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My visitors came from where in September 2013?!?!

by Amy Posted on 1 October 2013

Not too many highs or lows from last month’s stat logs. Here we go…

Someone was searching for birding cataract surgery. I don’t think they found what they were looking for here. Hopefully they found good news. Did you know that approximately 90% of (human) patients can achieve a corrected vision of 20/40 or better after cataract surgery?

Someone wondered: saw a buzzard in barrington il. normal or not? Yes and no. By buzzard, the searcher probably meant vulture. Turkey Vultures range into Chicagoland and much further north during the summer. But vultures are not buzzards. Vultures are vultures. Buzzards are Old World buteo hawks. Please stop calling North American birds “buzzards”. Thank you.

Puzzling search of the month: what state are looney birds from? Huh? Do you mean loons?

Goofy spelling searches of the month: eagel watching in autica (eagle-watching in Utica, right?) and lake cook audbahn (Audubon is not that hard, come ON!). Someone was also searching for birding pneumonics. I assumed this was a misspell of mnemonics, but the searcher could well have been interested in avian lungs. *shrug*

Happy October!!

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New Life for the Everglades Wonder Gardens

by Amy Posted on 29 September 2013

The Everglades Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs is an old Florida roadside attraction. The Gardens opened in the 1930’s and operated as a botanical garden, zoo with both exotic and native wildlife, and animal rehabilitation center until April 2013.

Charming hand-painted signs are found outside and inside the park

The park closed briefly this spring, but a new lease was arranged by a local wildlife photographer, John Brady, who aims to save and modernize the attraction.

Everglades Wonder Gardens entrance

While in transition, the park re-opened on June 15th. Arthur and I paid a visit on June 24th. Many of the park’s larger resident animals had already been moved to bigger accommodations at other Florida parks. During our visit we noticed that animal enclosures were being opened up or transformed into new exhibits. Some permanently injured birds and both native and exotic turtles and tortoises remain from the old days, along with a flock of flamingos. New animals were also moving in; a small flock of fancy domestic chickens had arrived the day prior to our visit. The park grounds hold onto a lot of old charms while the updates improve life for the resident animals and transform the park into a more modern attraction..

An enclosure formerly used for Burmese Pythons will house orchids

Fancies getting used to new digs

Arthur exploring

Non-releasable native birds have a permanent home at the Gardens

Empty enclosures

Flamingos have been a fixture at the park since it first opened

12-year-old Double Yellow-headed Amazon Murphy

Murphy, a 12-year-old Double Yellow-headed Amazon

Small gators in the gator pool

Gator detail; photo by Arthur de Wolf

Butterfly garden in progress

The small gift shop and museum were in transition, too. A portion of the exhibit space displays Brady’s beautiful Florida nature photos, while old kitschy specimens and other educational displays remain.

Photo gallery

Gallery and shop

Gator crash!

Museum space

Reptilian skulls

Specimen jars

Taxidermy above the main entrance

An old map of the grounds revealed the large number of animals on display in the past. Older exhibits and resident animals included wild boar, black jaguar, rattlesnakes, a Bald Eagle, an otter pool, Black and King Vultures, a deer yard, and more.

Old hand-drawn map of the park (above is several digital images roughly stitched together; click to see bigger @ Flickr)

A grand opening is planned for this fall. Read more about the Everglades Wonder Gardens at Visual Ephemera. Watch for news and learn more on the Everglades Wonder Gardens website and Facebook page.

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My last two life birds

by Amy Posted on 21 September 2013

My last two life birds, and owl and a sparrow, came in two different states.

Back in June, Arthur and I took a little sightseeing trip to southwestern Florida. We were based in Bonita Springs and spent a couple of days visiting nature centers and local beaches. A visit to the Pelican Boulevard ball fields in Cape Coral was on the agenda. We hoped to see the Burrowing Owls that live on the park grounds. Their burrows were roped off to protect the area.

There were babies as well as adults in the bunch. It was pouring rain when we pulled into the parking lot, but the owls didn’t seem to mind.

Well, maybe they minded a little.

In July I had high hopes to finally pick up a long-overdue lifer. Dickcissels aren’t all that uncommon around where we used to live in Illinois, but somehow I had never managed to see one. That was rectified on July 20 at Fort Sheridan FP. When we first found the male bird, he was singing with his mouth full.

It seemed no one answered him, so he ate his lunch alone and looked around the prairie before flying off.

