Rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park: Part 1

Posted on June 5, 2015 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

Before Q and I left for Florida, I researched possible birding sites online at the Great Florida Birding Trail. I decided that Q and I should try to visit Gatorland, as it boasted a large rookery in a section of its park. My mother mentioned this to a patient of hers who was a photographer and a birder. He said, “Gatorland is the second best rookery to visit in this part of the state. The best is in St. Augustine.”

So Q and I found ourselves driving up to St. Augustine to visit the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park.

A few days before we left for the gator farm, we went to their web site to buy tickets and noticed that there was a hotline number that provided updates about the rookery. Q called the number, and a week-old message began to play. Roseate spoonbills were nesting! Wood storks were arriving and pairing up! That was very exciting to me, because I had really hoped to see wood storks. Roseate spoonbills were even better; I hadn’t even considered we would get to see them.

The night before we left, Q and I went down to the lake to watch the Atlas V rocket launch. In the past, when the wind has been just right, we’ve been able to hear the take-off, although that didn’t happen this time. I wondered if the rocket would burn as brightly as the shuttle. No worries there!

Atlas V rocket launch from Cape Canaveral on March 12

The Atlas V goes up from Cape Canaveral, just as bright as the shuttle.

If you click on the pic and zoom in, you can see the two boosters, which look like small red triangles, falling from the rocket.

When Q and I got to the gator farm the next day, we eagerly followed the signs to the rookery. We ended up on a wooden boardwalk that stretched over a small stream. Gators lounged in the water and on the shores. Around the boardwalk were trees covered in great egrets, snowy egrets, wood storks, and roseate spoonbills.

I sought out the spoonbills first. Most of the birds were standing behind foliage or sleeping or lounging near their nests. The pink of their feathers was brilliant in the sunlight.

This spoonbill was working on a nest with a mate.

The great egrets were ready for mating; their lores were bright green. I joked to Q, “Hey, we came over a thousand miles to see a bird we could have seen at the UT Southwestern rookery!”

We might be able to see the next bird down east of Corsicana, but we certainly wouldn’t be able to see it as closely as we could in St. Augustine.

Some younger-looking roseate spoonbills were at the rookery. Like flamingos, the vibrant pink color of the spoonbill’s plumage comes from the food they eat. More mature spoonbills have feathers that are colored a much deeper, brighter pink.

Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) investigates locations for a nest at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Oh! I am so young and lonely! I wish I could find a mate!

Two roseate spoonbills (Platalea ajaja) investigate locations for a nest at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

HI! Will you be my mate?

Great egret (Ardea alba) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Now that pelican season is over, this great egret is vying to get on the cover of Wow! Waterbirds! magazine.

Not many of the wood storks seemed to have paired up. I saw only a few on nests, and a few more standing together. Most of the other storks were either hanging out by themselves or in small groups.

The next wood stork stood on this tree with her beak agape for a few minutes. She wasn’t panting like I’ve seen hot egrets and black-crowned night herons do, and the gape didn’t seem directed toward any other bird. From what I’ve read, female wood storks are the sex that typically engages in this kind of multi-minute gaping.

The male great egrets were out gathering sticks to bring back to their mates. That was my favorite part of watching the birds at the UT Southwestern rookery last year.

The birds gave zero shits about the people nearby. The males frequently flew over the boardwalk as they went in search of their nesting material.

Male great egret (Ardea alba) flies to a nest with nesting material at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Coming through, coming through, gotta get this home to the missus.

Maybe she’ll let me mount her if she really likes the stick.

The male that was flying landed on a nearby nest and presented his stick to his mate. I watched him leave, scout out sticks, and bring them back several times. Sometimes the female was still busy weaving a stick into the nest when her mate would reappear with more material.

After the male disappeared for several minutes on another stick-gathering expedition, I started looking around again. That’s when I realized that mature roseate spoonbills have orange tails. I’m not sure whether their tails are always orange or if it is only part of their breeding plumage.

Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Hey, I’m still sexy, even if I don’t have an orange tail yet!

I started watching a nearby snowy egret. The first time I heard a snowy at the UT Southwestern rookery, I had a difficult time describing what it sounded like: kind of a high-pitched, goat-like, gobbling, bleating sound. Watching them was much more fun than listening to them because they were so excitable and aggressive.

The snowy I was watching turned out to be a male, because he climbed up to a female who was hanging out on the same tree and mounted her.

