A post about three different birds I encountered last week.
1. Least Sandpiper
The first one is a new life bird for me. They’re not uncommon in Central Florida, so I’ve probably seen them before, but I’d never noticed / photographed / identified one. It was along Gator Creek Road in Merritt Island NWR.
Least Sandpiper2. Bird Band: High, Green =53
Ruddy Turnstones get their name from feeding behaviors: turning over rocks, pebbles, and seaweed along shorelines in search of food. They nest in northern latitudes and migrate to warmer places for the winter. We often spot them visiting here in Central Florida. I saw this one last Thursday on the boat ramp at Parish Park in Titusville and noticed it was tagged.
When I see a tagged bird, I like to search the web and see if I can find any info on it. So I searched for “Ruddy Turnstone green tag =53”, and was reminded that I already knew this one! The second hit returned was a Central Florida Photo Ops blog post from 2019 : https://edrosack.com/2019/10/20/daybreak-bobcat-boar-and-more/. Cool, huh? I’m glad I have the blog to remind me about all these photos I make!
Ruddy Turnstone, Green Tag =53, Parrish Park, March 24, 2021MK helped me do some more research. She found a U.S. Geological Survey web page where you can report seeing a band. We reported this one and received an automated email promising to forward available info about this particular bird and band. I’ll update this post if / when I learn more. Here’s the photo from 2019:
Ruddy Turnstone, Green Tag =53, Parrish Park, October 17, 20193. Genuine Snow Bird
Bird three is also a new life bird for me.
I was a little excited about re-sighting a specific bird and texted Kevin M. about it. He said he though it was cool too. Then he told me about reports of a Snow Goose sighting in Oviedo – only a few minutes away from Central Florida Photo Ops HQ.
Like Turnstones, Snow Geese breed in the Arctic and migrate south in the winter. They aren’t often seen in Central Florida, especially inland so this one seems a little bit lost. It was hanging out with several Muscovy Ducks at a retention pond.
Snow Goose
Snow GooseThat’s all for this week. I’m glad =53 is doing well and I’m glad I saw the other two birds too. Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Take care of yourselves and each other. And when you can – make some photos and report some bands!
©2021, Ed Rosack. All rights reserved
Great photographs of three neat birds, Ed! And how cool is it to discover you saw the exact same bird in 2019! Like connecting with an old friend.
Just a note of caution. With some of your recent posts, there are indications you may be experiencing early signs of PBS, Potential Birder Syndrome. This can rapidly develop into bouts of rising before sunrise and traveling a great distance due to reports of an uncommon bird sighting. In its latter stages, you may even be subject to uncontrollable urges to record bird observations on, gulp, eBird.
Seek help now, before it’s too late.
One suggestion from professionals who deal with this unfortunate malady is to undergo a series of self-help therapy sessions and spend a few days each week producing nothing but landscape photographs. Take only wide-angle lenses with you to avoid the temptation of adding just one more portrait of a Roseate Spoonbill to your portfolio.
We’re here if you need help.
Thank you Wally.
As far as PBS goes, I think I’ve had a ‘low grade’ version of this for a while. It does flair up at times, but fortunately I’ve been following your suggestion about landscape therapy sessions and it’s protected me so far.
Always a pleasure to see your comments – thanks again!