needed to be filled twice a day. By the end of the week, the rate had decreased and only females were spotted at the feeder. So the male may be on their way north to the Carolinas to establish nesting territories. The females follow a week or two later and then check out who has the best site. Males will fight for those ideal sites, sometimes to the death.

Nighttime visitors have been the regulars -- the White-tailed Deer doe who really likes peanuts, the pair of Gray Foxes, Virginia Opossums, Raccoons, Cottontail Rabbits, and three Southern Flying Squirrels. The female fox looks as though she is nursing, so hopefully some little kits will show up in the near future.

The Sea Grape plants in the front and back yards are flowering right now and insects are taking advantage.

Sometimes it gets rather crowded on some of the blooms, but everyone seems to get along.

The Saw Palmetto are also starting to bloom and attracting nectar eaters. Butterflies don't visit those blooms but instead mostly go for the Beach Sunflowers, Spanish Needles, and Firebush.

The Epidendrum radicans orchids are blooming under the oak in the back yard and some of the Tillandsia fasciculata are blooming too. Pollinators don't seem to be going to those. Hummingbirds like the Tillandsia and Firebush, but I haven't seen a hummingbird in several years. Butterflies are mostly Cloudless Sulphurs, Zebra Longwings, and an occasional Gulf Fritillary.