Salt Marsh

It is early in the morning and the fog is pretty thick everywhere I look - to the right is the tip of Sanibel with the Lighthouse.

Along the shore by the Causeway a Great Black-backed Gull is passing by....

and mingles within a bunch of Ring-billed Gulls.

I made my way to the Salt Flats and met Elaine there - just us and the vast open space.

Not too far away a feeding frenzy takes place.

A stunning Buckeye landed long enough for a good photo.

While above us several White Pelicans flew by.

We found some tall grasses and

we were blessed with good looks of a Saltmarsh Sparrow...

this little fellow came really close to our feet and we were amazed how tiny it was.

We marveled at our good fortune and came upon a flock of American Goldfinch - eating their fill.

It was then time to wrap it up but not before watching these White Pelicans flying.....

over the moon!

Great White Pelican - day 3

This African pelican first showed up on Sunday morning and has made repeated appearances at Ding Darling - mostly in the mornings and late afternoon. I returned this morning to get more looks just because this Pelican is just awesomely beautiful.

Her pastel colors are very apropos for the spring heading our way.

Side-by-side you can tell the difference between the two.

 And off she went at 10:00a.m. sharp.

 

Great White Pelican

What a surprise we got at Ding Darling today! - My birding friends gave me the heads up about a Great White Pelican being seen on the refuge, it was during the afternoon that I was able to see it - and wow - what a bird! Take a look....

When I arrived I quickly spotted all the birders and knew instantly that I was at the right location - there, about 100 yards away was the Great White Pelican resting between American White Pelicans.

This is one of the largest flying birds that is found in the shallow swamps of Africa. It breeds in Southern Europe and in Asia.

Great White Pelicans are also known as the White Pelican or the Eastern White Pelican.

It is white in color just like the American White Pelican with black and grey primary feathers.

There is a bare pink/yellow facial patch around their eyes. Their spectacular bills have azure blue on the top and yellow underneath and I'm pretty sure that I saw azure blue color in the iris.

The bill has a colorful central stripe and ends in a small red hook.

The Great White Pelican's chest and throat has pinkish or yellowish/orange color depending on the breeding season. In breeding condition the male has pinkish skin on its face and the female has yellowish/orange skin.

These pelicans are graceful fliers who can fly continuously for a whole day and night covering distances of up to 300 miles without stopping.

Note those long wispy plumes on top of its head.

In this particular photo, the light accentuates the pink hues - quite magnificent.

I hope that you will get to see this bird too - it was a really special sight to see.

And that's all, folks.

If birds could talk - we might be able to find the story behind this particular bird - where is was prior to arriving at Ding Darling and whether or not it has escaped from some zoo?? It's anyone's guess at this point.