Brrr....this morning when I woke up, the temps were in the 50's and I wondered if I would be comfortable birding....armed with this knowledge - I put on several layers, packed up my gear and headed out the door.
Thank goodness for a sunny day!
25 of us gathered up at the Santini Plaza in Ft.Myers Beach and headed unto Little Estero Lagoon to visit with our feathered friends.
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| Once we made our way across the street - one of our first sighting was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. |
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| A Black-crowned Night Heron was spotted with our keen eyes. |
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| Last summer I visited this area - and at that time it was filled with many nesting birds.....multiple signs are erected to remind folks that it is a protected area - to stay away - even dogs are not allowed. |
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| Guess Who? |
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| If you guessed "Palm Warbler" - then you win the prize. Here the chestnut cap is visible - and note how he pumps its tail....the tailtale of this specie. |
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| A Peregrine Falcon has been known for hanging around the area - and sure enough....there he was. |
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| Our group - can you tell that most of us are bundled up? Also, there wasn't too many folks other than us hard core birders. |
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| A Reddish Egret - a Dark Morph with some white feathers.... |
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| Even a white belly. |
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| getting ready to catch breakfast |
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| Forster's Tern - a dark mask, orange legs and feet.....a fast little fellow - very fascinating to watch it as it feeds. |
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| Heading into the sun toward the southern part of Fort Myers Beach. |
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| A Willet. |
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| Our group - some observing the sandpipers and plovers that were along the edges of the water - and others looking and picking shells. A lot of Sand Dollars, King Crowns and Starfishes could be found this morning. |
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| Leave nothing but footprints behind :) |
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| Look who I found around the bend....a Great Blue Heron sleeping. |
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| It felt odd to be watching - like I was intruding in his private space. |
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| I retreated and let him be. |
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| This is how the colors are when they are intensified....just beautiful. |
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| Anyone up for picking shells? |
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| Or building sand castles decorated with daisies? Well, a beautiful day that turned out to be - made it back to my vehicle and removed a few layers....the sun is shining and warming things up...yeah! |
My E-Bird List for today http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S16414326
33 Species - not bad for a quiet day.
BTW - The Sanibel-Captiva Audubon Society has a bird walk every Saturday at 8:00a.m. - locally, through mid April. Suggested Donation $2.00/person. Open to all levels of experience, from novice to expert. For information on upcoming bird trips - check their website http://www.san-capaudubon.org
BTW - The Sanibel-Captiva Audubon Society has a bird walk every Saturday at 8:00a.m. - locally, through mid April. Suggested Donation $2.00/person. Open to all levels of experience, from novice to expert. For information on upcoming bird trips - check their website http://www.san-capaudubon.org
Even being chilly out you were able to get some nice shots in...I love seeing the picture of the great blue heron sleeping. To me they look different when they are sleeping.. The warbler is cute. The little bit of yellow on him really shows him off. Boy I sure hope the reddish egret was able to have breakfast. He was really trying.
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