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.

Ding Darling with the San-Cap Audubon Group.

The San-Cap Audubon group had their first walk of the season at Ding Darling today - a group of 30+ folks gathered up in the parking lot. Eager birders are ready, a beautiful sunny sky and a low tide awaits....it doesn't get much better than that, lets go....

A Green Heron came and practically landed by some people's feet - what a nice surprise.

A beautiful Red-breasted Merganser entertained a few of us - dashing and diving while eating.

A stop at the Mangrove Overlook provided really good views of the White Pelicans and Snowy Egrets.

The tide being low provided several little traps which collected small fish - the White Pelican gladly moved from one feeding hole to another

A Pied-billed Grebe - a small aquatic diving bird. Their toes are lobed which makes them strong swimmers - Grebes are infrequently seen on land or in flight.

The Roseate Spoonbills - a bright pink wading bird with a long, flat spoonlike bill. Many people mistake these birds for  Flamingos.

The Wood Stork - a large, long legged bird with a bald head and pink feet.

Wood Stork seen with Blue-winged Teals.

More Roseate Spoonbills - sweeping their bill  rapidly from side to side as they feed.

I enjoyed watching this White Ibis as it passed

in front of the Wood Stork - the Stork pausing ever so lightly before resuming his feeding.

A few Greater Yellowlegs in the shadows sealed the day - a great day if I may so, looking forward to the next one.

My E-Bird List for today.

 

Happy New Year!

Awww....a new year, a new beginning - don't you just love the possibilities that are associated with the New Year? For one thing - I get to start fresh with my bird list and with more knowledge under my belt - who knows where that will take me....I am eager, able and willing - so, let's go!

Today began with a drive through the Wildlife Drive of Ding Darling with my husband, what a great way to start the day. 

The White Pelicans welcomed us with open bills.

The Blue-winged Teals on the other hand were busy feeding and paid us no attention.

The Red-breasted Merganser entertained us with its diving and dashing moves.

It was pretty overcast this morning but not enough to keep us from viewing 100s of birds....each white dots represents a bird, some are pink aka Roseate Spoonbills.

Some White Ibis - adults, juveniles, immatures - as well as a Great Blue Heron and 2 Great Egrets in this frame.

3 White Pelicans gossiping about the Great Egret.

The Male Hooded Merganser was feasting on shrimps - yum, my favorite seafood.

Reddish Egret - aka "Ding" was spotted too, can you see its antenna? It is a great tracking device which is solar operated - quite useful to keep tabs on where it goes. (My E-Bird List for Ding Darling)

It was time to head home and get some breakfast, on the way we made a quick visit to see the Bald Eagle - I was glad to see that it was still there.

Then it was time for my roving shift at the Bailey Tract - an interesting afternoon this turned out to be. My first contact was with the Stokes - Lillian was sporting her bright colors and she reminded me of a beautiful Painted Bunting - meant with admiration. I also bumped into Elaine Jacobson and we chatted about birding, vegetation, Audubon, warblers, lectures etc....a lively conversation. While we were parting ways we could hear the chatter of....

a Bald Eagle - I believe he might have been defending his territory as he kept chasing a younger Bald Eagle away. Onward and forward, I chatted with several people along the trail answering their questions and pointing them to the last Alligator sighting spot. A bit later I bumped into Ed - another Ding Darling Volunteer - who eagerly shared his discovery of a....

Polyphemus Moth Nest - what an incredible find! The Polyphemus Moth is one of our biggest moths, growing up to a 5 1/2 inch wingspan. These moths are usually found in forests, but can also be seen in marshes and parks. In the caterpillar stage, when ready, it wraps itself in a leaf and builds a cocoon with silk from its mouth. Look how well disguised the cocoon is within the vegetation! Thanks Ed for sharing and for opening up new knowledge.

As I was reflecting to myself that I was seeing more people (101) than bird species (28), a pretty Frittilary Butterfly fluttered by - making me smile and reminding me that "Life is Good". Soon after, fast wings past me and landed in a nearby tree.....

"Sweet! an Orange-crowned Warbler". A small warbler with sharply pointed bill, subtle and blurry streaking, pale patch at bend in wing and a longish dark tail. Its good ID point is that it is "drab and very low contrast" (The Warbler Guide).

It might have been busy with foot/bicycle traffic but a few hours on the trail beats anything else hands down. My E-Bird List for the Bailey Tract.