Maybe, just maybe, my next life bird will be found in the Bahamas! Stay tuned…

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My visitors came from where in August 2013?!?!

by Amy Posted on 7 September 2013

Notes from August’s stat logs…

Captain Obvious question of the month: are there any owls in gemini springs? Answer: There are many Barred Owls. Great Horned is very likely and Eastern Screech is possible, too.

Oddly specific question of the month: Many birds start planning their winter migration in August, but what exactly is migration?. Answer: Cornell’s All About Birds is a good place to start

Birding lingo question of the month: rcwo is the acronym for red cockaded woodpecker? Answer: for bird banders, yes, RCWO is the code used for Red-cockaded Woodpecker.

My least favorite searches of the month: kestrel trap (don’t do that) and how to feed a baby florida scrub jay (if you’re not a licensed rehabber REALLY DON’T DO THAT).

Backyard inquiry of the month: cooper’s hawk landed in our yard what to do ? Answer: sit back and watch! You may be about to have a Wild Kingdom moment in your back yard!

Finally, the spelling oopsies of the month: audibon park; western tanninger; baby pelacan bird; and opposite of palegic (littoral? terrestrial?).

Happy September! Here come the migrants!

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Birding Gemini Springs, August 2013

by Amy Posted on 3 September 2013

This August I birded at Gemini Springs 7 times and saw 40 species of bird. This seems a bit pathetic, but compared to last year’s 28 species in 5 checklists, its not too shabby. New to my year list were Red-eyed Vireo on August 26 and Northern Waterthrush on August 16th. I had previously seen a Northern Waterthrush at Gemini Springs once before, two years prior on nearly the same date: August 17, 2011. Returning to the park after summer break were the Bald Eagle pair and at least one female Belted Kingfisher. The complete list of birds for this month is at the end of this post.

I was deep into our sweet cat Arby’s health issues last August, so I didn’t post a summary of my birding at Gemini Springs last year. So let me start with a photo of a Black Racer I took last year. August 2013 was surprisingly snakeless.

Black Racer | 10-AUG-12

And now here are some photographic highlights from Gemini Springs taken during August 2013.

new sign ~ I wish they would add DO NOT FEED WILDLIFE | 07-AUG-13

yellow | 07-AUG-13

black and white greens | 07-AUG-13

Bird Grasshopper sp | 07-AUG-13

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk | 07-AUG-13

Tricolored Heron | 14-AUG-13

Common Gallinule family | 18-AUG-13

fungus | 20-AUG-13

Water Turkey / Snake Bird | 20-AUG-13

Rhinoceros beetle sp | 20-AUG-13

Eastern Gray Squirrel… or bat?! | 20-AUG-13

Barred Owl camo | 26-AUG-13

Little Blue Heron | 26-AUG-13

deliberate or random? nut art found on the fishing pier | 26-AUG-13

Strutter | 26-AUG-13

Marsh Rabbit | 27-AUG-13

If you are a fan of Gemini Springs, please consider becoming a Fan of Gemini Springs on Facebook!

August 2013 bird list, Gemini Springs

Muscovy Duck – Cairina moschata
Anhinga – Anhinga anhinga
Great Blue Heron – Ardea herodias
Little Blue Heron – Egretta caerulea
Tricolored Heron – Egretta tricolor
Black Vulture – Coragyps atratus
Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura
Osprey – Pandion haliaetus
Swallow-tailed Kite – Elanoides forficatus
Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Red-shouldered Hawk – Buteo lineatus
Common Gallinule – Gallinula galeata
American Coot – Fulica americana
Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura
Common Ground-Dove – Columbina passerina
Barred Owl – Strix varia
Chimney Swift – Chaetura pelagica
Belted Kingfisher – Megaceryle alcyon
Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus
Downy Woodpecker – Picoides pubescens
Pileated Woodpecker – Dryocopus pileatus
Great Crested Flycatcher – Myiarchus crinitus
White-eyed Vireo – Vireo griseus
Red-eyed Vireo – Vireo olivaceus
Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos
Fish Crow – Corvus ossifragus
Barn Swallow – Hirundo rustica
Carolina Chickadee – Poecile carolinensis
Tufted Titmouse – Baeolophus bicolor
Carolina Wren – Thryothorus ludovicianus
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – Polioptila caerulea
Northern Waterthrush – Parkesia noveboracensis
American Redstart – Setophaga ruticilla
Northern Parula – Setophaga americana
Yellow-throated Warbler – Setophaga dominica
Eastern Towhee – Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis
Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus
Boat-tailed Grackle – Quiscalus major

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Growing Gallinules

by Amy Posted on 18 August 2013

Common Gallinules (the birds formerly known as Common Moorhens) are year-round residents at Gemini Springs. The local population peaks during the winter with migrants who breed further north in the summer; my winter counts get into double-digits through January.

