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facebook archive 10 2013 |
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| 14 April – Another post celebrating Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s historic flight into space on 12 April 1961. During my visit to the Smithsonian while in Washington, DC last July they had on display the orange spacesuit Gagarin wore on his flight side-by-side with the silver spacesuit worn by John Glenn on his Mercury flight into Earth orbit on 20 February 1962 | 15 April – An example of “courtship feeding” among the Florida Scrub-Jays. A male Scrub-Jay brings food to his mate as a sign of their pair bond. – with Joe Carroll and Roz James at the Indian River Club. |
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| 16 April – A Florida Scrub-Jay comes in for a landing – with Joe Carroll and Roz James at the Indian River Club. | 17 April – Courtship posturing, almost like a dance, has the male Florida Scrub-Jay flaring his tail feathers and dragging them along the ground while he circles his mate – with Joe Carroll and Roz James at the Indian River Club. |
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| 18 April – Northern Parula at the Indian River Club on Monday – with Joe Carroll and Roz James. | 19 April – Shot some interesting video today of what appears to be a lone breeding female trying to steal away the male from a nesting pair of Florida Scrub-Jays. The frame grab at top shows the interloper female at right trying to entice the male who, instead, got into a fight with the female, bottom images, and drove her off. She showed up later around the nest and this time both the male and female Scrub-Jays chased the intruder off. |
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| 21 April – Yesterday Aimee Gravelle and I attended the 2013 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at KSC that included an incredible assemblage of astronauts. I even got some autographs, something I usually never do. View my photos of the event. | 22 April – This morning we watched a Scrub-Jay expertly crack open an acorn to remove the nut inside. Note how he uses his feet to hold the shell in place while he breaks it open. - A dark and dismal day before the heavy rains came with Joe Carroll and Roz James. |
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| 23 April – This afternoon there was time for a little preening after a brief sand bath for this Scrub-Jay. | 24 April – Today I attended the Southeast Florida Scrub Ecosystem Working Group meeting held at Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge seen here on the field trip portion up on the Atlantic Coastal Ridge overlooking the Indian River Lagoon. – with Joe Carroll, Beth Powell, Jane Schnee, and Judy Elsroad. |
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| 25 April – Purple Martin in the sky over Sebastian River Middle School around noontime. | 26 April – I like this image taken this morning of the expectant Scrub-Jay father because of the way it emphasizes his long tail feathers – with Roz James and Joe Carroll. |
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| 27 April – Early this morning a juvenile Florida Scrub-Jay took to the air making short and somewhat clumsy flights around the scrub while being followed protectively by his parents who are still feeding the youngster and his sibling who only a few short days ago were still in the nest. – with Jane Schnee in Sebastian under fast moving cloudy skies with an occasional drizzle. | 28 April – A juvenile Florida Scrub-Jay flutters his wings and calls out as a way to attract his parents to come over and feed him. |
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| 29 April – A Florida Scrub-Jay braces against the wind – with Joe Carroll and Roz James. | 1 May – Went this morning with the team attempting to determine stations and transects for the upcoming Florida Scrub-Jay survey but was completely rained out once we got out into the field. The lone Scrub-Jay we saw before the rains set in was identified as being one born on Jane Schnee’s conservation land that has moved over to the Wabasso Scrub to start his own family – with Jane Schnee, Roz James, and Joe Carroll. |
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| 2 May – Joe Carroll and I went early this morning in the rain to check on the Scrub-Jays at the Indian River Club where we found, after a night of heavy rainfall, the Jays looked very annoyed about being soaking wet. | 3 May – A juvenile Florida Scrub-Jay, one of three newly flying youngsters seen with one family, poses this morning as we passed by during a walk through the Wabasso Scrub – with IRC Conservation Lands Manager Beth Powell, Roz James, Jane Schnee, and Joe Carroll. |
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| 4 May – A Florida Scrub-Jay scratches an itch. | 5 May – Rabbit on the golf course in the rain. |
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