Male snowy egret (Egretta thula) mounts a female for mating at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Yay! Bird sex!

Snowy egrets (Egretta thula) mate with each other at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Let me whisper sweet nothings into your ear, my darling.

His toes look like gnarled carrots.

What happened after they finished mating shocked me.

Two snowy egrets (Egretta thula) eye each other after mating at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

So, does this mean that I should start gathering sticks for you?

Male snowy egret (Egretta thula) threatens to attack the female he has just mated with at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Or does it mean that you should GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!

I mean it! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, NOW!

Male snowy egret (Egretta thula) after driving off a female he had just mated with at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Do not hate the player, human; hate the game.

The males of some bird species, such as pelicans, are initially antagonistic toward a potential mate, running off females who try to cozy up to them. Eventually the female’s persistence wears down the male’s resistance, and they pair up. Running off a potential mate, however, occurs well before the birds mate, and mating occurs after the male has accepted the female. A snowy running off a female directly after mating with her does not seem like normal behavior. I’ll have to look into it.

A different snowy egret was hanging out on a palmetto fan. Unlike the first snowy, this bird wasn’t getting any attention.

I moved away from the snowies to look for other birds.

One of the wood storks was posing nicely in a tree. Then she bent forward.

I love watching birds scratch. I think it looks so cute.

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) scratching an itch at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Oooooh, if only my face were closer to my claw!

Don’t worry, man, I got this: I’m a stork.

Another male great egret seemed to have found the perfect stick for his mate.

And a different egret streaked over me on his way to his nest.

Here ends part 1 with a few more wood storks.

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

I am vanquisher of the mighty itch!

When a Pen Loves a Gander . . .

Posted on February 5, 2015 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

Last year, K discovered something amazing: White Rock Lake’s mute swan, Katie, aka Lady Katherine, was mating with a goose called Patches. Willingly mating. Happily mating. In fact, Lady Katherine was usually the aggressor.

K was horrified that a swan would fuck a goose. She ended up deleting the pics she took of Lady Katherine and Patches mating because she was so grossed out. Luckily, I had witnessed a couple of their sexual encounters from last year and got some pics to document that it happened.

I wondered if they would rekindle their relationship this year. While Patches and Lady Katherine were getting it on last year, Patches was mated to a female goose called Annie with whom he socialized and had sexual encounters. Annie and Patches are still together.

Apologies for the blurriness in the thumbnails; goddamned WordPress is STILL compressing and framing my pictures strangely, despite some changes Q made.

Two geese drinking from a puddle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Annie (left) and Patches (right) drinking together from a puddle on January 23, 2015.

Mute swan (Cygnus olor) walking in the park at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

THE OTHER WOMAN.

On January 13, I was hanging out with Mister Mary Mack by the shore at Sunset Bay. It was cold outside—I’m not sure if the temperature even got to 40. Throughout the afternoon I watched the pelicans fly in and swim to the marshy spit where they loaf on cold days. When there were lulls in the pelican action, I watched the geese. Cutie Pie, the Ross’s goose that joined the goose flock at White Rock Lake, climbed out of the water and preened, and Lady Katherine waddled into the water and swam away.

Ross's goose (Anser rossii) preens at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Cutie Pie is so adorable.

Ross's goose (Anser rossii) scratches herself at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Oh! She’s itchy, too!

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) squabble on a loafing site at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

When the pelicans loaf on the marshy spit, which is small and narrow, established pelicans often gape and snap at newcomers who have to step through a dense crowd of sleeping and preening pelicans to find a spot for themselves.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) arrives at a loafing area at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

After weeks of wandering through the jungle, I happened upon a clearing where I saw the strangest sights . . .

I peered far out into the water.

Goose mating with mute swan (Cygnus olor) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Yep, that’s a swan with a goose on top of her. And she’s not giving him a piggyback ride.

Settle back, readers, and prepare to bask in the wonders of interspecies copulation. This is HARDCORE birdie action.

Lady Katherine and Patches started mating last year in late winter. At one point in time K saw them mating almost daily. I recorded two instances of their coupling in two days in late March of 2014.

Mute swan (Cygnus olor) and goose engage in pre-copulatory display before mating at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Here Lady Katherine and Patches are engaged in courtship and pre-copulatory displays, respectively. Later incidents from this year are better documented in regard to their flirting.

Goose attempts to mount mute swan (Cygnus olor) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Lady Katherine plays hard-to-get, surging forward as Patches attempts to mount her.

