The Osprey: March 2014 Florida Visit

I first saw the osprey en route to my parents’ house in Central Florida. She had a pretty sweet set-up: an inlet to a small lake for fish; a gigantic nest; and a tall, dead tree near both the nest and the lake where she could perch.

I had my camera with me, and while my mother stopped at a convenience store to get gas, I crossed the street to see if I could get some pictures of the bird.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) sitting in a nest in Central Florida

Queen of the Mountain.

She began to call as soon as I finished crossing the street. Ospreys have a very loud, whiny, piercing call. I hoped to get a little closer than where I was, but I got too close and scared her. She flew off the nest, did a circuit around the area, then flew up to her perch to land.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) landing on a tree branch in Central Florida

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) landing on a tree branch in Central Florida

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) sits on a branch in Central Florida

She began to give warning calls, so I decided that I would try to get some pics at a different angle but without getting much closer to her.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) sits on a branch in Central Florida

Now you’re over there?! What kind of wingless magic do you possess, human?

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) sitting on a branch in Central Florida

I, too, have magic, human. My magic involves CLAWS AND BEAK.

I really didn’t want the osprey to feel unsafe and like she had to fly again, so I backed off and let her return to her bad-ass osprey life.

The Adventures of Edwina the Great Blue Heron, Mighty Hunter of Sunfish

Early July was actually pretty good for nearby birding. The ibis juveniles were still at the UT Southwestern rookery, along with a few very rapidly maturing black-crowned night heron juveniles and Giant Egret Babies. For me, the best birding was suddenly seeing yellow-crowned night herons off-and-on during the day for two weeks at White Rock Lake, and I would almost always see a great blue heron hunting near the spillway. Usually the great blue would be on the spillway steps, but when I stopped by on July 3 after a trip to the rookery, no birds were there. Instead, two men were crouched on a concrete embankment beyond the fence, fishing. They had frightened away all the birds.

(Hey, Dallas, as you’re so unbelievably broke, why not bring in some money by simply enforcing your laws about not fishing over bridges at the lake and not hopping over or crawling under fences to trespass onto land to fish? I saw someone doing that every day I was at the lake during the summer. Often more than one person.)

I thought that there might be some birds further up, so I pressed on and crossed the bridge. I continued walking along the edge of the water, peering through the fence. Only a little past the bridge, I saw a great blue heron standing in some water just behind a small island of trees and concrete chunks. She had probably been hunting in the spillway when the fisher intruded, and, luckily for me, she had barely flown out of the way.

I didn’t know it, but I had just glimpsed the bird who would become the most successful hunter out of all the birds I’ve watched: Edwina the great blue heron.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) standing in water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Who, me? That’s right, me!

I crouched down next to the fence and watched her. She was sipping water, and later I realized that she had probably just finished eating a fish. At the time, however, I didn’t know what she was going to do or where she might go, so I waited. After slaking her thirst, she walked onto the concrete island and hopped down into a section of grass and reeds that faced a small channel of water. That bird was ready to hunt!

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) standing on grass at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

FISHIES BEWARE!

She walked to the edge of the greenery and crouched, readying herself for a strike. When the strike came, it was totally unlike what I’d seen in the past.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) dives into water, hunting for fish, at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Something happens, and I’m head over heels . . .

Edwina was clinging to the foliage with her feet to anchor herself, but the forward momentum of the strike was so great that she was unable to maintain her footing and tumbled all the way into the water.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) in the water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I never find out ’til I’m head over heels.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) in the water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Wait, am I supposed to be swimming or hunting?

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) emerges from water clutching a green sunfish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

HUNTING SUCCESSFULLY!

Later I would see herons falling into water while striking at a fish, but watching it happen for the first time with such a large bird simultaneously astonished me, cracked me up, and made me feel somewhat protective of her.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) holding a green sunfish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Q saw this picture and said, “It would be beautiful to paint a room the colors of a great blue heron’s feathers, but it would be difficult to get the heron to come to the paint store with us so we could compare the feather colors to the paint samples.”

