The Bailey trail

It's been hot, a lot of the birds have gone to their northern spots - however, a few remains and are worth paying attention to. That and the fact that when you love birding - it always makes for a good day when you're out on the trail.

This also happens to be the time of the year when the Black-necked Stilts get ready for their new family.

I love to watch them as they delicately walk and probe for food, it also makes you smile when they fly with their loud voices.

Then, there was the Killdeers flying while chirping - 5 of them.

I believe they might have been doing a mating ritual dance, it sure was fun to stay still and watch them.

Then I spotted these from far away - I couldn't get close to them but I could see that these were Spotting Sandpipers - how very unusual to see a group of 7 - and my books tells me that they are in their breeding plumage with the spotted underneath with the pink bill tipped with black. The tail bobbing was the telltale for who they were.

Here's another family underway - I see two eggs there.

This Little Blue is really blue.

3 Mottled Ducks - the one on the right I believe to be a hybrid.

Oh, how much you have grown in just one week! Those two Green Herons were alone on the nest and from what I saw, they are really close to fledge.

As I finished the loop, I spotted a small gator...and

on the opposite side of the canal was over a dozen turtles....keeping a sharp eye on that gator. My E-Bird List for today http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S18588731