Bye Sanibel

Today we leave Sanibel. We had a wonderful winter and saw, and photographed!, many lovely birds. Onward to St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge and a trip to the midwest, weather permitting. Don't know what our access to the internet will be for the next several days, but we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Ding Darling

Today at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge we went to a talk on identifying birds given by Bill Thompson, III, editor of Bird Watcher's Digest, and his wife, the wonderful bird artist Julie Zickefoose. Later we went out to dinner with them.

Bill and Julie are very musical and entertained the audience with several bird-themed songs. Our favorite was "Mommas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowbirds." After their talk they signed copies of their book "How To Identify Yourself."


While Ding Darling is still a haven right now to lots of migrating birds, it and the surrounding waters of San Carlos Bay, are having issues with unusually large amounts of algal growth, possibly due to excessive polluted water releases from Lake Okeechobee that go down the Caloosahatchee River into the bay and refuge. Many organizations such as PURRE, and others are working hard now to address this issue.

Tomorrow we leave Sanibel and head to St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge in the panhandle of FL., then on to see Prairie Chickens in IL.

More Pileated Woodpeckers in Flight

Here are some more Pileated Woodpeckers in flight that I photographed on Sanibel Island, FL. These four photos were taken on 2/26/05.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

These next two photos were taken on 1/20/05

Photo 5

Photo 6

Photos of Pileated Woodpeckers © Lillian Stokes, 2006

Pileated Woodpeckers

These photos of Pileated Woodpeckers were taken on Sanibel Island last year and this year. They are of the subspecies D. p. pileatus, which lives in the Southeast. They were all photographed with the Canon 1D Mark II, which has an 8.5 frames per second shooting speed (according to Canon) with either the 1-400 IS mm lens, or 400 mm f/5.6 lens. It is interesting to see what a Pileated looks like in flight.

Here is a Pileated at rest on a tree, taken 1/20/05

Photo 1

These next three images were taken on 1/25/05. They may not be an exact sequence of wings flaping. Photos 2 and 3 were taken in the same recorded second of the camera (according to the camera's metadata.) Photo 4 was taken a second later. There may have been intervening shots that we did not keep since there can be up to 8.5 frames per second with the Mark II.

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

These next 4 images were taken on 1/20/05. Photos 5, 6 and 7 were all taken in the same recorded second of the camera (according to the camera's metadata.) Photo 8 was taken in the next second. Again, they may not be an exact sequence.

Photo 5

Photo 6

Photo 7

Photo 8

These next photos are blurry, and not what I would normally publish, so please excuse the poor quality of the shots. They are interesting because they are an extended sequence of flight shots of a Pileated Woodpecker. They were taken with a Canon 1D Mark II on a cloudy day, with a Canon 400 f 5.6 lens at ISO 640, at f/6.3, 1/2000 sec. The camera was set on the high-speed continuous mode (which takes a maximum of 8.5 shots a second.) The autofocus is better on the beginning and last shots. I was standing on a deck in our yard and the Pileated was about eye height and about 30 ft. away. It turned its head away, then toward the tree, then flew. The bird was briefly hidden behind the tree, so I do not know what position its wings were in when it was behind the tree. When it emerged, its wings were down. From that shot on, the metadata in the camera indicated that the last 8 photos were all taken in the same second. It is interesting that the only frame with the wings lifted fully up is the last frame. There may, or may not have been, some additional strokes that the camera did not capture during that time. The bird flew away and upward towards the overcast white sky. All photos have been cropped and sharpened in photoshop.

Photo 9

Photo 10

Photo 11

Photo 12

Photo 13

Photo 14

Photo 15

Photo 16 (telepone lines are slightly visible)

Photo 17 (telephone lines still visible)

Photo 18

Pileated Woodpecker photos © Lillian Stokes, 2006

Happy Landing

One of the tricks to photographing birds in flight, is to anticipate their movements before they take off. This Tri-colored Heron looked like it might be ready to move, so I got on the bird and let my Canon camera's autofocus do the rest as it took off. When we see every feather in freeze frame, it makes us notice new things, such as the white at the base of the tail in the third photo. As with the Great Blue Heron in the photos from yesterday, the lore, or facial skin between the eye and the base of the bill on this Tri-colored Heron, is bright blue due it being in breeding plumage. The Tri-colored Heron is sometimes misidentified as a Little Blue Heron, but the white belly is a give-away.

