Bird Haiku

Common Ground-Dove

2012-02-04T10:01:00.001-08:00

looking wary
this Common Ground-Dove
doesn't fly away

Common Loon

2012-02-03T13:42:00.001-08:00

Common Loon near pier
driving home with the photo
dead one on the bridge

Purple Sandpiper

2012-01-27T11:40:00.001-08:00

stone jetty
Purple Sandpiper
far from home

American Kestrel

2012-01-21T05:29:00.000-08:00

I caught this morning
an American Kestrel
January sun

Lark Sparrow

2012-01-14T13:33:00.001-08:00

a bit of color
Lark Sparrow in the treetop
mid-January

Common Yellowthroat

2012-01-06T09:30:00.000-08:00

forgot the meeting
on the first day back at work
Common Yellowthroat

Roseate Spoonbill and Limpkin

2011-12-31T13:48:00.000-08:00

Roseate Spoonbill
hanging out with a Limpkin
last day of the year

Eastern Phoebe

2011-12-29T13:20:00.000-08:00

end of the year
by the Gulfport docks
Eastern Phoebe

American Wigeon

2011-12-26T14:14:00.000-08:00

a surprising treat
an American Wigeon
day after Christmas

Bald Eagles

2011-12-25T15:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas sunset
high above the graves
Bald Eagles

Coyote

2011-12-18T04:20:00.000-08:00

this Christmas bird count
coyote at the golf course
eyes Canada Geese

White-winged Dove

2011-11-25T13:00:00.000-08:00

family outing
Dad falls on his back looking
at the White-winged Dove

Black-and-white Warbler

2011-11-22T12:46:00.000-08:00

A winter warbler came this afternoon

To the same oak one’s been to every year

Since I’ve been looking. I watched him for awhile.

His black-and-white feathers give him his name.

He circles trunks and limbs to hunt for food.

He catches insect larva crawling there.

The pattern on his back makes him blend in

With ridges and depressions in the bark.

Sometimes he can’t be seen until he moves

Around the trunks to disappear in back.

The imagery of feathers on his back

Is not the random marks like on oak trees,

But quite precise. He wears a short-tailed coat

Or maybe it’s a shawl half down his back

With alternating stripes, wide on the sides.

Below the stripes are bold and more distinct

Much like the four that crown this warbler’s head.

He’s often upside down, and I have read

That his hind toes and claws are extra long

To help this pose, I guess, or help him hunt.

I’m glad he came to Florida today

Because cool weather can’t be far behind.

Pear

2011-11-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

my lunch pear today
looks so delicious

Limpkin

2011-11-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

cool November morning
wet Limpkin

Pine Warbler

2011-10-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

Pine and Palm Warblers
scatter throughout the oak grove
October morning

Lark Sparrow

2011-10-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

Lark Sparrow
harvesting the last seeds
in the sandy lot

Tennessee Warbler

2011-10-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

all puffed up:
Tennessee Warbler
on a cold morning

Chestnut-sided Warbler

2011-10-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

on the young female

a slight blush -

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler

2011-10-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

grounded by weather
fueling on beauty berries
Bay-breasted Warbler

Gray Catbird

2011-10-10T14:08:00.000-07:00

Veery

2011-10-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

October Veery
heading south of the border
rests in Florida

Pectoral Sandpiper

2011-09-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

county dump puddle
Pectoral Sandpiper pair
join the Killdeer flock

Priarie Warbler

2011-09-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

September thunder
withered mangrove
deer moss and Prairie Warbler

Empidonax Flycatcher

2011-09-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

wet morning
Empidonax Flycatchers
in two parks

Blackburnian Warbler

2011-09-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

out of the oak top
a Blackburnian Warbler
leaps into the void

Prothonotary Warbler

2011-09-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

       the fall term begins
       Prothonotary Warbler
   at the library

Northern Parula

2011-08-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

high in the canopy
shaded from the August sun
a Northern Parula

Yellow Warbler

2011-08-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

after a brief rain
steamy August afternoon
a Yellow Warbler

Willet

2011-08-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

Willet
such precise movement
in the bay-shore grass

Bees

2011-07-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

a hollow palm trunk -
Red-bellied Woodpecker gone
bees swarming around

Spotted Sandpiper

2011-07-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

the smell of the bay:

a Spotted Sandpiper flies

out of the salt marsh

Alexandrine Parakeet

2011-07-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

perhaps a lost pet
Alexandrine Parakeet
disturbing my nap

Fort De Soto June

2011-06-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

a Yellow-billed Cuckoo,
Glades Morning-glories, and Saltmarsh Mallows:
Fort De Soto June

