The Salt Marsh

Plans sometimes are meant to be broken - Libby and I left this morning with the intention of visiting Bunche Beach because the tides were right for the venue, however on our way there it started raining and I suggested that we spent a bit of time at the Salt Marsh while the rain storm passed through. Turns out we spent a good 3 hours at that location with much to feast our eyes on in spite of the weather.

One of the first Sparrow to see - our first guess had been Saltmarsh but after further study and some discussion, it was deemed to be a Wilson's Sparrow.

Several Yellowlegs were seen - Lesser and Greater.

Then a Saltmarsh Sparrow - very sweet!

A House Wren drew a lot of attention.

Semipalmated Plovers and Least Sandpipers - resting/sleeping.

A Killdeer all fluffed up and resting too.

Bob Pelky - a blogger and photographer - was seen heading further unto the salt marsh with the hopes of getting a closer look of the Merlin.

More resting birds.

And off they went! We watched and stood still as they swirled around us, letting us feel their wind and hear their wing beats....wow....it always amaze me and takes me to a higher plane.

Soon they came back and rested again. We looked for that Merlin and figured that it might have moved from its perch and was probably the cause of disturbance.

Least Sandpipers

As we headed back to Sanibel, we cruised the Causeway and observed some Ruddy Turnstones and Willets. A Great Blue Heron was a nice surprise around the corner - check it out.

Check those plumes and blue lores - mother nature is perfect just the way it comes.

What a nice way to end the day.

As I dropped Libby off - we took a quick look at the Gulf to see if the Scoters were still there and sure enough there they were. We are still debating whether they are Black Scoters or White Winged Scoter.

STA5 in Hendry County with Caloosa Bird Club

I had heard a lot about this area called STA5 by the birding community and it was with great anticipation that I looked forward to this day. It is a bit of a drive from my home but with good friends in the car - it made for a very enjoyable ride. 

Here are the highlights of the day.

As we drove across, we kept our eyes on the road and had our driver, John, stop and pull over while we exited the car to get a tad bit closer. This Meadowlark was very patient while we took his photo. I was so happy to see this bird like this - as it gave me the opportunity to see just how beautiful it is.

Then we saw some woodstork and soon after heard and saw these beautiful Sandhill Cranes fly by.

I had hoped that they would have stopped and stay for awhile but apparently they had better fish to fly.

We soon met up at the gate and joined the rest of the Caloosa Group. We signed up and waited our turn.....there were 2 groups ahead of us.  FYI the Storm Treatment Area 5 has approx 17,000 acres and is located in Eastern Hendry Co. It is a premier bird watching area in Florida and can easily be referred to as an "Oasis for Birds". I highly recommend the trip - just make sure that the area will let you in. More info can be found at www.sfwmd.gov

 

A Spotting Scope is highly recommended if you want to see some of the birds/ducks that can at times be at a distance. This was a great photo opportunity to show the difference between a Greater and a Lesser Yellowlegs.

A very sweet sighting - a Snail Kite sitting still.

Soon we noticed that they were carrying nest material.

Two females came into view - the female has a white face, as you can see.

Soon after, management closed this part of the road - so that the Kites would not be disturbed while tending to their nest.

Oh Sweetness! My FOS sighting of the Black-necked Stilt. I love how this photo turned out to look like a painting ....oh....if only I had this talent.

The bonus of taking photos is taking them home and seeing 'more' in the frame that had not been noticed before....such as those sandpipers. I had heard from another group that they had spotted some Stilt Sandpipers....if those are it, I sure would love to know it.

These 3 were doing the hokey-pokey....and they turned themselves around....

See what I mean....such an Oasis....birds/ducks everywhere...oh, and many gators too.

Some Glossy Ibis - with their shiny plumage.

Ducks, Coots and more ducks and, did I say Coots....wow....this is Coot Central.

Big Sugar's work could be seen in different locations while we were there.

 A Tropical Kingbird (LB#219) Wow...this made my day.

Swallows were seen constantly - dipping/flying/eating on the run. This was a nice opportunity to actually get a photo of one without it being blurry.....because these guys are fasssst.

A bird's eyeview

Do I still have enough daylight?....Oh.....so much to see and so little time to do it in.

On our way out - a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher sat still - "Thanks for coming - See you again soon".

My E-Bird List - A great day, wouldn't you say. http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S17362091

81 Species - makes for a Super Saturday at STA5.