Photos of Tri-colored Herons © Lillian Stokes, 2006

Great Blue

Here is a photo of a Great Blue Heron in breeding plumage. Notice the blue lore in front of the eye.

I photographed this other Great Blue Heron on Captiva Island today. It was standing on the rail of a deck at a restaurant and seemed oblivious to the patrons. Notice the blue tone on the lore and upper bill. Great Blues are magnificent birds.

Photos © Lillian Stokes, 2006

Fly By

(click on image for larger version )

We recently went with the Sanibel Captiva Audubon Society on a sunset cruise boat ride, run by Tarpon Bay Explorers Nature Tours, to the rookery islands in Tarpon Bay. One of the highlights was seeing a group of over 50 Lesser Scaup flying by.

Photos © Lillian Stokes, 2006

Safe Journey

Yesterday, late in the day, we saw two migrating Barn Swallows heading north along the beach. Hurray, spring is coming. Safe journey, Barn Swallows. Come and nest in our barn in NH at "Bobolink Farm."

Daisy Dog

For those of you who are fans of "Daisy", our Pembroke Welsh Corgi,
here are some "Daisy Moments" .....

Good Dog

Salty Dog

Smart Dog

Photos of Daisy, © Lillian Stokes, 2006

Room With a View

As if Fish Crows weren't funny enough — with their "Uhn-Uhn"..."Uh-Huh" calls, we name them "the bird who can't make up its mind." Add to this a funny nesting place.

We're sitting drinking coffee and all of a sudden we see a Fish Crow fly in with nesting material in its bill and disappear into our neighbor's covered chimney! We look at one another thinking simultaneously, "did you see what I just saw....they're building a nest in there!!"

Evidently there is enough space for a Fish Crow nest, a nice roof over their heads and a great view of the surrounding area. They can probably see the ocean from there. Wonder what their real estate taxes will be.

Fish Crow photos © Lillian Stokes, 2006

Just Ducky

One of the wonderful things about photographing birds is that it makes you spend extended time with birds, and in so doing gain an intimate glimpse into their lives and behavior. I loved watching this pair of Mottled Ducks that seemed so synchronized, they could even feed in the same area within inches of each other, maybe on the same plant. Kinda like sharing a piece of cake with your spouse or significant other, one plate, 2 forks — now that takes synchrony. LQS

Mottled Duck photo © Lillian Stokes, 2006

Share Birding

We had a wonderful time introducing our friends Beth and James Aponovich to birding. They picked it up very quickly. As artists they have great instinctive skills that aided in their birding — the ability to judge relative size and shape and appreciation for striking visual moments.

James liked the way that the yellow eyes of sleeping White Pelicans peek above a mountain of white feathers.
Beth enjoyed watching bird behavior and the delicate plumes of Snowy Egrets.


They had fun checking off the birds they saw (over 53 species in a few days) on their checklists, most of them "Life birds" for them.

By introducing people to birding you hope to ignite a spark that will lead them to a deeper interest and appreciation of the beauty of birds.

Share birding with someome you know.