She climbed back up into the greenery and hopped onto the concrete island, still holding her fish proudly aloft.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) holds a green sunfish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

DON’T WORRY, FISHIE; I WILL TAKE YOU TO A SAFE PLACE WHERE YOU CAN SWIM HAPPILY . . . IN EDWINA’S STOMACH! HA HA HA, I AM SO FUNNY. I LOVE ME.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) holds a green sunfish in her beak at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

She let the fish wriggle in her beak for about forty-five seconds before she gobbled it down. She sipped some water, then made her way back to her hunting spot.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) strikes at a fish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

STRIKE!

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) strikes at a fish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

SPLASH!

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) strikes at a fish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

. . . and back in the water she goes.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) in water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Ah, missed!

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Well, FUCK!

Edwina didn’t let the miss get her down. She got right back down at the edge of the water and struck again.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) bringing up a fish from water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Her neck looked like it kept stretching out longer and longer as she pulled her head out of the water.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) bringing up a green sunfish from water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

That’s a bingo!

She carefully regained her balance while keeping a hold on the sunfish.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) holding a green sunfish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

MY fishie, human!

Then Edwina raised her foot up by the fish. I got very excited, because I’d never seen a heron use her foot to manipulate objects in her beak. But I was wrong: Edwina was using her foot to scratch her face while she held the fish.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) holding a green sunfish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

FOOLED YOU, HUMAN!

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) holding a green sunfish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Then she turned away and took her fish back to the concrete island to devour it.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) eats a green sunfish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

BYE, FISHIE!

Again she took a few ceremonial sips of water.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) in the water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

And again she returned to her hunting spot.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) walking through foliage at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Better run through the jungle.

And again she dove for a fish.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) diving into water after a fish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Weeeeeeee!

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) emerges from water with a fish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

So give me fishies, and make ’em one, two, three. I will eat them; they will satisfy me.

Can you guess what happened next?

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) emerges from water with a fish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) carries a green sunfish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) prepares to eat a green sunfish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Three fishes caught and eaten! And again she returned.

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) walking through foliage at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

She was obviously going for a fourth fish, but I’d been watching her for about forty-five minutes and thought I’d seen plenty. I decided to let her hunt without a human peering down at her.

As I stepped back onto the bridge to leave, I looked down at the concrete embankment where the human fishers had been and saw that a much more appropriate fisher had taken their place.

Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) fishing from a concrete embankment at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Good luck, black-crowned night heron!

But before I left, I got Edwina to agree to participate in a brief Q&A for humans who may be interested in her life.

What kind of fish is the best type for great blue herons to eat?

MY FISH.

If you could eat any kind of fish right now, what kind would you choose?

YOUR FISH.

Thank you, Edwina!

Sometimes It Is Easy Being Green: Female Green-Winged Teal on October 21

After the excitement of last week, anything would have seemed sedate. Sure enough, even though there was a moderate amount of pelican activity, my eyes frequently wandered off the big white birds to see what else was going on at Sunset Bay.

I saw this adorable little duck floating near the dock.

Female green-winged teal duck (Anas carolinensis) swimming in White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

HI!

I don’t know much about ducks. To me she resembled a female blue-winged teal, but something about her didn’t look quite right.

She hopped up on a small branch that was sticking up out of the water and began to groom.

Female green-winged teal duck (Anas carolinensis) grooming herself at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Female green-winged teal duck (Anas carolinensis) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Once I saw her speculum, I wondered if she were a green-winged teal. I saw a male green-winged teal for the first time this past spring, but I’d never seen a female before.

She was so little and cute, and she was very itchy.

Female green-winged teal duck (Anas carolinensis) scratching her head at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Scratching has never been so much fun!

Female green-winged teal duck (Anas carolinensis) scratching her head at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

There’s the spot!

Female green-winged teal duck (Anas carolinensis) scratching her head at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Do you have a vacancy for a back-scrubber?

I went back to watching the pelicans for a while, and when I looked for her again, she was about to hop onto a branch where coots frequently perched. That’s when I got a real shock about her size.

Female green-winged teal duck (Anas carolinensis) standing with coots (american coots; Fulica americana) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

. . . Yes?

I knew she was small, but I didn’t realize just how small she was until I saw her next to the coots. Her super-compact size made her seem even more adorable to me.

Female green-winged teal duck (Anas carolinensis) standing with several coots (american coots; Fulica americana) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

One of these things is not like the others . . .