Goose mounts mute swan (Cygnus olor) and attempts copulatory activity at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Jesus, where the fuck do you focus when this is what you’re seeing?

Well, he’s at least a little closer to, er, sealing the deal.

Is Patches successfully penetrating Lady Katherine? I’m not sure. Sometimes it does not appear to be so, but that’s not surprising; I doubt any bird achieves success every time that sex is attempted. Patches does seem to know that he has to back up much further than he would with another goose, but as you can see in the last pic, he has to negotiate around Lady Katherine’s large tail, which makes the situation more difficult. I have witnessed Lady Katherine engaging in some post-copulatory displays, and I definitely have witnessed Patches in such displays, but I don’t know if geese or swans display after successful copulation or if they do so even after attempted but unsuccessful copulation. A couple of times I saw Patches’s pseudopenis still extended after he disengaged from Lady Katherine, but again, I don’t know whether that means penetration was successful or if he had been preparing for penetration but did not succeed. I don’t remember if Patches displayed after either of the attempts I recorded last year, but I do remember that once Patches dismounted after this attempt, he chomped Lady Katherine’s neck.

They were back at it the next day.

Mute swan (Cygnus olor) and goose engage in courtship/pre-copulatory displays before mating at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Annie, suspicious of Patches’s claim that he and Lady Katherine were just “going for a swim,” decided to follow them.

Goose attempts to mount a mute swan (Cygnus olor) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

All aboard the S.S. EWWWWWWW!

Goose attempts copulatory activity with mute swan (Cygnus olor) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Patches? What the fuck are you doing?!

Sadly for Annie, Patches was not yet ready to leave.

The mating sequences from 2015 will be displayed after the cut.

Continue reading →

Flapping and Fun: October 16, Part 4

Posted on December 11, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

Although it wasn’t a windy day, a pelican out in the water was having difficulty keeping her balance as she scratched her head. I laughed at her as she kept adjusting her wings to stay balanced. American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) scratching at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) scratching at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Breathing is overrated, anyway.

The pelican who had been frightened away from the Log of Status was out stomping through the water. She tried to take off but was unable to do so successfully and floundered before getting back on her feet again.

American white pelican swims at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Fuck this “walking” thing; it takes too damned long. I’m gonna swim!

She eventually made her way closer to shore, stopped, and began to preen.

American white pelican finishes flapping at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

But Mom, I’m only going to be out playing for a little while. Do I really have to wear five sweaters?

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) grooms with her wings held out at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I CAN’T PUT MY WINGS DOWN!

The pelican who had successfully challenged her for the Queen of the Log position had just made a startling discovery.

American white pelican pulls out a feather while grooming at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Did this come out of me?

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flaps while standing on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Here she resembles a Willie Stark–like politician soaking up the introductory applause before she begins a good ol’ rabble-rousin’ speech.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) preens its neck feathers at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

And now the Queen will do her imitation of her stuffy, out-of-it, non-populist political opponent.

Further out past the Queen of the Log log, pelicans who were lackadaisically hunting found some trash to play with. The younger bird seemed to enjoy swimming with the paper in her pouch, which I’ve seen a lot of birds doing when they are playing with trash out in the water.

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a crumpled piece of trash at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Who said I would have to eat my words?

Then there were the soda bottle pelicans.

First there was only one, who kept trying over and over and over again to pick up the bottle. Her attempts attracted a nearby pelican to also investigate.

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) try to play with a soda bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Come play with us, pelicansrulegullsdrool. Forever, and ever, and ever.

The second pelican managed to get a hold of the bottle by floating it into her pouch.

Luckily for the first pelican, the second pelican’s success was short lived.

Maria, I was here first! C’mon, give me a turn!

The first pelican’s luck abruptly changed, and she was able to take possession of the bottle.

How the hell do humans drink out of this thing?!

OH NO IT DISAPPEARED!

Both pelicans searched for the bottle again, but after several seconds the second pelican got bored and started to swim away. The first pelican was able to retrieve the bottle one last time and even tried to toss it into the air from her pouch, despite its weight.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a soda bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

WEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

Another bird tried to play with an old beer can. I think it might have been the same bird who was playing with the paper, but I don’t have any way to verify my belief.

What else was going on?

Three American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) loafing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Lillian decided that Constance and Taliah’s interpretation of Biff’s final confrontation with his father Willie was too dour and needed a burlesque striptease to liven it up.