All photos © Lillian Stokes, 2006

Birding Quick Start

We have 2 friends visiting us who are non-birders but would like to learn birding. So we made a little birding kit for them and plan to take them birding to a variety of habitats. In the kit are:

1. 2 pairs of binoculars
2. Several Field Guides to the birds we will see
   
3. 2 check-lists of the birds found in the area we will be looking, so they can keep a record
4. 2 sketch pads and pens, since one of the best ways to learn birds is to try and draw them. (This should be easy for our friends, since they are artists.)
5. 2 water bottles— its hot in Florida.
6. 2 hats for sun protection
7. A lens pen, a great way to clean your binoculars
8. Sun lotion
   

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day we decided to post this photo of a Green Heron, and a link to two Irish birding websites:

Birdwatch Ireland

Birds Ireland

Photo of Green Heron, © Lillian Stokes, 2006

Breakfast for One

Mr. Cardinal came to the feeder early this morning. There is a Mrs. Cardinal, but she was not with him at this time. Maybe she was sleeping late, who knows. Cardinals will come to hanging feeders, but they love to feed off the ground. So we sprinkle some mixed seed on the ground for our Cardinal diners.

Bird Feeding Tip: Make sure you frequently rake up old seed to keep the area clean and so seed does not get moldy.

At our restaurant here, it is not an issue because the Cardinals eat the seed up fast.

Northern Cardinal photo © Lillian Stokes, 2006

Welcome the Waxwings

Cedar Waxwings are coming your way. These beautiful flock-oriented birds travel as a group and roam widely in winter in search of their prime food — berries. Lillian took this photo last March in Florida when a large number of waxwings were in our yard eating Wax Myrtle berries and the fruits from the native Cabbage Palm. Waxwings leave the southern half of the country in spring and return to their breeding range in the Appalachians, northern third of the U.S., and much of Canada. At our NH home we plant berry-producing trees and shrubs for Cedar Waxwings and other berry-eating birds. Our favorite spring tree is Amelanchier "Autumn Brillance", which produces berries in mid-summer, just when the waxwings are nesting.

Photo of Cedar Waxwing and Amelanchier © Lillian Stokes

Dowitcher Wallpaper

Ominous shadow above — a flash of wings! Short-billed Dowitchers erupt in panic, streaked backs like candles glowing, each vieing for coveted center spot, safe from the Peregrine.

Yellow-belled Sapsucker

One of the great things about keeping a list of all the birds you see in your yard as we do, is that you are always on the lookout for new birds to add to your list. It gives you a heightened sensitivity and awareness of your environment. Yesterday we were getting out of the car in our yard in FL and a black and white bird flew through the trees and caught our eye. Lillian picked up the camera from the car and proceeded to try and follow it through the trees and take some photos.

It was a female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Sapsuckers drill horizontal rows of holes in trees and then drink the sap. It was fascinating to see her stop and poke her bill into the rows of holes. She went to several different trees and it made us realize how many trees had holes in them that we hadn't noticed. If you live in the eastern part of the country you can look for these horizontal holes in your trees, a sign that sapsuckers have been there.

Sapsuckers are migratory woodpeckers. Some winter in Florida and the southern states. Most winter further south in Central America. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers breed in northern parts of the East and throughout much of Canada.

Daisy, our Corgi, patiently sat and watched Lillian.
Good Dog!

Photos © Lillian Stokes, 2006

Home Stretch

"I'm a Greater Yellowlegs walking across a mudflat. Lillian, take my picture.
"OK"

"First I'll Stretch one wing..."

"Then the other..."

"There, that felt good. Gotta keep my wings in shape for my upcoming migration home to my breeding grounds in northern Canada and Alaska."

Photos of Greater Yellowlegs © Lillian Stokes, 2006

Where there's a will, there's a Willet

Today I was looking out over some shorebirds and a woman named Sue came up and started talking to me.
"What are those birds?"
"They’re Willets."
How do you learn the shorebirds?
"Basically you learn shorebirds one at a time. Today why don't you try learning Willet. They’re one of the largest shorebirds out there. They have gray bodies, gray legs, and a bill that is a little longer than the depth of the head. They’re kinda indistinct, that is until they fly, then you can see their dramatic black and white wing patterns. Look at them flying."
"Are you going to put those photos you’re taking on your website?"
"Well actually its a blog, I put my photos on the Stokes Birding Blog."
"Well are you going to put the photos on your blog?"
"Maybe."
Photos © Lillian Stokes

John James Audubon

Last night we met John James Audubon who spoke at the Sanibel Captiva Audubon Society. Well it wasn’t really John James Audubon, since he has been dead for 155 years. It was Tom Burack impersonating him. Tom is an accomplished storyteller, environmental and corporate lawyer and Honorary Trustee of New Hampshire Audubon. Dressed as Audubon, Tom spoke in the lilting, heavily accented English that would have been Audubon’s voice and proceeded to try and sell the audience subscriptions to his famous work, Birds of North America.

