At the edge of this lake, a boardwalk that covers the edge of the water nestled next to a marshy area that is home to many different species of birds. On most any given day one can see of course, the Moorhens or the local Anhinga. And not to forget the gators that lay basking in the sun.

During this time of year the migratory birds such as Warblers, Gnatcatcher, and Flycatchers. There are many hiding places here and the best way is to move slow and keep your eyes open and look in all directions. Osprey will be flying above, hovering every so often as he positions his body to dive in the water for lunch. Rarely have I ever been disappointed by visiting this location and this time of year is great. If your lucky to see the Sora’s that hide in the tall grass consider it a successful trip.

This Osprey flew overhead while I was waiting for the Sora to make another appearance since I missed him the first time.

Hope to see you there.

I have noticed a more abundant supply in my own backyard this year, more so than usual. The large Oak trees close by provide a perfect place for them to look for food and hide from being food at the same time.

I usually am hiding behind the fence with my 500mm lens trying to capture the best photo possible.  Most of the time they are a bit difficult to photograph since they don’t sit still for long periods of time. I have found that inside the park areas they seem to be a bit more cooperative. I guess they get used to the human species.

The Palm Warbler is the most common and can be seen in abundance in Central Florida. The Yellow-throated is one of my favorites but rarely seen. It is one that I would like to add to my portfolio since the few images of this bird that I do have are not good enough to display. In the meantime I keep looking and shooting.

Article & photo  by Deborah Kunzie

All images are copyright

Florida Bird Journal is a book designed to help birdwatchers and photographers alike maximize and organize their birding experience.

This page-by-page organizational journal helps you document species, time and place, weather conditions and leaves plenty of room for personal notations. Florida Bird journal includes a list of Florida birds, and some photography, program and equipment tips as well.

Over 400 pages provided to keep all your bird documentation together with this well-organized journal for amateurs and professionals.

It’s all about awareness!

BUY ON AMAZON

BUY ON BARNES & NOBLE

Journey through south Florida searching for an array of beautiful and rare birds in ancient moss-covered cypress swamps, everglades prairies that join the sky, and brilliant beaches that sparkle with flashes of roseate wings. Scan across the tips of sawgrass searching for hovering Snail kites and hear the squeal of the elusive Limpkin.

TARGET BIRDS

*Snail Kite*Limpkin*Painted Bunting* Purple Gallinule*Peregrine Falcon*Sora* *Roseate Spoonbill*Smooth-billed ani *Short-eared Owl*Short-tailed Hawk* *Brown-headed Nuthatch*Wood Stork* **Reddish Egret**Common Myna**Crested Caracara**Burrowing Owl** **Cuban Yellow Warbler**White-tailed Kite*LesserNighthawk*

FIELD WORKSHOPS: Advanced Birding Skills, Habitat, Bird by Ear, Behavior, Field Techniques

FLORIDA EXPERTS: DAVID SIMPSON & PADDY CUNNINGHAM

KEYNOTE: JAMES CURRIE, T.V.’S BIRDING ADVENTURES — 1/13 – 7:00pm

more info here

Northern Bobwhites are approximately 9-10 inches in length with a wingspan of 14-16 inches.  The average weight is 6.3 ounces.  Female Northern Bobwhites differ in plumage from the males.  Females have a buff stripe over the eye and a buff throat whereas the males have a very distinct white stripe over the eyes and a white throat.  Northern Bobwhites are monogamous and solitary but do form family groups in the summer.

Habitats of the Northern Bobwhite include shrub lands, open woodland and forests.  Their diet consists of seeds, insects, worms and spiders.  The seed diet is diverse, and includes wheat, corn, legumes, soybeans, pine and oak mast and grasses.  Northern Bobwhites have one brood per year.  Both male and female tend to the young.  Soon after hatching, the young leave the nest, taking their first flight at 12-14 days.  These beautiful birds can be found in Florida and much of the southeast year round; just listen and then look!

Fun Facts about Northern Bobwhites:  

The Northern Bobwhite is the official game bird of Tennessee, Georgia and Washington
There are 22 different subspecies with little variation among the females and dramatic variations among the males.
Florida variation has a black center stripe on top of the head.

¹ Alsop, Fred J III.  Birds of Florida.  (New York, NY, DK Publishing, Inc.  2002)  Pg 129

Article and photo submitted by Georgia Wilson

Snow has already fallen in many of our northern and western states bringing about another unusual change.

Speaking of change, guess you have now noticed that we here at Florida Bird Magazine has implemented a bit of change ourselves. We are sporting a new web design and will soon be revealing some other new things coming. It was time.

The great thing about the new design is every section on this site is available with just a simple click from the front page. The archives page will contain links to every story that is submitted. Each week the “flickr” group image will change to represent the great photos people in our group submit. If you haven’t joined us there, be sure and do so, your image just may appear on the front of this site with a link back to your work.

We still have a lot of work to do on the site but don’t let that stop you from participating. We will be taking story and photo submissions soon as will be looking to add regular contributors.

We do hope you find our site informative and will tell your friends and other bird lovers to join us. One more thing. We will be coming out with the print version of the magazine very soon. It was expected to have been released at this point but because of health issues and other problems we missed our deadline. We will be updating more on that later.

For now hope you are enjoying this beautiful Florida weather and are out shooting some great shots!

Deborah Kunzie

The scientific name gives you clues about the structure of the bald eagle – haliaeetus leucocephalus is Latin for “sea eagle with a white head.”  With a large dark body and a large white head and neck, this raptor is primarily a fish eater, but will take birds and mammals, and is a master at stealing food from other birds of prey, especially the “sea hawk” or osprey. There are several osprey that nest in the neighborhood of the cemetery and they commonly challenge the eagles in the eagles’ own back yard. In turn, the eagles are often seen stealing fish from the osprey.

The sexes look very much alike, the female being larger than the male and having a larger beak.Her greater size is needed during copulation and later empowers the female to protect eggs and chicks on the nest; the smaller size makes the male a little better fighter, hunter, and aerial food stealer. During courtship and early development, differences in behavior and voice pitch become a bit more obvious. In the photo on the right, the larger female is in the foreground. This year’s couple is comprised of an older female and her new-this-year mate. She showed up by herself in the middle of August and he came around about 3 weeks later. The first couple months together was very interesting to watch, as this was his first relationship. Eagles mate for life, unless one or the other of a pair gets seriously injured or killed.  They are also very loyal to a nest site. We could tell very soon that this was a new male, based on his behavior and markings on his white feathers. Watching the two of them was like looking in on a boss interviewing, training, and accepting an apprentice.

Soon after returning from a few months hiatus away from the cemetery, the couple undertakes the arduous task of rebuilding a nest that will eventually grow in size to that of a queen sized bed! The male and the female both gather nesting material, beginning with larger branches and eventually finishing with leafy twigs and spanish moss. A nest was found in Ohio back in the 20′s that measured 9 feet wide, 20 feet deep, and weighed more than 2 tons! On several occasions this male was seen bringing a branch to the nest and spending considerable time and effort nervously trying to position the material correctly in the nest, with the female watching from a perch above. Eventually she would drop down onto the nest and within seconds install the branch. She is, after all, the veteran in this relationship, and he is the apprentice…

(Submitted by Jim Gray)