Drew's Birds

Stepped out to get some shots of the Solar Eclipse. We all went out to the parking lot to take a look. Our coverage was 86% here in Central Florida. I don't have any special filters to take sh...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2017/08/solar-eclipse.html

I had tried to find a Mississippi Kite for a long time and one of my banding volunteer reacheds out to me during the Summer to say they are nesting around his neighborhood. We managed to meet up ...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2017/07/mississippi-kites.html

I like to take a 12 mile loop that covers all of the local lakes from my house toward the airport. This morning, as I rounded Lake Weldona, I spotted a small bird walking by the shore. It was a v...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2017/05/spotted-sandpiper.html

Had a nice surprise while touring the lakes. A pair of Green-winged Teal were visiting Lake Emerald. More of a pond just off the through street. They were feeding right at the shoreline not fa...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2017/03/another-green-winged-teal-visit.html

Back to Greenwood Cemetery to check on the Bald Eagle nest. Chicks are doing great and you can now see their heads above the rim of it. TK

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2017/02/chicks-getting-larger.html

I head around the local lakes every chance I can to see what might be hanging out. Mainly looking for Wintering ducks but you never know. Today, I headed around and spotted a Great Blue Heron wit...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2017/02/looking-for-breakfast.html

Several of the Wekiwa Basin Banding Station crew headed out for what will be the final Sparrow Drive done by Marianne Korosy after many years of research at the abandoned limestone quarries in th...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-final-sparrow-drive.html

It was a gloomy lake check today with not a lot of Wintering birds to be seen. Not many in all of mile 8 mile loop. Time to head by the cemetery before getting back home. I had yet to see much ac...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2017/01/we-have-chicks.html

I headed over to Barber Park which is on the outer edge of my birding loop from home. There was rain earlier but I have never seen the soccer area filled with water before. Surrounding that water...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2017/01/barber-park-gulls-and-sparrows.html

Early in the season I found a few female Green-winged Teal in the lake but haven't noticed them lately. This I discovered from a Facebook friend that a male was now out there. I swung by and, sur...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2017/01/green-winged-teal.html

I stopped by the nest site on the way home today. Hoping to see if there are any Bald Eagle chicks this year. I couldn't tell by just the drive by but Mom was at the nest while Dad was in the opp...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2017/01/checking-for-chicks.html

It was my first trip back to Mead Botanical Garden for the New Year and I was soon surrounded by the largest feeding flock of American Robins of the Winter. Problem was, they were all flying out ...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2017/01/mead-botanical-gardens.html

I have used New Year's Day a hiking day for the past several years. Usually I choose a place I haven't been to before but today I decided to go back to Clay Island since there was a report of a p...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2017/01/new-years-hike.html

Where to go the day after Christmas? I couldn't decide so I visited several spots all around Largo. First stop: War Veteran's Memorial Park where I have spent time during Christmas Bird Counts. I...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2016/12/largo-birding.html

I always swing by a local retention pond after my bird banding to check if there are any Hooded Mergansers swimming about. They prefer a certain pond every year and sometimes they make good subje...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2016/12/hooded-merganser-joy.html

Part 2 of the CBC post is going to be a bit more lengthy. I took so many more photos as the day went on and didn't expect to get many birds at the golf course. Settle in... We headed back to Cr...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2016/12/2016-st-pete-cbc-part-2.html

That time of year again! Time to head to St. Pete to count as many birds as we can in our selected count circle for the Christmas Bird Count. This year I was assigned to Area #5 in the very urban...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2016/12/2016-st-pete-cbc-part-1.html

I headed to check on the Bald Eagle nest at the cemetery like I always do heading home in the daylight. I rounded the back road and was quite surprised by a Coyote right on the edge on the lawn. ...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2016/12/return-of-coyote.html

Ever since Hurricane Matthew swept through in early October we have been bone dry. Nearly two months of dry air. Today we had a light rain come for a visit for a while which was needed. It seems ...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2016/12/snapping-turtle-soaks-in-rain.html

I often drive past Barber Park or drive through the parking lot in case anything is sitting in the front pond but today I decided to stop and take a walk out to the lake and see what I could find...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2016/12/barber-park.html

I never miss a chance to drive through the Maitland Center Parkway complex after my Sunday banding sessions. Mainly it is to keep an eye out for the return of the wintering Hooded Mergansers. Wel...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2016/11/hooded-mergansers-are-back.html

How is November halfway over? Been too busy, I suppose. Finally had a chance to get through Greenwood Cemetery in the daylight (this being Saturday) and was pleased to see both Bald Eagles at t...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2016/11/eagle-pair-at-nest.html

A quick swing through Greenwood Cemetery yielded a nice surprise. This is the first time I have seen one of the Bald Eagles venture to the nest this season. Fingers are crossed for a brood thi...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2016/10/back-at-nest.html

My travels around the lakes is finally paying off as the first of the Wintering waterfowl begin to make it back to Orlando. American Coots are the easiest to spot at a distance as their white bil...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2016/10/winter-ducks-returning.html

I was just at Mead Botanical Garden and really wasn't in a hurry to get back but then the word got out that a rare bird was seen for more than a day in a row. So, there was a good chance it would...

https://drewsbirds.blogspot.com/2016/10/florida-lifer.html