When I went home I checked my bird books for an ID, and I feel pretty confident that she was indeed a green-winged teal. The next day, she was gone.

Quick Update on Pelicans

This past week was absolutely fantastic for pelican watching. Lots of interactions, some very good play activity, fights, baths, and flights. On Saturday I was out on the dock at Sunset Bay for about three hours. Most of that time K was with me, and together we saw about sixty pelicans drop out of the sky and land in the water in front of us throughout the afternoon.

I have a ton of pics to go through, and I want to make some non-pelican posts first, but hopefully I won’t take too long to get to the good pelican stuff.

Juvenile pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) tosses a plastic bottle from her gular pouch in play

Yes, pelicansrulegullsdrool, hurry up and get to me!

Birds at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge: March 2014 Florida Visit

I’ve been up to (over to? across to?) Titusville several times in the past, either to visit the Kennedy Space Center or to watch shuttle launches, but I’d never been birding in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. My father and I went there together, and I got to see another bird I’d been hoping to see.

We paused along a pull-off point because I saw a few birds standing together and wondered what they were. The day was extremely windy, and taking in-focus pictures was a huge challenge. The birds were about the size of a heron, with pink feathers and a long, strange bill with a circular curve at the end.

They were roseate spoonbills. I had never seen one before nor even heard of them.

The spoonbills eventually flew off, and almost right as they did, a tricolored heron flew in and began to hunt. I was so pleased! Little did I know that I would be seeing more tricolored herons in the future, and in Dallas.

We tried the Atlantic side, hoping for brown pelicans, but there was almost no birds and LOTS of people. We turned away from the Atlantic, and that’s when we started seeing more birds.

Little blue heron (Egretta caerulea) perches on a dead tree at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida

Oh, Little Blue, birdie, I love you, Little Blue.

Tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor) lands on a tree at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida

Nice of you to drop in, madam!

The tricolored flew in right as my father and I were turning back from a trail that had ended in muck. As we would walk closer to the heron, she would fly and land just a little in front of us.

Tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor) perches on a branch at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida

Just gorgeous.

Finally she got tired of us always catching up with her and flew off for real.

Tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor) in flight at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida

BYE, HUMANS!

We went by a location that was frequented by manatees, so we decided to drop in and look. We didn’t find manatees . . .

Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) soars through the air at the Merritt Island Natinal Wildlife Refuge in Florida

The turkey vulture, one of my father’s favorite birds.

Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) flies above water at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida

HELLO, AGAIN!

The adult brown pelican was initially loafing on a railing in a restricted part of the river. She dove into the water, floated for a while, then took off and began flying in circles. A juvenile joined in on the flying fun.

Juvenile brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) poops while flying above water at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida

Pooping birds crack me up. I don’t know why.

Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) flies above water at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida

ZOOM!

We went on a walk in an area of pine habitat, where we saw some scrub-jays and an immature bald eagle. Overall it was a good visit, and I hope that the next time I go to Florida, Q will come with me so we can check out the refuge together.

The Return of a Pelican: 53861, “Copper Woman,” is Back!

UPDATE: While looking through pics from this fall, I was able to definitively get the first four numbers off of Copper Woman’s band and submit the full 9-digit number to the BBL. Copper Woman is also known as 0669-53861. She was banded as a chick in 2008 and originated from Marsh Lake, Minnesota.

Now to the original post.

When I see a tagged pelican at White Rock Lake, I report her to the Bird Banding Laboratory. Last year I reported birds that originated at Marsh Lake in Minnesota; Chase Lake in North Dakota; the Great Salt Lake in Utah; and Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho. I see many more banded pelicans than tagged ones, but I can usually only decipher a few numbers from the bands, and the BBL only accepts the entire nine-digit code.

Last January I was able to get five numbers off a pelican’s band: 53861. I saw her again a few months later at White Rock Lake, and I suspect she was there throughout that interval, although it would be difficult to confirm.

Two days ago, when the pelicans moved to the Stump and the Shore Log, much closer to people than before, I noticed a pelican with a coppery-looking band on her left leg. I’d never seen a band of that color and tried to get pics to decipher the number. I didn’t succeed.

