Birds of the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

 Not only does the Corkscrew Swamp contain the largest remnant of old-growth bald cypress in the world, it also hosts a lot of birds. Over 200 species have been sighted there, and while that's not as many as you might find on a wildlife refuge in a migration flyway, say, in rural eastern Oregon, it's still a respectable number. What was great about Corkscrew was how dang close those birds were. The boardwalk takes you deep into the swamp and there are literally birds everywhere, sometimes just a few feet from the walkway.

Before heading out onto the trail, we stopped at the visitor's center and checked the board for recent sightings. While I am happy to just go for a walk and take pictures, there's always that part of me that wants to log a new bird. I don't recall now all of the species on the list (I wish I'd taken a picture of the board) but one that stuck out was a Blue-headed Vireo. I'd never even heard of this bird (although it does migrate through Michigan) so we made that our target bird. Wouldn't you know, it would be one of the first birds we'd see, right in the area where the list said we'd find it. I wish they were all that easy!

Blue-headed Vireo in some deep shade. Pretty little bird with a touch of yellow and bold white eye ring.

Lots of little birds flitted about the swamp, including this female Palm Warbler. I wish I'd gotten better shots, but she was clinging to this branch above the water and nabbing insects from the surface. I love watching their behavior as much as I enjoy their sheer beauty.

Female Palm Warbler on the hunt.

The little birds are very difficult to photograph because they move so dang fast, and, in a situation like this, they are usually in the shade, which means slow shutter speeds and, consequently, blurry photos. I was really happy, then, to get a few decent shots of a Blue-grey Gnatcatcher more or less in focus, from tip to tip, with a bonus of a tasty morsel in its beak. I need to practice shooting with a fill flash to help stop movement and bring these guys out of the darkness.

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher with a spider--yum!

I think one of the things I love so much about photographing birds is it brings me closer to them. Not only do I get to study them in the field, through the lens, but I get to study them further at home, months or even years later. And there's always the challenge of getting a better image of a bird I've already seen. It goes like this:

1) Get an image, any image, of a bird seen for the first time
2) Try to get better images of a bird already photographed
3) Finally capture that "OMG I can't expect to do better than that" image that all photographers dream of.

I have very few number threes, which is what keeps me going back out into the field, keeps me shooting. This image is not a level three, but is certainly a number two--I'd only gotten fairly poor images of Great-crested Flycatchers until I came across this gorgeous bird. While its crest is not raised you do get a good look at those rusty primaries.

Good looks were had of a Great-crested Flycatcher.

But the birds who stole the show in the swamp were the wading birds. Holy moly, they were all over, and close. Little Blue Herons were plentiful, and we watched as this one nabbed a tasty treat then paused to scratch an itch.

Little Blue Heron.

White Ibis were everywhere, probably the most plentiful bird in the sanctuary. I was able to get good shots from a variety of angles. I like this one showing its narrow bill and blue eyes.

White Ibis in the soft afternoon sun.

This is not the greatest quality image as this bird was in some deep shade but as you can see, he found himself quite a meal in a large black crayfish. They probe the muddy bottom with that long narrow bill until they bump up against something, then bring it up and inspect it. He swallowed this crustacean whole.

Ibis and crayfish. The water behind the bird is really pretty, I just noticed.

There were a lot of immature Black-crowned Nightherons too, and we watched this youngster stalking prey. He eventually lunged but came up empty.

Imm. Black-crowned Nightheron hunting.

I waffled back and forth about whether this is an Anhinga or Double-crested Cormorant but I have finally settled on Anhinga--the red eye is what finally settled it. Cormorants have green eyes. In any case, it had speared this fish, and we watched as it worked it off it's bill and swallowed it. This is one of the only shots not obstructed by a branch, which is also another challenge when shooting in the woods.

Anhinga and an unfortunate fish.

Did I mention that the birds where really close? This is an uncropped image of a Great Egret who was just below the boardwalk, stalking prey.

Almost too close to see!

The sanctuary boardwalk closed at sunset and we were hungry, so we hustled through the last half mile or so and headed back to the van for a picnic lunch, then went back out to the boardwalk to cover that last bit more leisurely. Much to my delight, right past the visitor's center at the intersection of the loop, was a male Pileated Woodpecker, going to town on a pine tree. Oh happy day! Getting pileated shots is not easy--in most places they are pretty shy birds. But this one, well, he didn't care at all about the people milling about underneath as he searched for insects. I did a piece based on this bird as soon as I had a chance--maybe the fastest I've turned a photo around to art. It sold at the first show it was displayed. Guess I should do some more!

