Green Cay / Wakodahatchee wetlands (1 Viewer)

[Zackiedawg]

I'm looking so forward to getting back out there - been quite a while! I've last visited either wetlands on May 28...going on a full month - which is pretty unusual for me. But I've been traveling, and catching up at work, and shooting a weekend event, and had a bad cold - so that's killed 4 weekends in a row. This weekend, I should get the chance to finally head back to both spots at least one of the days.

Glad to hear the woodstorks and spoonbill populations are up as usual for the summer.

 

[bulos]

Z it's been pretty quiet but perhaps the rains we've been getting will liven things up a bit. Wak really needs it, it is starting to smell like the mens room with accumulations of bird feces all over the boards and railings it was literally too much to bear. I suspect it may be a health issue too. I did however see Brown Thrasher and heard 2 calling Screech Owls at GC.

 

[bulos]

3 no onions 3 all the way frenchie 2 float em' and a marvis!

Why the heck would I joke about that ;(


Ooops...one frenchie, one! 2 all the way 2! $4.96!

And whoc ould forget Hot Bagels, and the guy with the cigarette hanging out of his mouth, the ashes about to fall into the bagel dough as he hoses them down...

 

[Sydsmythe]

They starting letting water into Wako on Wed or Thurs when I was there. And yes I heard several people comment about the bird poop.

Went back to Wako last night around 6. It is nicely filled, and I like going to these places just before a storm. The storm never really came though.

Finally saw Mama gator. She got home about 6:30.

2 spoonbills circling around the pond over the levee to the left. They landed on top of the tall trees facing the entrance boardwalk and stayed there for at least an hour.

I love those baby anhingas ! So cute.
Lots of turtles on the banks hanging out with the young tri's.

3 BCNH , several LGH and a stork. When the wind picked up the tall trees near the entrance were white with ibis. The spoonbills kept lifting their wings..maybe for balance, maybe to show off that color!

I don't really see any birds at Ocean Ridge NA but my walk Friday night was enchanting.
It was dark, and as I walked down the cement walk to the boardwalk the area to the left was littered with fireflies-on the ground and around the trees. It was like someone had installed string lights. So lovely.

 

[Zackiedawg]

Went to Green Cay Saturday - got in 2 1/2 hours before the thunderstorms started looming. Pickings were not bad at all. I started in going to the right of the main building - saw the usuals at first...egrets, tricolors, moorhens, etc. By the merging back of the short and long path at the back pond, lots of roseated spoonbills, and handfuls of black-necked stilts...then some black-bellied whistling ducks, nothing through the tree canopy except a red-bellied woodpecker, then in the back there were baby moorhens still around, more stilts, pied-billed grebes, red-winged blackbirds, anhingas, cowbirds, grackles, and a few limpkins. Wood storks were flying around, a few sitting out in the center area with some roseateds around them. Around the north side through the tree canopy and I found a least bittern not being shy at all - hunting fairly close to the boardwalk just before the levee.

I briefly went over to Wako, and only made it as far as the first gazebo to see the cattle egret nests, before the thunderstorms were ready to drop the skies open on me, so I fled.

 

[Zackiedawg]

Here's my little least bittern buddy from Green Cay this weekend:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/135955493/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/135955494/original.jpg

 

[merryslug]

Fantastic shot Justin!

 

[Sydsmythe]

Went to Wako at my favorite time-at dusk in the rain. I was the only one there.
Upon entering was greeted by an adorable preening least bittern.
Saw another one while going left to see if my favorite reptile was home. She wasn't.
2 BCNH, and one immature.
6 spoonbills (at least) as I was leaving--some in the tall trees by the levee. 3 in the pond.
Lots of fat happy fish visible.

 

[bulos]

Hmm I was at GC and it was nice in the drizzle. Should have gone to GC to see the LB's! Has the rain cleaned it up a bit? The rather bright overcast lighting was great though and I did shoot some Green Herons, Stork and a Imm night Heron. BTW I've been entering the photo contests here and have gotten to the finals every month but so far no banana local votes could help!

 

[bulos]

both

Hit both places friday and very little going on unless of course you have an interest in gnats.

