Tame White Winged Dove has no apparent fear of me standing just a few feet away - part of a group of about six that stopped by the Backyard. They are considered an introduced and exotic species in Florida and are common year round in some areas, but not the Backyard. They are rare visitors here. They are beautiful Doves with striking orange eyes surrounded by a light blue eye-shadow accents. Originally a bird of the desert their range is expanding.
Red Tailed Hawk perched over the Backyard - the first time presence of this big hawk may explain the recent loss of Mother Squirrel as these hawks primarily eat rodents. The hunting Cooper's Hawks seem to prefer Doves and other birds and the Red Shouldered Hawks seems to prefer birds, snakes and lizards. Interesting that a Red Tailed Hawk would suddenly appear in an area historically frequented by Cooper's and Red Shouldered Hawks. There must be an abundance of food this winter or these raptors are increasing in numbers and spreading out into new territory. These hawks are usually not migratory in this area although their numbers may temporarily increase from the north during winter. Magnificent birds that they are - it is not clear how three species of hawks are going to coexist in such close quarters.
The red-tailed hawk is one of the most widely scattered hawks in the Americas. It breeds from central Alaska, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories east to southern Quebec and the Maritime Provinces of Canada, and south to Florida, the West Indies, and Central America. The winter range stretches from southern Canada south throughout the remainder of the breeding range.
Its preferred habitat is mixed forest and field, with high bluffs or trees that may be used as perch sites. It occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes, including deserts, grasslands, coastal regions, mountains, foothills, coniferous and deciduous woodlands, tropical rainforests, agricultural fields and urban areas.
The red-tailed hawk is widespread in North America, partially due to historic settlement patterns, which have benefited it. The clearing of forests in the Northeast created hunting areas, while the preservation of woodlots left the species with viable nest sites. The increase in trees throughout the Great Plains during the past century due to fire suppression and tree planting facilitated the western range expansion of the red-tailed hawk as well as range expansions of many other species of birds. The construction of highways with utility poles alongside treeless medians provided perfect habitat for perch-hunting. Unlike some other raptors, the red-tailed hawk are seemingly unfazed by considerable human activity and can nest and live in close proximity to large numbers of humans. Thus, the species can also be found in cities, where common prey such as rock pigeons and brown rats may support their populations. One famous urban red-tailed hawk, known as "Pale Male", became the subject of a non-fiction book, Red-Tails in Love: A Wildlife Drama in Central Park, and is the first known red-tail in decades to successfully nest and raise young in the crowded New York City borough of Manhattan.
The red-tailed hawk is carnivorous, and an opportunistic feeder. Its diet is mainly small mammals, but it also includes birds and reptiles. Prey varies with regional and seasonal availability, but usually centers on rodents, comprising up to 85% of a hawk's diet. Most commonly reported prey types include mice, including both native Peromyscus species and house mice; gophers, voles, chipmunks, ground squirrels and tree squirrels. Additional prey (listed by descending likelihood of predation) include lagomorphs, shrews, bats, pigeons, quail, corvids, waterfowl, other raptors, reptiles, fish, crustaceans, insects and earthworms. Where found in Caribbean islands, red-tailed hawks prey mostly on reptiles such as snakes and lizards, since these are perhaps the most predominant native land animals of that region. Prey specimens can range to as small a size as beetles and worms. However, they can also prey on marmots, white-tailed jackrabbits, or female wild turkey, all of which are at least easily double the weight of most red-tails. Although they prefer to feed on fresh prey they've killed themselves, these hawks are not above occasionally consuming carrion. During winter in captivity, an average red-tail will eat about 135 g (4.8 oz) daily.
The red-tailed hawk commonly employs one of two hunting techniques. Often, they scan for prey activity from an elevated perch site, swooping down from the perch to seize the prey. They also watch for prey while flying, either capturing a bird in flight or pursuing prey on the ground until they can pin them down in their talons. Red-tailed hawks, like some other raptors, have been observed to hunt in pairs. This may consist of stalking opposites sides of a tree, in order to surround a tree squirrel and almost inevitably drive the rodent to be captured by one after being flushed by the other hawk.They are opportunistically attracted to conspicuous meals, such as displaying male red-winged blackbirds.
Male Northern Cardinal loudly singing three different territorial songs just before sunrise in late February in Florida. Many recorded cardinal calls or songs are rather "wimpy" honestly - underestimating how much Cardinals can dominate the Backyard soundscape. This cardinal is over 200 feet away and 50 feet high in the tallest tree - an important territorial marker for birds - and he has to be heard through all the other birds calls you will hear - notably Grackles and Jays. Cardinals are one of the loudest and strongest singers of the Backyard world. Spring is in the air in Florida and the male cardinal is staking his claim! Mating and nesting comes early in Florida!
