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Happy Thanksgiving

     It's Thanksgiving so, today's featured feathered friend is the Wild Turkey.  Enough said.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone.....tweet.....tweet!! 

Wild Turkeys
(Taken 11/6/12, Highlands County FL)

 

Wild Turkeys
(Taken 11/8/12, Okeechobee County, FL)

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wild_Turkey/id



Hooded Merganser

     We subscribe to a website that posts "bird alerts".  One such alert said that Hooded Mergansers had started to arrive in our area and could be found in a pond near a shopping center in Sarasota.  So, we drove to the site and sure enough, there they were.  It is a life-list bird for us, we had never seen one before this trip.

     The male Hooded Merganser has a black head with a white-centered crest that is fan-shaped when raised.  When lowered it becomes a long white stripe behind his eye.  He has a black back, reddish-brown flanks and a white chest with black vertical stripes on his sides.  He has a pale yellow eye and a black bill.  The female has a grayish head with a pale cheek and a cinnamon brown crest.  Her back is dark and her flanks and breast are gray.  She has a dark brown eye.  Her bill is brownish on top (upper mandible) and orangish on the bottom (lower mandible). 

     Among Merganser species, the Hooded Merganser is the second smallest and the only one whose native habitat is restricted to North America.  They are about 18 inches in length, weigh between one and two pounds, with a wingspan of 23.5 to 26 inches.  They are short-distance migrants, moving to areas where winter temperatures allow for ice-free conditions on ponds, lakes and rivers.  Enjoy these photos of the Hooded Merganser.....tweet.....tweet!!  

Hooded Mergansers
(Taken 11/14/12, Sarasota FL)

Hooded Mergansers
(Taken 11/14/12, Sarasota FL)

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/id

Crested Caracara

     We traveled over to the east coast this week on a three-day birding trip.  We visited many spots on the Great Florida Birding Trail as well as other parks and wildlife areas.  While driving through Okeechobee County we spotted a Crested Caracara sitting on a fence post along the roadside.  We pulled over to get some great photos and discovered a juvenile Caracara just a few feet away.  The Crested Caracara is a life list bird for us.

     Males and females are similar in appearance.  They have long necks, tails and long yellow legs.  They have a shallow flat crown with a black cap and nape.  The cheeks, neck and breast are whitish.  The lower neck, breast and back is finely barred.  They have a massive orange bill with a bluish tip.  The body is black, and their long narrow wings are black with white patches near the tips.  The tail is white with a broad black band at the tip.  Juvenile Caracaras are like adults, but brown in dark areas (not black), neck and face buffy with grayish legs.  Their bill is pinkish with a bluish tip.  

     Caracaras found in Florida are a threatened sub-species known as "Audubon's Crested Caracaras".  They are very rare, usually found in a five-county area of interior south Florida, north and west of Lake Okeechobee.  We were hoping to see one on this trip.  We saw a total of seven , what a blessing.  Enjoy these photos of the Crested Caracara.....tweet.....tweet!!

Crested Caracara (Adult)
(Taken 11/6/12, Okeechobee Co. FL)

    Note:  According to several sources, this bird has a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) band on it's left leg.  It's also banded with a GPS tracker on it's right leg.  If you'll look closely you can see the antenna (it's not a twig) along side the talons on it's right leg.  In addition, the yellow spot on the breast is it's skin.  This bird has just finished eating, it's crop has become engorged, protruding through it's feathers.  



Crested Caracara (Juvenile)
(Taken 11/6/12, Okeechobee Co. FL)

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Crested_Caracara/id

http://floridabirdingtrail.com/index.php/conservation/bird/crested_caracara/