 

[Sydsmythe]

Haven't been to GC in weeks but my last 2 visits to Wako have been very disappointing, even in the rain.
Not even Mama Gator has shown up.
But I do like the 2 immature anhingas who sit very close to eachother and make some wonderful poses. Heart shape, intertwined necks. Too bad i still don't have my camera figured out.
Nothing but gnats and mosquitoes at Ocean Ridge Natural Area past few days. Even with the rain it's drier than it was a month ago.it really was the boggy swamp then. Don't know if it's the tides or if they fill it. There are pipes/faucets there. mainly a mob of grackles.

 

[Zackiedawg]

Other than it being ungodly hot and humid, I found both Green Cay and Wako to be pretty good today. I started at Wako, and the black bellied whistling ducks are all over the place - even sitting on the handrails as you walk by them without flying away. There have to be at least 4 different least bitterns, and sitting quite in the open. Red winged blackbirds have started nesting again - one has the nest not 4 feet away from the boardwalk. Purple gallinules were out and about, cattle agret, anhinga, and glossy ibis babies are all chirping in their nests, tricolor heron youngsters hounding moms everywhere, great egrets actively flying around and hunting, basilisk lizards along the tree canopy quite out in the open, and some baby iguanas walking across the boardwalk.

I then went to Green Cay, and quickly had a lovely black-crowned night heron sitting on display, severl green herons coming up on the trail next to me, two alligators including one nesting in the pond on the long trail to the right, downy and red-bellied woodpeckers in the easternmost tree canopy in back, wood storks and black-bellied whistling ducks, and another two least bitterns among the usual moorhens and purple gallinules.
All in all, a pretty good day...and one shirt hung outside to dry from sweat before tossing in the laundry bin. Did I mention it was hot?

 

[bulos]

Justin you must have the magic touch I was skunked!

 

[Zackiedawg]

Usually, it's been you that gets all the good stuff - I guess every once in a while the luck turns. I never did see that virginia rail that seemed to keep coming out for you...I spent untold hours looking for him for many weeks in a row.

Sunday was pretty good - more than I even expected actually, and the light was even pretty nice for that time of day, so good for a few decent photos. I need to get them loaded and sorted still - I haven't even loaded them off the camera yet.

 

[Sydsmythe]

Blah I'm jealous. I so wanted to make it to either place today, but worked 8am till 7:45pm.

At work we do have peafowl and 5 peachicks...adorable. We also have 2 RSHs. One was perched in the perfect spot/lighting for quite some time. If only some fool would bring her camera. Also 100s of ibis and grackles as our vehicle manager feeds everything that comes in to the parking lot.
One day we even had donkeys...well, actually they escaped from The Boys market, but that was fun.

 

[Zackiedawg]

Haven't finished processing and sorting through all the photos - but the quick cull through the initial batch looks like some very pleasing ones. I think I've gotten my best least bittern shots ever - this guy was just right in the open not 10 feet away, preening, grooming, puffing, craning, etc...I stood there and fired off 30-35 shots of him before he decided to go hide in the bushes. The BCNH was a lovely pose too, and solid catches of quite a few of the regulars. The light was surprisingly good for early afternoon...can't wait to finish up this batch of shots.

 

[bulos]

Usually, it's been you that gets all the good stuff - I guess every once in a while the luck turns. I never did see that virginia rail that seemed to keep coming out for you...I spent untold hours looking for him for many weeks in a row.

Sunday was pretty good - more than I even expected actually, and the light was even pretty nice for that time of day, so good for a few decent photos. I need to get them loaded and sorted still - I haven't even loaded them off the camera yet.

Yup a lot of it is just being in the right place at the right time.

 

[bulos]

Blah I'm jealous. I so wanted to make it to either place today, but worked 8am till 7:45pm.

At work we do have peafowl and 5 peachicks...adorable. We also have 2 RSHs. One was perched in the perfect spot/lighting for quite some time. If only some fool would bring her camera. Also 100s of ibis and grackles as our vehicle manager feeds everything that comes in to the parking lot.
One day we even had donkeys...well, actually they escaped from The Boys market, but that was fun.

Be careful those flying donkeys can be sooooo messy.

 

[Zackiedawg]

Boy, am I happy I got some really nice, close shots of the least bittern in some very nice light this time - this lovely chap gave me some nice poses:

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/136374319/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/136374321/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/136374322/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/136374323/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/136374324/original.jpg

 

[merryslug]

I've given up on the least bitterns. I know they always seem to be there for you, but I've been on numerous occasions and hovered around where you say they are. I think they just don't like me.