I had a pretty good time at Central Winds this morning. I’d seen an Acadian Flycatcher there yesterday, though there was enough yellow on it that I thought it might have been an early Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. My recording of its calls was pretty terrible, but I still think it’s an Acadian.
I returned to where I’d seen it yesterday in the hopes of getting a better recording, but I did not see or hear it. So I turned my attention to warblers. There were at least 9 species in the park: Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Worm-Eating, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Black and White, Yellow, Yellow-throated, and Prairie.
I also thought I heard a Prothonotary Warbler, but I never saw it. I also found an Eastern Kingbird–my first in Seminole County for the year, and the first I’ve ever found at Central Winds Park. Here’s a picture of the Acadian Flycatcher I found yesterday.
Also last week (August 29th) I found this strange-looking Red-eyed Vireo. It has a thick, dark, smudgy malar stripe right where you’d look for the “whisker” on a Black-whiskered Vireo. Black-whiskered Vireos are not generally found inland; they are restricted to mangroves, which we don’t have in the park.
So I studied this bird for hours, and then sent it to some friends with more experience than I. Most think is a Red-eyed Vireo with an aberrant mark, though one birder who’s seen Black-whiskered Vireos many times think’s it’s an immature Black-whiskered Vireo. I thought I’d share it with you all; I’m still siding with it being a Red-eyed Vireo.
The bird was backlit, and I had to raise my ISO pretty high to get the photo, so it’s pretty grainy.
Scott Simmons
Scott Simmons, based in Florida, is a lover of nature, landscape, and wildlife photography. Scott became interested in photography in 2001 when he was given his first SLR camera. When he acquired a telephoto lens, he became progressively more interested in birds and other wildlife. Scott enjoys learning about bird habitats and behavior, striving always to take images that are both beautiful and interpretive. Scott believes photography is a great vehicle to help others to appreciate the wonder for the stuff of earth.
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