During the summer I see far fewer gallinules at the park. Maybe the bayou isn’t big enough to support harmony among more gallinules in the summer months? Anyway, this year I had fun watching a little family of Common Gallinules grow up. Note the dates on the following photos; many were taken just a few days apart.

Parent feeds two young Common Gallinules | 16-APR-13

Begging baby Common Gallinule | 17-APR-13

Baby Common Gallinules | 20-APR-13

Assuming these are the same babes — what a different a week makes! | 26-APR-13

Juvenile Common Gallinule | 29-APR-13

Peeping juvenile Common Gallinules | 29-APR-13

Juvenile Common Gallinules | 04-MAY-13

Juvenile Common Gallinules | 07-MAY-13

Juvenile Common Gallinule | 10-MAY-13

I missed them for much of the rest of May. On June 4th I saw a pair of young gallinules. Are they the same babies I had been following? Or are these daredevils from a new nest? Either way, they almost gave me a heart attack. I do not often see American Alligators at Gemini Springs, but that morning there were two hanging around the fishing pier. The young Common Gallinules seemed to be playing chicken…

Juvenile Common Gallinules with “friend” | 04-JUN-13

Young Common Gallinule living dangerously | 04-JUN-13

Young Common Gallinule | 04-JUN-13

Young Common Gallinule | 16-JUN-13

June 16th was the last day I saw the young birds, but adults were still around.

This morning Arthur and I visited the park. We sat on the fishing pier, hoping for a kingfisher while watching Boat-tailed Grackles and woodpeckers flying about. After some time Arthur spotted a Common Gallinule. Then another. Then came another, and another, and another, and another. Brood #2? Brood #3? Good luck, little family! I’ll be seeing you…

Here we go again! | 18-AUG-13

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Posted in Behavior, Florida, Gemini Springs | 1 Comment

Red hot sun

by Amy Posted on 14 August 2013

Boy oh boy is it hot out there. Here in central Florida we’ve been running just a degree or two above normal temperatures, into the mid-90s, but the “feels like” temperature has climbed over 100 for the past few days. And even though its the rainy season, until late this afternoon we hadn’t had any rain for several days.

I went out early this afternoon to look for birds at Gemini Springs and was not surprised to find little action. I did see my first of fall American Redstart, and a couple of lingering Swallow-tailed Kites, but for the most part it seemed to be too hot even for butterflies to be on the wing. It was certainly too hot for reasonably intelligent humans to be out. 😉

As I was walking along the bike path on my way back to the park proper, I saw a small red mass at the forest edge. When I made out the red blob to be a Northern Cardinal, my first thought was that I had found a dead bird. But I quickly realized that the little dude was just sunning himself, positioning his feathers to expose just the right ones to the hot sun. Unfortunately my appearance startled the red hot fellow so he flew off with a surprised chirp.

I took the photos in this post back in May. He’s just standing at an odd angle, no weird wing contortions here. I wonder if its the same sun-worshipping cardinal I came upon this afternoon?

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Posted in Behavior, Gemini Springs | 1 Comment

Birding Gemini Springs, July 2013

by Amy Posted on 12 August 2013

I only birded at Gemini Springs twice during July. In my defense, Arthur and I spent much of the month up in Illinois visiting family and friends. Also, it’s crazy hot here in July. Anyway, on those two outings I saw 25 species of bird. Nothing new for my all-time list but Barn Swallow was new for me at the park for the year. The complete list is at the end of this post.

Last July I didn’t publish a summary post like this one. I only birded at Gemini Springs once that month (!!), with a total species list of 23 birds. Since I have so few photos to share from this year, here is a photo of a baby Barred Owl I took at the park last year. I had much better luck with baby owls last year.

Young Barred Owl | 02 July 2012

On July 7th Arthur and I took a late morning walk at the park. We were treated to a loose group of seven Swallow-tailed Kites soaring over the fishing pier.

