Week 8 (2/24/19) - Keeping it Local

After the heroic failure of Weeks 6 and 7, I felt like I would benefit from taking a break from travelling the length of the state to not see a bird. Instead I opted for the relatively close (30 minutes) Reddie Point Preserve. An interesting sighting was reported there during the week and I wanted to see what I could see.

As a brief aside, I am writing this outside as Rowan (silly floofy canine) wanted to sit outside and I thought I would give her some company. She mostly ignoring me and Apollo (big squishy feline) keeps trying to jump in my lap, wherein sits my laptop. So there's a definite shelf-life on my solidarity with Rowan here.

But let's back up a little first to earlier in the week. Full disclosure - healthy eating has been mostly neglected of late. I've been getting Starbucks for breakfast and then eating a variety of less than ideal foods for lunch and dinner. It has been a struggle convincing myself I want to do the healthy foods. I cannot get excited about things like salad right now, so I need to try and figure out some other healthy alternatives. I am very much open to suggestions.

On top of not eating well this week I haven't been exercising as planned (two short walks per day plus maybe something else at the start or end of the day). Needless to say, I have not lost any more weight, in fact it is far more likely that I had just regained that which was lost previously. I know things will get back in line, but I"m ready for them to already be back in line, and I'm not sure exactly how to do the getting them in line thing especially because I want to put in zero effort.

But aside from poor life choices, I have maintained my walking/birding streak of at least one little walk per day during the week. I didn't really see anything of note during the week, but have been enjoying the Black-and-white Warbler and the Parulas who seem to have made the office parking lot home for now. Just about every day they are present and heard if not seen each day.

For the weekend itself I decided to try Reddie Point, encouraged by a report of a Western Tanager there this week. I saw my lifer Western Tanager at a private residence here in Duval last year, but seeing another one this year would be beneficial for my Duval year list as well as just being a really nice bird to see. I saw the female last year, but the bird pictured at Reddie Point was a resplendent male, with bold red markings on the head of his otherwise mostly bright yellow feathers.

I spent about an hour at Reddie Point, but no sign of the Tanager. I was once again swamped by probably close to 100 American Robins, though it is hard to be sad about that really, as they make some great noises and are very dapper chaps and chapesses.

One of the American Robin horde, well, one and a half of the American Robin horde

Often flying alongside and even intermingling was a group of around 20-30 Cedar Waxwings. I've commented on this before, but I am still surprised by how often I am seeing these guys and in good numbers too. Somehow I didn't get any pictures this time, but if you flick back through past posts you'll find some I photographed earlier.

After a pleasant look around Reddie Point I went a little way down the road to Blue Cypress Park, a recreation park with soccer fields and basketball courts, but also with a walking trail leading down to the river. Last year I had a Painted Bunting here, along with several warblers. I figured it was worth a look around. I did not see anything unusual, but I got really nice looks at a Mourning Dove.

I understand that this is hardly a rare bird, but I really appreciated the way it sat so calmly for me. 

I have returned inside at this stage after being eaten quite viciously by either one very hungry mosquito or a small swarm. They were clever, they ate at my ankles where I couldn't see it happening. I have never handled mosquito bites very well, usually scratching at them until the afflicted limb falls off and I can grow a replacement. My feet are in danger of needing to regrow tonight. 

Anyway, back to the birds. I spent around an hour at Blue Cypress, walking all the way out to the river and taking a look around. I did get an awful picture of a Belted Kingfisher, but not a lot else to report from there. 

Very distant and poorly lit Belted Kingfisher

After leaving Blue Cypress I decided to try my luck again at Spanish Pond. I was too tired to do the full walk out to the marsh, and it was already around midday when I arrived so it was warming up and many birds were getting ready to take a siesta. I did hear a bird that caught my ear, though. I recognized the song but could not remember it for the life of me. I was thinking it was almost certainly a warbler, but which one. I quietly listened to (almost) all the likely warblers to be moving through, but nothing fit. 

Eventually I scrolled back through the list and realized there was one I hadn't listened to - Yellow-throated Warbler. Sure enough, that was my guy. He was singing his heart out on the edge of the pond, although I did not get any looks at him sadly. In the end I heard three different birds calling though none showed their face. It is a shame, because they are part of my favorite set of life imitating art - the pokemon-esque evolution of Black-and-white Warblers into Yellow-throated Warblers and finally into Blackburnian Warblers. 

The final birds of note were some Red-shouldered Hawks. I'm going to include the footage here, but understand that I am still working on getting better at capturing flying birds. It's really hard. If you suffer from motion sickness, maybe don't watch this one...

The absolute final birds from the week were on Sunday. I was out in the yard for a few minutes before heading out to play some D&D when I heard some tell tale high-pitched whistles. I looked up and wouldn't you know it, landing in a tree above my head - Waxwings!

A very nice group of Cedar Waxwings in the yard. Not a bad yard bird at all!

I felt good for taking it relatively easy. But some crazy reports coming from further south meant that I was planning something drastic for Week 9. No spoilers here, but I will say this - it was a long drive with the distinct possibility of being another dramatic and catastrophic failure...

Reddie Point Preserve list

Blue Cypress Park list

Spanish Pond Trailhead list