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I love the change of seasons in Florida. There’s a freshness in the breeze, accompanying a slightly lower level of temperature and humidity. It's lovely when you can go outside in the evening without hearing the whir of the mosquito fog truck. It’s healthy to leave the TV, the couch and the air-conditioning and venture outside to lay in the hammock to be entertained by mockingbird melodies from the wire above.  The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a fixture in my yard. I recognize one in particular by unusual growths above it’s beak and beside it’s right claw. The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a fixture in my yard. I recognize one in particular by unusual growths above it’s beak and beside its right claw. My friendly greeting of “what's the matter birdie... how are you today? Are you finding the food you need? Are you happy? You're a pretty bird.” accompanies my arrival. The mockingbird sits calmly on its perch observing, allowing me to get close with my camera. (The bird must be thinking “get a life.”)  American beautyberry,is an excellent food source for birds. Northern Mockingbirds are common in backyards, but they don’t often visit feeders. I see them hopping around on the ground stopping every few feet to partly spread its wings. They can be found high on a strangler fig branch, or among the branches of my mango or papaya trees, probing for ripening fruit. Though by necessity I must be more vigilant and pick the fruit before it becomes riddled with their peck marks, the mockingbird is helpful in my yard because it usually feeds on insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, chinch bugs and caterpillars, as well as weed seeds.  Mockingbird perch on overhead power lines. Native plants like Simpson’s stopper, American beautyberry, wild coffee, and including fruit-bearing passion flower, wax myrtle and seagrape are excellent food sources for birds. Florida's state tree, the Sabal palm is a favorite source of fruit for mockingbirds, as are the fruits of the Washingtonian palm. From prior encounters, the mockingbird knows I am a regular in the yard, and I pose no threat to it or it’s nest. University of Florida researchers have found that mockingbirds can recognize individuals after only two 30-second encounters. On the large university campus researchers observed mockingbirds rapidly learning to assess the level of threat posed by different humans, and further enabling the bird to pick out the same individual even in a crowd. Pretty amazing! Mockingbirds have been known to dive-bomb humans who may have ventured too close to a nest, particularly during the spring. Joggers and dog-walkers beware of hit-and-run attacks to the back of the head as mockingbirds warn you to get away from their nest.  Wild coffee berries are a favorite food for birds. Both male and female mockingbirds sing. They begin singing at dawn and continue throughout the day and into evening. The males can be quite loud while singing to attract a mate, and possess impressive acrobatic skills, often leaping a few feet in the air and flapping his wings while singing.  A high perch in a wild tamarind tree. Thomas Jefferson’s favorite bird was the mockingbird because of its intelligence and ability to mimic. Jefferson kept a pet mockingbird named Dick in the White House, and boasted in his Notes on the State of Virginia that Great Britain’s birdlife had nothing to compare with this bird’s vocal abilities. From the mimic thrush family, their Latin name translates to "many-tongued thrush.” They mimic the songs of other birds, as well as different animals like frogs and squirrels, and devices such as car alarms and horns, while they repeat phrases three times per sequence. The mockingbird is widely distributed throughout Florida year-round, and is one of the best-known birds, found in urban areas, suburban areas, and parklands. For the casual observer the mockingbird is just another unremarkable bird with feathers in varying shades of white, to grey. It has a long tail and slender bill, and when in flight a broad white patch is visible on its darker grey wings. There is little coloration difference between males, females, juveniles or while mating.  Mockingbird recognizes me and sees I don’t pose a threat. The Florida Federation of Women's Clubs requested Florida schoolchildren to select a state bird; they chose the mockingbird and on April 23, 1927 the Florida legislature designated the mockingbird as the state bird, giving it protected status. According to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 3, the "melody of its music has delighted the hearts of residents and visitors to Florida from the days of the rugged pioneers to the present comers.” Some argue that Florida should not share a state bird with other states. The mockingbird is also the state bird of Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas. Suggestions for a new state bird are all over the map, but four main contenders have emerged: the Florida scrub jay, flamingo, osprey and roseate spoonbill. May I “mockingly” suggest Florida’s state bird should be the construction crane?  The mockingbird sits calmly on its perch observing, allowing me to get close with my camera.
