Many regulars were at Nathan Krestul Park late this afternoon–a dozen White Ibis, a Snowy Egret, a Great Egret, a Tricolored Heron, a Little Blue Heron, an Eastern Bluebird, an Anhinga, a pair of Mourning Doves, and Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles galore.

Little Blue Heron Getting Its Adult Plumage

But I also saw a Yellow-crowned Night Heron, the first time I’ve ever seen one there.  It was at the water’s edge, and I was approaching it stealthily . . . until someone’s brindle dog came bounding across the field at me.   “Don’t worry,” a guy yelled from the picnic tables.  “He won’t bite!”  The Yellow-crowned Night Heron retreated across the water, but eventually flew up to a nearby tree and I got this shot:

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

At Nathan Krestul Park this afternoon, I spotted two Great Crested Flycatchers delivering food to a nest tucked inside a hollow branch of a tall tree.

Great Crested Flycatcher Arriving with an Insect

Great Crested Flycatcher at Entrance to Nest

Great Crested Flycatcher Flying Out of the Nest

Stopped by Nathan Krestul Park on my way home from work, today a little later than usual.  Saw four Wood Ducks, three females and a male.  Here are portraits of one of each:

Wood Duck (male)

Wood Duck (female)

And a female Eastern Bluebird brought quite a meal for the nestlings:

Eastern Bluebird (female)

Stopped by Nathan Krestul Park on my way home today.  Here’s a view of what it’s like to be threatened by a Red-winged Blackbird protecting its nesting area:

Red-winged Blackbird

And, more tranquilly, here’s an Eastern Bluebird:

A Great Crested Flycatcher stopped by our back yard today:

Great Crested Flycatcher

This would be the last day that I saw an American Goldfinch–the male I’d been seeing–in our back yard this season.

This afternoon I spotted the male American Goldfinch in our back yard.  And Lefty showed up for a portrait:

Lefty, the one-footed Northern Cardinal who frequents our back yard

This morning on our bike ride, we spotted a Barred Owl sitting on a power line in the next neighborhood over.  A couple of American Goldfinches are still coming to our back yard.  Usually I see the male.  This morning I saw the female (and in the afternoon I saw them both):

American Goldfinch

Stopped by Nathan Krestul Park on my way home from work.  These Eastern Bluebird parents are keeping their nestlings well-fed.  The chicks hatched out on May 8, and they are due to fledge on May 26.

In the afternoon to Westminster Woods to see Gram.  We saw an Osprey atop the platform nest above the lake.  Then we watched a second Osprey bring a fish to the platform nest.  Not a minute or two later, an Osprey left the platform nest with half the fish!

Osprey

It flew to a nearby pine tree and picked at the fish for a couple of minutes.  Then it returned to the platform nest with the fish half.

At home the lone male American Goldfinch still appears daily.  Yesterday he was joined by a female American Goldfinch.

It’s been one of the nicest (and longest) springs in Florida in ages.  Temperatures are mild and the humidity is low.

In the category “Birds Attracted to the Bubbler”:

American Goldfinch (still present on May 11, 2016!)

Carolina Wren

House Finch (female)

Brown Thrasher (bather extraordinaire)

In the category “Attracted to the Oleander”:

Brown Thrasher

Black-throated Blue Warbler (female)

In a category by himself:

Lefty, the one-footed Northern Cardinal, with half a peanut that a Carolina Wren abandoned

This afternoon I went to Westminster Woods to see Gram.  Right outside her building was this trio of Eastern Bluebirds:

Eastern Bluebirds