Beauty of the
Wild
Nature photography by Jay Paredes
November 27, 2006
Note: When replying to this email,
please delete the pictures to avoid network congestion. Thank
you.
Hello
again everyone, it's been more then a month since the last update. To bring
everyone up to speed, I have again changed jobs. I have recently accepted a
position as the head of the information technology department for the Charles E. Schimdt College of Science at
Florida Atlantic University. It looks like a challenging and interesting
position that will keep me busy for at least the next few years. I have a great
team of people that I'll be working with, and hopefully I will have a positive
impact on the scientific research at FAU.
Free cat to a good
home
We are
also looking for a good home for one of our cats. Sadie has been with us
for three years. She is an affectionate Domestic Shorthair that was a
rescued stray kitten. She has been spade and is free to a good home. When our
daughter Arwen was born, our cats have been extremely jealous of her and have
become territorial. As such the cats no longer get along with each other and so
we must sadly, give one up. If you've always wanted a cat, Sadie makes a great
companion. She will best adapt to a home that currently has no other pets (i.e.
dogs or cats).
Sadie (Domestic Shorthair),
free to a good home.
November Birding
This
November was a month filled with uncommon visitors. Although many of the usual
migrant birds such as the Blue-winged Teal and the Pine
Warbler have returned to their wintering grounds is South Florida, we
have had a number of new migrants show up as well. The first of these is an odd
pair that can be found at Wakodahatchee. There, an American
Widgeon (Anas americana) and a Gadwall
(Anas strepera) have formed a bond. The male Widgeon has been virtually
inseparable from the female Gadwall. It's a very curious pairing although not
all that uncommon
among ducks. It is very uncommon to see an American Widgeon
at Wakodahatchee and very rare to find a Gadwall
there.
American Widgeon (Anas
americana) and Gadwall (Anas strepera) at
Wakodahatchee
The next
uncommon visitor to Florida can be found at the Viera Wetlands and is probably
the most famous duck in Florida, next to Donald. The female Masked
Duck (Nomonyx dominicus) has been well photographed and talked
about by birders from all over the country. There have been write ups about this
duck in the local newspapers and she'll probably turn up in some birding
magazines as well. Normally secretive, Masked Ducks are a rare sight in
Florida.
Masked Duck (Nomonyx
dominicus) at Viera Wetlands
Our trip
to the Viera Wetlands was fantastic. We photographed many species that are not
common around South Florida, including the Caracara and
Bald Eagle. You can find those images in the November
gallery.
Crested Caracara (Caracara
cheriway) at Viera Wetlands
No place,
however, has been more productive in terms of new species to photograph then
Green Cay. Already famous as the place to observe and photograph the
American Kestrel, Green Cay has yielded several new visitors
this winter. Earlier in the month, several Ruddy Ducks could be
found near the visitor's center.
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura
jamaicensis) juvenile at Green Cay
A
Northern Harrier has also made Green Cay its hunting ground. He
is difficult to photograph but can easily be observed hovering over the
pickerelweed in search of prey. Red-shouldered Hawks are also
pretty common around Green Cay. Towards the middle and end of November another
group of uncommon migrants have surfaced. An Eared Grebe and a
pair of Greater Scaups can now be readily observed from the
visitor center. This is the first winter that both of these species have been
recorded at Green Cay, and hopefully we'll see more of them in the
future.
A pair
of Greater Scaups (Aythya marila) are being led by an
Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) at Green
Cay
November
has been a great month for birding, and hopefully December turns out just as
nice. You can find images of these birds and many more in the November gallery of BEAUTYoftheWILD.com.
Thank you
and until the next update, happy birding!
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus
leucocephalus) at Viera
Wetlands
