Migration time at the Slough

Migration was heating up at the Slough this past week and it makes me wish that I lived nearby so that I could hop over on a daily basis. In any event, I had the opportunity to visit on Monday and enjoyed seeing/being part of this 'heaven on earth' that the slough exhumes while walking over the water - on the boardwalk that is. 

Several photos were taken and some of them were decent, take a look for yourself.....

My first interesting sighting was in the early morning hours and way up at the top of the trees, after watching it for a bit - I started to recognize

that I was admiring a Baltimore Oriole - the size, the shape, the bill and the wing bars were my main clues - the computer helped me to clarify its identity.

And then, toward the end of our boardwalk enjoyment - we were blessed with quite an exciting viewing....

right in front of us - at eye level - we had this large group of birds show up.....this Worm-eating Warbler,

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,

Yellow Warbler,

Prairie Warbler and

Carolina Wren all of a sudden gathered together and voiced some sort of excitement - they were obviously disturbed over something.....

we watched with excitement and awe and soon realized why they were so....

it was this Yellow Rat Snake that caused all this excitement - eventually the birds left the area, the snake resumed its descent down the trunk and no one was hurt in the process.

And this, my friends, concluded yet another memorable morning at the Slough.

 

Six Mile Cypress Slough

I've had the opportunity to visit the Slough a couple of times for the past two weeks - each time was quite rewarding for seeing some of the migrants coming through the area....and a special bonus is the fact that the slough is at least 5 degrees cooler since it is surrounded by water and the boardwalk is in the shade. I spent more time with my binoculars than my camera but I did manage to get a few pics to share with you....

A Yellow Rat Snake was spotted above our heads - seemingly digesting something is my guess by looking at that bulge in his belly.

A Prothonotary Warbler - this has got to be one of the most striking warbler with its bright golden-yellow face and unmarked blue wings, how fortunate we are to see it as it travels through our area.

The Carolina Wren on the other hand is not a migrant but a year around resident - either way, it's a treat to spot one and watch it as it vocalizes away.