Fall Migration Brings Black Terns, A New Life Bird

        Spring migration (north bound)  begins and ends in what seems like, the blink of an eye.  Migrating birds are on tight schedules in the spring.  They rush to their northern breeding grounds and get busy selecting mates, building nests and raising their young.  In contrast, fall migration (south bound) takes place at a leisurely pace, spread out from July through November each year.  Believe it or not, birds are on the move and the 2014 fall migration season is well underway.  Many species of shorebirds have already returned to Florida.  We have read reports of several species of warblers and raptors showing up in neighboring counties.
        Today's featured feathered friend is the Black Tern, a new life bird for us.  We spotted ten of them at Gandy Beach on Old Tampa Bay in Pinellas County, a location that is very reliable for this species, sometimes with hundreds of them present.  The Black Tern is a small, thin-billed and short-tailed Tern.  In breeding plumage it is black with a gray back, wings and tail and a white rump.  It is about 9.5 inches long, weighs just over 2 ounces and has a wingspan of 23 inches.

        During the summer in North America, the Black Tern breeds across most of Canada and the northern United States.  In the winter it migrates to the beaches of northern South America.  Prior to their southward migration, they begin to molt out of their breeding plumage.  First the head will display white feathers, followed by the breast and then the belly.  So, during their stay in Florida, they will appear in a variety of black and white plumages.  Enjoy these photos of the Black Tern, life bird #251, taken July 16th at Gandy Beach.....tweet.....tweet!!

Black Tern (Life Bird #251)

Black Tern in flight.

Black Tern with the smaller Least Tern.

Black Tern with the larger Sandwich Tern.

Molting into winter (non-breeding) plumage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_tern

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

Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron

        Today's featured feathered friend is the Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.  These wading birds stalk their prey along the water's edge, mainly at night, hence their name.  They can be found along coastlines in Central and South America.  In the summer they breed in the swamps of the southern United States.  After their breeding season is completed, they expand their range to Texas in the west, to near the Great Lakes in the north and to southern New England in the east.

        Yellow-Crowned Night-Herons are medium-sized stocky herons with short, deep-based bills, red eyes and yellow legs.  Males and females are similar in appearance with light gray underparts, darker gray backs and wings with pale gray margins.  Their black heads are "egg-shaped" with a yellow crown stripe and white cheek stripes.  During breeding season they grow long white plumes on their hind crowns.  Immature birds are brownish-gray with whitish streaks on the face, neck and breast, with spotting on the back and wings.  The average Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron is 24 inches long, weighs about 22 ounces and has a wingspan of nearly four feet.

        This species is perhaps the most "secretive" of the Heron family.  Although they are year-round Florida residents we don't see them often.  When we do spot them, they tend to be very still, making them pretty easy to photograph.  Enjoy our favorite photos of the Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.....tweet.....tweet!!

Close-up face shot.
(Taken 11/18/12, Blind Pass Beach Park

on Manasota Key, near Englewood FL)

Adult Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron
(Taken 11/18/12, Blind Pass Beach Park
on Manasota Key, near Englewood FL)

Adult Yellow-Crowned Night Heron
(Taken 11/14/12, Blackburn Point, near Osprey FL)

Juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron
(Taken 4/24/12, J. N. Ding Darling National
Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island FL)

Adult with breeding plumes visible.
(Taken 4/29/14, The Celery Fields, Sarasota FL)