MUSIC, GOOD COMPANY AND ONLY A FEW BIRDS

MUSIC, GOOD COMPANY AND A FEW BIRDS.

TUESDAY 6th January gave both Sarasota and the legendary BEACH BOYS a chance to impress.
We had booked tickets for an evening performance at the Van Wezel auditorium of this band of boys who made major contributions to the music world. Okay some of them are dead, but the skills are still there with some original members still performing. For me it started slowly and maybe the sound was not quite right. They have recorded many and for avid fans they would have known all the numbers. This was a non stop show with eight very talented musicians and vocalists. One of the drummers, John Cowsill, who would not have disgraced any rock band had an amazing voice. I will not single anyone else out because they were great. Bearing in mind the subjects chosen for the songs I can say that the old cliché write what you know comes straight to my mind. For example The Sloop John B and how can you get the words T Bird into a song? Well they did it and with a Grammy for I write the words and with other lyrics sang it was very evident that we were in then presence of a wordsmith.

SARASOTA tried to impress but failed. I think that I would have to have another good reason to go there before making the trip. However it did inspire to make some notes that could and should become a poem. It needs work.

This was a inconsequential birding day except for a mass of Vultures, both Black and Turkey, circling over head. White Pelicans flew along the beach with Terns. Seabirds are for our last week.

Manatees at Crystal River

MONDAY 4th January
This was the day to swim with the Manatees at Crystal River. We left at 5.30am to travel towards Florida's Gulf coast and arrived just after the sun came up. It was cold. The temperature had dropped over night from a high of 82 degrees the previous day, but the best was to come for we were to learn that the water temperature in the river is a constant 72 degrees.

The Manatees had moved on and we had to search for them. We had an early sighting but had to work hard to see a nursing mother and her calf. The river is their warm winter home and although some people do take a lot of care I am of the opinion that there are some people who will not respect them as being a wild animal.
Let them come to you was a clear instruction, but at least one broke the rule and stroked one. They will not be getting a photo or video of that.

Once out on the water and scanning the service for these wonderful, but very elusive creatures I was also looking for birds.
This is the list.
Wood ducks were plentiful
Osprey x 2
Bald Eagle
American Coots
Northern Cardinals - one male and one female flew and perched
Black & White Warbler
Belted Kingfisher
Great Blue (Gray) Herons were in several locations
Little Blue Herons were also common.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Snowy (Little) Egret
Large (White) Egret
White Ibis
Brown Pelicans
Cormorants (but to pay more attention next time for Great or Double-crested - but the latter is the only one that should be in Florida with the former on the east coast only)
Boat-tailed Grackles
Black Vultures flew constantly
Turkey Vultures X 2 were spotted on the roadside with three Black ones.
American Robins flew over in flocks.
Blue Jay
Ringed-neck Duck (alias 'ring-billed)

A reasonable tally considering we were on a boat and the main objective was for 'The Manatee',
but no new ones for us - yet.

Orange Lake Resort

At Orange Lake Resort
8505 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway
Kissimmee.

Sunday 3rd was a 'settling-in-day' after two days of travel. Shopping was a priority and afterwards our other four members now had an opportunity for exploration of this vast estate. It has over 8000 units built on swampland. It is well manicured with three golf courses, restaurants, bars and amusements. If you think that sounds a bit like a fairground then you would be wrong. Everything is well done here and the accommodation is the very best - that's why we have holidayed here numerous times as there is so much to see and do. There is still swamp, tracts of water, trees and vegetation all around allowing the remaining wildlife a home. They organize two birding walks and two wildlife walks each week. Apparently there are deer and we had did have a close encounter with a Racoon. Grey Squirrels are plentiful.
Our bird list, without any effort was:-
Red-shouldered Hawk (it perches opposite our apartment)
Northern Mockingbird.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Little Blue Herons.
Great white Egret
Snowy (little) Egrets
Black Vultures
American Robins flew over in flocks at dusk.
White Ibis
Boat-tailed Grackles
House Sparrows
Sandhill Cranes

Maybe a small return, but this was not a birding day. This is what we saw in passing!
I know that there is more to see with time and patience.

