The Osprey at Quick Point Nature Preserve...

Birding Longboat Key, Florida
...continued from the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck post.
If you've been to Quick Point Nature Preserve on Longboat Key, Florida lately, you've probably seen this fellow. He was there every time I visited, usually in this tree or the tree at the far end of the first pond. He was very chatty, and I liked that!

Ospreys always look just a bit surprised to me. It's probably because they lack the heavily pronounced supraorbital ridge above their eyes that hawks and eagles have. The pronounced boney structure tucks the hawks and eagles' eyes into shadow, giving them an intense and fierce look, not the "who me?" look that sometimes pops to mind when I look at an Osprey. (Click here for an older post that explains the supraorbital ridge and how it helps eagles and hawks.)

...and look at those talons! Who needs a supraorbital ridge when you have feet super strong and lethal...and specialized too. All four toes are the same length on an Osprey's foot, and the outer toe is reversible, almost like an opposable thumb, which helps the Osprey grasp fish. In addition, the pads of the Osprey's feet are very scaly and covered in spicules, or spines. These unique adaptations turn the Osprey into a fish hunting machine. Slippery fish rarely wiggle free once an Osprey has latched on, and an Osprey's capture rate of 40 percent (some studies show higher) exceeds the success ratio of other raptors.

"That's what I'm talking about..." says the majestic Osprey. In addition, an Osprey's talons are curved like fish hooks and are rounded, instead of grooved like other raptor's talons. Once more, uniquely adapting them to catching fish for a living.

City Osprey! This Osprey was eating his prey on top of the electric wires lining a fairly busy street that paralleled the ocean. He didn't care about trees and green leaves, he had the gulf sweeping out in front of him, and that's all that mattered...

Sources:

"Birds of Prey: Majestic Masters of the Skies," by Paul D. Frost

"Birds of Lake, Pond, and Marsh: Water and Wetland Birds of Eastern North America," by John Andrew Eastman

Also...John Briggs (Birding in Maine blog) recently posted a detailed entry on Ospreys. You might want to check it out for more info.

...this is a painting I did in December '09. I'm just including it here for reference because it clearly shows the supraorbital ridge above the American Bald Eagle's eye. The shadow cast by the overhanging boney structure is fun to paint...I love the power in that eye!

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks basking in the Florida sun...

Birding Longboat Key, Florida

...continued from the Red-bellied Woodpecker eating a salamander post.

These beautiful ducks took me by surprise. They are gorgeous...rich russets, pink-orange bills, white eye rings, really long legs and necks, and to top it off, very noticeable Mohawk racing stripes painted down the back of their heads and necks.

Look at how long those legs are--not very ducky, and the necks are longer than the average duck too--almost swanlike. Males and females both look alike, which also is a bit un-ducky.

...wouldn't you think these exotic-looking beauties would be hidden away in a secluded location far from people? Nope...they were about 20 paces off the parking lot of a golf course, and they almost seemed tame--completely opposite of the timid Wood Ducks around our town that fly away whistling in terror at the slightest footstep.

...thank you for turning your head to show off that really cool Mohawk racing stripe. You're such a dude.

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks like to nest in tree cavities like the Wood Ducks. They take to nest boxes also. I didn't get to see one standing in a tree, though. It was mid-afternoon, and they were busy eating clover.

:-)

Paintings 25, 28 and 29 - Studies of a Female Black and White Warbler

I love Black and White Warblers and see and hear them a lot on the Little Miami Trail. They haven't arrived yet, though, but I keep watching for them. These studies are from a bird I saw at Clear Creek Metropark in Hocking Hills (southeastern Ohio) last July. I hope to go back there this summer. I loved my time there and saw so many cool birds, moths, and butterflies.

These paintings are part of the 100 Paintings in a Year Challenge.

Painting #26, Twenty-second Eastern Kingbird and Painting #27, White-breasted Nuthatch in Purple and Red

...these are experiments, and I loved doing them. With the 100 Paintings Challenge, not everything is supposed to be a finished painting. You have to go out of your comfort zone every now and then. Even though Painting 27 is a little gooky, I love it. I wanted to see how far from reality I could go and still produce a recognizable image. I started with a 20-second paint sketch in red (using a waterbrush) and let it dry. I then went back in and laid down the purple, letting it fall wherever it felt good. I wanted to get really dark with the watercolor pigment to see if I could still maintain form. Both Rick the Reluctant Birder and Matty recognized this as a White-breasted Nuthatch, so that was good! Matty thought it was cool, and Rick wondered if I did it with my own blood...