John James Audubon (1785-1851) is a famous painter who created the publication, Birds of North America, a collection of 435 magnificent life-size prints, one of the great ornithological feats.

After a career as a business man he fell on hard times and turned to his painting hobby to make a living. Audubon travelled around this country in a quest to see and paint all the birds of America. Before he could paint the birds, he had to shoot them, because in those days there were no binoculars or cameras. After shooting he would prop the birds on wires and quickly paint them.

He sailed to England with his partly finished portfolio, met instant success and raised enough money to publish Birds of America. His paintings were made into engraved plates. The prints from the plates were then hand colored. In today’s world many people collect Audubon prints which come from the original books.

John James Audubon was a great woodsman, naturalist and painter. In 1905 the National Audubon Society was named after him.

If he were alive today he would probably be using a high end digital camera, long telephoto lenses and Photoshop CS to capture beautiful images of birds.

Made it to 100

So we set out with our friends yesterday afternoon at 4 p.m. to help them meet their challenge of finding 100 different species of birds during their short stay on Sanibel. At 4:00 p.m. when they met us, they'd already seen 93 species of birds on their own. Our job was to help them meet their goal and we had planned a strategy of going to places we knew they had a good chance of seeing birds they'd missed.

First up, possible Painted Buntings in the backyard of one of our former neighbors on Sanibel. She graciously let us sit on her screened-in back porch and watch (and photograph) through her screen. After a few moments we heard the characteristic "chit" call of a Painted Bunting and a female bunting came to the feeder (a tube in a cage that deters squirrels and grackles from the seed but allows small birds to feed.) A little more patience payed off because into the feeder came a brightly colored male bunting amid a chorus of "oooohs." Painted Bunting was number 94! Check.

We next walked across a little bridge to the back part of the property in the hopes of picking up some other species. Don looked up and pointed.





We'd discovered a pod of birds — Blue-headed Vireo, Yellow-rumped Warbler and several Pine Warblers!! One was feeding on the tip of a pine and flew out into the sun. Pine Warbler was Number 95!

We were going to continue on the path but a napping alligator made us think otherwise. In Florida one ALWAYS needs to be cautious about encountering 'gators and give them a wide berth.

Onward to the Bailey Tract, (a marshy area that is a separate part of Ding Darling NWR). The sun was getting lower. We were betting a Red-winged Blackbird would show up among many of the grackles that come to roost there. But, what! Tonight there were no blackbirds to be found. We walked a little further into the tract and there, on the right, was a Sora Rail among the reeds. Number 97! Three more to go, would we make it? We decided to walk slightly further on the path. On the right, a beautiful Black-crowned Night Heron came in to land on a branch and was illuminated pink by the setting sun. Our friends already had this on their list.

Where to next? Lesser Scaup were a good bet. We had seen Lesser Scaup on the other end of Sanibel in newly opened Clam Bayou a few weeks ago. We came to where a dock overlooked the bayou. Scanning to the right brought up nothing. Don panned to the left and directed, "there they are, across the inlet." They were very teeny at this far distance, but still viewable. Yes, number 96!

Time was running out. The last part of our strategy was to go to our friend Harold's house where he had a Screech Owl roosting in a nest box on his property. He said it came out at 6:oo p.m. It was already 6:20 p.m. — quickly to Harold’s.

