Often the little birds are all tucked in at the end of the day but this little fellow was hunting for snacks just before the sun dipped below the tree line.
He checked a variety of spots along a hedge.
I didn’t see him catch anything.
My second Red-shouldered Hawk sighting on Tuesday’s walk was further off the path, but with no leaves on the trees I had a clear view.
This hawk was looking more put together than the bedraggled one from Sighting 1 and notice his tail is held tightly together.
The hawk was watching all around him, but with one foot up was pretty relaxed.
Coming in over a small group of Snowy Egrets a White Ibis is cleared to land.
He flexes his wings to slow down.
Feet out for a perfect two point landing.
One foot up for style. The egrets do not care.
I am partial to images with reflections. A small floating leaf gives away the water as this Double-crested Cormorant glides by.
The sun was going down behind me as I looped back by the pond where I had photographed the Mottled Duck pair and Tricolored Heron.
I took some landscape images and then realized the ducks and heron were still there, in the tall grass.
The Tricolored Heron started working his way back out into the open.
And the ducks followed him.
The heron continued to wade and the ducks swam behind, all in a row.
On my walk around Magnolia Plantation and Gardens yesterday I came upon three separate Red-shouldered Hawks just waiting to be photographed. This first one was perched over a small pond, looking like he’d just been for a swim.
He’s got what looks like duck weed stuck to his chest.
He was sitting with his tail somewhat fanned out, showing of the stripe on the underside.
Some preening and fluffing up made him look more bedraggled, at least temporarily.
Just a few feet away from the Mottled Ducks of my last post a Tricolored Heron was standing around.
He poked the water a few times and made some ripples but he didn’t seem to be actively fishing.
He settled in and I moved on.
A wider view of the pond and the wildlife:
Baily Tract, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
January 6, 2020
This pair of Mottled Ducks was swimming in and out of patches of late afternoon sun on a shallow pond.
I stopped at a bench at the edge of the pond and they watched me as I watched them.
Baily Tract, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
January 6, 2020
I used the Merlin App to identify these as Mottled Ducks. Further reading at Cornell’s All About Birds:
It’s reminiscent of a female Mallard or an American Black Duck, but this is the closely related Mottled Duck. They’re so closely related that hybridization, especially with Mallards, poses a real threat to the Mottled Duck’s future.
In Florida, hybridization with introduced Mallards has produced many so-called “Muddled Ducks,” and care is needed to confirm identification of a “pure” Mottled Duck.
Like most wading birds the Reddish Egret can spend a lot of time standing around. But when they are ready to hunt, look out!
They use their whole body: running, raising their wings, jumping in the air, and bam!
He got a little fish for dinner.
Then it starts again.
Hopefully some of his catch will be bigger, otherwise he would never be able to eat enough to support all this exercise.
Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
December 31, 2019
He looked left, he looked right, and that was about it.
He did give me a nice look at that gorgeous red eye.