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It was another humid Florida Keys day, with record setting heat, when a naturalist friend alerted me to a very rare bird sighting. The tip came from a true photo enthusiast, who sadly possessed only an iPhone. I gathered up my professional photo gear and showed up in the hopes of getting a shot. OK… Though most of my photo archive consists of photos of birds flying away, I am optimistic. The first rule of photography… always have your camera ready so you can be there to get the shot. The thing about the iPhone is you will definitely have it when something happens, and though they are amazing, they fall short on details.  Black swans have black plumage, which contrasts with a bright red bill with white tip, and red eyes. The rare birds were a pair of Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) which had been parading back-and-forth in a small cove on the Atlantic side of North Key Largo. The second rule in photography, is you have to be lucky; I was pleased when the swans decided to come to the shore and greet me. My friend called me a “swan magnet.” These birds possessed no fear at all. Was it the bold blue hydrangea print dress I was wearing, or maybe I represented a source of food, as people tend to befriend wildlife in nature.   Black swans mate for life, and move in unison, and even assist while the other grooms. I lingered for the best part of an hour, took dozens of swan portraits, before they retreated offshore as the tide was going down, and more feeding grounds opened up on the flats. It was a breathtaking scene, with Carysfort Lighthouse on the distant horizon, sport fishing yachts and sailboats passing by, and even some paddle-boarders moving through. From time to time I would see a flash of white feathers, as they dunked and bobbed, but wasn’t sure where on their body, as they were so far away. Ecstatic that I had been able to witness such a beautiful display of nature, I headed home, eager to share my discovery with my husband, whose first reaction was, “oh that’s very bad.”  Wings raised in an aggressive display reveal the white undersides. Huh? I was more thinking this was a gift, and I was blessed to witness it. As a child, I recall seeing White Mute swans paddling in the canal behind our home off East Las Olas in Ft. Lauderdale. We’d feed them scraps of bread and enjoy their presence, but one day these graceful creatures, whose only predators are birds of prey, mysteriously disappeared, amidst rumors of foul play. Maybe that’s what my husband was thinking about… that humans can be so cruel sometimes? I later returned to the cove, and they were still there, but a Great Blue heron had now befriended them, and they were happily feeding side-by-side. I thought for a moment, how is the Blue heron reacting to these strangers? Has it ever seen a Black swan, with a long neck such as this? All of a sudden one of the swans fluttered up and revealed a beautiful white underside to an otherwise black feathered body.  I could help but wonder whether the Great Blue heron was comparing their long necks?  Black swans frequent brackish environments during migration times when resources become scarce elsewhere. I captured many images of these swans, both close-up, and far away… so much for my theory about birds flying away! I logged a few photographs on iNaturalist (www.iNaturalist.org) to confirm the identity and search for places where Black swans had been observed; the closest to the Keys was Fort Lauderdale, but very few overall had been reported. There are estimated 500,000 Black swans in the entire world. The Black swan is a non-native species, and there are no breeding populations in this area, They are migratory, and their origin is southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Florida is home to three species of swan: the Mute swan, the Trumpeter swan and Whooper swans. Factors that may have attracted the Black swans to this area include the search for more abundant food options, and migration patterns.  When swimming, black swans hold their necks arched or erect… Ocean Reef Members Point in background.  Black swans impart beauty and uniqueness to any body of water lucky enough to host them. They are typically found near lakes and ponds, with fresh water and cover needed to survive, but they frequent brackish environments during migration times when resources become scarce elsewhere. 80% of a swans diet consists of plant based food sources, but they will also eat small fish, mollusks, insects, crustaceans and worms when available. While online, I checked my email, and my husband had sent me info about the “black swan theory”, often used as a metaphor for an unexpected event, that plays a dominant role in history. Up until a Dutch explorer in 1697 discovered Black swans in Australia, people thought that only white swans existed. In the financial world, a black swan event is seen as an event that negatively impacts the stock market, catching investors off guard. Recent examples include the dot.com stock market crash, and the housing crisis that caused recession. Hope that as I stand in proximity of a ga-zillion dollars worth of real estate, their rare visit is not a forewarning of some future event.  