Then I saw some action, but surprisingly, it wasn’t on the Queen of the Log log.

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) squabble over a favored loafing spot at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

If there is a pelican equivalent for “looking down one’s nose” at someone, the bird who retained her position is totally embodying it.

The first pelican who had been playing with the soda bottle wandered off and had a good flap.

American white pelican flaps her wings at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Constance, Taliah, can I join your theater group? Watch this: “Double, double, toil and trouble. Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.” Am I in, or am I in?

On the 15th I had noticed a new bird with a red wing tag. Based on the color and shape of the tag, I figured that she was from the Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho—I had seen a pelican the past year with a tag the same color and shape who turned out to be from there. The problem was that I could only see two characters on the bird’s tag: 5J. There were three characters on the tag of the bird I’d seen the year before. The tag seemed to be tucked under the bird’s wing, and I just couldn’t read if there was another character. I hoped the bird would flap so that maybe the action would let the tag swing freely and I’d be able to read the whole code.

Success!

5J1, an American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) originally from the Minidoka WMR in Idaho, perches on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

She grew up in a Minidoka town, had an egg-layin’ Mama, who hunted all around. But she grew up tall, and she grew up white, with those Minidoka birds on a Minidoka night.

5J1 did indeed originate from Minidoka. She was a second-year bird, hatched in 2013.

She flew down here, at an age before 3. She blew the birds away, was more than they’d seen.

At some point in time the Queen of the Log log had been vacated. Although I hadn’t seen the bird leave, I did see when a new bird arrived.

When I left to go home, I noticed a cute little squirrel hanging around near the dock. She would stand up to reach a plant stalk, drag it to the ground, and nibble on whatever seeds or leaves that she liked.

The next post or two will probably not be about pelicans to give myself and any readers a break, and then I will resume posting about the Migration Madness.

Flapping and Fun: October 16, Part 1

Posted on November 28, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

Last fall, Q and I had the good luck to be at Sunset Bay at several different times when waves of pelicans would land. A large group would suddenly appear very high above the bay, and the birds would slowly spiral down on the thermals. When the group got low enough, individual birds would begin raining down into the water. Sometimes all of the birds in a group would land, but usually only some of the group landed while the rest flew back up on the thermals and moved on. Sometimes birds on the ground would fly up on the thermals and move on with the other pelicans.

When new birds land, there is great potential for excitement: birds bathing, exploring their new environment, fighting with other birds for the best loafing locations, etc.

I was still seeing scissor-tailed flycatchers in the area, and when I arrived at the lake on the 16th, I saw one hanging out in a tree near a small field.

Several pelicans were swimming around the bay, exploring. Almost immediately a pelican forced another pelican off a slightly elevated loafing area, then stole her position.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) leaps onto a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I didn’t want it, anyway. HARUMPH!

The usurping pelican beat her wings in triumph.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flaps her wings after jumping onto a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

MINE!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) beats her wings after jumping on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Whew! That felt good!

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

What are you looking at, human?

The pelican stood there for less than two minutes before deciding that the area just wasn’t good enough for her.

I thought she would swim around until she found a better log to jump up onto, but I was in for a surprise. She took off right there from the water!

The pelican she had initially kicked off the log also got in on the action.

The pelican who had taken off first didn’t fly very far, and I tracked her as she went by.

I looked around to see what else was going on around the bay.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) swimming at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Don’t mind me.

Then I noticed some familiar activity out on a log.

Yes, I definitely knew what was going to happen next!

American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) fight while standing on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I AM GOING TO EAT YOUR FACE!

GAH! What the fuck is wrong with you?

How do you like it, asshole?!

The attacked pelican was able to hold her ground and go back to preening. Sometimes when pelicans are hanging out, one bird will attack another for seemingly no reason.

A different bird engaged in a good flapping fit nearby. I love seeing the way they move their wings and what their wings look like in different positions.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flaps her wings at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Right as Lulu stepped on stage to begin her audition, she realized that she had wet herself.

MAYBE IF I FLAP REALLY HARD, I CAN DRY OUT AND NO ONE WILL NOTICE.

A sleepy pelican drifted by the Queen of the Log. She looked like a big floating marshmallow.

And a juvenile was stretched out, scratching.

I looked up and noticed a flock of pelicans overhead. Yes! This was the action I’d been hoping for! There were at least twenty birds in the flock, and all of them landed. Unfortunately, they landed out past the far-away logs, but they did eventually start swimming in to interact with the existing birds.

