Observations

I saw 2 Black-Hooded Parakeets today, about 3 miles from where I saw one last week. Still trying to work out whether or not they're "escapees" or if there is a local breeding population.

Not far from the parakeets, a Roseate Spoonbill flew right over the road and landed in a nearby ditch. One of my favorite local birds. Then, a few miles past that, I saw a Limpkin sitting atop a lightpole and calling out. Also saw red-shouldered hawks, various wading birds, ducks, and a Red-winged Blackbird.

But this is why I'm really posting:

What does this look like? A manicured, suburban lawn with a big ugly fence. Right? Actually, in the background, you'll see some big white birds perched within the scrub.

My mom had been telling me about this pond she always drove by, and how it was always full of birds. Interesting, I thought, but I presumed it was a migration stopover point or something. Today, she took me by the location and what I saw astounded me.

You could just barely see the pond from the main road, so we drove into the neighborhood where it was located and wound our way down the identical streets, past the cookie-cutter suburban houses, and finally found the pond. You could barely see it between the close houses, but I managed to take these shots from the car, through the side yards.

Apparently, this is some kind of preserved pond in this neighborhood, and there are HUNDREDS of Woodstorks, Anhingas, Egrets, and Herons nesting on a little island in the middle of the water. They were flying overhead, sitting on nests, and climbing around in the scrub.

There was no public access to the pond, so we may try to contact the local Audubon Society and see if they know about it or know of someone who would let us through. I have got to go back to this spot and get a better look.

Happy birding!