Roseate morning

A visit to the Bailey Tract this morning made for a very nice beginning for this day.

There's a cold front heading our way and even though the Bailey Tract is 1/2 mile from the beach, I could hear the ocean roar....

the Pied-billed Grebe is pretty well protected.

Around the corner a Mourning Dove's feathers seemed to glisten with gold in the sunshine.

A Kestrel was surveying the area for a bite to eat.

This Roseate Spoonbill gave me the impression of being filled with kindness - can you see it in its eyes and can you feel the softness too?

Once the Roseate disappeared from sight - a Palm Warbler caught my attention - it had me wonder at first because it was hopping while keeping its tail up, not quite a Palm behavior however with closer inspection it was confirmed.

Well, this concludes another beautiful visit at the Bailey Tract - looks like the Mottled Ducks were able to find a spot away from those high winds....I think I will too.

Birding Gator Hole, a 20/20 preserve in Lee Co.

It had been a while since I visited the Corkscrew/Alico Rd area and since I have the day off and much desire to bird - I and Libby headed out at the pre-crack of dawn....

I drove down Alico with the hopes of hearing the Whip-poor-will but had to settle for this Big Cypress Fox Squirrel - very cool!

One of the perks of being a volunteer for the Lee Co Bird Patrol is that I have access to some of the less traveled preserve such as this Gator Hole. We arrived after sunrise but the fog was still pretty thick in some patches - a common occurrence in Florida.

At the opposite end of the preserve we spotted two Wild Turkeys perched high in the trees!....not exactly where I would expect them to be.

One of many Palm Warblers seen flying in a frenzy while getting their feathers cleaned.

A few Eastern Towhee were heard before they were seen - what a beautiful male!

Many Butterflies were observed along the preserve, beside this Phaon Crescent we had Gulf Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, White Peacock and Barred Yellow.

Some moths too - beside the Rattlebox Moth we spotted this pink/orange moth and after much searching Libby found this to be a Southern Purple Mint moth.

Along the western edge of the property we noticed something down the path....

White-tailed Deer, two on the trail and 3 in the bushes - they quickly disappeared as we traveled down the path.

A Gulf Fritillary

Beautiful fauna within the preserve, don't you agree?

A very bright and yellow Palm Warbler.

One of my favorite - a Brown-headed Nuthatch.

A bright yellow flower bush going into seed.

Another beautiful butterfly that was a challenge to identify - at last it was - I introduce to you: Mallow-scrub Hairstreak - a pretty name that  does this butterfly justice.

Some of the very few remaining Aster at the Preserve - I love the pale yet bright color.

And, as all good things must come to an end - so does this adventure ..... in the meantime I'll keep a keen 'hawk'eye on things until the next time. My E-Bird List for today.

Snowy Plover season

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Audrey Albrecht, the Shorebird program Coordinator and Biologist at SCCF (Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation) in addition to all the other volunteers who enjoy spending time watching over the Snowy Plovers during the nesting season. The birds have been observed and we see them pairing up - tomorrow the areas where the Plovers have been seen will be roped off and signs will be erected. I will keep you updated as the season continues....but for now....come along and see what I observed today.

Not too long after I entered the beach I found this little fellow on a pen shell and upon taking....

a closer look, I realized that this Plover has a deformed foot - I'm calling it Stompy and will keep an eye on it.

Well, it never fails....when on the beach I often come into interesting discoveries such as this Cow Fish skeleton, it is called a Cow Fish because of the little horns on its head, it is in the trunk fish family - according to my son the fisherman in the family.

A Lesser Black-backed Gull - one of several today.

And Sanderlings were everywhere too - this time they were resting instead of chasing the waves.

An American Kestrel flew and landed nearby - unnoticed by the beach birds, perhaps because he already has his meal in his talons - a juicy lizard.

A Black-bellied Plover who will soon get its black belly.

Our little banded female Snowy Plover who returns time and time again on our beach - she was actually banded in Sanibel in 2009 and has been nesting every year since.

She is seen here with her mate, I will keep you updated with their status as the season gets going.

 

A foggy Pond Apple

You know it's winter in S.W. Florida when you get up most every morning and it is as foggy as can be....that does not deter me from venturing out and this morning I headed to the Pond Apple Trail.

My first sighting along the retention pond was a pair of Black-crowned Night Heron.

Singing happily was this Eastern Phoebe.

From the retention ponds I took a long leisurely walk to the Chamber of Commerce - atop a dead snag covered in poison ivy a Snowy Egret shares the space with a Tricolored Heron.

One of the three Kestrels that I saw this morning.

Back to the retention ponds - a Brown Pelican welcomes me back.

In the last hour the birds have started to arrive in drove - a Yellow-rumped Warbler is waking up and feeding happily.

A focused Great Blue Heron

One of the three Green Heron - sitting and taking the view in.

Another Black-crowned Night Heron....

and another - I don't ever recall seeing so many at this location.

A Wood Stork

A Cattle Egret

Behind this Cormorant a Wilson Snipe and a Killdeer can be seen.

I've been here for two hours and the fog seems to want to linger a bit.

A beautiful corner to observe wildlife as it unfolds.

A Catbird - one of many that were seen and heard this morning. This turned out to be a lovely morning with 41 species - My E-Bird List.