During my time in Florida I only saw two birds on nests, which is not terribly surprising considering that I was there at the end of January. Most birds, after all, wait until spring. But when you see the two birds on nests that I spotted you will understand why I thought that two was more than enough. Birding at the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival is really pretty darn cool…
Great Horned Owl on nest
Bald Eagle on nest
Sorry for such a short post – the next one will be longer, I promise!
…
10,000 Birds is a Scrub Jay-level sponsor of the 15th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival.
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.
Totally awesome!!!!
The Great Horned Owl as a species is a bit small, but apart from that: congrats. Now let me quickly grab my binoculars and check how the Eurasian Eagle Owls are doing that are about to start breeding again a few hundred metres away from my office. Harharhaaaaarr 😉
@Anna: I agree.
@Jochen: If only you had seen more than a paltry 85 species this year I might be gripped off. 🙂
Great Horneds have nested about 35 feet up in the palm tree in my back yard three times now. Unfortunately (to my mind) it was 2 different pairs. The first pair was hit by a car during their courtship flight the third year around. I’d like to think it was one of their offspring from that first year that came back and nested in the same nest last year. 2 fledged successfully, the third broke it’s neck when it jumped from the nest. One babe stayed in our yard and sheltered on our back porch most nights – made life difficult for our cat who was scared to death of the fledgling. It eventually moved into the mesquite tree where it could get higher off ground. Absolutely love the parents talking to the babes whenever dog/cat or human comes out of the house. Different tone of call for each of us. Dog worried them the most. Owls have migrated back into town (they spend the hot summers in the high country) but I have seen no signs of anyone using the nest this year. Have some great photos of last year’s babe.
@Corey: you’ve had one of your trips, how many more will follow? I haven’t had any trips yet, but they will come. Oh will they ever come! 🙂
And don’t be fooled by the numbers. I am actually doing rather well considering the species I’ve seen so far. And did I mention I had a nice Eagle Owl encounter just yesterday? Such classy birds.
🙂
Ha! I immediately knew that I’d seen that owl the second I laid eyes on your picture. It’s been over a year since we’ve been to Merritt Island, but that nest must have made an impression on me.
Both those birds can be seen on nests in NJ/NY/PA/CN in late January too. This year during our balmy January I had three other birds on nest up here in the northern Mid-Atlantics, Mourning Dove (three different locations, Rock Dove Pigeon or whatever it is called this week and Barn Owl (PA and NJ). Florida is great, but for nesting season, you can’t beat the north!