December 26, 2016 - North Cape Coral with the Caloosa Birding Club

I'm a bit behind in posting so bear with me as I'm catching up. This particular outing was a birding day with the Caloosa Bird Club - the meeting took place in North Cape Coral....our first stop was at Charlotte Harbor State Preserve.

That particular morning was rather windy which made it fun to watch the Tree Swallows - there were most likely several hundred of them at one point.

A Northern Flicker was heard several times before we were able to locate it - smart fellow!

 

We walked all the way to the point and were greeted by this pair of Hooded Mergansers.

Along the shore it was evident that someone else had beat us to this location - I'd venture to say that it was a raccoon.

Our next stop was the leader's house for coffee and sweet treats and when we came out of his house we observed a group of Brown-headed Cowbirds.

Then off we went to the usual spot to view the Scrub Jay family - we had 5 of them in sight at one point.

Around the corner we spotted this pair of Burrowing Owl - though I bet they spotted us before we saw them.

And that's all for now - keep a watch for the next post.

 

Ding Dong

Do you ever get the urge to go and do something? I bet you do - well, this morning I had the inkling to visit Ding Darling - I had no idea what the tides were and thought: "What the heck!" ... it will either be low or high .... but either way I figured it would be a nice drive through. 

Right after the toll both - on the left - a Yellow-crowned Night Heron was busy pruning and resting in between. It was hot already and the YCNH could be seen panting - a cooling tactic.

Well, it turns out it was high tide with incoming tide - and at the Tower I see not one but two Reddish Egret.

I watched as Ding #2 heads over to Ding #1.

For those of you who don't know - ARCI (Avian Research & Conservation Institute) has installed solar powered satellite on a couple of Reddish Egret, the first one (Ding #1) sports a band on its left leg and Ding #2 has one on the right leg. Equipped with these tracking devices, ARCI can keep track of where the Dings go, how far, how often etc. I've often seen one or the other but never in the same corner, so I watched with wonder as to what would come next.

Ding #2 kept on getting closer to Ding #1.

Ding #1 came a tad bit closer when Ding #2 arrived....

They faced each other and then continued on their own paths....sort of like saying...."Hello" "Goodbye".

Ding #2 proceeded with pruning while...

Ding #1 started feeding. This was rather interesting - The Reddish Egret is the rarest wading bird in the U.S. and because it is a highly specialized feeder, it is ecologically restricted to a very narrow coastal habitat making it vulnerable to human impacts....and to see two of them together made that all the more fascinating. You can find more information at www.arcinst.org

Then, as I exited the Wildlife Refuge, I spotted a Brown-headed Cowbird - Overall I must say that it was quite an interesting hour.

Any day birding makes for a great day.

 

Across Lehigh Acres

Today I opted to join my friend Elaine in order to explore some more areas in Lehigh Acres. Our plan was to revisit Harns Marsh first, however with the heavy fog and 50 degree temps we decided to check 12th St - as per recommendation of Bob Pelky - a fellow birder/photographer/blogger. With big hopes to find Bobwhites and Red-headed Woodpecker - we proceeded forward....

Right off we spotted several White-winged Doves and then saw a

female Belted Kingfisher. The rest of the area was pretty quiet even though it seems to be perfect habitat for many species. (note to self: go back) My E-Bird List.

We moved on a bit and visited another area with the same hopes - this particular spot provided us with different surprises....such as Florida Scrub Jays - sweet!

The elected Sentinel pretty much kept an eye on things while the others flew in different bushes.

Elaine and I talked of a fantasy of having a Scrub Jay eating out of her hand in front of her car on Elaine Ave - I'm sure it could have been a possibility however we stay out of the feeding business.

Robins! Many of them being seen and heard.

And here we found 4 Brown-headed Cowbirds, not a usual sighting and we had to consult our bird books to make sure what we were looking at.

They were very patient with us as we looked, photographed and discussed them.

At last we accepted that we weren't going to be seeing any Bobwhites and proceeded to our next spot. My E-Bird List.

This area is West of Harn's Marsh - we spotted a Limpkin.

A beautiful and crisp blue sky.

Along the West Trail I saw a tiny "Dainty Sulphur" - interesting how it appeared yellow with the naked eye, with the binoculars and with the camera - the hues are more toward the green side.

even the eyes are green, pretty fascinating. Okay, well, we're off to Harn's Marsh now and before we go I jotted my E-Bird List.

We arrived at Harn's Marsh and chatted with Ron Bishop - it appears the Marsh is a bit quieter this morning than it was on Saturday. I wonder if the chilly weather and higher winds than usual are having an effect on the birds - in any event, it warmed up nicely and we enjoyed watching the scenery - such as those Ring-necked Ducks (male & female).

Several Great Southern White were working hard at not getting blown with the wind while feeding.

A Cattle Egret.

As we were heading out toward the gate, a pair of Sandhill Cranes landed nearby.

We watched them and enjoyed seeing them

as they walked and ate. They took off when someone got too close.

Till, the next time....I had a great time and I am grateful to be able to go and see them. My E-Bird List for Harns Marsh.

Yearly trip to STA 5 in Hendry Co

Oh Boy! It is Saturday morning with a crisp 48 degree - chilly for Florida weather if you ask me - but nevertheless it didn't dampen my enthusiasm to head out, pick up Libby and head off to Immokalee. We met up with the Caloosa Group, combined people in cars and headed out to our destination....and off we go.

After being on the road for 2 hours +, we arrived at the check in station, listened to instruction and set out with great anticipation.

It wasn't long before we saw tons of ducks and coots and among them were several Purple Gallinules - they sure are colorful and fun to watch with their big feet walking on lily pads.

 

Watching from above and looking for its next prey was a Peregrine Falcon.

Here's another colorful one - a Swamp Hen.

A quick visit from an Eastern Meadowlark didn't go unnoticed, we were blessed with its song too.

A Brown-headed Cowbird, what a nice surprise.

There were plenty of Swallows swooping by - some took a rest on the power line before resuming their flight - a Northern Rough-winged Swallow is watching us.

We had several Black-crowned Night Herons popping out in the open. I love their beady red eyes.

Several gators were spotted - I venture to say that they are well fed.

We watched the White Pelicans as they circled and herded fish for consumption.

Empty clam and mussel shells - some tasty meal I'm sure.

Caspian Terns and Forster Terns were among some White Pelicans and Ducks.

An American Bittern stayed long enough for me to capture its photo.

A special sighting of two Tropical Kingbird was had - this one granted us good views on our way out.

Many more species were seen than photographed - see my E-bird List for all the species.

A long day, a great time and lots of beautiful birds were seen, I am blessed to be granted these opportunities.