Meeting up with Mr.Bob - the Bobcat

It had been a while since I bumped face to face with a Bobcat and I welcomed the opportunity.

I was coming out of the Bailey Tract and I was heading over to the Sanibel Garden Preserve when I noticed this Bobcat - most likely watching a possible prey or just plain resting.

He seemed undisturbed by my presence and while keeping my distance I watched him.

I noticed that down the road a couple of bikers were heading my way and the Bobcat sensed that as well, he retreated into the woods.

I assumed that he kept on going further in, so I took that time to review my photos. The bikers kept on going and when I turned my head back, I was surprised to see the Bobcat coming out of the woods.

He watched me for a bit - or should I say we watched each other.

After a bit, I think he figured that it was safe to proceed....

staying close to the vegetation and keeping an eye on me - he headed for the.....

Bailey Tract.

Check those paws out!

He had the trail for himself with no other souls around....

Mr. Bob

the Kingcat.

A Week's recap

Where does the time go? So many places to go, so much birding to do and so little time....not to mention the holiday that is right around the corner....what is a girl to do?? I know!! A recap of my week and where it took me....let's go....

Let's begin with Monday - logical, no? We - Libby and I - left the Island to report to our Christmas Bird Count duties at Shell Point in Ft.Myers, on the way we stopped along the shore to witness and appreciate a beautiful sunrise and scope out the species.

After meeting up with the group, we split into different directions - Dotty being our group leader - one of our first sighting was an opossum in a Strangler fig tree - odd to say the least. We then went on and covered several areas within that section and parted ways by 11 a.m. - we broke for lunch and drove through neighborhoods before we headed back toward the island.

We made a stop by the launching ramp and tallied up a few more numbers - this Brown Pelican was rather attractive - he is sporting a band but I couldn't get him to pose in the right direction to read the numbers.

We sealed the day and bid farewell until the next time.

It's Wednesday and I'm visiting the Bailey Tract - a Red-shouldered Hawk was observed in all its glory.

An Eastern Phoebe seemingly glowing in the sunlight.

One of my favorite Doves to see - the Common Ground Dove - the smallest of them all and found only in Florida. I love how the light bounces off the plumage and makes it shimmer.

Off the beaten path I followed a male Bobcat - he was nonchalant while spraying a wide and long path.

He turned around long enough for me to admire his entire wholesomeness.

Sniff, sniff....spray, spray.

Farewell Mr.Bob.

It's Friday - a cold front is scheduled to arrive by mid-morning, this gives me just enough time to make a visit to the Bailey Tract. The sky is coming alive with the sun just about to rise.

 

This just takes my breath away.

A dozen of American Goldfinch circled above and landed in a tree nearby - how exciting! Very seldom do I see 12 at one time - my conclusion is that the front is approaching and the birds are trying to stay a step ahead.

Then I spot a whole flock of ducks - later while looking at my photos and sharing with Libby, she and I figured out that they were Scaups - some of the ducks showed their upper wing display of 'white' which made me think that they were Greater Scaups. I shared my thoughts on a FB page with other birders and everyone agrees that they are Lesser Scaup and that more clues would be necessary to call them Greater....I learned a lot from that discussion.

The predicted front is quickly approaching and my app is warning me that rain is coming - the sky is my big indicator too ....time to get out of here.

Amazing isn't it how a sky can go from hues of orange and yellow to dark shade of gray.

 It is now Saturday and it's Christmas Bird Count for the San-Cap Audubon group. I met up with my team - Sue and Brita... here we go. The sighting of a Bald Eagle made for a great beginning - and a good show for us to see as he tried to steal fish from an Osprey's talons.

The front did arrive and very cool temperature with strong winds are making this a brisk type of day - it is also affecting the amount of birds that we are seeing today, making this a quiet bird count day.

This sweet little Red-bellied Woodpecker stayed for a bit and we marveled over the color of his plumage and how black the under layer was.

A Yellow-crowned Night Heron was hunkering down too but he didn't escape our leader's eyes. 

Well, folks, this conclude my week - interesting, would you say? Tomorrow is a new day and I can't wait to see what is in store for me....Happy Birding!

Bailey's Bobcat

As I get older or should I say wiser, I've realized that I can plan my days/weeks/months way ahead of time but the end results are totally out of my hands.....I'm okay with that because often times the alternatives that surface are usually icing on the cake.

In my simple planning today - my goal was to see birds and open myself up for any surprises that may come my way....perhaps a rare sighting would be good. So, come along and see how my morning went....

The moon is full and the day is just about to begin - that in itself is exciting.

A flock of American Robins landed right behind me....

for me it is always exciting to see them especially since it doesn't happen very often.

A half hour into my walk I spotted a Bobcat leading the way - once in a while he would turn to see if I was still following.

He was focused on the Marsh Rabbits - following them in his 'cat' demeanor and jumping into bushes in his attempt to snag one....in this instance the Hare persevered and won.

Behind me a mother with a cranky baby in a stroller caught the cat's attention....

one more look and off he went ....

at a quicker pace.

In the meantime, a flock of White Pelicans were spotted seemingly floating in the air.

On my way out of the Bailey Tract - a small gator was seen watching people....

I bid him farewell with glee in my step. This day surely brought a different spin - and oh, what fun! My E-bird List for today.