After reading a BirdBrain list message about hundreds of ducks being at the Myakka River State Park, I decided to run up there this morning.  After entering the Park, I headed directly to the Birdwalk by the upper end of the Upper Myakka Lake.  Sure enough, there were 500 plus ducks all huddled together in one mass.  Unfortunately, they were quite a distance out, so you really couldn’t identify individual ducks with binoculars.  A good scope was needed.  Several birders were there with scopes.  I also mounted my camera with a long lens (400mm) and a 1.4x teleconverter on a tripod.  I was able to identify several species, which included the Canvasback, Northern Pintail, Blue- and Green-winged Teal, and American Wigeons.  Several Black Skimmers were mixed in with the ducks. There were probably other species present, but because of their distance and the fact that they were all bunched together, it was hard to pick them out.  I went back to this area later in the morning and it didn’t appear that the mass of ducks had moved very much.

There were also large numbers of shorebirds in the area, again at a very long distance.  I was able to identify Sandpipers (Least and probably Western), Dunlins, Dowitchers, Yellowlegs (Lesser & Greater), and many Black-bellied Plovers.  There were a large number of the usual wading birds, including Egrets (Great, Snowy, Cattle), Herons (Great Blue, Little Blue, Tricolored), Ibis (Glossy, White), Wood Storks, and Spoonbills.  I tallied 40 species just birding along the water.  I did not venture into any wooded areas.

I visited the Public Park area of the Carlton Reserve this morning.  My primary interest was obtaining some good images of the Red-headed Woodpecker.  I was not disappointed.  I saw four different Red-headed birds around the parking lot.  I also saw two more of the birds during my walk around the blue, yellow, and purple trails.  The trails are nicely maintained and are natural so you can walk quietly.

Other species seen included a small flock of Red-winged Blackbirds, mostly female, Gray Catbirds, Common Ground Doves, American Crows, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, Blue Jays, Eastern Phoebe, many Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

Tony Licata, Don Youso, and I traveled from Punta Gorda to the Viera Wetlands, which is located near Melbourne, to see the female Masked Duck.  We were not disappointed.  After signing in, we just looked for the line of cars (only four) and immediately found the duck out in the open.  We spent a half-hour watching her.  We were amazed how close the duck came to the shoreline where the observers were standing.  The distance was probably 20-25 feet, sometimes closer.  This species of duck is seldom seen in Florida; they are found in Mexico and the West Indies.

While visiting our daughter and her husband in Lakeland for the holidays, I decided to spend a few early morning hours birding.  My first stop was the County Park at Lake Parker; however, the gates were locked.  I then went to Lake Morton in downtown Lakeland.  I saw about a hundred Ring-necked Ducks and about a dozen Ruddy Ducks (mostly female) mixed in with them.  Of course, there were the usual Coots, mixed Mallards, Muscovy Ducks, Mute and Black-necked Swans (didn’t see the Black Swans), Rock Pigeons, domestic geese, Laughing Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls, and a few waders.

I then went over to Lake Hunter to see the Purple Gallinules.  I was not disappointed.  It looks like the population increased; I saw about two dozen adults and juveniles.  Also saw a few Moorhens, a Tricolored Heron and a Black-crowned Night Heron.  After obtaining some good photos of the Gallinules, I decided to go back to Lake Parker.  The gates were still locked (unbelievable).