But today I did.

And when I read the numbers that were visible, they were the same numbers as the pelican from last year: 53861. I suspect that the copper coloration might be from the band changing colors as it ages. Regardless, I shall call the pelican Copper Woman.

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) jumps on a log next to another pelican at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Copper Woman jumps onto the Shore Log on January 10, 2014.

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) beats her wings at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

She beats her wings triumphantly.

Four pelicans (american white pelicans; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) stand on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Copper Woman is on the far left.

A pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) stands on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Copper Woman on the Shore Log on October 15, 2014. Welcome back!

 

Brown Pelicans Flying Over the Atlantic: March 2014 Florida Visit

A while ago I talked with J R Compton about what he thought were the two main types of birders: watchers and listers. Watchers, he said, are pretty much happy with whatever bird turns up, while listers know what they want to see and seek out their target.

I had a boss who was a lister. She asked me if I had a birding bucket list and seemed surprised when I said I didn’t.

In general I consider myself a watcher. I like pretty much all birds, and they can all be interesting. I even like grackles and gulls! But there were a few birds that I really hoped I could see. One was a tricolored heron. Another was the brown pelican.

Since I was going to be in Florida, I thought I might try looking for some brown pelicans while I was there. I found a likely spot in New Smyrna Beach, and off my mother and I went to find the birds.

The only problem was that I never found the turn-off that would take us northwest to where the birding location was, and we found ourselves going southeast along A1A, which runs along the Atlantic Ocean. My mother didn’t have a physical map, and my phone was refusing to reload any imagery of the map I had up. We talked about pulling over randomly and walking out to the beach, just to find out if we could see anything, but before we could decide to do that, I saw a sign for the Great Florida Birding Trail.

“Let’s follow that and see where it goes,” I said.

It went to the Canaveral National Seashore.

We spent a little bit of time on the Indian River side before going out to the Atlantic to look for the brown pelicans.

Black vulture (Coragyps atratus) standing on a sign post at Canaveral National Seashore

Not a brown pelican, but welcome nonetheless.

There were a few birds hanging out on the beach.

A royal tern (Thalasseus maximus) on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean at Canaveral National Seashore

All the Forsters Terns at White Rock Lake will see this pic and begin to mournfully sing, “And we’ll never be royals . . . “

A ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres) on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean at Canaveral National Seashore

Ruddy Turnstone among shrimp.

Then my mother spotted a group of brown pelicans. Several small groups came through in waves, and occasionally a loner would fly in by herself. The pelicans were flying from south to north. Because I was so used to white pelicans, the coloration of the brown pelicans shocked me; they looked as though they had painted their faces with garishly colored make-up.

Four brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) flying over the Atlantic Ocean at Canaveral National Seashore

 

Two brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) flying over the Atlantic Ocean at Canaveral National Seashore

When I would watch groups of pelicans fly into Sunset Bay to loaf, I would hum the opening to Holst’s “Mars.” I did this with the brown pelicans. My mother tried to compete with me. She began humming Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” despite my protestations and explanations why “Mars” was clearly the better choice. She won. I started humming “Ride of the Valkyries” with her as the pelicans soared over us.

Juvenile brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) flying over the Atlantic Ocean at Canaveral National Seashore

Juvenile brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) flying over the Atlantic Ocean at Canaveral National Seashore

Brown pelican flying (Pelecanus occidentalis) over the Atlantic Ocean at Canaveral National Seashore

Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) flying over the Atlantic Ocean at Canaveral National Seashore

Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) flying over the Atlantic Ocean at Canaveral National Seashore

Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) flying over the Atlantic Ocean at Canaveral National Seashore

Four brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) flying over the Atlantic Ocean at Canaveral National Seashore

We decided that we’d had a good outing and that we’d let one more flock of birds go by before we left. After all, we had driven much further than we’d anticipated and still had to get back home.

Three brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) flying over the Atlantic Ocean at Canaveral National Seashore

Good night, and thank you.

Cold, Sleepy Pelicans and a Loner on a Stump: October 11

Last week was fairly warm. One day the temp was even in the high 90s, but the rest of the days peaked in the low 90s. Yesterday, the 10th, the high was 91.

