Recently in Wings on Wednesday Category

Black Skimmer, Fort DeSoto Park, Florida
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One cool bird of the shore, a Black Skimmer coming in for a landing at Fort DeSoto Park near St. Petersburg, FL. Almost always seen in large flocks, they are a real pleasure to watch feed as they "skim" just above the water, their lower mandible in the water and ready to snap shut with lightning speed when it touches a fish. Though their conservation status is considered "least concern," in some parts of their range in North America numbers have declined due to over development of coastal regions.

Snail Kite, Lake Marian, Florida
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With the catch of the day in it's talons, this immature Snail Kite certainly learned quickly how to hunt for Apple Snails. There was also a banded and satellite transmitter equipped female foraging in the same area that, if I had to guess, was probably this bird's mother. This catch was by far the largest snail by either of them while I was there. Here's a bonus shot after the snail was extracted and the shell discarded.

Lake Marian is southeast of Orlando and one of the "3 lakes" of Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area. These kites were seen near the Lake Marian Marina south of the WMA; another location to look for them is at Joe Overstreet Landing north of the WMA. In addition to kites, within the WMA you can look for endangered Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and, on a lucky day, you might see some of the non-migratory population of reintroduced Whooping Cranes near Overstreet Landing. Check out the Great Florida Birding Trail (East Section) for more info if you're heading to Florida.

Greater Sage-grouse battling on a lek near Bryce Canyon National Park
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Not far from Bryce Canyon Airport is a Greater Sage-grouse lekking ground where it is possible to witness displays by the males and, occasionally, a pair of them engage in a territorial battle. If a male wanders to close to an area staked out by another male, feathers do fly as they smack either other around with their wings. In this particular encounter the bird on the left was the loser.

Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (click image to view larger)

Just this week my friend Ric and I settled on dates for a return trip in January to New Mexico's amazing Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Over 10,000 Sandhill Cranes and 20,000+ white geese (Greater Snow Geese, Ross's Geese) await us, along with tens of thousands of ducks, more than likely a few other bird species as well, and maybe a coyote or two just for fun.

The Sandhill Crane pictured here had just taken off from the partially frozen marsh where it had spent the night, and was probably on its way to the corn fields at the northern end of the refuge for a day of feeding and hanging out with friends. Not that it was alone during the night, as you can see a couple of dozen or so blurry cranes still hanging out in the marsh in the background . . . 

Red-necked Grebe at Nest, Minnesota (click image to view larger)

This Red-necked Grebe is just settling down on its floating nest on a small lake near Bemidji, Minnesota. A hot summer afternoon, the parent had been out on the lake foraging and just finished uncovering the eggs, which had been covered with moist grasses from the nest.

This species is found in Europe, eastern Siberia, and in North America, where they are one of three members of the genus Podiceps (the others are Horned and Eared Grebes). The genus name comes from the Latin words podicis, for "vent," and peds, "foot," and refers to the positioning of the legs at the rear of their body, clearly visible in the photo. While this positioning is great for swimming, it also makes walking difficult, so these birds are rarely seen out of the water, except when in flight or, as in this case, tending a nest.  

Final Approach - Roseate Spoonbill at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

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