The magnificent Pileated Woodpecker.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Florida

So now that we have Alaska out of the way, I can get on with writing about the bazillion other places I've been in the past few years. Thanks to a bunch of out-of-state art shows I did in 2014, I visited a number of new places. While I've been to south Florida before, I'd never been to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and Blair Audubon Center near Bonita Springs, Florida.

I had booked a campsite at a place called Gulf Coast Camping RV Resort in Bonita Springs. My show was on Sanibel Island, home to "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, which I thought would be a good place for a wildlife artist (it wasn't, at least not for my style of work). Bonita Springs was the closest place I could find with an available site. When we arrived we discovered that this is a 55 and over community--oops! While there were some spaces available for the mobile retiree, most of the lots were filled with more permanent travel trailers--ones that had been skirted and sided and made to look like little houses. No one, as far as I know, objected to us camping there, and our neighbors were quite friendly.

It was in the office of the campground that I saw a brochure for Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. I had never heard of it, but since I was looking for something to do during our few days off after the show, I decided we should check it out. I was not disappointed!

At 13,000 acres, Corkscrew encompasses the largest intact stand of old-growth bald cypress trees in the world. The sanctuary includes a number of other types of habitat, making it a great place to see a wide variety of birds and mammals. No food is allowed on the 2.25 mile long boardwalk, so be sure to eat at the visitor's center, where there is a really good lunch counter as well as well-appointed gift shop.

Map of Corkscrew Swamp showing different types of habitat in the sanctuary.

The trail lead us through the pine flatwoods and along the wet prairie, where grasses and ferns mixed with scraggly trees.

Once in the cypress grove, we were surrounded by towering trees that shade a bonanza of ponds and swamps teeming with birds. Many of the largest trees are named, but I found photographing them to be useless as I just can't convey the enormity of these giants, some of which are over 500 years old.

Boardwalk through Corkscrew.

Florida strangler figs, Ficus aurea, are prevalent. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about them:

"Ficus aurea is a strangler fig. In figs of this group, seed germination usually takes place in the canopy of a host tree with the seedling living as an epiphyte until its roots establish contact with the ground. After that, it enlarges and strangles its host, eventually becoming a free-standing tree in its own right. Individuals may reach 30 m (100 ft) in height. Like all figs, it has an obligate mutualism with fig wasps: figs are only pollinated by fig wasps, and fig wasps can only reproduce in fig flowers. The tree provides habitat, food and shelter for a host of tropical lifeforms including epiphytes in cloud forests and birds, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates. F. aurea is used intraditional medicine, for live fencing, as an ornamental and as a bonsai."

Florida strangler fig on bald cypress.

The low sun angle of mid-February cast long shadows through the afternoon swamp.

We didn't see any mammals, but there are several dozen in the sanctuary, including the critically endangered Florida panther. We did see several alligators, but not until later in the day when it had warmed up a bit.

Young gator warming up on a downed cypress, covered with water lettuce.

Several plants were in bloom, including this swamp lily, crinum americanum.

Swamp lily in the shade.

But perhaps the most spectacular find, plant-wise, was this cardinal air plant, Tillandsia fasciculata, a bromeliad, that was blooming right next to the trail. An epiphyte, these are plants that do not grow in soil, but rather attach themselves to trees and collect nutrients through their leaves. It's one of those plants that is so alien to someone who grew up in the north, and I spent quite a while studying and photographing it.

Cardinal air plant, or Tillandsia fasciculata

These amazing plants do not harm the tree, and actually serve to help other critters as the plants become small reservoirs up in the trees. Insects are drawn to them, which in turn benefits frogs and birds. I was smitten with the placement of the pistol and stamen on these plants--that tiny splash of purple that you could easily miss if you only gave this plant a passing look.

Next: the birds of Corkscrew Swamp

White Pelicans at Sunset

 Final Florida, 2013 post

Have I mentioned lately what a lucky girl I am? How blessed to have this life? To be able to spend my time enjoying the beauty this world holds, to capture it with my camera and make art from it, is a gift that is simply beyond my comprehension. Thanks to you for taking the time to share it with me.



