2004-5 PHOTOS PAGE 6

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Three more yellow-bellied sapsucker images.  The center shot shows how cryptic they can be against a bark background.  I'm still not used to seeing as many sapsuckers as I have this winter.

Although yellow-rumped ("Myrtle") warblers are generally common throughout the winter, and usually fairly cooperative from a photographic perspective, rarely do I see birds as brightly colored as this male. I'm guessing that this is male that has already begun his pre-nuptial molt and is beginning to acquire the brighter colors they sport on their breeding grounds.   Unfortunately, we rarely get to see breeding-plumaged birds in Florida, as they have usually migrated out before this molt begins.

The two commonest winter sparrows at Emeralda, both photographed on a foggy morning.  Savannah sparrows (left) are more typical of open, grassy areas along the roads, and swamp sparrows are more frequent around dense vegetation in field or wetland habitats.

Two less common winter residents, usually present throughout the winter but in relatively small numbers. Both were lured to a screech owl tape right around first light.  On the left is a hermit thrush, on the right an orange-crowned warbler.

My best effort (which still leaves a lot to be desired) to date  of a sedge wren.  These skulky, but sometimes vocal, little birds don't like to come out in the open for long.  Their buzzy alarm chip usually gives them away even when I don't see them, though.  On the right is another swamp sparrow.

In January and February, dropping water levels in one of the pools of the flow-way produced mudflats attracting shorebirds, and concentrated fish in the remaining pools, attracting large numbers of American white pelicans as well as many species of wading birds.  Large flocks of glossy ibis, white ibis, great and snowy egrets, and other ciconiiforms have been around for several weeks. A few ruddy ducks (right) have been around most of the winter; by late February, the males were starting to come into breeding plumage.

The first of the migrant warblers showed up in late February, including a Northern Waterthrush and an early Northern Parula or two.  But yellow-rumps and palm warblers remain the most common species.   More of the male yellow rumps are beginning to spruce up with the beginnings of their prenuptial molt.   The palm warbler above was a fairly rare sighting at Emeralda - this is one of the yellow form birds from the eastern breeding populations - nearly all of the palm warblers I see regularly are of the more drab, western subspecies.

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