Salt Marsh

It is early in the morning and the fog is pretty thick everywhere I look - to the right is the tip of Sanibel with the Lighthouse.

Along the shore by the Causeway a Great Black-backed Gull is passing by....

and mingles within a bunch of Ring-billed Gulls.

I made my way to the Salt Flats and met Elaine there - just us and the vast open space.

Not too far away a feeding frenzy takes place.

A stunning Buckeye landed long enough for a good photo.

While above us several White Pelicans flew by.

We found some tall grasses and

we were blessed with good looks of a Saltmarsh Sparrow...

this little fellow came really close to our feet and we were amazed how tiny it was.

We marveled at our good fortune and came upon a flock of American Goldfinch - eating their fill.

It was then time to wrap it up but not before watching these White Pelicans flying.....

over the moon!

Birding Gator Hole, a 20/20 preserve in Lee Co.

It had been a while since I visited the Corkscrew/Alico Rd area and since I have the day off and much desire to bird - I and Libby headed out at the pre-crack of dawn....

I drove down Alico with the hopes of hearing the Whip-poor-will but had to settle for this Big Cypress Fox Squirrel - very cool!

One of the perks of being a volunteer for the Lee Co Bird Patrol is that I have access to some of the less traveled preserve such as this Gator Hole. We arrived after sunrise but the fog was still pretty thick in some patches - a common occurrence in Florida.

At the opposite end of the preserve we spotted two Wild Turkeys perched high in the trees!....not exactly where I would expect them to be.

One of many Palm Warblers seen flying in a frenzy while getting their feathers cleaned.

A few Eastern Towhee were heard before they were seen - what a beautiful male!

Many Butterflies were observed along the preserve, beside this Phaon Crescent we had Gulf Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, White Peacock and Barred Yellow.

Some moths too - beside the Rattlebox Moth we spotted this pink/orange moth and after much searching Libby found this to be a Southern Purple Mint moth.

Along the western edge of the property we noticed something down the path....

White-tailed Deer, two on the trail and 3 in the bushes - they quickly disappeared as we traveled down the path.

A Gulf Fritillary

Beautiful fauna within the preserve, don't you agree?

A very bright and yellow Palm Warbler.

One of my favorite - a Brown-headed Nuthatch.

A bright yellow flower bush going into seed.

Another beautiful butterfly that was a challenge to identify - at last it was - I introduce to you: Mallow-scrub Hairstreak - a pretty name that  does this butterfly justice.

Some of the very few remaining Aster at the Preserve - I love the pale yet bright color.

And, as all good things must come to an end - so does this adventure ..... in the meantime I'll keep a keen 'hawk'eye on things until the next time. My E-Bird List for today.

Bailey Tract visit - From Green Heron to Orchard Oriole

I was due for an early visit to the Bailey Tract and this time of the year can be really peaceful there, what's not to love! Come and visit with me.....

Oh Look! We have a greeter today.....

a Green Heron - "Good Morning to you!".

A young Little Blue was slowly waking up.

A silent Great-crested Flycatcher was observing me.

One of the greeter's relative was nearby too.

Oh!, Look how much the Common Gallinule have grown.

And what do we have here?

If you guessed an immature Black-crowned Night Heron, then you win the early bird prize.

The sun is slowly rising and the true colors are coming up - a Red-shouldered Hawk drying up from his morning bath.

A young Red-bellied Woodpecker exploring all that his world has to offer.

The Tricolored Heron is always one to admire.

A Brown Anole that lost its tail to a predator,

this one sports his entire tail.

This little turtle was quite far away - I don't have enough clue to properly identify - If you know, do pipe in.

A Kingbird - with a white tail tip it would indicate an Eastern Kingbird.

And what a nice surprise! An Orchard Oriole - welcome back!