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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/
    

Double-Crested Cormorant

     Today's featured feathered friend is the Double-Crested Cormorant.  Of the 30 Cormorant species worldwide, six can be found in North America.  Of these, the Double-Crested Cormorant is by far the most abundant and widespread.  This large heavy-bodied bird can be found all across North America.  There are five subspecies of the Double-Crested Cormorant.  Sizes can vary within the subspecies but generally they are 27 to 35 inches in length, weighing between 2.5 to 5.5 pounds, with a wingspan of up to 48 inches.  Cormorants in Alaska are the largest, those in Florida are the smallest.  

     The Double-Crested Cormorant has a stocky body, long neck, medium-sized tail, webbed feet and a medium-sized hooked bill.  They are black with yellow or orange facial skin.  Adult males and females are similar in appearance.  Juveniles are dark gray or brown, with a pale upper breast and dark belly.  In breeding plumage a "double-crest" is visible on the crown, hence their common name.  These crests are white in Cormorants from Alaska, and black in other regions.
     The diet of the Double-Crested Cormorant is almost exclusively fish.  It dives under water to find it's prey and can stay submerged for over a minute.  After diving, it stands with outstretched wings, allowing them to dry.  They have less preen oil than other birds, so their feathers can get soaked rather than shedding water like a duck's.  Enjoy these photos of the Double-Crested Cormorant.....tweet.....tweet!!   



Double-Crested Cormorant drying it's wings.
(Taken 2/2/12, Venice FL) 

 

Double-Crested Cormorants fishing.
(Taken 2/2/12, Venice FL)

 http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant/id

Common Grackle

     Today's featured bird is the Common Grackle.  A year round Florida resident, they are one of the nine bird species that visit our backyard daily.  Three species of Grackles can be found in North America; the Common, the Boat-Tailed and the Great-Tailed.  The Common Grackle is the smallest and most widespread of the three.  

     At first glance the Common Grackle is a plain black bird with a yellow eye.  However, in reality they display an assortment of iridescent colors.  Both sexes have a bluish hood (head).  Males have either bronze or multi-colored bodies and wings.  Females have blackish-brown bodies and wings with little iridescence.  Juveniles are dark brown overall with a dark eye and lack iridescence.  Males are slightly larger than females.   

     Common Grackles are considered pests by farmers.  They form large flocks causing extreme crop damage, making them the target of eradication campaigns.  Even so, their numbers remain strong and they have extended their range westward, following the spread of agriculture.  Despite their unpopularity, check out the spectacular colors of the Common Grackle in these photos.....tweet.....tweet!!  

Common Grackle
(All photos taken 10/24/12, Our Backyard)

     

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

Yellow-Throated Warbler

     Today's featured feathered friend is the Yellow-Throated Warbler.  Twice this week we've had a visit from a  Yellow-Throated Warbler.  We've spotted them before on outings, but never in our own backyard.  Their preferred habitat is swamp and pine forests.  Our backyard doesn't fit this description at all, so to choose our yard to stop by for a drink and a quick bath is such a blessing.

     The Yellow-Throated Warbler is a medium sized warbler measuring 5 1/4 inches.  The sexes are very similar, both have a bright yellow throat and upper breast with a bold black triangular face patch.  Their flanks are heavily black-streaked.  They have a white eyebrow, white neck, black forehead, gray crown and two white wingbars.  Females have less black on the forehead and finer flank streaking.  

     Yellow-Throated Warblers can be found over most of the eastern U.S. except in New England and New York.  Northern birds migrate south for the winter.  In Florida, they can be found year round.  Enjoy these photos of the colorful and beautiful Yellow-Throated Warbler.....tweet.....tweet!!



Yellow-Throated Warbler
(Taken 9/19/12, Englewood FL)



Yellow-Throated Warbler
(Taken 10/23/12, Our Backyard)

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-throated_Warbler/id