Twenty-four hours later, the temperature had fallen over 30 degrees.

Q and I had been busy this afternoon visiting houses on the yearly White Rock Lake Artists’ Tour and didn’t get out to White Rock Lake until late afternoon. I was wearing a sweater and a light jacket, and I was still freezing. I like hot weather and don’t deal well with the cold, especially when the temperature has changed dramatically within a short period of time.

Over the past few days I’d noticed a sudden resurgence in the number of scissor-tailed flycatchers I’d seen at the lake. After Q and I got out of the car, we noticed several of them swooping around and perching in trees and on wires.

Scissor-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) perched in a tree at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX.

When we got down to the dock, we saw that almost all of the pelicans on the nearby log were asleep. Alas!

Sleeping pelicans (american white pelicans; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) on logs at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Then I looked to one side and saw that there was a lone pelican standing on the Stump. Q and I decided to go walk down to the shore to get a better look at her.

A pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) raises her wings while standing on a stump at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

A pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) preens under her wing as she stands on a stump at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Something was wrong with the bird. Not just that she was by herself, but her left foot seemed to be injured.

Typically pelicans stand with their feet flat against a surface. This bird kept holding her left foot slightly up in a curved position. When she raised her wings for more than a few seconds, she had a great deal of difficulty keeping her balance. When she tried to sit, she lurched down and to the side and then straightened up again. For the majority of the time that we watched her preen, she was standing with her left foot stretched much further out than her right foot, as though she weren’t holding much weight on it. I couldn’t see anything wrong with her leg or foot, so I hope that whatever is bothering her will resolve soon. I once saw a pelican who had lost a foot, and although the injury looked as though it had healed well, it severely impacted how the pelican dealt with loafing. It was sad to see.

K arrived and said that she had seen the Stump Pelican (now named Philoctetes) earlier that afternoon. She said the bird had left the others, swam up to the stump, and hopped on. At the time K hadn’t noticed anything wrong with her. When I pointed out the bird’s strange posture and the way she lurched when she tried to change positions, K agreed that something wasn’t right.

Another local birder and prominent blogger, Ben, showed up. He told us that the influx of scissor-tailed flycatchers was due to northern birds migrating south. An anomaly explained!

By then my toes were starting to get numb, so Q and I left. Tomorrow the temperature is supposed to get back up into the low 80s. Thank god. That’s the kind of weather I like the best!

Bird Versus Fish: Pelicans on February 3, 2014

When Q and I went to visit the pelicans on Sunday, February 2, we didn’t stay long because it was very cold. There was a dead fish bobbing in the water about halfway between the shore and one of the long logs that the pelicans liked to perch on. I call that log the Log of Status. Q was surprised to see the carcass still relatively unmolested: he thought that another bird would have happened upon it and eaten it. “Mother Nature is falling down on her job!” he said. Coots and gulls would occasionally swim over and peck at the fish, but they didn’t seem particularly interested in it.

On Monday the fish was still there. The weather was still very cold, and the light was dim. A few pelicans landed in the bay and swam around for a little while, but the majority of the pelicans were huddled together on logs.

Flying pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) about to land at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) landing in the water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) putting her foot down after scratching herself at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Flying pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) about to land at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Just as Q and I had seen the day before, a gull and a coot were taking turns half-heartedly pecking at the dead fish.

Suddenly a pelican was flying past the Log of Status and toward the shore. She threw one wing in the air vertically and one wing out horizontally, bracing herself as she skidded to a stop in the very shallow water. Pelicans might land close to shore, but only when there are other pelicans there. This pelican was landing well past the place where the other pelicans were congregating.

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) landing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) landing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) recovers from landing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) recovers from landing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Once she recovered from her landing, she began to swim. This was not a leisurely swim; she was going so fast that she was pushing up a wave of water ahead of her body. As I watched, she seemed to keep getting larger and larger. She was swimming straight toward me, toward the shore!

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) swimming toward a fish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) swimming toward a fish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

It wasn’t until she leaned down and opened her bill that I realized that she was going for the fish.

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) trying to scoop up a fish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

She wasn’t exactly trying to scoop up the fish but was instead trying to position herself so that the moving water would float the fish into her pouch. I had to remind myself to keep taking pics and to not just watch. I was very excited. I’d never been so close to a pelican eating a fish.

