March 14-20
Monday,
March 16: CREW Marsh Trails
Today's monthly bird walk was at the Marsh Trails and the target birds were Swallow-tailed Kites. Fortunately, they cooperated and the guests on the walk got a good show.
Our route was planned to visit known spots where they frequent so we could get there early enough to find some of them still roosting in trees. So after a short stop at the David Cooper platform to look for the nesting Sandhill Crane, we were off. Although we didn't see the crane, it did call while we were there.
On our way east on a blue shortcut trail toward the roost, we found the first kite nest. Although it was at a distance, one kite was in the nest and its white head was easily visible over the edge of the nest.
When we arrived at the roost area, three kites were still perched on snags. The one at the right was on its own snag while a pair were on an adjacent tree. There was a little bit of preening and then the three took off.
Back on the red trail, we stopped at the second nest which was much closer to the trail. Unfortunately, no kite was visible in that nest at the time, but two of them were circling low overhead so it was still a great viewing opportunity.
It was a birding walk, not just a kite walk, so we were
attentive, looking and listening for other species. Woodpeckers were well
represented with Red-bellied, Downy, Pileated, and Northern Flickers seen
and heard. There were also Great-crested Flycatchers, Gray Catbirds, Northern
Cardinals, Blue Jays, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, an Eastern Phoebe, Great
Egrets, both vultures, and a nice flock of brightly colored and vocal Pine
Warblers.
Thursday,
March 19: Dinner Island Ranch
It was cool and breezy all morning, but the sun did peek out often from behind the partly cloudy skies. Finding migrating birds passing through was the goal for this month and the next two months, but it was a bit early today, so it wound up being more of a general birding trip.
There were five warbler species, but they were the ones that would be expected to be here during the winter season: Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Waterthrush, Palm Warbler, and Yellow-rumped Warbler.
It was
a nice day for raptors. The female Northern Harrier at the top right was
one of four harriers seen. There might have been a fifth, but it and one
of the others were within flying distance so it wasn't included in the
tally.
Five Swallow-tailed Kites were observed. Four of them were foraging together near the southern border of Dinner Island Ranch and two were close, so there are probably pairs nesting somewhere nearby even though there weren't any pines or likely cypress domes visible.
Five American Kestrels were also positively identified with a possible sixth. The one in the photo has just taken off from its perch.
Thirteen Red-shouldered Hawks rounded out the raptor class. Not seen today were Crested Caracaras and Everglades Snail Kites. The absence of Snail Kites was probably due to the lack of water suitable for foraging. Areas were they are often seen were dry.
Much of the preserve was dry. Where there was water, there was a variety of wildlife. One spot along the road had deep, open water and 34 Alligators basking on the bank. Medium-sized and small gators stayed well away from the larger ones. There was water on both sides of the road at that spot, but other wildlife stayed on the shallower side away from the gators. Wildlife there included a River Otter, Wood Storks, Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, and Cattle Egrets.
The most often observed birds were 26 Eastern Meadowlarks,
24 Cattle Egrets, 18 Northern Cardinals, 16 each of Yellow-rumped Warblers
and Turkey Vultures, and 13 Red-shouldered Hawks. The only other birds
with numbers in double digits were White-eyed Vireos and Red-bellied Woodpeckers.
Friday, March 20: Pepper Ranch Preserve
What began as a rather slow morning at the Lake Trafford observation platform turned out to be quite nice in terms of wildlife with 48 species of birds identified Although with cool temperatures and a stiff northerly wind, insects were scarce.
It seemed a little strange to be driving on Pepper Road with the windows down to hear birds but the heater on to try and keep warm. Walking was limited to checking one of the Swallow-tailed Kite nests and checking for marsh birds on Sunflower Trace Road.
Today instead of wading through the marsh to view the
kite nest, I tried approaching from a different side that was drier. Finding
the nest wasn't a problem, but there was no good angle to see anything
in the nest. 
One kite flew out as I neared. It and its mate circled overhead.
When I inadvertently go a little too close, they called out and two more
kites appeared to see what the problem was. I got the message and left.
While it wasn't possible to tell what was going on with the kites, it was definitely possible to know what was going on with the Crested Caracaras.
The male Crested Caracara was in the nest but flew out at my approach. At first it flew to the ground in one of the pastures.
The female was standing on the mound by a water hole and as soon as she signaled that she was receptive to his advances, he flew in and advanced. When they were done, both stood and preened.
After Cattle Egrets, the most often encountered species were 34 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks at marsh B. The Pied-billed Grebe at the top left was in the open water at the marsh while Cattle Egrets and Anhingas were on branches overlooking the water. Common Gallinules were in the aquatic vegetation as were White and Glossy Ibis and a Great Egret.
White-eyed Vireos, Palm Warblers, and Yellow-rumped Warblers foraged in the vegetation surrounding the water.
The Purple Gallinule in the photo was in its expected area overturning floating vegetation while looking for delectable morsels. It eventually retreated into the willows.
After the Cattle Egrets and Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, the most often seen and heard were 23 White Ibis, 15 Boat-tailed Grackles, 12 each of Glossy Ibis and Palm Warblers, and 10 each of Eastern Meadowlarks and Northern Cardinals. The only warblers other than those already mentioned were Northern Parulas and Common Yellowthroats.
Two White-tailed Deer put on somewhat of a show. They were near the Crested Carcaras and must have had espresso to start the day. The doe and her fawn were jumping, twisting in the air, sprinting out and running back, and seemed to be generally having a really good time. A small Raccoon near the willows marsh was the only other mammal.
With the cool temperatures, alligators weren't the most often observed herps for a change. Four were seen early in Lake Trafford and two more were spotted later in the wetter areas along the road. That honor went to Florida Cricket Frogs who were calling off and on the whole morning. Red-bellied Turtles and Brown Anoles were the other herps.
My yard
A cold front passing through on Tuesday brought some wind and cooler temperatures. Birds, especially Painted Buntings, were really active around the feeders. A total of nine known buntings were regulars and did a good job of draining both of the white millet feeders. Northern Cardinals helped too.
Red-bellied Woodpeckers, the Cardinals, and Tufted Titmice focused on the sunflower seed feeder while Mourning Doves, Gray Squirrels, and Blue Jays were on the ground below the feeders. Gray Catbirds and Brown Thrashers were close but not primarily seed eaters.
The Eastern Screech Owl was still in its box, but it was much less visible than in previous weeks. Hopefully that's a sign that it has eggs down in the box.
Nighttime critters captured on the trial cameras have been the Cottontail Rabbits, Virginia Opossums, Raccoons, and Southern Flying Squirrels. Early Friday morning, an adult Bobcat wandered through the yard. It passed in front of the house, went around to the side, and disappeared while heading back to the canal.
Showy blooms in the yard that are now open include Amaryllis, a Dendrobium orchid. Beach Sunflowers, and the first of the Blue Flag Iris.