Burrowing Owl

 

March 14th (yesterday’s post, posted today)

          We said goodbye to Mike’s parents this morning.  We’re on our way to visit my brother Tom and sister-in-law Sharon in Bonita Springs but we made a couple of birding stops along the way.  Our first stop was a city park in Coral Springs which is west and south of Boca Raton.  We were able to find two Burrowing Owls in this area.  Seeing a Burrowing Owl is always a special treat.  Burrowing Owls in Florida and elsewhere are threatened by development and habitat loss.  Sometimes you can find these owls in an unlikely location.  We have seen them in a vacant lot in the middle of a subdivision or sitting in a drainpipe or surrounded by yellow crime scene tape etc.  Usually there is one owl on sentry duty guarding the entrance to its burrow.

          Our next stop was the Tamarac Exotic Duck Pond near Ft. Lauderdale.  There are several exotic ducks on the pond.  Some are countable in the ABA area, and some are not.  It was interesting to see these weird ducks and try to identify them.

          We arrived at my brother’s place about 2:00pm and took a walk around the development.  On our walk we saw a Wild Turkey scratching and digging in a sandy spot on the golf course.  (6 FOY species, total in Florida 62)

          Muscovy Duck (established feral)

          Ringed Teal (very rare)

          White-cheeked Pintail (very rare)

          Red-crested Pochard (exotic-not countable)

          Green Heron

          Burrowing Owl (scarce)

          Black-and-white Warbler

                                           Burrowing Owl

                Muscovy Duck (established feral)
                                           Ugly duckling!

                                           Red-crested Pochard

                                           Ringed Teal

                                           White-cheeked Pintail

                          Black-bellied Whistling Duck

                                           Green Heron





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

January Summary

Image
  February 1 st           The first month of our Birding Big Year has drawn to a close.   Mike and I have worked hard to find the important winter target birds as well as some rarities.  We are pleased with our progress.   Here is a list of the winter target birds that we have found:           Snow Goose                                           Snowy Owl           Ross’s Goose                                        Long-eared Owl           Greater White-fronted Goose                   Short-eared Owl           Cackling Goose                                       Northern Saw-whet Owl           White-winged Scoter                               Northern Shrike           Long-tailed Duck                                    Purple Finch           Iceland Gull                                            Common Redpoll           Glaucous Gull                                         Lapland Longspur           Rough-legged Hawk                                Snow Bunting
Read more

Chuck-will's-widow

Image
  May 22 nd             This morning Mike and I left for southern Ohio but took a round about way of getting there.   First, we went east to Lorain to look for several birds that had been reported there.   We did find a Cattle Egret at the Lorain Impoundment which is a marshy area near the boat launch and pier.   Cattle Egrets are common in the South but are scarce in Ohio.   Our view of the egret was somewhat obstructed, but it was definitely in full breeding plumage.           From here we headed south for our destination which was Shawnee State Park.   Some of you will remember that we were here just about a month ago with Ann and Howard Rosenberg. That trip ended with the “stomach flu” episode.   We arrived about 4:00pm today and went out for a walk.   There had been a report of a pair of Mississippi Kites seen near the firepit in the cabin area.   We found the spot and immediately saw a kite perched high on a dead snag.   As Mike was taking pictures, I spotted the second kite.
Read more

Saturday March 25th - Black-legged Kittiwake

Image
  Saturday March 25 th – Black-legged Kittiwake           A Black-legged Kittiwake had been hanging around at the Spitzer Riverside Marina in Lorain, Ohio for more than a week and was seen by many birders.   Mike and I had actually gone to chase this bird the previous Sunday without success.   Since so many people had found the bird, we decided to give it one more try.           We drove 1 ½ hours to Lorain, pulled up to the marina and immediately saw the kittiwake floating by itself really close by.   Mike was able to get some great pictures, and it was worth the trip.   This is only the second time we have seen a Black-legged Kittiwake in Ohio.   The previous time was in 2015.           A Black-legged Kittiwake is a type of gull that gets its name because of the shrill sound of its call “kittee-wa-aaake”.   A kittiwake is a small gull and the breeding adults are pale gray above with black wingtips, white below and a yellow bill. The legs are jet black.   Juveniles are quite st
Read more