Pinellas Park birds

American kestrel sitting on a security camera.

Small pond full of ducks. Most of these are lesser scaup.

Upclose of lesser scaup.

There's a pond close by work that has been full of ducks. Some say up to 800 in the pond. I left work a little early Thursday (it was New Year's eve after all). Instead of rushing out to party I went out in search of birds before it got dark. My first stop was the pond near work. It was full of ducks but they stayed pretty far away. The above picture is of a small portion of the lake. Most of the ducks were lesser scaup (also nicknamed "little bluebills"). These guys migrate from as far away as Alaska and Canada.

The first picture is of an american kestrel. This is the first time I have gotten a picture of this bird. I've only seen them a few times before. They are a type of small falcon. The picture looks to be a female (males have patches of grey on their wings). I'll have to keep an eye out for her around work. Maybe she'll have a nest this spring close by.