Circle B Bar Reserve, FL - 30 Dec 2009
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My destination this morning was the Circle B Bar Reserve just outside of Lakeland next to Lake Hancock (Polk County). It is a former cattle ranch that consists of pastureland, oak hammock woodland, and marshland that host wintering water birds, shorebirds, Bald Eagles and Osprey.
I arrived at there shortly before 10 am. It was sunny, 50F with no breeze. An Eastern Phoebe greeted me at the entrance. As I drove slowly through the entrance toward the nature center I could hear Carolina Wrens singing in the distance. A Wood Stork flew overhead. I heard several Red-bellied Woodpeckers next to the road, so I stopped and scanned the moss-ladened trees for them.
No sooner did I park the car at the Visitor’s Center that I heard Carolina Chickadees singing in the trees. I scanned, but couldn’t find them. With the car door still open I found a Blue-headed Vireo overhead and managed a few pics.
Nearby a Yellow-throated Warbler appeared momentarily, and I was able to get a couple of long-distance shots w/ the Sigma 400mm.
Nearby a Black-and-White Warbler was feeding along a branch, and several Palm Warblers appeared and began to give their ‘chip’ notes. Out in the distance a Pileated Woodpecker began belting out its loud call.
As I loaded up the scope, camera and monopod I was greeted by flocks of Common Grackles, Blue Jays, and Mourning Doves flying by. I wanted to head directly to the marsh, but instead of turning right I headed left along the crushed-gravel trail (Shady Oak) toward Lake Hancock.
As I loaded up the scope, camera and monopod I was greeted by flocks of Common Grackles, Blue Jays, and Mourning Doves flying by. I wanted to head directly to the marsh, but instead of turning right I headed left along the crushed-gravel trail (Shady Oak) toward Lake Hancock.
As I walked the trail a Bald Eagle flushed from the edge of the nearby woods while a pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were chattering overhead. As I reached the edge of the woods Lake Hancock appeared to my left, and a steady stream of Fish Crows appeared overhead. To my left, along the tree-lined shoreline, I spotted the Pileated Woodpecker high up in the trees. A Great Blue Heron flew in and landed atop one of the trees. I was able to capture its landing, and spent several minutes digiscoping it from the nearby lawn.
Bald Eagles were traveling along the shoreline, but the trees prevented any flight shots. One adult swooped nearby and momentarily harassed a roosting Great Egret. Shortly after, I counted two-four-six American White Pelicans passing overhead, followed by another 8 birds (counting them would soon become moot – read on). Across the lake I could make out dozens of Great Egrets roosting along the shoreline high up in the trees.
Just up the trail a Wood Stork flew in and perched atop one of the trees lining the shore. I grabbed several frames w/ the D300 and was able to digiscope it from about 70 feet.
Nearby a Palm Warbler perched atop a dead snag long enough to permit a few pics.
Overhead several more pelicans flew by, followed by several more storks, and a nice immature Bald Eagle.
Boat-tailed Grackles were feeding among the Spanish Moss, and I was quickly filling my card – I hadn’t even gotten to the wetlands, yet!
Along the way Zebra Heliconia butterflies were flitting about, and provided some stunning views.
Along the way Zebra Heliconia butterflies were flitting about, and provided some stunning views.
To my right the marshes began to appear, and Turkey Vultures and Osprey were perched among many of the dead trees. Another Wood Stork provided some nice digiscoping from just a few feet away. A series of dikes surrounding large ponds, shallow wetlands, and emergent/woody fields remind me of Pt. Mouillee, but w/ twice the number of birds.
A female Common Yellowthroat appeared long enough for a couple of pics, but soon disappeared into the thickets.
Palm Warblers and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were probably the most abundant passerine here, and made for challenging photography.
As I continued along the trail the bare/dead trees were occupied by Osprey, Double-crested Cormorant, Little Blue Heron, Great Blue Heron, Anhinga, Wood Stork, and Great Egret. This Little Blue Heron posed nearby for several digiscoped images.
As I continued along the trail the bare/dead trees were occupied by Osprey, Double-crested Cormorant, Little Blue Heron, Great Blue Heron, Anhinga, Wood Stork, and Great Egret. This Little Blue Heron posed nearby for several digiscoped images.
Below me were several American Alligators. Wading birds were everywhere. The vegetation-covered wetlands were teeming with Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Heron, Glossy Ibis, White Ibis, and Tri-colored Herons. I managed to flush a pair of Swamp Sparrows a few feet away.
An older couple coming the other way informed me of a pair of female-type Painted Buntings that were along the trail (I couldn’t relocate them). I did find a Gray Catbird. A pair of Red-shouldered Hawks flew overhead very close to me, but I was in the middle of taking pics w/ the Coolpix P6000 to get any flight pics.
When I finally reached the open marsh (Heron Hideout) things really began to take off!.
When I finally reached the open marsh (Heron Hideout) things really began to take off!.
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The nearby mudflats hosted a small flock of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks roosting within a few feet of a very large gator. It was neat to watch a pair of perfectly-synchronized birds lift their heads in unison to scan the nearby flats for danger before going back to sleep.
Nearby were several Snowy Egrets, Little Blue and Tri-colored Herons, Wood Storks and Roseate Spoonbills. An Anhinga, drying its wings by the side of the dike gave me a nice view of its gullet!.
Off in the distance several large, bare trees were decorated with dozens of cormorants. Dozens of White Pelicans and Wood Storks continued to stream overhead to the northwest.
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More Black-bellied Whistling Ducks were flying to the west while the lone Glossy Ibis or Turkey Vulture soared past.
