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While in Savannah, Georgia last month for business, we had a short break in the meetings so I took a short walk along the canal bordering the hotel. And not more than 30 feet from me was this lurking American Alligator!
He was a decent sized one - I'd say 5-6 feet long.
Don't think I didn't make sure I could make a quick exit in case he thought I looked good for lunch!
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I was so happy to have a couple Red-breasted Nuthatches return to my yard after a long absence. These energetic little nuthatches had been daily regulars in my yard thanks to an abundance of the coniferous habitat they prefer.
But sadly they had been conspicuous by their absence for many months. I recorded one Red-breasted Nuthatch on December 27, 2011 during a Project FeederWatch count but none since.
Many factors may have caused its temporary absence, from weather to food supplies to mortality and predation. But the mystery of my missing nuthatches will remain unsolved.
It's nothing new for birdwatchers to have no clear explanation for the disappearance (or appearance) of a bird species from their yards. I can live with that - I'm just glad to have my nuthatches back!
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Our second port of call on our February cruise was Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands. We had no excursion booked, so we just rented a couple bikes for the morning. We headed towards town, but didn't quite know what we were going for, if anything. Grand Turk is a coral island so thankfully the ride was pretty much flat (a good thing).
The major industry on Grand Turk is salt production and we hoped we'd see some birds on one of the island's many ponds. At the first pond, we saw a small group of White-cheeked Pintails. They had great markings, including a big white cheek and orange stripe down the sides of their beak.
On the same pond was a nice sized group of Black-necked Stilts. Beyond them was a group of sandpiper-types and further still, a couple herons, but without a scope, we couldn't confidently make a call on any of them.
At the next pond were Ruddy Turnstones and at another, two Tri-colored Herons. One of the tri-coloreds was not shy and actually approached me, giving me the opportunity for some nice close-up shots.
The other heron stayed further back, foraging for food. It would pull its head back toward the body, its neck crooked almost snake-like. With eyes focused on the prey it would uncoil and strike, bringing in its bounty.
As we biked through the town area, this Cattle Egret was just off the road. He was wary, but let us stop within 20 feet to admire him.
In another pond, a Reddish Egret perched on a log, preening, and looked like it was already in breeding plumage with pink bill and pinker head and neck plumage. It shared the pond with a number of what I believe are Royal Terns.
We biked along yet another pond, this one was littered with human debris. But the birds were there nonetheless, like this Little Blue Heron atop a discarded propane tank.
Further along, we spotted a head peeking up just above the grass. We pulled up quietly and were treated to a nice long look at this Willet.
Then at the end of that pond, we got to see this Whimbrel, which according to Arlott in Birds of the West Indies, is generally uncommon or rare in the West Indies.
As we returned past the pond with the two tri-coloreds, the not-so-shy one was right on water's edge, again giving us a very close encounter with this beautiful bird.
We retraced our route back to the cruise center and got one last look at the ducks, who hadn't moved much in the hour or so since we had passed. It was a nice visit to Grand Turk: a few birds and a nice bike ride, both beneath the bright Caribbean sun.
Grand Turk Fun Fact: After orbiting the earth 3 times, astronaut John Glenn's Friendship 7 capsule splashed down in the waters near Grand Turks. He was taken to Grand Turk for debriefing and medical exams.
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I was enamored by this diminuitive butterfly that has been drawn to the lavendar flowers in my yard this year. They are very petite - no more than a 1" wingspan and I found the posture of their wings fascinating.
I pulled out my Peterson Field Guide to the Moths but couldn't find a thing. So I posted this image on Facebook to ask for some direction. Within minutes, I had 5 people pointing me toward the skippers and another suggested a Northern Broken Dash. All are butterflies, not moths!
So I put away the moth book and started looking at skippers. I also posted another picture showing a different angle and got another vote for the Northern Broken Dash and a suggestion to look at the Crossline Skipper.
I went to the Butterflies of America site and looked at multiple images of Crossline Skippers side-by-side with my images. It sure looked like a match!
But then I did the same with images of the Northern Broken Dash. Now I'm more confused than ever!
So I'll just post a few more pictures and if anyone can definitively identify this interesting little butterfly, I'd really appreciate it! Have fun with it!
(To help with ID, click on any image to enlarge).
Thanks for your help!!
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Shrikes, like these juvenile Loggerhead Shrikes, are often called "butcher birds" because of their habit of impaling prey on thorns or even on barbed wire fences.
Their unlucky prey includes large insects, rodents and small birds. A hint of their predatory habit is bespoken by the hook shape of their upper beak.
Who would imagine that this downy young shrike will soon carry out such seemingly gruesome acts?
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While on the deck trying (mostly in vain) to take images of hummingbirds in flight, a creature buzzed by me heading to a nearby flower. But it wasn't the target of my photography, it was an imposter!
It hovered like a hummingbird and ate nectar like one too. But it was smaller and didn't create that loud buzz that hummingbird wings do.
It was a Hummingbird Clearwing moth, a sphinx moth in the Sphingidae family. It has a long proboscis which allows it to eat nectar from deep, tubular flowers, and that coils up when not in use. The caterpillar feeds on honeysuckle, snowberry, hawthorn, cherry, and plum, the latter two which we have in our yard.
Source: Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America by David Beadle & Seabrooke Leckie
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We're starting to hear that hummingbird sightings at birdfeeders are down. Here's some reasons why:
1) Heat slows down bird activity (of all kinds). Watch for hummers early and late in the day when temps moderate. Consider adding a water mister for a nice water source for them.
2) Heat also breaks down nectar. Clean your feeders and replace nectar more often in hot weather.
3) Hummingbird natural food sources - insects and natural nectar - are extremely plentiful. Remember that our feeders are just a fast-food supplement for these guys!
4) Moms are busy tending to activities at the nest. She's a busy single mom spending many hours on the nest incubating eggs. When the eggs hatch, she is very busy searching for high protein food sources (not nectar) to bring back to the nestlings.
Don't worry - you'll see them all soon. Until then, try out some or all of these tips to increase your hummingbird enjoyment during these hot days of summer!
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Q. What happens to the poops that baby birds make in the birdhouse or nest?
A. Many parent birds keep the nest clean by carrying out each poop, which is neatly packaged in a mucous membrane called a fecal sac. Some parents then carry the sac away from the nest area, while other parents eat it.
In some bird species, the nestlings just poop along the edges, which makes quite a mess by the time they leave the nest.
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