Sunday's rituals

We had quite a few strong storms last night and some much needed rain too, this is welcomed as it cools the air some -  so, armed with my bins, camera and bug spray - I headed to the trails.... come along and see what was there....

One of the benefit of the lack of rain recently is that the ponds get very shallow, it brings the fish in a concentrated area and as such we get a gathering of the Egrets and Herons - sharing a meal together.

The Common Gallinule have been multiplying successfully this summer - I counted at least 20 this morning, most of them were immature.

A Juvenile Little Blue - it looks very elegant in this posture.

Summer also brings many more Magnificent Frigate birds in our area too and I love it - these two were quite a bit closer than usual.

Mr. Cardinal - looks like he's been around the block a few times.

A skip over to the Sanibel Garden Preserves - I found 4 Swallow-tailed Kites roosting.

And thank goodness I was looking down as I was walking along the pond otherwise I might have stepped over this very little turtle and that would have been horrible.

I have a dilemma as to whether this is a Slider or  a River Cooter - both species are in the Pond and Box Turtle Family. These are active mostly during the day and like to basks on logs.

Some of our White friends were around the corner - A Great Egret and Snowy Egrets.

I couldn't resist but admire this bright colorful bush filled with berries.

This Osprey was working the Smith Pond along the Bailey Tract Preserve - he gave me a funny look as he flew by.

And off he went to continue on with his fishing business.

I would have bypassed this colorful wild flower if it hadn't been for a tiny feather slowly floating down capturing my attention as it landed in it. There is so much to see and so little time to take it all in.

In some Mangrove recess, this Tri-colored Heron caught my eye making me think of a beautiful Monet painting.

This bird itself is worthy of an artist's paint brush.

Once again, it's been relaxing yet  an invigorating experience, at the same time it brought me much peace - I look forward to my next visit already. 

Following the prescribed burn

Earlier this week, the Bailey Tract had a prescribed burn take place - it was successful and the preserve re-opened after a few days. Come and take a look at how everything is resuming....

It is quite early and the sun peeking at the horizon is just now shining on the clouds and reflecting back into the pond - these type of vistas just takes my breath away.

This young Little Blue Heron even has a 'ghost' reflection in the pond. Notice the 'calico' effect with its plumage - it is morphing from its first year white plumage to blue - once it reaches adulthood it will be totally blue.

One of the two Mottled Duck family that I came across this morning - these ducklings were slightly older than the other family.

A Mourning Dove silently walking the plank.

The prescribed burn leaves behind interesting hues - though it never ceases to amaze me when I see green shoot coming up just a few days later.

Fire is a necessary component of many ecosystems, and suppression of natural fires has played a role in the environment change that has occurred in the last century. The story of the Bailey Tract is one of natural fire, suppression of natural fire, and the rediscovery by refuge managers of the value of fire in maintaining and restoring a healthy wildlife habitat.

On the scorched floor with just a few green twigs appearing, the White Ibis can be seen foraging along the way.

Across the way I spy several 'white' birds...let's take a closer look....

Great Egrets, Snowy and Little Blue have found this shallow portion of the pond to feed upon.

Up above - a pair of Magnificent Frigatebirds flying below the moon.

The Swallow-tailed Kites are still roosting - soon they will take flight and spend their day floating/soaring the Sanibel skies.

A young Tricolored Heron - the brown plumage tells me that it's young.

A young Box Turtle - next to my small bottle of water you can tell its approximate size. It stayed in its shell while I was nearby - I let it be.

And the Kites are up.....

carrying their first breakfast - unfortunately I couldn't quite make out what course this was.

A Ring-necked Snake - a small snake living up to its name.

A young Green Heron - most of the young ones have fledge which makes it more common to see them out and about.

An adult Tricolored Heron was busy feeding - and boy was it ever fast...

it was quite active and alert, I must say quite successful in its endeavor to catch fish.

Sometimes just staying close to the shore....

making shadows to make its fishing more successful....until.....

off it went.

A fleeting moment of respite until....

the next time.

Off the beaten path - an Osprey was tending to its feathers - giving it a deep cleaning.

Well, folks, that's all for now. The Bailey Tract has persevered and is experiencing 'regrowth' as we speak and soon to be lush and green once again.

 

My old stomping ground - new sighting!! Fork-tailed Flycatcher

It felt really good to get up and get ready to go to my old stomping grounds this morning. The Swallow-tailed Kites have been reported by the Post Office, so this is my first pit stop....

it did not disappoint - there they are still waking up and getting ready for the day....

one of the nearby nest had the parent sitting in, I believe the chick is still sleeping.

I made my way to the Sanibel Garden Preserve from there and I could still see that group of Swallow-tailed Kites. I then headed to the pond by the tower where I noticed a bird that had some familiarity and yet provided clues that were not at all familiar.

I instinctively knew that I needed to take as many photos as I could while I had a visual on this bird - photos are always helpful to identify the ones that I'm not sure about.

I was looking at the head which reminded me of an Eastern Kingbird but the tail is sooo long!

Once the bird flew away I started looking at my bird apps coming up empty - so I sent my photo to my friend Libby Wolff who identified it: a Fork-tailed Flycatcher! Oh My! At that point I looked forward to arriving home and to study what I just stumbled upon.

Audubon states: This spectacular wanderer from the tropics occurs virtually every year in North America. Although it is impossible to predict just where it will appear, the majority of records are along the Atlantic Coast, and there are more records in fall than in other seasons. Most Fork-tailed Flycatchers reaching our area probably come from southern South America: long-distance migrants that have made major errors in navigation. (perhaps the tropical storm is responsible) In any event, I am grateful for this rare sighting.

As soon as it departed, a flock of Cattle Egrets flew by.

With a joyful heart I walked away until I saw this young Red-bellied Woodpecker - doing quite well.....

fending for itself.

The Red-shouldered Hawk seemed quite focused.

Then, stepping into the Bailey Tract to see who's around - a young Little Blue among many others caught my attention.

A young Marsh Rabbit - innocent and trusting.

A bright female Red-bellied Woodpecker was communicating loudly with her beau.

Then I spotted an American Lady Butterfly (thanks again to Libby for this info).

Many young Green Herons are popping up everywhere.

This Northern Cardinal quickly vanished from my gaze....looks like he's been using those feathers a lot.

And the Magnificent Frigatebird waved me farewell until the next time, as always I leave the area with a huge smile on my face....every day birding makes for a great day!