In Search of Tyrants
“All men would be tyrants if they could.” – Daniel Defoe
One of the special treats we enjoyed when living in Texas was the year around presence of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. Their graceful flight, efficient hunting technique, subtle plumage and courtship displays were highlights of many field trips. We miss them.
Winter migration brings us gifts of a diverse selection of birds we would not otherwise be able to observe here in sub-tropical Florida. Among the visitors are a few of our old friends, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. For at least the past ten years, a small group of these sleek beauties have joined with a handful of their cousins, the Western Kingbird, to spend winters roosting in a nearby citrus grove. About 30 minutes before sunset, the birds gather on utility lines adjacent to the groves, snag a late snack and dive into the dark green foliage just as dark descends.
These two species are part of a large family of flycatchers known as Tyrannidae, or Tyrant Flycatchers. One speculation about their name derives from their aggressive nature in driving potential threats away from nesting sites.
We begin looking for the arrival of our visitors from the west in early November and can look forward to seeing them until late February. It’s nice to have a taste of our memorable Texas treats every winter.
As if the chance to see migrating flycatchers is not enough, this particular area offers many other opportunites as well. The citrus groves are surrounded by a couple of lakes, pastures and weedy fields. Nothing like a huge helping of sunshine, water and orange juice to attract winter tourists! Since our target birds arrive just at sunset, we also get to enjoy a setting sun from this slightly elevated location, such as the one at the top of the page.
Hurry now. It will be dark soon.
We’re fortunate to not only have a resident population of Sandhill Cranes to enjoy all year, but we are also host to several thousand migrating cranes each winter. The visting birds typically hang out in large groups of from ten to several hundred. Resident birds remain in pairs or the year’s small family group. One of the family members we saw asked politely for us to move on. We did.
The Peninsula Cooter (Pseudemys peninsularis) is a fairly common freshwater turtle in our area. Descriptions say they may reach up to 20 inches in length. This one was every bit of that.
Winter populations of our resident Blue-gray Gnatcatcher greatly increase as northern migrants join in the frenetic hunt for protein-laden insects.
There she goes again. “Wait. What is that?” A spot of pink among the green leaves caught Gini’s eye so we investigated. Not just a moth, but an Ornate Bella Moth (Utetheisa ornatrix) depositing eggs on a leaf of Smooth Rattlebox (Crotalaria pallida var. obovata).
One of our most numerous winter warblers. We don’t mind if it’s common. The Palm Warbler is always a pleasure to see.
Success! Right on schedule, a half-dozen Western Kingbirds and a single Scissor-tailed Flycatcher appeared. They hawked a few bugs for about 20 minutes and melted into the lush green citrus tree branches for the night.
For some, finding tyrants is all-too-easy. For us, finding OUR type of tyrant is an exercise in annual patience. The reward is oh-so-satisfying.
Enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit!
Our Natural Places 
Scissors are in my top 10 favorite birds – we didn’t get a chance to find one last year and I felt that loss all year. They are just plain gorgeous and incredibly helpful in keeping the bug hordes down. Really like the shot with the Western. We used to have a pair of Westies that would nest in a rural substation about 40 minutes away (ironically same place we were able to tin a pair of Scissors that got lost about 5 years ago). They stopped coming last year, but definitely enjoyed seeing them locally vs having to travel to get them checked. Great shot of the crane suggesting an alternate location ha.
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We really miss having Scissor-tails as a common sight like we had when living in Texas. Having them show up in winter here in Florida is a real treat.
Wasn’t going to argue with that big bill on the crane.
Appreciate your visit.
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Wow! Catching both tyrant species together is amazing. The Bella Moth is so striking in flight as it flashes the bright red. Never was able to catch a flight image, though I tried.
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Thank you, Ken.
It was a great afternoon with a few surprises thrown in. Our favorite sort of trip!
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As always, your photos are lovely. Ad I’m dreaming of a visit to this place. I have only seen one Scissortail in my life, but it was from far away, and I was not able to get a satisfactory photo. Thank you for sharing your bounty.
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Thank you, Tanja.
Just scoot a bit south into Texas. Scissor-tails on every fence post! 🙂
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You’ve shared a thoroughly enjoyable walk. I am totally impressed by the varied color of the Sandhills. I understand the russet or rusty shadings are due to them rubbing soil containing red clays on their feathers. Have you seen them do that?
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Thank you Sam.
I haven’t observed the cranes staining their plumage but have been on the look out for it.
One day …
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The Ornate Bella Moth and your photo of it are both amazing, Wally.