A new bird waddled up to the Queen of the Log pelican. I waited for her to jump on or for the pelican on the log to snap at her. Instead, the intruding pelican began to preen. Nooooo!

A juvenile attempted to explore and conquer the log that a different juvenile had experienced difficulty with the day before.

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) tries to keep her balance on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

And everyone said this log is so difficult to loaf on! You just need to step carefully . . .

. . . and get the other foot up on there.

I’ve got it!

Uh-oh.

No; this can’t be happening! I told EVERYONE how easy it was going to be to stay on the log!

I got it, everyone! Nothing to worry about! Go on back to hunting! Nothing to see here!

GODDAMMIT, THEY’RE ALL STILL WATCHING ME.

The juvenile’s brave attempts to conquer the log ultimately ended in a SPLASH. She swam over to the Stump and seemed to be debating whether she wanted to jump on when she decided to move along.

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) relax at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

OH MY GOD, JUVENILE, HOW ARE YOU MISSING PART OF YOUR BODY?

Another pelican posed on the Shore Log.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) loafing on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Do you find me mysterious? I am trying to pose mysteriously.

Part 2 will be up soon, with more flapping and another fight.

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

Posted on October 28, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

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.

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.

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.

STRIKE!

SPLASH!

. . . 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.

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.

FOOLED YOU, HUMAN!

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.

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?

Three fishes caught and eaten! And again she returned.

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

Posted on October 25, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

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.

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!

There’s the spot!

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.

Bird Versus Fish: Pelicans on February 3, 2014

Posted on October 11, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

Another bird jumped onto the log.

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.

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.

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.

Pelican Ichiban: First-of-Season American White Pelican at White Rock Lake on September 13

Posted on September 18, 2014 by pelicansrulegullsdrool

According to J R Compton, a local photographer and birder who has been watching the pelicans at White Rock Lake for several years, the earliest arrival date for a pelican is September 15. That would have been on a Monday. K, a friend whom I met while we were both watching the pelicans this past fall and winter, hoped that a pelican might come early, on the weekend, so she could have a chance to see it.

K, my significant other Q, and I were standing on the dock at Sunset Bay on Saturday afternoon, watching a snowy egret hunt. I peered out at a far-off log and said, “Wait a minute, there’s a pelican there.”

It was Pelican Ichiban, the first American White Pelican of the season at White Rock Lake.

I remembered from last fall that the first arriving pelicans tended to hang out almost exclusively on the far-away logs until more birds came. Then they shifted closer to the shore and onto the nearer logs. Thus, I wasn’t expecting much more than what we were seeing. Even with the bird so far away, we were all happy that there was finally a pelican at the lake again after six months and that we all got to see it together.

A cormorant that was sitting on the same far-away log suddenly darted toward Pelican Ichiban. The cormorant’s beak was open, and her wings were spread. Instead of Pelican Ichiban snapping at the cormorant, or just ignoring her, she freaked the fuck out. She flew up off the log and into the water.

Then she started swimming. We thought she was just going to hop up on a different far-out log, but she didn’t. She swam further in. And further. She made a nice pass swimming parallel to the dock, turned around, and swam back out to another far-off log that she hopped upon.

K saw her the next morning, the 14th, and K, Q, and I were all back out again in the afternoon. Shortly before Q and I arrived, K had watched Pelican Ichiban leave the far-off log where she had been loafing, bathe, and hop up onto a closer log. We watched her groom. And groom. And groom some more.

K said, “I forgot how long they can groom.”

I said, “Now I remember why we used to be out here for hours watching them. We had to wait that long for something to happen!”

Occasionally between grooming spells Pelican Ichiban would briefly flap her wings or scratch her neck. Once she tried scratching her gular pouch, but she seemed to lose interest and ended the session with an abbreviated gular flutter.

A snowy hopped on Pelican Ichiban’s log, but Pelican Ichiban ignored her. Later the snowy left and a great egret got on. Pelican Ichiban was still unperturbed. In fact, she was starting to get sleepy: her eyelids were drooping and occasionally closing.

The next afternoon she wasn’t there. I figured she was probably out fishing at another part of the lake. I rode my bike around the lake, but I didn’t see her. Pelican Ichiban must have paused to rest and refuel at the lake before continuing on her migration route. I was disappointed she didn’t stay but happy that I got to see her. Hopefully more pelicans will be arriving soon.