My mom and I had had a great day at the refuge, and had seen tons of birds. I think I added nine new birds to my list on this trip, six of them at the Merritt Island NWR. I think just about all the birds we saw were firsts for my mom.

As we stood on the observation deck watching a few herons and egrets, I noticed a white pelican flying in from my right. I hurried and got the camera on it as it approached us.

White pelican.

 I was thrilled when it changed course and flew in a circle right in front of us!

Just eight or ten years ago digital cameras would never have been able to capture this shot, a white bird on a dark background. The whites would have been completely blown out. Imaging technology has come a LONG way in a decade.

Then, it continued on in the direction it had been heading, off to the north.

To my further amazement, a group of about five birds flew past shortly after, and did the exact same thing--banked around and flew in a circle right in front of us. They were so close I couldn't get them all in the frame!

 I had thought that the white pelican was a threatened bird, but I looked them up on the Cornell Ornithology site and they are a species of least concern. Huh. At any rate they winter along the Gulf coast but breed in the Central Plains and into Canada. They are fresh-water birds, compared to their cousin the brown pelican, who feed in both fresh and salt water. They are astoundingly graceful fliers, often soaring without flapping on those huge, black-tipped wings.

I have seen white pelicans on many of my trips to MINWR but never at such close range. My heart pounded while I photographed these magnificent birds.

 They too circled around and continued off to the north. What a rush!

We stopped at the restrooms to take a break before finishing the drive and heading back to my grandmother's house. I was exhausted but exhilarated. Some clouds had moved in and sprawled across the sky, obscuring the sun.

Sunset over Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

While I enjoyed the sunset, a flock of 27 great egrets rose up and flew across the pale sky. I had never seen such a thing, so many of these birds together, and I thanked them for this parting gift.

Great egrets.

And with this I conclude the posts from my Florida trip--back in January!! None too soon, either--mid-April in Southern Michigan is migration time, and we are seeing many birds returning, or passing through. The girls and I did a little birding around our area yesterday and saw buffleheads, ring-necked ducks, TONS of yellow-rumped warblers and ruby-crowned kinglets. We also appear to have a pair of brown thrashers nesting in a brush pile on our property--a pile I nearly burned this winter. Glad I didn't, as I hope to document some of their family life this spring.

As always, thanks for reading--there's more good stuff to come!

Savannah Sparrow

Florida 2013 continued

On my hikes and birding excursions I have found it helpful to have someone else along who notices the things I don't.  An extra pair of eyes and ears can locate birds that I've missed. It's also really hard to look everywhere all the time, which is why I think it's important to pick certain species you'd like to see before you go out. I told my mom on this trip what I wanted to see (rails) and where to look for them, and she did, and found them!

So it's little wonder that as we walked along the path to the observation deck from the Ducks Unlimited parking area at the Black Pond Wildlife Drive on Merritt Island, that she paid little attention to the small brown bird that was hopping along the trail ahead of us. I saw it and recognized it as an uncommon (to me) bird so I stopped to take some photos. My mom kept walking, even after seeing me shooting. I had to reach out and grab her--she was apparently unimpressed.

Oh dear, what are you? Pink legs and lower mandible, white eyebrow, distinct eyeline and mustache....

I was not sure what I was photographing, but the bird was very agreeable and let me get quite close--within six feet. I knew what it wasn't, but not what it was.

Dark but thin streaking on breast and sides.....

I got shots from all angles.

Notched tail....

I had to look it up in Sibley's when I got home to find out it was a....

Weak median crown strip....

...a Savannah sparrow! These birds usually have a yellow supraloral, the area between the eye and beak. But plumage is highly variable with this species and I feel confident with all the other identifying marks that this is a correct ID. It's fun, the detective work, but what is most rewarding for me is the opportunity to get so close to these beautiful creatures.

Pretty bird!

Next, and last Florida post: While pelicans and sunset over Merritt Island NWR.

Evening on the Black Pond Wildlife Drive

Florida 2013 continued

We left the Visitor Center and headed back out to the Black Pond Wildlife Drive around 4pm. I could not believe the change in the weather. Cold, 20 mph north winds had calmed to nearly nothing, and the air had warmed and softened. The light was amazing and the park nearly deserted. I think next time around I will either spend two days at the Merritt Island NWR, one at the Visitor Center and one along the drive, or do the center in the morning and the drive in the afternoon, as the light is so much better.