Shadow of Arthur and your blogger | 07 July 2013

Swallow-tailed Kites | 07 July 2013

Even Anhingas get hot in Florida in July | 07 July 2013

My other visit was on July 13th, when butterflies dominated the landscape. The number of Gulf Fritillaries especially was remarkable. They were everywhere!

White Peacock | 13 July 2013

6 Gulf Fritillaries | 13 July 2013

Gulf Fritillary | 13 July 2013

July 2013 bird list, Gemini Springs

Anhinga – Anhinga anhinga
Great Blue Heron – Ardea herodias
Great Egret – Ardea alba
Little Blue Heron – Egretta caerulea
Tricolored Heron – Egretta tricolor
Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura
Osprey – Pandion haliaetus
Swallow-tailed Kite – Elanoides forficatus
Red-shouldered Hawk – Buteo lineatus
Common Gallinule – Gallinula galeata
American Coot – Fulica americana
Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura
Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus
Great Crested Flycatcher – Myiarchus crinitus
Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos
Fish Crow – Corvus ossifragus
Barn Swallow – Hirundo rustica
Tufted Titmouse – Baeolophus bicolor
Carolina Wren – Thryothorus ludovicianus
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – Polioptila caerulea
Northern Parula – Setophaga americana
Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis
Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus
Boat-tailed Grackle – Quiscalus major

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Zee

by Amy Posted on 7 August 2013

While Arthur’s parents visited us earlier this year, Arthur went to one of his regular volunteer days at the Marine Science Center (MSC) in Ponce Inlet. All four of us drove to the sea and while Arthur did turtle work, I went to Lighthouse Point Park with my in-laws. It was May 1st.

We had lunch and then we walked out on the jetty and had a look around. Here’s a look back at the beach patrol tower from the jetty.

Lighthouse Point Park, photo by Ineke de Wolf

About 40 minutes later, we were walking back and I saw a large mass on the beach, about halfway between the tower and the waterline in the above photo. I started running, because I thought it might be a sea turtle. It was a beached Loggerhead. It had beached during the short time we were on the jetty.

Beached Loggerhead 🙁

I immediately called the Marine Science Center to let them know there was a turtle that needed to be rescued. Meanwhile, a beach patrol officer pulled up on a buggy and carried the turtle out of the waterline so it would not be washed back to sea. A beached turtle is always in trouble and should not be put back to sea without being examined first. We waited for turtle experts from MSC to arrive.

Beach Patrol carries the sea turtle to safe location, photo by Ineke de Wolf

My father-in-law, Ben, waits for MSC staff to arrive

When MSC staff arrived, they evaluated the turtle. They realized they needed a larger vehicle to transport the turtle, which weighed in at over 100 pounds. We waited some more. A small crowd gathered.

My mother-in-law, Ineke, speaking with MSC staff

With the right vehicle, the turtle was carried off and brought to MSC for examination and rehabilitation.

The Loggerhead was examined and given care. It was underweight and weak but had no major injuries. The cause of its beaching and ill health was unknown. The size of the turtle made sexing difficult, though I will now refer to it as she. She was given the name Zee, the Dutch word for sea and a shortened form of Zeeschildpad, the Dutch word for sea turtle, in honor of Arthur’s Dutch family.

Info sign about Zee for MSC guests, photo by Arthur de Wolf

Rehabilitating turtles at MSC are kept in large saltwater tanks like the ones pictured below. These were taken earlier and do not show Zee.

Rehab tanks at MSC (prior to Zee’s arrival)

Arthur volunteering at MSC sea turtle rehab (prior to Zee’s arrival)

Arthur took photos of Zee during her rehab. She was cleaned up and given care and nutritious food. She ate like a champ from the beginning, which was a very good sign.

Zee on May 11th, photo by Arthur de Wolf

Zee on May 29th, photo by Arthur de Wolf

We last saw her on July 10th. Arthur volunteered that day and I came along to visit the Marine Science Center.

Zee on July 10th

After some months in rehab, Zee was determined healthy enough for release. She gained 18 pounds and was ready to go, along with two other smaller Loggerheads. MSC announced the August 6 release to the public. And the public showed up!

Just after 1PM, the guests of honor arrived in two vehicles. Seymour and Parker, 55 pounds and 85 pounds, respectively, came together. Big Zee got her own ride.