Painting 27, White-breasted Nuthatch in Purple and Red

Painting 26 is a 20-second watercolor sketch of an Eastern Kingbird, and I love it too! I used one color and sketched it with a waterbrush. Twenty seconds is longer than you think when you're just trying for form and not detail. I will probably turn this sketch into a complete painting one of these days. I want to do more 20-second sketches too. It's fun to slop paint down and see if it looks like something!

Painting 26, Twenty-second Eastern Kingbird

These paintings are part of the 100 Paintings Challenge. If you're an artist and want to join, check out the 100 Paintings Challenge Blog hosted by Laure Ferlita.

I had no idea ants were so shiny...

While photographing this tiny flower, an ant popped into view. I had no idea they were so shiny....

...from the soft, velvety plushness of the Red Velvet Mite in the previous post, to the sleek, shiny, smooth-as-glass finish on this ant, macro photography lets you see things you had no idea were there.

...don't worry, even though I'm loving the hidden beauty I can find with the macro lens, I'm not going to go all bug on you...

...but for crying out loud, that little face is cute.

A Red Velvet Mite through the macro lens...

Rick and I spotted this fellow while walking along the Little Miami Trail near the river. For such a tiny little thing, he was conspicuously visible. His bright red color seemed to glow in the dark shadows of the hillside as he scurried around on a leaf at the base of a sycamore tree. I switched over to the macro lens Rick gave me for my birthday to see if I could photograph him. What a busy little mite he was. He went in and out of focus so quickly. These photos aren't the best, but they do show off his red velvet appearance.

...not to worry, this little guy does not like the taste of humans. He neither bites nor stings...and he most definitely will not try to suck your blood!

Red-velvet Mites live in the leaf litter and other damp areas of the woods. They are important to the environment and help speed up the decomposition process. Click here for a link to an article in Chicago Wilderness for more info.

...just like with brightly colored butterflies such as the Monarch or Pipevine Swallowtail, the Red-velvet Mite's red color is a warning to predators to stay away. Apparently they just don't taste good. I read a few references of scientists actually tasting a few of the mites, but I couldn't find any first-hand accounts (and although I am now curious to what kind of aftertaste these fellows would leave, rest assured mom...I won't be picking up any to taste-test myself!).

...love the segmented leg in this photo. I'm finding out macro photography is really cool. This Red-velvet Mite was no more than a millimeter, so those little segments are really tiny!

...don't you love those little lobster-like claws? They are actually mouthparts, and are therefore recognized as Chelicerates (a branch within the Arthropod Phylum). Click here for more info on Chelicerates. According to my "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders," adult Red Velvet Mites eat insect eggs. The larvae are parasites and suck the blood from insects, spiders, daddy-long-legs and scorpions.

For a cool video of Red-velvet Mites scurrying around, drop by Wildcast.

If you're interested in the macro lens I was using, it's a Nikon Nikkor Lens, AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED. I have a lot to learn about macro photography...

A Red-bellied Woodpecker eating a salamander (or lizard)...

Birding Longboat Key, Florida

...continued from the Great Blue Heron post.

...now that's not something I see everyday. As a matter of fact, it's the first time I've ever seen it at all! I was birding at Quick Point Nature Preserve on Longboat Key when I heard this Red-bellied Woodpecker tapping at the bark in the tree above me. It was a duller thud than usual, and when I looked up I found out why. He was also pulling at something stretchy. As I focused in with the camera lens, I was surprised to find the "something stretchy" was a salamander. A totally new sight for me. Our woodpeckers tend to stick to the bugs and berries. We have salamanders in Cincy. Lots of them, but they are mostly on the ground or in the creeks. In Florida, they are everywhere--and fair game for a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

After lodging the salamander under the bark, he began alternately tapping and tugging at him. Does anyone know what type of salamander this is likely to be? I haven't a clue.

At first I didn't know if he was eating the salamander or just playing with him. After a while I could tell he was most definitely eating him. The salamander seemed to be dead throughout the ordeal. I didn't see him trying to crawl away. Most of the time he was lodged under the bark.

...this was not a quick process. The woodpecker had to work for his dinner...

...such a strange sight for me, but I guess Florida birders see woodpeckers eating salamanders all the time.

After tugging him loose here, he shoved the salamander back into the crevice in the wood and started pounding away at him again. I didn't get to see how long it would take him to eat all of the salamander (or if even if he would) because a guy with truckload of mulch drove up underneath and scared him away. A little before that a female flew in for a bite, but the male chased her away. I guess he wasn't in the mood for sharing!