Black-necked Stilts - Photo Shoot

Seen along the Bailey Tract from March through July.

The Black-necked Stilt breeds and winters in a wide variety of wet habitats. I saw them breed here last summer - my first time watching them and it was very rewarding. Through the challenge of building a nest along alligator habitat, a pair of chicks made it before flying back south for their fall and winter stay.

Seen along the Causeway - not its usual spot.

A Visit with the Common Eider on a very foggy causeway.

I caught wind that the Common Eider had returned to the Causeway Island - It had been almost 3 months since I last saw her and thought I would visit with her before attending my SanCap Audubon walk.

It didn't take me long to find her - even with all that dense fog.

Awww...she is as good looking as I remembered her. Look at those soft eyes and sweet personality - what is not to love?

She can dance too.

The Ring-billed Gull felt left out and he let me know about it.

The Great Egret was hanging around too - and you can tell how thick the fog was by the way the plume was weighted down.

Not too many photos today due to the poor visibility - but don't let that fool you - the Causeway is a great spot for birding and cruising slowly along the way. I saw quite a few species in just one hour - you be the judge - My E-Bird list

 

 

Causeway - Great way to start the day.

The weather warmed up a bit and I had some extra time to spare before attending my yearly training at Ding Darling - so, off I went to cruise the Causeway.

I had been looking for the Black Scoter and I am glad that I ventured out this morning - it wasn't a carpet full of them, but that's okay by me.

A few Red-breasted Merganser could be seen diving in repeatedly.

As I reached the turn around point - I noticed something out of the ordinary at the base of the pilling....what might that be? Upon closer inspection, I noticed that it was a ....

Raccoon! How in the world did he ever get up there? They sure are cleaver at getting where they want to be. Once he realized that I was no threat to him, he resumed his coon nap.

.....while listening to.....

.... a serenade that only Grackles could make.

As I got ready to leave the Causeway, this Grackle came to see if I had anything to eat....sorry, no can do.....you'll have to find food the old fashion way.

These two Pileated Woodpeckers have found their food source without my help - as it should be.

Common Eider - A Photo Shoot

Just recently a Common Eider has been making an appearance along the Sanibel causeway - I went on Wednesday morning with my friend Libby to locate it - we saw it briefly before it disappeared. On Thursday - more sightings with more notification on Birdbrain.....today I returned with hopes of finding her and I was grateful - see for yourself.

Isn't she lovely?

Soggy Sunday

Sunday....and it's almost sunrise.....I can hear the thunder in the distance, see a glimpse of the sun and feel the call to be with my feathered friends.....and so, I go.

Five minutes later, I'm on the causeway - just in time to catch the sun before it got shadowed by the clouds and rain showers. Then I drive ever so slowly, trying to catch a glimpse of the Black Scoters which have been seen for the past couple of days.

Made my way under the main bridge - paying attention to the structure and life as it unfolds....

A sailboat under sail goes by and I smile as I think about the fact that it's Sunday and it's a day off for a lot of folks and the fact that a little rain is not stopping them from doing the things that they enjoy doing.

Aha! I'm seeing movements.....a bunch of Mergansers are swimming by - I counted 11.

A Royal Tern enjoying his free shower.....easy does it.

Whoa!! This guy is HUGE! I grab my bag and look for my book - darn, it flashes before my eyes and I see it sitting on the kitchen table .... note to self "leave a book in my bag". So, I made sure to take plenty of photos so that I could identify when I got home.

The Sanibel Lighthouse - under the spell of a glow amidst the showers.

A Great Blue Heron - watching the fisherman nearby and me too.

A Great Egret - he had a fish tale that had been discarded - he tried to eat it and finally left it behind - there are better fish out there after all.

I know....very poor photo and very far away....I kept following this common loon, he would come up just long enough for me to put my camera on it and before I could focus and shoot, he was back down under.

Another group of Mergansers - swimming by the edge of the beach....sweet!

The Osprey with his fresh catch - yum.

I find the "HUGE" seagull again - I make a point of noticing the size difference between the other gulls and the terns....more photos...

There it is, in its splendor....A Great Black-backed Gull. It is more common on the Atlantic coast than here. It is the largest and most bulky gull with heavy bill and broad wings, it has pink legs and dusky iris.

This was the first time that I went birding during a rain storm - it's true that I stayed in the car while slowly cruising up and down the causeway, however I must say that I truly enjoyed myself. I also noted that the birds didn't mind the rain at all, actually I thought it was quite the opposite. Also, it made me smile to see so many people enjoying themselves in spite of the weather....fisherman knee deep in the water, sailboats floating by and a bar-b-que being fired up when I left the area....life is good.

 My E-Bird List for this trip