Eagle Lakes & Sugden Park in Naples w/Caloosa Bird Club

Ahhh....Monday morning and the Caloosa Bird Club is calling - let's go birding!

Today's itinerary: Eagle Lakes in Naples, Florida.

A Blue Grosbeak was a very nice surprise today.

An American Wigeon showing off.

An Indigo Bunting had me guessing for a bit - those female/first winter bird are tricky for me to recognize.

This park is large with wide cement trails that we shared with bikers/walkers, the view is great everywhere you looked....just watch where you're going.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks - my favorite.

A Great Blue Heron doing a dance for another nearby.

You know you're into snowbird season when the Coots are in great numbers.

Here's a reptile that generated quite a conversation - from the angle and the distance, some folks thought it might have been an alligator snapping turtle but as can be seen here - the scutes are 'gator' like and not cone shape.

We later moved to the Sugden Park where we consumed our lunch - a Kestrel was glowing in all its beauty - don't you agree?

A few Bald Eagles were spotted flying overhead - beside this young one, our eyes followed a mature pair carrying nest material....

to their nesting site nearby. A great way to seal the day! My E-bird List for Eagle Lakes and my E-bird List for Sugden Park.

 

Bailey Tract and the San-Cap Audubon Group

It had been a bit since I visited the Bailey Tract because of other commitments and I found myself really missing my regular spot - so it was with great anticipation that I got there as the sun was rising. 

Is there a better way to start the day?.....with the sounds of Bald Eagles above my head?....it doesn't get much better than that.

As I walked along the Middle Dike I met up with the San-Cap Audubon group while finding a nice assortment of birds....such as this Tricolored Heron...

and Mottled Ducks.....

and an adult Little Blue Heron too.

The Little Blue was actively in search of small fish.

Did you know that the Mottled Duck is mostly found in Florida and a few other locations along the Gulf of Mexico? If you are visiting our area - make sure to locate this beautiful specie.

Here's a pair of Coots that has strayed from the main group - check the red beady eye.

Another Little Blue - this one resting after feeding.

Tricolored Heron along the bank.

A young Double-crested Cormorant was found along the Airplane Canal - this is actually where the turtles like to hang out - but they were nowhere to be found this morning.

Notice the emerald green eyes.

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was buzzing by - I love this little guy with the white ring around its eyes, also I have to say that gray never looked so good to me until I met him.

The Black-and-White Warbler was spotted doing its acrobatic moves along the branches, never skipping a beat.

We were also fortunate to spot the silhouette of the Anhinga - a male....evident by the black neck.

The regular gator was also seen today, resting along the Mangrove pond.

 

As the sun was warming things up - the butterflies started to show up....such as this White Peacock. Keep your eyes open while at the Bailey Tract and you'll be able to see our regular butterfly population along the pond edges.

The Red Cardinals were singing today - most were hiding except for this guy.

Tree Swallows by the hundreds.

I'm sealing this day with a Palm Warbler - sure, we may see a lot of them now but before you know it, they will be heading north....so enJOY.

 Well, folks, it's been a great birding outing as always - my E-Bird list had 38 species today - that's greaaaat!

 

Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte with Caloosa Bird Club

A great outing with the Caloosa Bird Club with many stops along the way. Our first stop was on Zemel Road in Punta Gorda - the dump site.....who knew that so many birds could be observed at this location, take a look....

As soon as we stepped out of the car, we noticed this Red-shouldered Hawk who was obviously watching something very intensely....'hawk eye'.

Sandhill Cranes on top of the mound

soon they started their "karooo karooo karooo" sound - which could be heard yards away.

Several Bald Eagles and Laughing Gulls were observed as well as

multiple Cattle Egrets and Wood storks.

Soon after we moved on down to Colony Point Dr in Punta Gorda to observe some ducks....a spotting scope comes really handy when looking for ducks - here were 100s of Lesser Scaup in the distance - hardly noticeable by the naked eye however with my Canon SX50 I was able to bring it much closer which helped us to make the identification.

A few Cormorants were lined up on the bank

This body of water attracts several ducks during the winter, we observed Lesser Scaup, Mottled Ducks, Blue-winged Teals, Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe and a Canvasback. Soon after we headed to our next stop.....Ponce de Leon City Park in Charlotte County.

Greeting us with a personal grin .... a Wood stork and a Black Vulture.

The Yellow-crowned Night Heron welcomed us and gave us the yellow glove treatment....

as he pointed us into the right direction

"Welcome one and welcome all".

We made our way down by the dock and along the small beach to observe the others, several Ruddy Turnstone in winter plumage were spotted.

Brown Pelicans were lazily floating down the river.

Another Ruddy Turnstone.

A Great Blue Heron focused on his next meal.

A Pelican nap with a water view.

On to our next stop - the Ollie Pond in Charlotte County - where a shady trail takes us around a large lake - what a great way to observe nature such as this Corn Snake above our heads in an Oak tree.....we could hardly make heads or tails about it.

Blue-winged Teals were in great numbers

so were the Coots

and the Hooded Mergansers.

Pale yellow Lilies in the lily pads

and a Tree Frog asleep in the tree.

Colorful Tricolored Heron performed some Reddish Egret moves for us while trying to lure his lunch.

Several Ring-necked Ducks floating and diving around the lilies

they sure are stricking....its name refers to a brownish "ring" on the neck which is barely visible.

Our mascot bird was seen several times today - the Green Heron.

As with most bodies of water in S.W. Florida - a few gators were sighted - this one being oblivious and young to boot - sleeping away while a group of people watched.

After being on the road for 7 hours - respite and lunch by the Peace River was very welcomed.