Down time

I've been pretty busy lately and have seen hundred of people - I was due for some peace and quiet and what better place to be than on one of those quieter beach spot on Sanibel, come along and enjoy the scenery.....

As it is customary for me - the earlier the better in order to catch the sun rising.

I wasn't the only early riser - several Snowy Plovers were already scouting the beach.

Those tire tracks reminded me that it's almost turtle time and soon I will be riding on the beach looking for their crawls.

A pair of Wilson Plover were using some of those tracks in the sand for resting.

Some raucous diverted my attention....I'm not sure what the Eagle was up to but the Osprey wouldn't give him a break.

Back for a second look at those Wilson Plover.

What a beautiful paradise I live in - I can't get tired of this view.

Four Willets hanging together by some driftwood, blending in and out of sight.

More Ospreys - there must have been a dozen in this particular area.

Great view for an Osprey to spot its prey and what a perfect spot to find a

Scotch Bonnet!

Soon after I spotted a Spotted Sandpiper around some brackish water.

Well, I think it's time for me to go and get a meal too....thanks for joining me.

Punta Gorda with the Caloosa Bird Club

I'm a bit behind in posting and I guess my excuse is that I am now semi-retired and I don't have as much free time as I used to....but better late than never, right?

This outing took place this past Monday - Elaine, Libby and myself met up with the Caloosa Bird Club and set out to explore several different areas as we have in the past....come along and see.....

In the past, this particular trip usually takes place toward the end of December and since we found ourselves at the beginning of the month - we really had to look hard to find ducks.

Nevertheless, a trio of Lesser Scaup was a welcoming sight.

As was the three pairs of Hooded Mergansers.

Shortly after we found ourselves at the Ponce de Leon park - this Great Egret watched as we entered.....

then we had to get passed these Black Vultures...

this one gave us the 'go ahead'.

Ponce de Leon has this facility that holds several types of birds which have been injured and would not otherwise make it out in the world, we entered and delighted on many of the species. This particular Yellow-crowned Night Heron was not caged but seemed to enjoy hanging around.

Though I wondered if it was having a bad day.

Perhaps it didn't appreciate being compared to the Black-crowned Night Heron sitting in the background.

Then we made a visit to Olie's Pond where it seems to be customary to see the Black-bellied Whistling ducks.

I enjoyed the scenery from this angle with the reddish looking tree and the 'pink snow' flowers on the grass.

As we neared the end of the circle around the pond, I took some time to watch this Great Blue Heron amidst the creamy water lilies.

We also spotted a few Ring-necked Ducks and commented among ourselves with wonder as to why it is not called a Ring-billed Duck.

The find of the day was this Least Bittern which was quite a challenge to locate - see how well it blends in?

And as customary to our outings - we always go and have lunch while we do our bird list....however for some unfortunate reason we ended up missing our turn and found ourselves over the bridge....but fear not, our fearless driver found us a quaint spot along the water - we hoped that our group across the way saw us wave to them as we enjoyed our lunch while watching this Spotted Sandpiper along with the beautiful vista.

 

Bunche Beach at sunrise

Earlier this week there was an organized walk at Bunche Beach and since I was working I wasn't able to attend, though I had been thinking about Bunche and I was happy to finally be able to visit the area - the sun was about to rise and the tide was still heading out, come along and see what's happening out there nowadays....

It's always a toss up when I arrive at the beach....should I go East or West??...I headed West and periodically checked for the sun - in the meantime the sky provided quite a beautiful palette don't you think?

Some of the birds are already quite busy - this Great Egret showed me its best side.

Now, that's my kind of sunrise!

The Roseate Spoonbill seemed to agree with me.

I have to say the sun looks good on it.

One of my favorite - the Oystercatcher.

Followed by the Black Skimmers, a young one - front and center is sporting a spiffy green band.

The Piping Plover are always fun to watch, like all the other plovers - it is very fast on its feet.

A few Common Tern were discovered - adult and non breeding plumage.

A Marbled Godwit - its honey color gets quite accentuated by the morning sun.

I'm back at my starting point and spent some time admiring this Great Blue Heron, it must be used to human because it stayed put as people went by.

The wind played with its feathers - giving it a 'crest' look.

This is looking West - the Sanibel Causeway is in the far background.

The white morph of the Reddish Egret - sporting a transmitter for the ongoing study by ARCI.

I made my way East and found this pair of Caspian Tern - a juvenile with an adult.

I spotted a Spotted Sandpiper with barely a spot on.

And a cameo appearance of an....

Opposum - kind of cute and very small.

The Spotted watched and waited before resuming its breakfast hunt.

This turned out to be a great morning with some extra time for reflection - I feel blessed.