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Posted by Angel & Mariel on 15:20:01 11/08/10
Yesterday afternoon we took a short drive to one of our local winter hotspots in the neighborhood. We set out in search of the Ruddy Ducks that show up every year and sure enough we found two Ruddies in the lake. We also found two Ring-necked Ducks, 125~ Coots, 30~ Pied-billed Grebe, Mottled Ducks, some pesky Egyptian Geese and a mix of waders. The best bird or birds of the afternoon were a small flock of Cave Swallow that came in as the sun was casting a beautiful sunset glow. The swallows were flying into stiff north winds which allowed them to hover effortlessly over our heads. We have never had so much time to observe a swallow at such close range, it was awesome to watch them just sit there in the sky just feet above. How often do you have a chance to observe swallows as they sit still in the air, besides small corrections to stay afloat the birds remained almost motionless.
After spending time at the lake we drove around a bit and spotted some more Cave Swallows, a couple of Tree Swallow, American Kestrel and a Burrowing Owl. One bird we saw today stuck out to us, an aberrant Great Blue Heron. This heron was very light in color almost an ash gray throughout its entire plumage, with the exception of a white head and neck. The white head, and neck suggests a Wudderman s Heron but it is ways away from the Keys. The bird flew across the lake giving us great looks at it. Cool bird to see nonetheless.
All in all it was a very enjoyable afternoon checking out our local winter spots.
Nature is Awesome
Angel & Mariel
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