Florida Birds

     We debated for a while, we being me, about going on a plane with the kiddo who is under two and incapable of wearing a mask more or less her shoes. At the last minute I decided we have all been so beyond miserable and the flight being short enough and cases going down, we'd just do it. So far it's worked out, a little vitamin d did us good and having some chances to explore kid free (thanks, grandparents) was just superb. My only complaint is that our time there flew, wish we could have had longer.

    Birding while on family vacations are possible, sometimes you just fit it in where you can, our count birds wading in ditches as you drive by. My only loggerhead shrike was a drive by bird. But we did get some devoted outside time to explore and I'm  proud to say that Kestrel LOVES being outside, it felt cruel to bring her back to this cold as she'd nearly run into the ocean every day while we were there. She would have made it in if we didn't stop her stampede into the waves.

    Since we stayed on the beach, birds were literally right on the doorstep of our home base in New Smyrna Beach...

The first few days were gray, but not snowy, but not quite warm. Bit seeing birds that remind me of summer made me happy. The royal terns just stand around as people stroll right past. It's like they are on vacation too.

The sea was rough much of the week, making soft frothy clouds around all the birds, including this willet.

Sometimes the willets seemed to be swimming, with the rough surf.

Mobs of ruddy turnstones at your feet, so many I had to stop Kestrel from wanting to grab them, they venture practically underfoot.

I feel like no matter where you are in Florida, there is always an egret nearby.

One day when the sun did come out, so did a few sandwich terns! Sandwiched between some royal terns.

You can tell the sandwich terns, they have a frowny looking black bill looking like it was dipped in yellow paint.

    On another day the grandparents offered to watch the little Bub while we went exploring. We went to Blue Spring State Park hoping to spy an endemic species, the Florida Scrub Jay.

This place gets packed early... first, with manatees as they gather in the warm waters for the winter but also with bus loads of children and families hoping to see the sirenian sensation.

It is legitimately gorgeous though.

While everyone was looking down at the manatees, I noted a hawk fly in and couldn't find it at first.

The back of the red shouldered hawk perfectly matches the Spanish moss that blankets the tree branches of just about every tree.

And hanging just near the manatees were the anhingas, such cool birds.

We then ventured onto the Pine Island Trail, here it grows quiet, very few venture past the manatee spectacle. We noted the prescribed burns to the scrubland to preserve this important habitat. The areas of the burn revealed exactly what I was hoping for.
Life Bird.

The Florida Scrub Jay.
And they were perfect, all five of them.

They hopped around, ambling through the bare twings, probing into the soil, calling as they moved around, keeping in touch with their group. They could have been a family group as these birds are well known for their altruism, where offspring help their parents raise the next years young.

These birds are endemic to Florida, meaning you don't find them anywhere else beyond the state. They are so specialized and connected to this habitat you don't find them beyond it.

They are in the corvid family, related to crows and the blue jaws we all know - they have no crest and like their cousins make all kinds of sounds.

Surviving on acorns in the winter ties them specifically to the oak scrub forests that are unique to this part of North America.

Like egrets, pileated woodpeckers also seem to be all over Florida.
Not complaining.

When the weather finally warmed up, so did the reptiles. The Brown anoles are everywhere and I loved pointing them out for my daughter and squealing in delight with her when one crossed our path. 

Like I mentioned, birding has to happen always. Like on this trip to Walmart to size up the kid's shoes. She seems to only out grow her shoes while on vacation. But we did get to enjoy some Walmart parking lot Sandhill Cranes.
I find it funny that in NY you can only find them in very specific places, but they just roam parking lots, ditches, and peoples lawns in Florida. It's not breeding season, so I guess they are also on vacation.

Kestrel and I also had a chance to meet our first Everglades Black Racer, and to the relief of my in-laws, relocated it away from their unit.

    We got another kid free day and did some bird and rocket watching from Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which did not disappoint!

Behind the visitors center there were two feeders and a sign reminding folks to stand back, and then the buntings will come.
They were right!
Love the green on the female painted buntings!

The male painted buntings ain't so bad either!

At one point there were two males and three females on the feeders all at once. A real treat for the eyes, so many at once!

I was tickled by this gator hanging with these Peninsula Cooters. The turtles are big, the gator was maybe like 5 foot or so,

Being that the sun was out, so were all the gators.

Upon entering the wildlife drive, we were smacked in the face with pink from the gathering of Roseate Spoonbills.

Their bills literally stir up the water but are super sensitive to touch and they basically hunt in the water by feel. They are pretty crazy birds in bother behavior and looks.
Of course that pink color is all from their food, the same way flamingoes are pink

Not sure what's happening with this snowy egret here, but I love it.

There must have been a pied-billed grebe conference in town or something because it felt like they were all here.

While it is a spectacle in the various waters alongside the road, don't forget to look up. This perfect formation of gliding American White Pelicans just effortlessly moved through the air with some serious grace.

Also up above were some wood storks. I only saw them in the air here, but would see them often in drainage ditches alongside the roads.

A sunning and stunning anhinga.

Putting the Common in Common Gallinule. Learned that my friend calls them all "Meeps." I think it is a good name, they make a lot of noise.

I needed some tricolored herons in my year, so this place threw me like 10+.

Same for Little Blue Herons... enough for everyone and then some. 
Not complaining.

This cattle egret trailed a number of cars including our own (see the video) and was capturing and lizards or insects that cars would spook off the road. After the car drove by, it's looking for any spoils.

After our adventure, we did some rocket watching. A launch from Cape Canaveral of some satellites into orbit which ended up failing to make it into orbit. It was a very tiny rocket. But people gather to watch these launches the way people gather to see a rare bird, it felt kinda familiar.

Here is some video taken from my iphone of some of the fun wild things we saw!

All I know is after that. Spring, sun, and warmth... I need you in my life.