Cold Lakeland RV Birding - 26 Jan 2007
26 January 2007 Lakeland RV Park, Lakeland, FL
0900 Hrs. After a night that saw temps drop to 30ºF I ventured back outside to the pond. Skies were clear, and the air was surprising mild for a chilly morning. I tucked myself off to the side of the pond next to the shadows of the clubhouse and waited for some of the Mudhens to swim out into the sunny waters.
Just then a Great Egret flew in and landed about 20 feet away from me. After a few shots from the Nikon D70 I tried to digiscope it as it posed just a few feet away.
It then flushed and flew off across the pond. I created this image by superimposing three separate flight shots of the egret as flew from the shade into the sun.
As it landed on the far side of the pond, it joined a pair of White Ibis and a single Snowy Egret. The four birds proceeded to follow each other along the bank like a set of misfits looking for an easy meal. Very cute!
As they worked the far side of the shore, they were then joined by a Little Blue Heron who took the lead and marched the foursome around the lake back toward me.
It then flew back across the lake and landed literally in front of me. As I only had one shot left on the Nikon, I had to wait for the right moment to capture it.
Switching cards, I had only a few moments before an Osprey flew in and hovered over the water. I tried to capture some flight shots, but it was too close and too fast for me to focus on it.
As I kept shooting away at it, a Belted Kingfisher flew in and landed on a pole next to the dock! I literally had to decide which bird to go after, and decided that I was never going to be this close to a Kingfisher again. I digiscoped it before it flew off.
The Mudhens finally came in close enough for me to photograph them in decent light. A young bird posed nicely on a log and allowed great views of its huge feet. It bill was a bright orange, not like the bright red and yellow of the adults.
A Northern Mockingbird landed in the trees about 30 yards away, and gave me fits trying to digiscope it among the branches.
Just then a Sandhill Crane flew in over the trees right at me and allowed me several flight shots of it as it passed by. I created this composite image by combining four flight shots into a single image, making it appear as if a small flock of birds had flown in. Gorgeous bird!
1300 Hrs. After lunch, Robin and I drove into Lakeland for a smoothie. On the way back we stopped at the Lakeland Cancer Center, a small medical facility next to a large pond and several drainage ditches. Several Double-crested Cormorants were sunning themselves in the shallow water, while three Killdeer and two Least Sandpipers worked the mudflats.
Just then a pair of Sandhill Cranes walked up from the shady woods and stood along the driveway entrance to the facility. Several cars pulled up into the driveway unaware of the two large birds standing nearby in the shadows. I slowly drove up into the driveway, and Robin made a makeshift tripod with two fingers supporting my lens as I snapped a couple of images of one bird stretching. We then drove off slowly, leaving them to their grooming. Amazing!
Returning to Lakeland RV Park I walked back to the pond to watch the White Ibis and Snowy Egret feed along the shoreline. I tried to see if I could image the Ibis from about 200 yds with the F30. Not bad at all. I managed to capture its mate flying across the pond to join it.
Back in the tree where the Northern Mockingbird was earlier, a single European Starling showed off its irridescence in the late afternoon sun.
Across the pond in a bare tree a half-dozen White-winged Doves roosted in the sunlight.
1600 Hrs. A quick run to the shopping center proved to be rewarding as about a hundred Cedar Waxwings were working the palm trees along the shopping center parkway. They were literally swarming from one tree to the next like locusts.
1700 Hrs. As the sun started to drop behind the trees I decided to shoot the last of my memory cards back at the pond. I focused on a small lizard from about 10 yds away and digiscoped it before it disappeared into the brush.
A Common Yellowthroat chattered noisily from a few feet away, as did several Red-winged Blackbirds.
The waning sun cast a nice golden sheen across the pond, and my last pics of the day were of a pair of Mudhen and of the Anhinga.
Overhead an immature Bald Eagle made a brief appearance before disappearing to the south.
Lakeland RV Park, FL, Polk, Florida, US
Jan 26, 2007 7:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Protocol: Historical
5.0 ac
1.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Day's worth of birding the pond.
19 species
White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) 6
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 3
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) 3
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 1
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 2
Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) 1
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 4
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) 1
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 1
White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) 2
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 1
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) 1
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 110
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 6
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