It’s always a treat to spot a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. I’ve managed to spot one a couple of times along Joe Overstreet Road south of Orlando.
I hope Daniel Defoe was wrong about “all men”. But even a single human tyrant can make things awful for the rest of us.
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Thanks, Ed. It was a fun afternoon.
Defoe illustrated the darker side of human nature has always been with us. So has our tendency to resist and protest that dark side.
Happy New Year.
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Your photos of the Sandhill Cranes are fabulous. I found my first a few days ago, but their distance from the road, a gray and brownish background, and dim light due to heavy cloud cover made the one photo I was willing to publish purely “documentary.” On the other hand, your Scissortail was a reminder to begin watching for them. They’re one of my favorite summer line-perchers.
The Bella moth is a stunner, all on her own, but to catch one in the process of egg laying is over the top wonderful. That said, I’d have to choose the cranes as my favorites of this group, partly because your photos make clear that they’re far more colorful than the dull gray I’ve usually been able to capture.
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We’ll try to find more cranes, this time without all that wire in the way. I was sorta happy that moth image came out better than expected. Couldn’t get close enough for the macro so used the 500mm at about 30 feet.
Raining here the last three days but warm temps. No complaints. We need the water.
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I’ve not seen a scissor tail here in Florida but I’ll be on the look out now! I love the big turtles we see and the tortoises…you have to constantly look up…look down and all around! We’re going out this afternoon I hope! Enjoy your day and thanks for sharing your amazing photos!
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I think the term “keep your head on a swivel” must have been coined by a nature lover.
Hope your day is a good one. Thank you so much for dropping by.
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Your area offers you such spectacular bird watching. We have a relatively small variety of birds near us up north. Now that we are almost to Florida, we are starting to see more and more!
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Gini and I are both native Floridians. The Air Force sent us hither and yon for over 20 years and we realized how much we had taken our local birds for granted.
Enjoy your time in the Sunshine State!
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That ornate moth is something; you did a nice job showing it with some eggs.
What a surprise to see you begin your post with a reference to Texas, where I’ve occasionally seen one of those scissor-tailed flycatchers.
Just yesterday I learned the term cooter for a type of turtle (I’d been trying to track down the origin of coot). The American Heritage Dictionary says that cooter comes from the Gullah language, that it’s probably of Niger-Congo origin, and that it’s akin to kuta in the Bambara and Malinke languages.
That’s a good shot of the forward-looking sandhill crane with its prominent red.
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Thank you, Steve.
We always enjoy an evening waiting for tyrants in the winter. Going early seems to reveal a surprise or two.
We’re pretty sure those cranes were a family unit as it’s about this time of year when the young ones begin looking like adults. I suspect the direct look from that bird was definitely meant as a threat. Thus, we retreated quickly.
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Beautiful shots! Great capture on the scissor tail and kingbird. We rarely get them over here and have to really hunt for them. That moth is amazing.
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Thanks, Dina.
Check eBird for Cox Road and surrounding area in Polk County if you feel like a late day trip. They’ll be appearing until Spring.
We had never seen the eggs of the Bella so that was fun.
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I really enjoyed your beautiful photos, as always! So thoughtful of you to respond to this sandhill crane’s request. ☺️
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Thank you very much.
I try to be very thoughtful when faced with a four foot tall bird with a dagger for a beak.
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😅
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The capture of the Western Kingbird and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is awesome! I love seeing the comparison.
Sure would have looked great as part of my ‘five on the wire’ sereis. 😉
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Thanks, Donna.
You can borrow our wires if you like.
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✋
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Congrats for the stunning shot of that beautiful moth depositing eggs! Great capture.
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Pretty green eggs from a pink moth. Who knew?
Thank you for visiting with us.
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I can fully understand your fondness for the Scissor-tailed Flyycatcher, Wally – a splendid bird indeed! However, the Peninsular Cooter and the Ornate Bella Moth stole the show for me.
Hoping that all is good on your side of the pond. We’re managing to keep our heads above water here – just!
Very best wishes to you and Gini – – – Richard
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We love going in search of one thing and finding surprises such as these.
All is very well as we survived another whole year and are in good spirits about facing the next one. One day at a time.
Gini and send all our hopes for you and Lindsay as we know the current road is littered with unexpected potholes.
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Now those are tyrants I would welcome. The others are more than welcome to migrate (preferably off world).
It is years since I have seen a turtle.
As always, thank you both for sharing some of the highlights of your expedition.
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We like those kind of tyrants, too, EC. Turtles are common around here but we don’t often to get to see a big one like this out of water.
Loving your garden!
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