Harn's Marsh - Lehigh Acres

It is June and it happens to be one of the slowest month of the year for birding in Florida, hence the reason why E-bird puts out a challenge to get folks out there to go birding. So, what better way to start the month than a visit to Harn's Marsh in Lehigh Acres! This is one of those out of the way spot that is quite rewarding to visit.

Several Limpkins were already having a breakfast feast - juicy apple snails.

One of 5 Roseate Spoonbills that I spotted along the Marsh.

Some Black Vultures were lazily stretching as they were waking up for the day.

My favorites - Sandhill Cranes - Here is a family with a young colt.

Oh boy! "What big wings you have!"

I was very pleased that they came closer and gave us great views.

Close to the reeds - a family of Common Gallinule.

Several Wood Storks flew over our heads - it is nice to see them.

Some more Black Vultures were spotted - we saw several of them in/out of the trees. After a bit we ventured out and cruised some of the streets in Lehigh Acres in search of....

Red Headed Woodpeckers. I have to warn you here because several of the following photos are....

more Red-headed Woodpeckers.

Once in a while there was a little surprise here and there - such as this juvenile Northern Flicker...

and a Downy Woodpecker - one of the ways to differentiate between a Downy & a Hairy is that a Downy has dots on its tail as well as a smaller bill.

Some Purple Martins were seen hanging around this particular dead tree - unusual spot as they are usually seen in/around gourds in people's yards.

Isn't that the most gorgeous woodpecker?

More Purple Martins - ladies and immatures.

This is an optical illusion and the woodpecker is not trapped.

I've never been in such close proximity of Red-headed Woodpecker - and this really made my day.

This is the type of habitat where we found those woodpeckers.

Well, folks, is there a better way to end the day than with a Red-tailed Hawk....I think not. My E-bird (Harn's Marsh), E-bird (Lehigh Acres) Lists for today.

      

Red-tailed Hawk?? I think not.                              

 

Up in the trees

This time of the year it starts to get hot, most of the birds have gone north with the snow birds - but don't let that fool you ..... there is much to be mesmerized by if you take the time to notice.

At 6mile Cypress Slough - a young Red-shouldered Hawk patiently waiting for the parent to return with some juicy morsel.

A male Northern Flicker - Yellow-shafted, quite noticeable from this angle. My books state that they feed on the ground yet I've never seen them other than up high in the trees.

A Male Northern Flicker - you can tell it's a male by the black line off the base of the bill, the female does not have one.

Not too far away a family of Swallow-tailed Kites was seen and heard.

They feed while flying, large insects, lizards, and even small birds are their main food staple.

They like to nest in the tallest trees.

They make a platform nest of sticks, twigs and pine needles - often lined with spanish moss. 2 to 4 eggs are incubated for 28 days, the young will fledge at 36-42 days.

They arrive in the spring and stay through the summer, they depart in the early fall and spend their winter in the tropics. It is quite a beautiful sight to watch them swooping and gliding gracefully while floating into space.

The sweet closure on that day was seeing this Bluebird, not a bad way to end the day.

 

A visit across North Cape Coral

I mapped out my trip, bagged my necessities and with my friend as my allied - off we went with the hopes of seeing some of our beautiful feathered friends, we were not disappointed.

After spending some time searching for the Bobwhite and missing ample opportunities to capture it on camera, we headed to the Preserve to see the Red-headed Woodpeckers, we had a bit more luck capturing the expression of this beautiful fellow.

In addition, we spotted the Northern Flicker - this one being the "yellow shafted", a female.

Here is another Northern Flicker "yellow shafted" - notice the underside and the yellow color, also this one is a male sporting his black mustache.

One of my favorite Woodpecker - isn't it beautiful?

My friend Larissa, enjoying her visiting and acquiring some birding knowledge along the way - can you tell how much fun she is having?

We stumbled upon a very young Mourning Dove without its tail feathers - it sat on the ground while one of the parent stayed nearby and watched.

After a while we drove in search of our next spot, keeping my patience as I maneuvered around Cape Coral. I wonder if I'm the only person who has difficulties finding my way around this town - it was helpful to have a buddy to joke about it.

After many more turns than I care to admit, I finally found the area where the family of Scrub Jays lives - they were all out sitting in the oak tree - quite lively and curious as always.

....

The Florida Scrub Jays has a cooperative breeding system; the fledged young remain on territory and help rear nestlings.

We also spotted this Meadowlark within the tall grass - too bad the area had not been mowed which made it difficult to keep our eyes on this little fellow as it moved along.

And of course, a trip to Cape Coral would not be complete without sighting the beloved Burrowing Owl.

The trip came to an end at the Wigeon Pond when the rain started coming down in buckets.

The Eurasian Wigeon is still hanging around with the domestic ducks as well as the couple dozen of Mottled Ducks. All in all, I'm glad we made the trip over - it was a swell day!