Sunday morning beach side

Something was calling to me this morning and I decided to listen to that inner voice - it took me along the shore and I was blessed to witness the beginning of a brand new day. Come and see...

Well, I think I'm off to a good start!

A Black-bellied Plover (his belly will turn black next spring/summer - during breeding season).

A flock of Sanderlings

A Brown Pelican - an adult above and a sub-adult below....notice the difference in the plumage.

A Great Egret had his own pond along the beach

and in it he found a pipe fish.

...next!

A Willet nearby found a small crab

This yound Reddish Egret was still hunting for food.

Several species of Gulls were seen this morning, plenty of Laughing Gulls and a Lesser Black-backed Gull.

While watching the Gulls, two Black Skimmers came over to rest.

A Red-breasted Merganser swam by the shore.

Isn't this lovely? How often do you see more birds than people?

A winter adult Herring Gull

A winter adult Lesser Black-backed Gull

A young Bald Eagle flew overhead and interestingly enough he didn't disturb any of the birds.

A Third year Great Black-backed Gull - feasting on a fish carcass, partly visible is a Laughing Gull and following behind is a Ruddy Turnstone.

A Franklin Gull

A Magnificent Frigatebird - a male - recognizable from the orange throat pouch, a female has a black head with a white chest.

The Snowy Plovers are returning in great numbers, I counted 13 in front of the Gulfside City Park - one of them is sporting some colorful bands and it turns out she was banded on 3/31/09 in Sanibel - You go Girl!

This one snuggled down into the shells - look how well he blends in.

And that, folks, concludes my sightings for this morning - I'm a happy birder. My E-Bird List for today.

Toad Thursday! Why not!

Today started with no expectations but rather a small plan of taking a walk along the shore - and surprises were welcomed.

I arrived early which was indicative by the fact that I was the only one in the lot. I set off along the boardwalk and spotted something I had never seen before - I quickly retreated and went to fetch my camera.

It turns out this is a Southern Toad - it is a true toad native to the S.E. USA. It often lives in areas with sandy soils. It is nocturnal and spends the day in a burrow.

I'd say, I was lucky to arrive just before it left for its burrow.

As I cleared the boardwalk - the sunrise greeted me with open arms.....ahhh.

It seemed as if gold was being poured on....I am rich!

A Sanderling was enjoying the morning too.

Two Laughing Gulls - a juvenile on the left and an adult on the right.

A pristine White Ibis - often called Florida Chickens as they are a dime a dozen - there are so many of them - yet they are worthy of second looks.

I bumped into one of my turtle buddies on my way back, Allen is on duty on Thursday and he was performing a data collection from a nest that perished - cause: too much water standing in and around the nest - result: not enough oxygen for the turtles to progress properly. We counted 147 unhatched eggs. Some beach walkers joined us and we shared our turtle knowledge with them.

Toward the end of my walk - I spotted a much bigger Gull from a distance and I was glad to have my camera along.....

that way I can properly identify what I am looking at. Those Gulls can be downright difficult because of the changes that they go through for the first 4 years and different seasons on top of that....

I was able to conclude that I was looking at a 2nd winter Great Black-backed Gull. I don't know about you, but personally I am glad that August is here and the fact that the doors have opened to let our migrating birds back in.....yeah....welcome back!

 

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