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) trying to scoop up a fish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) trying to scoop up a fish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) trying to scoop up a fish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) trying to scoop up a fish at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) trying to reposition a fish in her gular pouch at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) with half of a fish hanging out of her gular pouch at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Suddenly another pelican was steaming toward the first pelican, probably hoping for an opportunity to steal away the fish. The first pelican quickly stuffed all of the fish into her pouch. Only about forty-five seconds had elapsed since I noticed the first bird flying toward the fish.

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) with a fish in her gular pouch swimming past another pelican at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Like two ships passing in the night. Except it’s day. And they aren’t ships. And one has a fish and the other doesn’t.

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) raising her head to eat a fish in her gular pouch as another pelican swims next to her at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Down the hatch! Eventually.

The first pelican drifted far away, way past the pelicans on the Log of Status. She kept her head tilted in the same position as she floated. The second pelican followed her briefly before getting bored and swimming back to jump onto a log close to the shore. I call that log the Shore Log. After she got on the Shore Log, she worked her way to one side and had a good scratching session.

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) standing on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) scratching while on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Another bird jumped onto the log.

Pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) standing on a log with her wings spread at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

She squabbled a bit with the existing pelican, but they both calmed down before any major beaking got going.

Two pelicans (american white pelicans; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) standing together on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Well, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree, but I really believe that Jean-Luc Picard was the best captain of the Enterprise.

Another pelican joined the two birds on the log, although she did so peacefully.

A pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) standing on a log with her wings outstretched at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I always liked Captain Janeway.

Close to the Log of Status is a large stump where pelicans like to loaf. These two had fought briefly before settling down. Fighting is very common among the pelicans here, although the birds typically settle down after a few lunges.

Two pelicans (american white pelicans; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) on a stump at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Then a very special pelican flew into the bay.

Tagged pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) UT12S21 (S21) standing in water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I’M HERE! LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

I first saw and reported UT12S21 (S21) to the Bird Banding Laboratory on December 11, 2013. She stayed at White Rock Lake until the very end of the season, leaving in the first week of April. She was a first-year pelican originally from the Great Salt Lake, which is pretty incredible—research indicates that North American white pelicans are divided by the Rocky Mountains into two main populations, and migrating pelicans don’t typically cross the mountains. Of course, doing uncommon and courageous things was just part of S21’s style. She had a distinct personality, and I always enjoyed watching her interactions with other pelicans. I was a little disappointed when she joined the others on the Shore Log with no drama.

Then excitement occurred when the next pelican took her turn.

A pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) standing on a log, her wings outstretched, between two more pelicans at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Hi, y’all! What’s going on? Wanna play Scrabble?

A pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) opens her beak as a threat toward another pelican while standing on a log at at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

FUCK YOU! ALL I WANTED WAS TO PLAY SOME SCRABBLE! HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPPOS!

The new pelican’s aggression was a bluff; she settled in quite nicely with the others.

Two pelicans (american white pelicans; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) standing together on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I can sell you some beautiful land in Florida. Beautiful rolling land. Called Black Creek. You’ve got to act fast, though . . .

A few birds were still coming in, but the birds who were established on the logs were preening or sleeping. My toes were numb and my fingers were cold. I went home to warm up.

A pelican (american white pelican; Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) landing on water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Florida Scrub-Jay: March 2014 Florida Visit

In mid-March of this past year, I went to Florida to visit my parents. I also did some birding. My first visit was with my mother to see the Florida scrub-jays at the Lyonia Preserve in Volusia County.

Florida scrub-jays are extremely intelligent birds. They understand the concept of the future and the need to plan for future activities. They are curious and mostly fearless. They live together in small family groups. They are super awesome, and I get very sad that their numbers keep declining and Florida doesn’t seem to be doing much to help them.

There are two main populations of scrub-jays in the United States: the Western scrub-jay and the Florida scrub-jay. The Florida scrub-jay is the only bird native to Florida and is currently classified as Vulnerable. Florida scrub-jays reside in oak scrub habitat. The birds scavenge throughout the bottom third of the forest canopy and need light to penetrate those areas so they can see down there. Frequent fire is required for maintenance of this habitat; without it, the oaks would grow too large and block out too much of the light. Then other birds who are attracted to the new habitat, such as blue jays, force the remaining scrub-jays out. Unfortunately, oak scrub is also a great kind of habitat for humans to clear and use for commercial development and orange groves.