We arrived in the dimming light in his backyard, which fronts on a pond with cattails. We heard a Red-winged Blackbird loudly call its “Ok-ah-lee” song. It was roosting in the reeds. Number 98! All of a sudden Harold, who was scanning the far edge of the pond with his scope called out, "American Bittern!" Then it was joined by another American Bittern flying in near it. Number 99!! This was good.

All eyes turned to the Screech Owl box....waiting. Finally, at exactly 7:00 p.m. the Screech Owl stuck its head out of the box, Number 100!!!! We made it.

On to celebrate at Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille Restaurant, an island favorite. It's named after the famous Doc Ford character in the Randy Wayne White mystery novels set on Sanibel.

Perfect ending to a birding adventure. Good birds, Good food, Good friends.

All photos taken in real time during the trip and copyright Lillian Stokes

Searching

We have visiting friends from Massachusetts that we are going birding with later today. Their goal when they visit Sanibel, is to find 100 species of birds during their short visit. They did not have Loon on their list. Yesterday, however, they found an injured Loon that they took to the local wildlife rehabilitation clinic called C.R.O.W. Will we see more birds today to add to their list? Stay tuned.

Bird’s Eye View

Most of the time we get less than optimum views of warblers and find ourselves looking at their undertail coverts, or to put it more bluntly, warbler butts. Field guides feature picture perfect side portraits of warblers. Rarely do we see warblers as another bird would see them. Lillian was lucky enough to capture this intimate image of a Yellow-throated Warbler head-on. Must be the way another Yellow-throated Warbler would see it. The throat is like a big, glowing, yellow river, outlined in black.


Yellow-throated Warblers are one of our favorite warblers, living in approximately the lower two thirds of the eastern part of the country. We once had one overshoot its breeding range and appear singing, in our yard in Massachusetts.

Spring is coming and so are the warblers. Use your binos for intimate views.

Congratulations

Congratulations on your marriage, Jason and Amy!

Lovebirds

Jason and Amy are getting married, and we are off to their wedding this weekend. See you on Monday.

Here's an idea for a wedding gift, binoculars and a field guide. It will turn lovebirds into bird lovers.

(Shhhh don't tell them that's what they are getting)...

Fate

Red-bellied Woodpeckers have a sweet tooth. In additon to sunflower and suet, they are fond of sugary fruit. So we cut up some oranges, stuffed them in a suet holder and this male Red-bellied Woodpecker took to it like a duck to water. The only trouble was, he wouldn’t share. If the female came near, he would lunge at her. She would hang back, letting him feed, then approach when he was gone. His greediness may have been his undoing.

Several days ago we could hear him outside. As was usual, he was first to come to the oranges. All of a sudden we heard a bird's high-pitched squawk and looked out in time to see the tail of a Cooper’s Hawk disappearing over the trees with a bird in its talons. Was it the male Red-bellied? We could not see for sure. A pang of angst at the thought of his loss. Some bird had met its fate. To the Cooper’s it was just lunch.

The next day we watched the feeders and only saw the female feeding alone, the male nowhere in sight. Today we saw two males near the feeder having an agressive interaction. We watched through our binoculars. Neither was the former male. We could tell because he had had a particularly red face. These were less colorful. Could these be two newcomers vieing for the territory and mate of the missing male? Time will tell.

Ice Cream Eagles

Amazingly, a pair of Bald Eagles have built a nest in a very tall pine right behind a Dairy Queen restaruant near where we are staying in FL. Everyday, ice cream eating patrons can stand in the parking lot enjoying their banana splits, blizzards and cones and experience the intimate wonder of the family life of these eagles.

Today we watched as one of their two nestlings tested its wings and jumped and flapped, jumped and flapped, ready for take off. Just raring to go. One of the adult eagles came in with a fish and nestling number one rethought the independence thing and happily accepted the fish. Nestling number two, who is smaller, deferred to nestling number one who ate first. What a privilege to watch these majestic birds in this accessible place. Ice cream and eagles, life is good. So hmmm should we have the chocolate dipped cone, the brownie earthquake, peanut buster parfait, or....?

Photos of Bald Eagles © Lillian Stokes, 2006