Bowman's Beach

Being that it is June Challenge month - I made a point of visiting Bowman's Beach to see some of the nesting birds - but as it seems the be the norm....there are always more surprises and that's a good thing.

As I headed west - to the path less traveled - I could see the amount of sea turtle nests lined up along this part of Sanibel.

The Yellow-crowned Night Heron was already in business...

A younger Yellow-crowned is following closely behind the adult.

He is ready for the action, eager and willing to learn the ropes

"Okay, fellow.....pay close attention here"

"geeze, how many times do I have to do that?"

I diverted my attention to some movements - and there it was .... a Wilson Plover chick

See how easy they are to miss - they blend right in with their environment and when threatened they crouch down.

The parent wasn't too far away - keeping a close eye and giving verbal cues to its chick

In the meantime, the Ghost crab is keeping a close eye on those Yellow-crowned Night Herons....if he's not careful, he'll be breakfast.

Wilson Plover and Willet

A Mottled Duck sitting on the beach - cleaning up its act....

Did you know it could turn its neck this far - like an owl?

Yellow-crowned Night Heron still on the lookout.

"I'll Look this way and you look that way."

"Whoa! Nobody told me to look up too!"

"This was not part of the deal!"

"Did you invite him?"

you fill in the blank.....

 All in all, a great morning walking the beach and spending time with my feathered friends.

Winding down

These past couple of weeks have been so exciting and filled with beautiful migrants, that it's hard to get used to the idea that this will end soon and normalcy - as I know it - will resume. I looked in all the 'hot spots' this morning and found the few that have been hanging around lately - as you'll see, and also a mystery bird which turned the morning into a learning opportunity.

The Blackpolls have been 'regulars' by the "Picnic Tables" area, as well as a Tennessee and a Northern Parula.

The Grey Kingbirds and Western Kingbirds were again spotted near the Lighthouse area.

And then, my funny guy. I heard the "caw", so figured that it was a crow but the yellowish throat was puzzling - being new on the birding field, I assumed that it was a juvenile and I made a mental note to check it out when I got home.

A bit later I bumped into Lillian and Don Stokes - so I asked them about the 'juvenile' and showed them my photos.

I saw/heard Lillian and Don in action as they discussed and pointed out the different key points while trying to determine what the bird was - the bill being deformed and the yellow being determined as being pollen. As I put my photos on my computer, I also saw that he has a deformed foot and lots of hair on his legs. The feathers are not being well taken care of because of the condition of the bill - however, it is amazing how this crow with all its limitation is able to carry on. We searched the area to spot the bird and sure enough we found it - and it was hanging around with the other crows. I learned a lot today and felt very lucky to have bumped into Lillian and Don and grateful that they had the time to share their knowledge and expertise.

I

One single Indigo Bunting was spotted by the Picnic Tables too.

A Pileated Woodpecker enjoying the ripe berries by the Lighthouse.

A pair of Crows and their behaviors were being observed, Lillian and Don pointed out that they were a pair because of the way they were sharing food back and forth....not a typical crow behavior.

Well, it might have been quiet but the experience and knowledge that I gathered this morning was truly priceless - thank you Lillian and Don for sharing your time with me. My E-Bird List for today http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S18100152

 

Monday Morning Mixture

I spotted this Juvenile Laughing Gull right away - with its brown feathers.

He may be a juvenile but he's also not afraid to show how big he is in comparison to the Black Skimmer, Sanderling and Royal Tern.

Then, in the corner of my eye - I saw this lady Osprey - the ladies wear a beaded brown necklace on their chest.

She took her catch to the top of the pole and I was a witness when she looked at Jack and said: "Oh, what beautiful eyes you have."

Here you can see Jack in all its beauty. Jack must have smelled good enough for the crows to come.

They watched and waited for bits of tasty Jack to catch for their own meal.....opportunists!

The Cormorant was hanging by the pier and staying close to the bait buckets - he, too, has pretty eyes.

At last, the Semipalmated Plover waved to me a "see-you-later", I'm sure I will....tomorrow morning that is, when I go and do a 3 day dig on a turtle nest.

My E-Bird List for the day