Sandhill Cranes
Unfortunately, I had a brief relapse after my recent hospitalization and had to return once again to the hospital for three more days of treatment. Consequently, I am now strictly confined to the condo and only able to bird from our sunroom and occasionally able to get out onto the back patio. Nevertheless, the birds continue to cooperate and I have been fortunate to get numerous photos from both of these spots, and believe it or not, I will have enough different species seen from these two locations to get another month’s column right out our back door. So, stay tuned for Part 3 next month.
To begin, the Sandhill Cranes are so friendly that they often come right onto our patio (top). When I opened our sunroom door to take this picture, I thought for a brief moment that the close one was actually going to come right in with me, as he actually took a step toward me just before I closed the door. We specifically do not feed the Cranes for it is absolutely illegal, but I sometimes wonder if they are so brazen because other residents of our complex may sometimes be feeding them. Then again, as I said last month, the Sandhill Cranes act as though they own the roads, lawns and everything. This is so different from our area up north, in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic, where Sandhill Cranes are quite unusual, mostly at a great distance, and birders are really excited to occasionally find them.
Another critter we will never see in our backyard in Pennsylvania is this Green Iguana (photo 2, taken by Jewel with her cell phone). Last month’s column included a photo of a larger gray Iguana, but this green one has accommodated us for this month. Recently we have been seeing a pair of Egyptian Geese (photo 3) hanging around our lake. Egyptian Geese are now spreading throughout south Florida and I would not be surprised if they showed up later in the season with a number of little babies trailing along between them, but probably not in time for next month’s column.
Our resident scofflaw, this Belted Kingfisher, (photo 4) loves to use this perch to launch into the lake for his next meal. There have even been a couple of occasions when he catches his fish and brings it back to this very perch to devour it. Pretty cheeky!
While we occasionally have Great Blue Herons (photo 5) show up around the larger pond on our Pennsylvania farm, we definitely will not ever see them right in our backyard as we do here in Florida. Note that this Great Blue is just beginning to get the tell-tale blue patch around the eye indicating that he/she is just coming into breeding plumage.
Limpkins (photo 6) have been showing up around our lake also. I am somewhat surprised by this, for their favorite food is the Apple Snail which I am sure are not found anywhere near or around our lake. There are a number of Limpkins in the Savannas County Park which is adjacent to our condo complex and a location where Apple Snails are abundant. In the December 1, 2020, Hart Beat column about Apple Snails there is a photo (No. 7 in that column) of Limpkin parents that have brought their offspring to our lake for feeding. So I guess they must find something in their diet here even if it isn’t Apple Snails.
There is a pair of Mottled Ducks (photo 7) that hang around our lake constantly, often with their best buddies, the White Ibis. I have not seen any sign of breeding activity, nor is there any really appropriate place here for them to nest or raise young. Mottled Ducks are closely related to Mallards and Black Ducks, but are pretty much a Florida, and Gulf coast bird, ranging north only as far as Georgia and South Carolina and strictly along the coast. This photo of the Mottled Duck distinctly shows the unique speculum pattern of the wing with the black terminal bands on each side of the blue wing patch which separates it from Mallards which have white in their terminal bands. Black Ducks, as the name implies, are much darker birds over all, particularly in the head and face, even though they have the same black terminal bands as the Mottled Ducks.
Common Ground Doves (photo 8) are another southern species that we will never see under the feeders at our Pennsylvania farm. They also range as far north as Georgia and South Carolina and also along the Gulf coast and into southern Texas, Arizona and southern California. This one was foraging just off our patio and hopefully will soon be nesting. I have never understood why ornithologists who name birds use the modifier “Common” on so many species of birds. The iBirdPro app on my cell phone lists 30 species of birds with “Common” as the first word in their name. It seems to me they should be more imaginative and descriptive in the bird’s name, as there is nothing common about many of those “Common” species, such as this “Red-billed” Ground Dove. I could not find any other dove species with a similar red bill.
Rounding out this column is this Double-crested Cormorant (photo 9) who loves to sit under the fountain in the middle of our lake. Adult males and females look alike, but juveniles have pale necks and breasts. I’m sure Cormorants fish our lake, but I have never seen one actually make a catch.
While I remain confined to our condo and patio, tethered by a 50-foot tube connected to an oxygen generating machine, 24/7, rather than being able to get out with birding friends to all the wonderful birding locations we would normally visit, I am finding it quite rewarding enjoying all the different species that are right here in our backyard. There is always a silver lining in every situation, I suppose, if we take the positive view. Certainly I have come to appreciate the wonders that are right here close by, many of which are some of the same species we travel miles to see.
Over the years we have seen some additional species, such as Woodstorks and Roseate Spoonbills on our lake that have not made an appearance yet during my recovery. Perhaps while paying more attention to the backyard and with the camera ready something completely different and exciting will show up in time to present to you, Dear Readers. A Snail Kite would quality or perhaps something truly rare such as a European vagrant of some kind. It could completely change my life just as Jewel did 33 years ago. We are never too old to hope and dream.