Male Eastern Screech Owl whole body shakes as he makes the classic "trilling" sounds at dusk upon arriving at the nest box to hunt and bring food to the female. Their courtship period is the longest I've seen in five years and eggs should start showing up any day now. Screech Owls make a wide variety of interesting calls - many of them can be heard on this playlist:
Featured in the famous "Kill Bill Vol. 1" fight scene - the Shishi Odoshi or "Deer Scarer" Bamboo Water Fountain would make a fantastic water feature for one's Backyard or "Zen Garden". This one was filmed at the Morikami Japanese Gardens near Boca Raton, Florida. There are many kits and DIY ideas out there, but I have to say, if I was to do one - I would imitate this one, make it big and use natural bamboo and lots of rocks. A relatively simple project that just requires a pump and some imagination. This fountain operates on about a 50 second period and when full of water it falls and makes two loud knocks on rocks and then resets for another 50 seconds. One adjusts the length of the return knocks and how loud the knocks are by how many bamboo cells you open letting a certain volume of water collect and adjusting the pivot point. A large cavity and a slow period and heavy water for a big splash and loud knocks, which is what I would prefer. The ideas is that the loud knocks disturb deer that might eat your garden plants, but it doesn't bother the birds and other little critters. And really it functions as a meditative background. Enjoy three complete cycles of this unique fountain!
Beautiful Snowy Egret with bright yellow feet, uses them to help stir up fish while hunting. Unlike most herons that patiently sit and wait to strike a fish, the Snowy Egret is on the move - stirring up the bottom and exciting fish with those big yellow feet and covering a lot of ground to stalk fish. Snowy Egrets are one of my favorite birds with their striking pure white plumage and sexy yellow feet they always make my day! If you've never seen on on the move you are in for a treat!
A juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night Heron and juvenile White Ibis have bonded and become good buddies. I followed these two young birds at a distance for quite awhile on a trail before it occurred to me what was going on and take a video. I got a little too close in the beginning and you can sense I'm cramping their style - I stayed back and they continued on their morning stroll together looking for tasty bugs to dig out of the ground.
Close up quality time with a beautiful Northern Cardinal couple in the dense jungle behind the Backyard. A very unusual and relaxing backdrop for watching Cardinals! There are usually one pair of Cardinals that call the Backyard area home, but they are very low profile and hide in the deep brush - making quick darts to the feeder. I can never get to spend any time with them as they are dominated by the Jays, Grackles Woodpeckers and squirrels around the feeders. So I took the food to them into the jungle and succeeded in getting them to enjoy a private dinner until a surprise crass visitor totally destroys the party at the end. Your in for a treat!
Crows calling at Bald Eagle to force it off its high perch and out of its territory in Florida. The crows bet that annoying calls and courage will trump size and power. Who will win this battle of nerves?
The Snowy Egret is a species of special concern in Florida and relatively rare to get close to in the wild. It is my favorite wading bird with its friendly expression exotic plumage and cute yellow feet. This one still has a lot of yellow on its legs which probably means it is fairly young.
Physical Description
The snowy egret is a small and active wading bird that can reach a height of 26 inches (66 centimeters) with a 39 inch (100 centimeters) wingspan (Parsons and Master 2000). This species has a full white body, black legs, bright yellow feet, yellow marks around the eyes, and a black bill.
Life History
The diet of the snowy egret primarily consists of shrimp, small fish, and small invertebrates. It feeds in fresh and salt water habitats within flocks of other wading birds.
The snowy egret begins breeding around late March to early April. This species nests with other wading birds in swamps and mangroves on islands. During courtship, the male will point his bill upwards and begin moving his body up and down as he tries to impress the female . They will nest no higher than 30 feet (9.1 meters) above the ground on a stage of sticks in trees and bushes. Females will lay three to five eggs, and they will hatch after 23-26 days of incubation. During incubation, both parents will incubate the eggs . To feed young, the parents will partially digest food and regurgitate it to the nestlings. The young are able to fly 25 days after hatching; however, they do not leave the nest until a couple months after first flight.
Habitat and Distribution
Snowy Egret Distribution
Snowy egrets commonly prefer shallow estuarine areas including mangroves, shallow bays, saltmarsh pools, and tidal channels. This species can be found in the U.S. from northern California, east to South Dakota, and south to Florida where they are widespread year-round residents. Snowy egrets are also found in Chile, Argentina, and the Greater Antilles. This species is found throughout Florida.
Threats:
Historically, the snowy egret was overhunted for their plumage (feathers) which were often used for women’s clothing and hats. Today’s threats to the species are not well understood, but coastal development, recreational disturbance at foraging and breeding sites, habitat degradation, human disturbance, and increased pressure from predators are primary concerns. Similar to other wading birds that depend on fragile estuaries and wetlands for foraging and breeding, snowy egrets are at risk of exposure to persistent contaminants such as heavy metals (ex. mercury) and pesticides . Snowy egrets compete for nesting sites with growing numbers of cattle egrets, which can be aggressively territorial at colony sites, but the relationship to productivity is not well understood . Other potential threats to snowy egret populations are alterations to the hydrology of foraging areas, and oil spill impacts to critical breeding, foraging, and roosting sites.
Conservation and Management
The snowy egret is protected by the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act and as a State Species of Special Concern by Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule External Website.