To Orlando

It is a long flight and it did feel like it. It was not without incident either. We had difficulty moving away from the stand as the tow hook from the tractor to the plane needed to be replaced. That meant a short delay of 30 minutes. The route was northerly taking us up through the Midlands and across the Celtic Sea, over Donegal and eventually crossing Labrador and the northern tip of the Appalachian Mountains. It was bumpy on several occasions. However I took the opportunity to write my blog and I was able to relish the pleasure of reading an English newspaper.
We had an headwind that kept on adding time to the journey. One of the passengers was 'poorly', required oxygen and she was superbly and competently dealt with by the crew. An announcement for a practicing nurse or doctor resulted in an injection being given. We wished the patient a speedy recovery and we were very grateful that we did not have to land anywhere except our destination.
In two hours time we should have landed and we did.

Orlando International Airport is much better than it used to be. We were last away from the plane, last through immigration where only a few of the staff are even close to 'smiley'. However no problems until...... The normal baggage collect was slow but our two cases came all the way from Alicante and found us. It was so easy being able to do that. Then, having collecting our cases they then go onto another transportation system while we take a shuttle. So far so good. Then this baggage collect could not move as it was full of uncollected cases and stopped. None of the staff would or were allowed to remove them and to restart the carousel. By this time I had dealt with the car hire and waited for Michelle to catch me up. She eventually arrived and retrieved the cases, but only after four burly traveller's remove some cases. It is stupid that the obvious is not allowed to happen!
Now off to Orange Lake Country Club where we met our four fellow runners/holiday makers/fun seekers and drinkers.

The start of our journey to Florida

From Home via Alicante and British Airways to London Gatwick.
Airports are very often tedious places to be in. We were delayed by two hours yesterday morning at Alicante because our incoming British Airways flight had a technical problem at Gatwick. So be it! If you want to travel then these really are very minor events that have to be dealt with. It is simple to deal with, just a question of 'mind over matter' and get on with it.

Our over night stop at Gatwick's Sofitel Hotel allowed time for the evening showing of Agatha Christie's, The Mousetrap, now running continuously for sixty-three years and over twenty-five thousand performances. It is showing at St Martin's Theatre which is just off Shaftsbury Avenue in the midst of theatre land. It is small, but it makes a good attempt at using every square inch, but it is showing its age. We sat in the front row of the Dress Circle in seats designed for narrower hips and with all four sets of knees aching from the lack of leg room. Those Victorians must have been of smaller stature or was the design intended to get as many customers as possible in the venue?

If you love the theatre and all that goes on in 'theatre land' as we do then some discomfort has to be tolerated! The story and the plot is an old fashioned one, but we knew that. Yes, it is dated but so am I after sixty odd years! I enjoyed the feel of it, the way it was contrived to increase uncertainty of 'who-dun it'. It is a simple plot making use of only one set with many exits and entrances through as many doors as could be fitted into the stage. It was well acted and so credit to the actors. The culprit is not revealed until the last but the whole story gives adequate time to consider who it could be. I could say I did so. As always it was demanded that you did not reveal the murderer. If you hear it was the butler that's okay, but you can discard that because there is not one in the play. I saw it many years ago and I am very pleased to have done it again.
We had a great time with two good friends and a very friendly cabbie who picked us up in a cold Victoria Street. It is good to meet and talk.

Azure-winged Magpies

In December I searched a local area for Azure-winged Magpies without success. I had never realised that they were in the coastal area as I had always seen them in Sierra de Segura in the vicinity of Pontones and Hornos or even further south in Andalucia. They have been photographed previously and very recently a few miles north of where I had been looking. I know that they have been where I had looked. They are birds that congregate in family groups and are not difficult to see - normally! The exercise in itself was good as it familiarized me with an area that I had never paid any attention to before and I now know that with the very mixed habitat it could be a good location to visit regularly. I am also told that Siskins flock there.
I did see a Darford Warbler, Serin were feeding on low bushes, Collared Doves and Starlings were there in numbers with Chiffchaff feeding in the Eucalyptus trees. Flying over the reeds on the edge of the salinas I saw a dark morph Booted Eagle fly just over head.
The quest for the Magpies and Eagles are of importance because there is a Scottish birder who wishes to add to his lifetime list. It is a good challenge for me.

First Blog of The Year!

A very happy new year for everyone that has viewed any of my pages almost 12000 in all.

I have been trying hard to find any Azure-winged Magpies close to where we live, only to find that they have been seen only a few miles away. They will appear if only to please a Scotsman who has yet to see one.

Today we saw four lightly attired women run into the sea at La Zenia. The aim was simply to raise money for the two charities of Teenage Cancer Trust and Make a Wish Foundation. On this day people were generous to give €360. We are close to our target of 2000 English pounds, but why not surpass that total?