Black-bellied Plover

2011-06-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

looking so golden

the Black-bellied Plover flies

to show he isn't

Brown Thrasher

2011-06-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

June heat
the Brown Thrasher
is not singing

Limpkin

2011-06-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

pond-side wildflowers -
the Limpkin walks carefully
to avoid blossoms

Young Great Crested Flycatcher

2011-05-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

in the low branches
young Great Crested Flycatcher
diving for ground bugs

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

2011-05-19T14:36:00.001-07:00

Eastern Wood-Pewee

2011-05-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia Vireo

2011-05-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

2011-05-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

Yellow-billed Cuckoo:
flying along the gulf shore
over the mangroves

Bald Eagle

2011-05-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

Bald Eagle breakfast
for two full-grown chicks:
Saturday morning squirrel

Swainson's Thrush

2011-05-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

could this Swainson's Thrush
have come up from Mexico?
-- Cinco de Mayo

Tufted Titmice

2011-05-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

when in a large group
they become very vocal:
the Tufted Titmice

Oven Bird

2011-05-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

even Oven Birds
in a certain slant of light
can be colorful

Blackpoll Warblers

2011-05-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

exam week morning
a flock of Blackpoll Warblers
by the campus lake

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

2011-04-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

arriving today
to announce Walpurgis Night:
Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Black-throated Green Warbler

2011-04-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

west Florida spring
a Black-throated Green Warbler
follows the storm front

Blue Jay

2011-04-22T17:42:00.000-07:00

Earth Day
Blue Jay

Whimbrel

2011-04-20T04:59:00.000-07:00

hot Florida sun
at the edge of the lagoon
a Whimbrel wading

Greater Yellowlegs

2011-04-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

Common Yellowthroat

2011-04-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

Whimbrel

2011-04-15T14:24:00.001-07:00

Common Nighthawk

2011-04-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

like a feathered sphinx
on a branch above the trail:
a Common Nighthawk

Groove-billed Ani

2011-04-11T06:12:00.000-07:00

skulking in the brush
runs across the birder's feet
the Groove-billed Ani

(collaboratively composed w/ Mauri Dietrich during Audubon big day fund raiser)

Blue-winged Teal

2011-04-11T06:07:00.001-07:00

two pairs together
swimming and flying away -
April Blue-winged Teal

2011-04-07T05:52:00.001-07:00

Painted Bunting

2011-04-07T05:48:00.000-07:00

seeing one again
I remembered them bigger -
male Painted Buntings

Blue-headed Vireo

2011-04-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

the teapot came and
a Blue-headed Vireo
followed soon after

Groove-billed Ani

2011-03-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

Groove-billed Ani

2011-03-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

under palmettos

a blackened root seems to move:

a Groove-billed Ani

Reddish Egret

2011-03-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

Reddish Egret

2011-03-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Northern Parula

2011-03-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

early spring morning

just ripening mulberries

Northern Parula

Zebra Swallowtail

2011-03-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

the first day of spring

almost empty soccer field:

Zebra Swallowtail

Pileated Woodpecker

2011-03-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

three days until spring --

Pileated Woodpecker

taking a sand bath

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26750346@N07/5537572203/

Pileated Woodpecker

2011-03-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

Black-hooded Parakeet

2011-03-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

above the Screech-Owl

a Black-hooded Parakeet

in the same palm stump

Eastern Screech-Owl

2011-03-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

in the tree next door

an Eastern Screech-Owl hunkers

avoiding neighbors

Northern Flicker

2011-03-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

the Northern Flicker
and Red-bellied Woodpecker --
a housing crisis

A Visitor

2011-02-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

I told the devil

to stop licking the rainbow

on my office wall

American Goldfinch

2011-02-25T06:21:00.000-08:00

in the bay-side park

an American Goldfinch

sings to barking dogs

Ring-Billed Gull

2011-02-21T14:12:00.000-08:00

sporting spring colors

the Ring-billed Gull is early

February beach

Limpkin

2011-02-20T14:46:00.000-08:00

the warm afternoon -
a February Limpkin
probes the muddy bank

Bald Eagles

2011-02-18T06:25:00.000-08:00

above the graveyard

a family of Bald Eagles

right by the bike path

American Robin

2011-02-15T15:38:00.000-08:00

pine top at sunset
first American Robin
mid-February

Great Egret

2011-02-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

displaying the catch
the Great Egret with bluegill
February fog

Pine Warbler

2011-02-04T09:31:00.001-08:00

Black-and-white Warbler

2011-02-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

Tufted Titmouse

2011-02-04T09:29:00.000-08:00

Abercrombie Park

every tree filled with small birds
February fifth

Red-tailed Hawks

2011-02-04T06:16:00.000-08:00

student parking lot
on top of the cell tower
pair of Red-tailed Hawks

Peregrine Falcon

2011-02-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

along Gulfport Beach

up between condo towers

Peregrine Falcon

Ring-necked Ducks

2011-01-31T13:25:00.000-08:00

library lake nudes
Do Henry Moore sculptures float?
if they're Ring-necked Ducks

Sora

2011-01-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

a Sora feeding
the Common Moorhen bully
chases it away

Northern Cardinal

2011-01-14T01:57:00.000-08:00

Northern Cardinal

winter light

Bald Eagle

2011-01-08T14:04:00.000-08:00

the Bald Eagle

looks so grand

choking up a pellet

Turkey Vulture

2011-01-01T08:28:00.001-08:00

New Year's Day:
a vulture's shadow
crosses the yard

Rock Doves

2010-12-19T09:02:00.000-08:00

Rock Doves on the wires

which is the drunk in the choir?

rainy December

Golden-crowned Kinglet

2010-12-17T09:30:00.000-08:00

this little guy is
an avid human watcher:

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Killdeer

2010-12-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

on the soccer fleld
in strategic positions
twelve crying Killdeer

Brown Chinese Goose

2010-12-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

far from family
a Brown Chinese Goose feeding
in a roadside ditch

Black-and-white Warbler

2010-12-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

buffy and puffy
this Black-and-white Warbler
looks like a first-year bird

Lesser Scaup

2010-12-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

the waves on the lake

and Lesser Scaup with blue bills

cold December wind

Merlin

2010-12-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

on top of the snag

a Merlin surveys the dawn

December morning

American Kestrel

2010-12-02T14:33:00.000-08:00

catching a lizard
an American Kestrel
maneuvers away

Buffleheads

2010-12-02T14:14:00.000-08:00

chilly afternoon

a pair of Buffleheads in

the neighborhood lake

Pileated Woodpecker

2010-12-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

look - a young female

Pileated Woodpecker -

first of December

2010-11-27T05:41:00.000-08:00

2010-11-27T05:19:00.000-08:00

Bird Haiku

Common Ground-Dove

Common Loon

Purple Sandpiper

American Kestrel

Lark Sparrow

Common Yellowthroat

Roseate Spoonbill and Limpkin

Eastern Phoebe

American Wigeon

Bald Eagles

Coyote

this Christmas bird countcoyote at the golf courseeyes Canada Geese

White-winged Dove

Black-and-white Warbler

Pear

Limpkin

Pine Warbler

Lark Sparrow

Tennessee Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler

Gray Catbird

Veery

Pectoral Sandpiper

Priarie Warbler

Empidonax Flycatcher

Blackburnian Warbler

Prothonotary Warbler

Northern Parula

Yellow Warbler

Willet

Bees

Spotted Sandpiper

Alexandrine Parakeet

Fort De Soto June

Black-bellied Plover

Brown Thrasher

Limpkin

Young Great Crested Flycatcher

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Philadelphia Vireo

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Bald Eagle

Swainson's Thrush

Tufted Titmice

Oven Bird

Blackpoll Warblers

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Black-throated Green Warbler

Blue Jay

Whimbrel

Greater Yellowlegs

Common Yellowthroat

Whimbrel

Common Nighthawk

Groove-billed Ani

Blue-winged Teal

Painted Bunting

Blue-headed Vireo

Groove-billed Ani

Groove-billed Ani

Reddish Egret

Reddish Egret

Northern Parula

Zebra Swallowtail

Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Black-hooded Parakeet

Eastern Screech-Owl

Northern Flicker

A Visitor

American Goldfinch

Ring-Billed Gull

Limpkin

Bald Eagles

American Robin

Great Egret

Pine Warbler

this Christmas bird count
coyote at the golf course
eyes Canada Geese