For the last ten to fourteen days Sharon & I have seen flashes of yellow flash about The Ranch as the male Golden Finches start to change into their spring finery. While a very small bird, they sport a really big color that can’t be missed. In fact, the first male to turn yellow got nailed by the Sharpie so we’re not the only ones seeing the flash of color! Well, they aren’t the most photogenic as they shift especially their black caps so I’ve been very impatiently waiting until the black was pretty well filled in to photograph them. This male, though not totally in his spring tux, isn’t too bad-looking. He’s the first of the season I’ve photographed. Here’s the thing, last year we only saw one or two males total, they had just found The Ranch feeders and were pretty shy. We were hoping they would come back and in bigger numbers this year. We had them during the winter mixed in with our siskins and redpolls but they were in their winter drabs so we were never really sure how many goldfinches were mixed in. In the last week or so, with all the yellow darting about, we can see they have multiplied! At the moment, we’re up to nine males in (would be 10 but the Sharpie), and about the feeders. We’re really excited and delighted to see them! And I was really happy yesterday even in the snow flurries to get some in the viewfinder and make some clicks. It’s only going to get better, I can’t wait to see if any actually stay and nest!

Photo Gear
Finalize the gear you’re going to take at least a month prior to your adventure! Get it all packed in the bag you’re going to take making sure it fits in the overhead of the smallest airplane you’re going to fly in. If you’re renting gear, pad the time you receive so you can practice and get to know it. Do Google searches and broaden your idea of photographic possibilities. Check the weather for the time you’re going to be shooting so you have what you need be either a Miops or white towel, or both. And most importantly, think through all you read and apply it to you, and don’t take any of it at face value.

Personal Gear
Rain gear, footgear, binoculars, meds, computer, power, make a bloody list of EVERYTHING you think you might need and want, NOW! Then start to ponder that list asking yourself if you need all those items. Can you break down your list into must-haves, need, and want? Less is more and as you start packing you will find how true this is. Prepack everything into your luggage a month prior to your trip to make sure what’s on your list fits and can go.

I realize some of this seems obvious. But having traveled with folks who haven’t traveled for the last few years seems to be, out of practice. A great way to be prepared for that great adventure is to start getting ready for it now. Now’s not the time to relax.

The Ranch is a hotbed of sex right now with seven birdhouses with nesting Red-breasted Nuthatches and one with White-breasted Nuthatch. This pair of Red-breasted drilled out (the video at the top of the landing page) a cavity in the dead log I planted for just that reason a couple of years back. Being home for long stretches, I’ve been afforded time just watching the activity as it unfolds. This morning the White-breasted were doing a display flight for nearly thirty minutes. No clue what that was about but they both seem to be loving it. And then yesterday, I saw this.

The drilling was being done by the female, never saw the male take part in the drilling. But the male would come in every so often and from a distance would seem to be kissing the female. I put glass on the tree trunk to see what he was actually doing was feeding her. There must have been a hatch of spiders somewhere because he just fed her spiders. As you can see, she (female lower bird) would after he offered her the bug, would come up and grab it. The half dozen times I watched, she would tear the spider, which was still squirming, in half. It must have worked because they seem to be in their cavity and I assume in the process of laying eggs. mtc

Cruising Lake Kissimmee, we saw lots of amazing birds going about their daily life. While we mostly had blinders on looking for just Snail Kites, some things stopped us in our tracks. We had seen days before a Great Blur Heron (GBH) with a Rice Rat in its bill, we’d all seen that before. On this morning we’d already seen lots of GBH but this one stopped the airboat in its tracks! What the hey does the GBH have in its grasp?

As we watched the scene trying to decipher what we were seeing, the GBH flew a short distance and closer to us. When it took to the air, we could see just how long this thing was and we were shocked! Long, black, slimy, it was pretty alien. Even our guide was befuddled about what the heck we were seeking. The Z 9 / 500 permitted us to zoom in on the photo and we could see two, tiny legs along with more slim on a rubber-looking body then we cared to see. After we got back to shore and did a little research, it was determined is was a Great Siren, North America’s largest salamander. If it wasn’t disgusting looking enough, what we witnessed next put it over the top!

The dang thing was still wiggling! We saw the GBH “pecking” at it, they didn’t look like killing blows to me. And before we could get closer to it, the GBH with the greatest of ease, swallowed the WHOLE thing in seconds! Ooo yuck! The GBH acted as it does it all the time, it probably does but I’d never seen nor photographed such a thing ever! It happened so fast, was so disgusting, all I could say was, what the hey?

The Snail Kite is a very specialized species eating one particular aquatic snail. The loss of that food source an exotic coming in and its habitat has put the Snail Kite on the endangered species list. We were very fortunate to spend time with five individuals and watch firsthand a small part of their fight for survival. Finding, snatching, and eating snails as its name implies, is a big part of it. Its bill and talons are specialized to grab and pull the snail from its shell. Perched on a twig on a floating island that you wouldn’t think would support its weight, they are able to pull that snail out and consume it in seconds flat. It takes longer to wipe all the slim from their mandible than it did to consume it. They are a gorgeous and spectacular part of our wild heritage!

These highly specialized raptors are simply grace on the wing! They eat basically nothing but snails, snails, snails, and are able to pluck them from the lake and after four of them, are full. Being incredibly efficient, you don’t have much time after the sun comes up to work them when they are hunting. You also have to get where they are which requires an airboat. It was the most amazing experience! mtc