At any rate, we saw all sorts of birds, whose energy seemed a bit lower--the morning scramble for food was over and the birds were a bit more laid back, like these dowitchers.

Dowitchers--short or long billed, I have no idea--relaxing in the evening sun.

There was a large flock of lesser scaups in the pond where we'd seen the reddish egret earlier. I like this image, showing two females and a male.

Lesser scaup

We parked again at the Ducks Unlimited lot, where we had seen the shrike and sora earlier, and strolled down the path towards the far observation tower. There were quite a few birds in the pond along the trail, including a pair of napping blue-winged teal and these pied-billed grebes.

Pied-billed grebes. Such sweet faces!

 I was excited to see the mottled ducks were still there. Earlier they had been hanging out here with the teals but the light was behind them and so the photos were poor. I got lucky and caught this one very close to shore and right in the sun.  It was wary, though, and watched me carefully as it swam away to my left.

Mottled duck. This is a VAST improvement on the images I had of this duck.

I read somewhere recently that mottled ducks were not common so I looked them up on the Cornell site. According to Cornell they are the only duck adapted to breeding in southern marshes, so their range is limited to Florida and the Gulf coast. They are listed as a species of least concern, but they face the usual threats of habitat loss. They also breed with introduced mallards (who apparently are not native to the south?) so they could possibly be faced with being bread out of existence.

American coots are abundant at MINWR, and we saw several flocks that had to contain at least 500 birds each in several locations. This one was alone, though, and very close to the path.

American coot. Love the red knob that matches its eyes.

An anhinga swam by, looking all mysterious and snake-like.

Once at the platform we watched a number of birds, including this preening snowy egret.

Fun pose of a snowy egret.

Later, leaving the observation tower and getting back on the drive, we saw a pair of American wigeons. These are by far the best images I have gotten of these cute little ducks.

Female American wigeon.

Male American wigeon, perhaps my favorite duck.

As we approached the turn out for the bathrooms and the Cruickshank trail head we saw a large flock of Northern pintails.

Northern pintails.

 Most of them were at quite a distance but a small group was napping on a tiny island near shore. Another favorite, such gorgeous, stately birds.

We are not quite done with Florida. There will be at least one more post, perhaps two, where we'll go back in time just a bit and back to the observation tower and trail where we had two close encounters with two more birds.  Then we will be back to real time, as spring has finally sprung here in Southeast Michigan, and we will be looking to do some birding in our own neck of the woods.

Armadillo Encounter

 Florida 2013 continued

While we were out walking the boardwalk at the Visitor Center at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, I heard a rustling in the duff under the boardwalk ahead of us. Then I saw some tall grasses moving, as if being bumped by something low to the ground. I was so excited--what could it be?? I got the camera ready....

Finally, an armadillo emerged from under the boardwalk!

What an oddly adorable creature the armadillo is!

I have always wanted to see one of these bizarre animals up close. In all the trips to Florida I'd only seen one once, on the side of the highway (alive!) as we zipped along at 70 mph.

We watched as it nosed its way through the dirt and duff.

I was so happy to be able to get so close, and was amazed at how hairy they are!

We saw more of the back end than the front end.

I know nothing about these animals so I looked them up on the web. Here's what Wikipedia says about them:

There are about 20 different subspecies of armadillo living primarily in Central and South America. North America's armadillo is the nine-banded armadillo, named for the number of creases or "bands" around its mid-section. They inhabit primarily the southern states but can be found as far north as Nebraska. Prolific diggers, they are related to ant eaters and sloths, and their diets consist mainly of insects and invertebrates.

"The armor is formed by plates of dermal bone covered in relatively small, overlapping epidermal scales called "scutes", composed of bone with a covering of horn. Most species have rigid shields over the shoulders and hips, with a number of bands separated by flexible skin covering the back and flanks. Additional armor covers the top of the head, the upper parts of the limbs, and the tail. The underside of the animal is never armored, and is simply covered with soft skin and fur."



I had to include this photo, also from Wikipedia, because I had no idea the animal's anatomy was like this:

A relic of a by-gone age for sure! The left side of the armor plate has been cut away to allow a view of its backbone.

We watched for a few minutes while it hunted grubs and other delicacies in the mud. The nine-banded armadillo prefers to live near water, so this was a perfect place for it.

Thanks to you, armadillo, for sharing part of your day with us!

Next: Back to the wildlife drive for some late afternoon birding.