The releases were awesome. It was so great to hear the crowd cheer when the turtles came out and made their way back to the ocean. People were especially impressed with Zee, as she was so much larger than the others. I have a few photos and a video to share, but I was mostly watching, so I don’t have great footage of everything. At the end of this post I will share some links to media sites with their coverage of the event.

Seymour was up first; you’ll see him in the video at the end of this post. Seymour was found by Beach Patrol, so he was carried out by four Beach Patrol volunteers.

Next came Parker, who was carried out by MSC volunteers. Like Seymour, Parker was carried out in a sling. He was set down close to the waterline and the sling was removed.

Finally, it was Zee’s turn. Staff and volunteers, including Arthur, carried her to sea.

After she entered the water, the crowd began to disperse. Those who kept watching were treated to several great looks at Zee surfacing for a breath.

Good luck, beautiful Zee!

Here is a video compilation of the releases.

Here is a video of Zee’s release posted to YouTube by spectator “OsloShag”:

“Zee” Loggerhead Sea Turtle Release 08-06-13 copyright YouTube user OsloShag

It was awesome to be able to see Zee return to where she belongs. She is a sub-adult, meaning she is not yet sexually mature. When she is ready, she will come back to the ocean close to where she was hatched and find a mate. Good luck, Zee, Parker, and Seymour!

Links to coverage of the release:
Ormond Beach Observer (pre-release)
Daytona Beach News-Journal (pre-)
NSB Observer (pre-)
WNDB (pre-)
WESH (post-release)
Daytona Beach News-Journal (post-)
Florida Family Nature [blog] (post-)
MSC Facebook album (post-)
Ocean Advocate [blog] (post-)
Marine Science Center press release with photos
Sea Turtle Release Facebook album
Video segment on Volusia Magazine TV show

If I find more coverage I will add links here.

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Posted in Florida, Not Birds | 2 Comments

My visitors came from where in July 2013?!?!

by Amy Posted on 2 August 2013

Here are some highs and lows I found in my statcounter logs for July.

For some reason I found a lot of loon activity last month. Common Loons pass through Illinois in spring and fall migration, with numbers peaking around the first week of April and mid-November. They winter off of Florida, with birds recorded in most months from November through April. Since those two states feature almost exclusively on this blog, I’m pretty sure the person searching for where is the best place to hear loon during july and august didn’t find their answer here. This eBird map shows Common Loon sightings globally during those months. Again, eBird has the answer. 🙂 Though I’m not sure how much calling the birds do outside of courting. Someone else wondered are there loons in chain o lakes illinois? To which I answer YES, get out there in April and your chances will be very good. You could even join a group specifically out looking for loons! Finally, someone was looking for a loon like birds in illinois. Since there are loons in Illinois, that loon-like bird may have been a LOON. However, if the bird was seen in July, my suggestion would be to look at the Double-crested Cormorant.

Owls dominated once again, with lots of searches for owls in Illinois ending up on my post (My) Owls of Illinois. Folks were also looking for information on the lake county illinois audobon owl boxes (voilà) and other specific searches for barn owl endangered illinois and related. I like that someone wondered how many babies does a barred owl have at once. My guess would be two. I checked BNA, which indicates that clutch size ranges from 1 to 5 with the average being 2-3. Someone wanted to know Is there an owl in Illinois that has yellow claws. Some have yellow feet, but a very quick check leads me to believe they all have black talons. Finally, someone needed some more personal advice when searching for what kind of owl in my backyard? I’m not a psychic, yo.

I love that someone searched for green caterpillar with horn missouri because that’s pretty much what I do when I want to ID a caterpillar or moth or butterfly or snake or bug I don’t know – start with a Google search of the unknown creature’s physical characteristics and where it was found. I usually have pretty good luck. I hope this seeker did as well.

The person looking for bird- themed movies landed on this old post. I hope they found two upcoming titles: A Birder’s Guide to Everything and The Birder.

Someone wanted to know names & photos of the birds that preen. Um, all of them?

And last, here’s my favorite typo of the month: paragon falcon eating pigeon.

Happy August!

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My visitors came from where in September 2013?!?!

New Life for the Everglades Wonder Gardens

My last two life birds

My visitors came from where in August 2013?!?!

Birding Gemini Springs, August 2013

Growing Gallinules

Red hot sun

Birding Gemini Springs, July 2013

Zee

My visitors came from where in July 2013?!?!

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