If someone were shooting a horror movie in Central Florida and one of the characters were walking through oak scrub and said, “I feel like I’m being watched,” she would be correct, but not because a ghoul was stalking her. Scrub-jays have a “sentinel” role within their families in which a bird watches for predators and alerts others if one is spotted. When walking through the scrub, one can frequently come across these birds perched in an area where they have good visibility.

Florida scrub-jays are not afraid of humans and will often fly to and perch on them. One bird tried to take a stone out of one of my earrings; another kept working on the metal gromit on my father’s baseball cap.

My mother was with me the first time I saw a scrub-jay. It was our first visit to the Lyonia Preserve in March of 2007. I knew that the birds would be in the lower portion of the canopy, but we hadn’t seen any. Then we made a turn and saw a scrub-jay standing on the ground on the edge of a patch of scrub. One of her feet was extremely twisted. Unlike the other scrub-jays we later saw, she was not banded. My mother named her Keyser Soze because of her injury.

Florida scrub-jay at Lyonia Preserve in Florida

Keyser Soze in 2007, being adorable and not at all like a criminal mastermind.

We were talking to and cooing over Keyser Soze when Keyser Soze suddenly launched herself toward us and landed on my mother’s head. We had heard that scrub-jays were curious and would land on people, but we weren’t expecting it to happen so soon, and with so little hesitation on the part of the bird.

Hell, even now that I’ve had scrub-jays land on me multiple times, I still don’t expect it and initially freak out a little when I see a cute blue bird FLYING STRAIGHT AT ME.

On this visit we didn’t see as many birds as usual, but we saw some sentries perched in trees, and one of the sentry birds kept flying closer and closer to us, checking us out.

Florida scrub-jay at Lyonia Preserve in Florida

Florida scrub-jay at Lyonia Preserve in Florida

This was the bird that kept flying in toward us.

Florida scrub-jay at Lyonia Preserve in Florida

Then we came across a bird hopping on the ground that decided it would rather perch on my mother.

Florida scrub-jay perched on a person at Lyonia Preserve in Florida

HI! WILL YOU BE MY FRIEND?

This bird seemed intrigued by my mother’s water bottle, possibly because of its color.

Florida scrub-jay perched on a person at Lyonia Preserve in Florida

The bird is eying the water bottle, but both my mother and Frank Zappa are eying the bird. The bird had better watch her back.

My mother opened the cap on the water bottle, which momentarily frightened the bird and caused her to flutter to the ground. My mother tried dripping some of the water from the bottle onto the ground in case the bird was thirsty. That didn’t work.

Florida scrub-jay at Lyonia Preserve in Florida

What the hell are you doing, lady?

Florida scrub-jay at Lyonia Preserve in Florida

Fuck this shit!

The bird got tired of the water landing near and on it and flew back up onto my mother’s arm, trying to go for the water bottle again. Then another scrub-jay that had appeared at the edge of the scrub flew on my mother’s head.

My mother poured water from the bottle into her palm. The bird on her head flew down onto her arm near the first bird, who was drinking the water.

Two Florida scrub-jays perched on a person at Lyonia Preserve in Florida

Beautiful. Curious. Intelligent. Family-oriented. But these birds are extremely dependent upon a very specialized environment, and humans want that environment for themselves.

The second bird decided that she too wanted a drink, and while she was drinking, the first bird flew onto the ground, near the edge of the scrub.

Florida scrub-jay perched on a person at Lyonia Preserve in Florida

My turn!

Florida scrub-jay at Lyonia Preserve in Florida

BYE, HUMANS!

As we were about to exit the Preserve, we saw a bird hanging out in the pavilion area.

Florida scrub-jay perched on a picnic table at Lyonia Preserve in Florida

This is where you humans eat food, right? How about you get it all out and then go walk around for a minute, and I’ll guard it for you.

Next time I’m in Florida, I will definitely be back!

http://www.lyoniapreserve.com