Friday, May 25, 2012

Guest Contribution III By Hemant Kishan

Welcome to this likely last of a series of wildlife contributions by Hemant Kishan as he embarks on composing his own wildlife blog. His blog is certainly anticipated to be on your short list of reading.

A trip to Six Mile Cypress Lake this week astounded me with the water level significantly higher than what had been personally observed recently due to heavy rain storms. The Black-necked Stilts were completely absent as breeding conditions for them changed unfavorably. I'm curious to know where the birds have gone. The species does well with greater latitude at Harns Marsh Preserve although predators of the birds exist there as well. Four Swallow-tailed Kite were observed at a very high altitude at the Lake. A call of owl, not to be mistaken with a dove, was again heard and believed to be that of a Great Horned Owl. Hemant's images presented in this article are seen below . . .

Warblers at Corkscrew -- Part II: Disambiguating the Waterthrushes

Early ornithologists did not distinguish between the Northern and the Louisiana Waterthrush. And, in his seminal work “Birds of North America”, Jean Jacques (aka John James) Audubon called this thrush-like bird the “Aquatic Wood-Wagtail” which is quite descriptive of the habits of the waterthrush: having an affinity for water and compulsively bobbing its tail. However, today, we know that the both species of waterthrush belong to the Wood Warbler family and share the same genus (Parkesia). Earlier, they shared the same genus as the the Ovenbird (seiurus, now monotypic)..

But, enough taxonomic ramblings; more importantly, here’s what these two waterthrushes look like (all photos taken in April 2012 at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Collier Co.):




In these images, these two species seem superficially the same to the casual observer. However, let’s take a closer look at some of the key distinctions between the two.

The first distinction is the eyestripe and the length of the bill. In the Northern, the eyestripe is buffier and tapers at the end. In the Louisiana, the eyestripe is whiter and of constant width. Also, the bill of the Louisiana is comparatively longer.





The 2nd distinction is perhaps more visually apparent -- the streaking of the Northern is busier and bolder. Also, unlike the Louisiana, the streaking continues all the way up to the chin. The Louisian's throat is always pure white. This is often the first clue that birders look for in a waterthrush.





Finally, the third distinction is in leg color.





As can be seen, the legs of the Louisiana are “buggle gum” pink while those of the Northern are a dull pink. The color distinction is especially obvious in Spring and Summer.

Waterthrushes are regular migrants in Southwest Florida -- especially at Corkscrew Swamp. And, these peculiar warblers afford a good opportunity to test your identification skills in the field.


Please also see Hemant's Finding Vireos at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and Warblers at Corkscrew -- Part I.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Feature: Six Mile Cypress Lake Part II

It was with regret that I got a report from Bob Blanchard of observations he had made of Black-necked Stilt nests at Six Mile Cypress Lake that were not tended to by the stilts.


The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


This was surprising to me as the stilts are very attentive parents in my observations of the species. Black-necked Stilts have been abundant at the lake. The greatest distance kept from the nests in observation of them is imperative to allow the birds to offer an ideal incubation temperature of the eggs. A pair of raccoons were observed foraging at the shoreline. The lake and surrounding area continued to be extremely rewarding with numerous bird species observed. Mary Goetzinger also reported since my last visit that the lake had become comparatively "flooded." The rainy season had begun in earnest on May 11th, significantly earlier than expected. All of these factors are major hurdles for the stilts successfully breeding at the lake this year. Bob has advised me that the lake has completely dried up at the end of the dry season in years past. I met up with Robert Doiron, Constable with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who was well prepared for the muddy conditions while advising me that his camouflage was effective in allowing the birds close proximity to him which he kept an extremely respectful distance from on shore. The Swallow-tailed Kite have perplexed me as to where they are nesting as I have observed the species carrying twigs and Spanish Moss to the North and South of the lake. A male stilt made a concerted effort to remove small debris from a rock that appeared an ideal site for a nest while seemingly mindlessly relieved itself on it. A female stilt, distinguished by brown feathers on its back, arrived a few moments later and appeared interested in the rock nonetheless before quickly moving on to feed. Every visit to this wildlife venue has offered very interesting observations.


The Common Gallinule above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Swallow-tailed Kite above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Swallow-tailed Kite above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Greater Yellowlegs above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Blue-winged Teal above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Blue-winged Teal above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Raccoon above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Blue-winged Teal above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The banded Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The American White Pelican above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Black Vulture above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Cattle Egret above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Semipalmated Sandpiper above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Mottled Duck above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Semipalmated Sandpiper above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Least Sandpiper above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Mottled Duck above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Greater Yellowlegs above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Anhinga above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Semipalmated Sandpiper above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Semipalmated Sandpiper above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


Robert Doiron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Mottled Duck above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


The Semipalmated Sandpiper above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in May 2012.


Feature: Six Mile Cypress Lake Article I
Feature: Six Mile Cypress Lake Article II
Feature: Six Mile Cypress Lake Article III
You are reading Six Mile Cypress Lake Article IV.