In the shallow waters to my right were dozens of Blue-winged Teal and American Coot while farther out several Common Moorhens paddled about. Pied-billed Grebes were calling and courting several yards away. A single Glossy Ibis was close enough for a photo.
Instead of taking the trail separating two halves of the marsh (Marsh Rabbit Run), I continued toward the large open field (Eagle Roost) with the hopes of kicking up a sparrow or two. I did, but they were too quick to ID. They tended to fly several yards before diving back into heavy cover. I could only guess that they were Savannah Sparrows (I would later learn that Grasshopper Sparrows were also a possibility). I did, however, flush a pair of Eastern Meadowlarks. A large Bald Eagle nest was occupied by adults, but they flew off to a tree 50 yards away that could only produce a record shot.
Instead of taking the trail separating two halves of the marsh (Marsh Rabbit Run), I continued toward the large open field (Eagle Roost) with the hopes of kicking up a sparrow or two. I did, but they were too quick to ID. They tended to fly several yards before diving back into heavy cover. I could only guess that they were Savannah Sparrows (I would later learn that Grasshopper Sparrows were also a possibility). I did, however, flush a pair of Eastern Meadowlarks. A large Bald Eagle nest was occupied by adults, but they flew off to a tree 50 yards away that could only produce a record shot.
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A soaring Turkey Vulture allowed several close images for a composite. Mounds of white sand were scattered across the fields that I could only guess belonged to fire ants. I decided to give them distance. Instead, I stopped long enough to photograph several Queen Butterflies flitting nearby.
Leaving the field and returning toward the west end of the marsh, I was greeted by a small spectacle of American White Pelicans roosting along the shoreline. A rough count yielded 3000 birds! I tried panning the flock so as to create a composite image, but the flock stretched for over 120ยบ field-of-view!.
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I attempted to take a digiscoped video of the flock for effect. Never seen so many pelicans in my life!
Nearby were several Savannah Sparrows and more Palm Warblers. One Palm Warbler hopping around at my feet allowed me to take some macro shots w/ the 400mm lens.
At this point I had filled my first 8Gb memory card, and had to stop to put a new card in the camera. A Limpkin standing just a few feet away sat patiently while I fiddled w/ camera gear.
As I was loading the camera a large gator just a few feet away slid back into the water - I never saw it. Yikes! Once re-loaded I took the Limpkin's picture and digiscoped it.
Up ahead on the trail, near an outfall drain, was a flock of roosting Caspian Terns. Among them were several Laughing Gulls and Royal Terns. After digiscoping them for a bit, I needed to start heading back (Esther was having issues w/ the plumbers…).
Returning to the car along the Marsh Rabbit Run Trail (separating two halves of the marsh), I spotted several Cattle Egrets feeding in the vegetation below me. Several birds were also found along the duckweed-covered canal to my right. Walking into the sun, I concentrated my efforts on the marsh to my left, where numerous Glossy Ibis fed 60 – 200 feet away. A single White-faced Ibis was among them, and I got good looks at both Plegadis birds in the same FOV. But instead of digiscoping it, I let several other birders observe it through my scope. I would later learn that it was a target bird for many of them. It had disappeared by the time I was able to digiscoped it.
The afternoon ended with a posing Red-shouldered Hawk perched several yards from the trail, which provided some nice digiscoping. A small flock of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks were also in decent lighting for some digiscoping. Time to head back to the house to fix a leaking kitchen sink. Damn plumbers… I'll be back here, tomorrow!
Circle B Bar Reserve, Polk, Florida, US
Dec 30, 2009 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
46 species
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) 16
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 2
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 2
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 1
American Coot (Fulica americana) 2
Limpkin (Aramus guarauna) 1
Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) 2
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 2
Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) 2
Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) 1
Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) 1
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 2
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) 3006 returning toward the west end of the marsh, I was greeted by a small spectacle of American White Pelicans roosting along the shoreline. A rough count yielded 3000 birds! I tried panning the flock so as to create a composite image, but the flock stretched for over 120ยบ field-of-view!. I attempted to take a digiscoped video of the flock for effect (see above!). Never seen so many pelicans in my life!
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) 2
Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) 1
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) 1
Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) 2
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 1
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 2
White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) 1
Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) 1
White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) 1 foraging in the marsh next to several Glossy Ibis. White skin patch around the eye and pink skin patch separated it from the Glossy Ibis. Bird had been reported here, so it was continuing. Showed it to several bystanders using scope.
Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) 1
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 1
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 1
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) 1
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 1
Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 1
Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) 1
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) 1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 2
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 1
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 2
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 2
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) 1
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 1
Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major) 2
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) 1
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 1
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) 1
Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Dec 30, 2009 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
46 species
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) 16
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 2
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 2
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 1
American Coot (Fulica americana) 2
Limpkin (Aramus guarauna) 1
Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) 2
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 2
Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) 2
Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) 1
Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) 1
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 2
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) 3006 returning toward the west end of the marsh, I was greeted by a small spectacle of American White Pelicans roosting along the shoreline. A rough count yielded 3000 birds! I tried panning the flock so as to create a composite image, but the flock stretched for over 120ยบ field-of-view!. I attempted to take a digiscoped video of the flock for effect (see above!). Never seen so many pelicans in my life!
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) 2
Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) 1
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) 1
Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) 2
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 1
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 2
White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) 1
Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) 1
White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) 1 foraging in the marsh next to several Glossy Ibis. White skin patch around the eye and pink skin patch separated it from the Glossy Ibis. Bird had been reported here, so it was continuing. Showed it to several bystanders using scope.
Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) 1
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 1
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 1
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) 1
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 1
Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 1
Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) 1
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) 1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 2
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 1
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 2
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 2
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) 1
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 1
Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major) 2
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) 1
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 1
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) 1
Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
