I was walking around Fort Desoto when this guy flew over my head. He was carrying a big fish. He landed on the utility pole and was about to start eating it when some fish crows started to bother him. Off he went before I could catch him taking a bite.
A kestrel was on the utility wire next to the pole and saw the whole thing.
Synchronized preening vultures.
One of the parents from very far away. Last year this nest lost both babies. I never heard what had happened. I have heard there are two again this year.
Looks like a couple to me. I think the one on the left is a female. I’ve read they have a brown fleck necklace around the chest.
First time I’ve seen a kestrel at this park.
Woodpecker inside a palm tree.
Cutest critters at the park.
I had not been to Honeymoon Island in a long time. I went to see all of the usuals but it was still too early to be able to see babies yet. If they were there, they were still to small to see from the nest. I found the owl nest but the parent had been sleeping on the nest all morning. I heard here were eagle babies but they were still too small to see from as far away as we could get (over 500 feet is roped off at this park from the trail). No osprey babies yet as well. This was the end of January so another trip in early March is in the plan. After several days of rain, it was nice to get out and walk in the sun.
I was in the woods looking for little yellow birds and looked up and saw this kestrel watching me.
Walking down the east beach trail, I interrupted this osprey eating his breakfast.
I said “Relax, I’m not going to steal your stinky fish.”
He still yelled at me. I don’t know why he picked a low branch on a busy trail during a busy spring migration weekend.
He took off and flew around in a circle with his half eaten fish and landed on a higher up branch.
Later that morning I was standing at the north beach roped area and was talking to some other photogs about the shorebirds all flying off and someone yelled “Look over your heads.” Duh, the shorebirds had flushed because the above juvenile bald eagle had just circled the area.
Upclose. We think this is the new baby that was born earlier this year at the park. The eagles nest high up in a utility tower in the park. He circled around the roped off area a few times and then flew over the trees and was gone. I guess he figured those shorebirds were harder to get than he originally thought.
Just a few birds I saw on my morning walk at Fort Desoto in early April.
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“Hey Bob, come look at all of these people down here staring at me.” says the redheaded woodpecker.
“Why are they all standing around on our dirt road? There shouldn’t be anything here but us and the cows.”
“Maybe there’s something in this hole that’s caught their attention.”
“They’re looking at you two, silly.” says the kestrel that was watching us from another pole.
“I thought they were looking for me.” says the bobwhite from behind the fence.
I went up to Hernando county, north of Tampa, to find the swallow tail kites. I also found a few other cool things. I finally got a decent sighting of a redheaded woodpecker in Florida. I saw one from far away in St. Petersburg earlier this spring. I’ve seen them several times in Atlanta. There were two on the dirt road hanging out on a utility pole. I heard they had nested earlier in the spring in another pole but we did not see any juveniles anywhere around. Several people were standing around watching the woodpeckers when we all noticed the kestrel watching us. Most of the kestrels on the wires were pretty skittish. They would take off flying if you stopped the car but this one just sat there for a few minutes watching.
I finally saw my first bobwhite in the wild. I’ve heard them several times at Circle B Bar Reserve calling but could never find them. This one was sitting back on an inside fence. I took the above shot from the car. I was afraid if I got out he would take off.
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