Carol Photographing black swan My favorite times of day are near dusk and dawn. The time of day, when the shadows get longer and you can sit outside without a hat on, with coffee or cold drink in hand, and contemplate the wonders of nature. It’s the time of day full of chirping and songs, and the emergence of the critters. It’s the time before the sounds of daily human activities; the din of lawn mowers and leaf blowers, the constant chatter of workmen nearby.  A well placed nesting box can provide nightly entertainment, as you watch papa owl emerge at dusk to forage for food, or as you observe the adult owls urging their fledgling owlets to freedom through the small hole in the box. Think of how your morning walk would change if you pulled out the headphone plugs, and simply listened to the sounds of nature. Tune in not out. I will use my iPhone on nature walks; it has an app called “Merlin” that listens to and records bird sounds, and in real time suggests a possible identification. For me, a nature lover who basically knows nothing, it has opened up a world of knowledge, and has brought me even closer to nature. As the names of birds are popping up on the screen, you get an idea of what may be making the sound, and aiding you in visually identifying it. The app can also be used by someone with a hearing loss, someone who can hear, but the sounds may not be crisp enough.  This app is akin to using a language translator when visiting a foreign country. As areas are developed, and natural land is changed, birds lose their favorite trees and water sources. Several of my friends have installed screech owl nesting boxes, in their yards, within view of their windows or porches. In the wild, screech owls nest in abandoned holes created by woodpeckers for example. Before I get a nesting box, I need to use “Merlin” to see if I already have owls in my yard, or vicinity. There might just be a natural "house" in my wooded acreage.  Screech owls stay in the area, and do not migrate. Their lifespan is 10 years in the wild due to the amount of obstacles they encounter. Here they sit on a branch a the gumbo limbo tree. “Birders” are a pretty great bunch of people. A friend was invited for a cocktail at the home of a neighbor who had a “screech owl” nesting box in a palm tree outside the porch. Yes, lively Key Largo nightlife…sipping on a drink while listing to the “HOO”. She later found an appropriate spot in her own yard, where she could enjoy the owls, who came year after year thereafter, until hurricane Irma tore the house down. Have you ever heard someone say they never see any birds in their yards? Or maybe they do not know where to start looking for birds. The answer is, look in your backyard.  My friend got involved in screech owl gardening after being invited for cocktails at a home that had a screech owl nesting box in a palm tree outside the porch, where they’d sip on a cold drink and listen to the “HOO.” Ask yourself, what does a migrating bird or even a local bird, have to eat in your yard? Do you have any native plants? With development and habitat loss, there are increasing pressures on wildlife. If everybody just planted one native plant, that's a start. In a suburban jungle one native tree may be fruiting, while in another there is pollen and nectar attracting bugs and caterpillars. That is what they need to eat. It's like you going to the store and there is only cat food there. What are you going to eat? Birds need fresh water, and cover too, so they may hide from predators.  A mama screech owls feeds a baby owl a cockroach snack. Eliminate the need for pesticides, as all birds, including owls, enjoy eating insects, and act as a natural remover of those pesky bugs. Owls can be a great source for natural pest control and it is free. No pesticide service or poison filled plastic boxes needed! Screech owls feed on all sorts of bugs, cockroaches, lizards, beetles, moths and rodents. Whatever they can see, catch in the air or pounce on is fair game. Spraying for bugs eliminates a food source. Owls can also be threatened by pest control of the another kind… rat traps containing poison are a huge problem. The rat entering the box does not just eat the poison and die there, they eat the poison, then leave the trap, to slowly die from the effects wherever they wander off to. Unfortunately for the birds of prey such as the owl, or the hawk, that same poison does not discriminate between the rat, and the bird that just ate the rat.  Once the chicks leave the nest, they do not go back in. For all of us, birds alert us to seasonal shifts like migration, teach us about communication, and the cycle of life through behaviors like predation, mating and nesting. Screech owls mate in late fall, and you can hear their noises. The baby owlets emerge from the nesting boxes in April or early May.  Baby chick owlet peers out from his foliage camouflage. Nature is the Law. It makes me want to get up early in the morning and keep going. The ecosystem is provided free of charge, no accessories required. And the benefits are lower rates of anxiety, depression and stress.  Adult male screech owl looking out the small hole in the nesting box. |
CAROL ELLIS
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