Travels with Cathy and Larry: A few Birds from Florida

We stayed at the Escapees Sumter Oaks RV Park where we have camped many times. It was from here we traveled to Leesburg FL for Cathy's Oncology treatments 6-years ago. This year we are simply biding our time until the Spring Break for schools in PA when our granddaughter, Kendalyn, will join us with her mother, Laura, and her Uncle Randy to celebrate Kendalyn's upcoming tenth birthday with a 5-day stay at Disney World in Orlando. More about that in a future post that will have many pictures.

While here this year we were entertained by some of the local birds, some old friends and one first-timer for us. Below is the Red-headed Woodpecker which is a new addition to our life list of bird sightings. A pair were nesting in this lamp pole and apparently tending to some offspring. Here in flight leaving for a new batch of food for the brood.

And below here, working on the nest opening.

Old acquaintances, the Bluebirds seemed to be quite numerous this year and this one was checking out one of the many nesting boxes around the outer perimeter of the park. This one happened to be directly behind our space so we saw lots of activity,

And a visit to Sumter Oaks in winter would not be complete without seeing the local Sand Hill Crane which was frequently seen first thing in the morning on my walks with Dixie.

The treat of the stay was numerous sightings of the Swallow-tailed Kite and this year the bird seemed to be much closer to the treetops and I was able to get some great action pictures. This bird's range in North America is limited to the Southeastern states including Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. It is seen in Texas where it is considered to be a "threatened" species as it is also in SC. In Georgia they are "rare". So we were fortunate to enjoy this wonderful bird. The photo below shows the characteristic tail shape that gives its name as well as the distinctive coloring.

Swallow-tailed kites eat and drink on the fly and apparently only roost in tree tops at night. I was taking continuous exposure shots as I tried to follow its sweeping path across the open area in front of our rig. In the picture below the kite had just taken a baby bird from a nest in the oak behind it. I have annotated the picture with two red arrows to locate the catch.

And below it has the bird in its talons as it flies away.

Here turning to make another pass at the tree.

And my favorite as it turns to get close to the trees for still another pass. We have seen them in past years but usually much higher in the sky so photography was not as good.

At the rear of the RV Park is a wet, swampy area with a stand of Bald Cypress trees between the camp road and the swamp.

Cathy is fascinated by cypress knees, the short shoots the tree sends up from its root system. You can see them in the shot below. The function of the knees is not known but it is suggested by some biologists they may help with oxygenation of the roots of trees growing in water. Others think they may aid in anchoring the tree in soft muddy soils under the swamps.

It seems to us we are seeing more beef cattle in the fields and ranches around the central part of Florida. Perhaps the high price of beef has gotten the attention of the local ranchers who recognize potential profits. The property adjacent to us has about a dozen or so cattle that appear around sundown every day. Sorry about the butt shot, but they wouldn't listen to me to pose!

We also had a great experience while driving near Center Hill FL which is just about 10 miles from our park. As we were driving along a secondary road we saw a large bird swoop down across the highway and land on the shoulder. To our surprise it was a mature Bald Eagle and looked magnificent. Alas, no camera, no photo. Our friend, Lynell, who volunteers at a Maryland Natural Environmental Area near her home tells us injured raptors are often victims of collisions with automobiles. Careless drivers toss trash and leftovers from fast food lunches which attract small rodents which in turn attract the raptors who are not traffic wary. It is likely this eagle was after prey attracted in the same manner.

Other regular visitors to Sumter Oaks are Barred Owls and Red-tail Hawks. We heard the owls during the first few evenings after we got here, but not since. Maybe the cool weather has chased them farther south. Cathy has seen the hawk in her tricycle excursions with Dixie leading the way.

The following morning as I was walking Dixie in the frosty chill I saw this wildlife in the field adjacent to our parking spot. Below are some local deer out for breakfast. I can see 5 in the photo.