In Search Of Miami Parakeets

The lush tropical vegetation in the Miami area is very conducive for large numbers and a great variety of parakeets and parrots that can be readily observed visually and audibly.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 1) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

On 12 March I made a trip to Miami with the company of Frank Constantin, Suzanne Lanthier and Réal Jauvin, all visiting from Quebec. Our first stop was the Baptist Hospital of Miami offering a pair of Egyptian Geese as the first bird species seen. Mitred Parakeets could be heard overhead. There were in excess of 70 in a single flock before breaking up into smaller groups.

The Egyptian Goose above (image 2) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Graylag Goose (domestic type) above (image 3) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Swan Goose (domestic type) above (image 4) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Egyptian Goose above (image 5) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Rock Dove above (image 6) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

After photographing other species of birds at hand we followed the call of the Mitred Parakeets to the west side of the property. The parakeets were obviously very wary of the presence of an American Kestrel. At one point the parakeets took refuge in a berry laden tree before once again taking flight to keep a distance from the kestrel's approach of them.

The Egyptian Goose above (image 7) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

Réal Jauvin, Francois Constantin and Suzanne Lanthier (l-r) above (image 8) were photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Fish Crow with nesting material above (image 9) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above (image 10) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 11) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

Our next stop was the University of Miami where we were asked to leave by campus security as we did not have authorization to visit. A call of parakeets could be heard where we had parked, but they were not seen thus remaining unidentified. We next visited A. D. Barnes Park which was nearly completely devoid of birds save a pair of Black Vultures, a Northern Mockingbird, a Mourning Dove and a Blue Jay.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 12) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The American Kestrel above (image 13) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 14) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 15) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 16) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

Castellow Hammock Park was our next stop with hopes of photographing the Buff-bellied Hummingbird that was discovered by Colorado birder Connie Kogler. Word quickly got out about the rare to Florida hummingbird with eBird reports first appearing on 2 January. This was my second attempt to photograph the Buff-bellied Hummingbird, and was only fortunate enough to definitively see and hear it on this trip.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 17) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 18) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 19) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 20) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 21) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

In the company of the Buff-bellied Hummingbird were no less than four Ruby-throated Hummingbirds which favored the depths of an approximately 15 foot tall by 35 foot wide Chinese hat plant. Again a parakeet was heard, but not seen. A White-winged Dove was a pleasure to find as I had not photographed this species in quite some time.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 22) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 23) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The White-winged Dove above (image 24) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The Palm Warbler above (image 25) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The Northern Cardinal above (image 26) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

Onward in the direction of home we made a brief stop at the Shark Valley Visitor Center where the water level was very high in the canals due to January's rainfall. The expected wading birds were absent as a result.

The Mourning Dove above (image 27) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

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The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 28) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

Ozzie And Harriet: A Closure Part I

While following the lives of a famous pair of Bald Eagles named Ozzie and Harriet through a seasonal Southwest Florida Eagle Cam (SWFEC) and local news stories, I finally decided to attempt to see these majestic birds in person.

Day 1: 22 September 2015

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 1) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

At a not too distant time, across the Caloosahatchee River to the west in Cape Coral, there were a pair of Bald Eagles named George and Gracie. These eagles were thought to be a mating pair going back as early as 1990. George died of severe kidney failure while in the care of the Sanibel Island Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) in June 2006. Gracie continued on with a new mate that was appropriately named George II.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above (image 2) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above (image 3) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above (image 4) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

I arrived at the SWFEC site a couple of mornings after Ozzie's last sighting at his nest in North Fort Myers. The eagle's nest is on the property of Dick Pritchett. There was a good crowd on hand, all with eyes glued on the nest which sits in a wide open field offering great views of the eagles and other bird species. It was good to see local wildlife photographer Donna McMurrer on hand.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above (image 5) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above (image 6) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Blue Jay above (image 7) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

Donna had earlier been at the right place at the right time to capture an image of a pair of Florida Panthers which is the most remarkable I have seen. Donna can be found equally as excited observing panthers or Bald Eagles at the Pritchett site at the start of the 2016 eagle nesting season. I have yet to see any panthers myself with even much more common bobcat and coyote rarely seen.

The Blue Jay above (image 8) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Mottled Duck above (image 9) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The European Starling above (image 10) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

Some devoting years to observing Ozzie and Harriet that I've had the good fortune to meet during my first few days visiting the SWFEC nest include Dee Kelly, Jeffery Jansen, and David Mintz. There is a comradery among them as they share great stories during observation down times.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above (image 11) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker above (image 12) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker above (image 13) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The current Bayshore Road SWFEC nest was built by Ozzie and Harriet in 2006. These eagles are believed to have occupied another nest a short distance to the south that was first identified in 1990. It is thought that Ozzie and Harriet may have taken over the Donald Road nest from another pair of eagles in the 1997-1998 nesting season. The nest was inactive that year. Jeff is one of the fortunate ones to be following the eagles in this immediate area so far back in time.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 14) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 15) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 16) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The bond between Ozzie and Harriet was very strong. However, toward the latter part of the 2015 nesting season tragedy struck. In mid March 2015 Ozzie was brought to CROW with a broken left clavicle and broken left coracoid bone after being found in the vicinity of railroad tracks in North Fort Myers. He was thought to be injured through impact with a car or train while hunting for prey.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 17) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 18) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 19) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The initial report that Ozzie's recuperation would take weeks turned into months. During Ozzie's recovery at CROW, Harriet accepted another eagle which was named M15 (male 2015). M15 was also named FV (frequent visitor), and more amusingly named Pretty Boy. After the 2014-2015 breeding season was over, Ozzie was released on the Pritchett property near the nest site on 17 June 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 20) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

Day 2: 23 September 2015

The Loggerhead Shrike above (image 21) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Cooper's Hawk above (image 22) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

On September 19th and 20th Ozzie was observed in the immediate vicinity of the SWFEC nest site, returning after a six month absence. Although it was reported that Ozzie was with Harriet in the nest tree on the morning of 20 September, he would apparently be driven from the area by both Harriet and Pretty Boy. Ozzie would not return to the nest again.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above (image 23) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove with European Starling above (image 24) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove with European Starling above (image 25) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

On 27 September Ozzie was found injured by Heather Halle, and then brought to CROW by Dee Kelly and CROW volunteer Joni O'Neil Henderson. CROW reported that Ozzie had lacerations from barbed wire, a broken toe in each foot, and other severe wounds consistent with a fight with another eagle. Ozzie's worst affliction was a bacterial blood infection possibly from one of the cuts. Ozzie additionally re-injured a talon.

The horse above (image 26) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above (image 27) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove with Red-bellied Woodpecker above (image 28) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

On 22 September I was fortunate to see Pretty Boy that had bonded with Harriet. This was the first and last time I would see the eagle. Pretty Boy was observed by others on the 23rd, but has not been seen since as of the time of this article's publication. The images presented in this blog post all represent my observations at the SWFEC site.

Day 3: 24 September 2015

The Great Blue Heron above (image 29) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Cattle Egret above (image 30) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above (image 31) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

In addition to my great interest in observing the Bald Eagles and their behavior, I am attempting to document all the other species of bird that live at or pass through the nest area. With Ozzie's earlier return to his nest on 20 September, the scene has been significantly disrupted offering the unexpected each day. Most notably has been the disappearance of Pretty Boy.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above (image 32) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Bald Eagle (unknown) above (image 33) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

The Bald Eagle (unknown) above (image 34) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

Ozzie passed away at CROW on 29 September 2015 due to complications from his injuries. It has been reported that Ozzie's remains will be used in an American Indian religious ceremony. There will be observations and reports from the nest site at this blog in the future documenting Harriet and her environment which she has great control over.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above (image 35) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in September 2015.

Please also see Ozzie And Harriet: A Closure Pt. II
Please also see Ozzie And Harriet: A Closure Pt. III