Sandpiper, Merganser and Kingfisher

My weekly visit to Ding Darling Wildlife Drive provided me with some nice surprises, take a look...

The tides were not as low as I had anticipated and as such, much of the birds were further away from the shore and very few sandpipers in sight. This Short-billed Dowitcher lingered long enough for some good looks.

A few miles down the Wildlife Drive, I was pleased to discover a pair of Hooded Merganser.

In the bird/duck world, the male is the more colorful of the pair - though I have to say here that the female is quite attractive, don't you think?

A bit further still, I took a stroll down the Wulfert Point and this is the view I feasted my eyes on. While I was taking in the dolphin's move, a Green Heron flew by and a Belted Kingfisher landed nearby.....

a female - sporting a reddish-brown belly band, the male has an all white belly. In this specie, the female is more colorful than the male.

On my way back, I was pleased to see that the Spotted Sandpiper is still hanging around here - minus his summer spots.

A spider web caught the sun rays and produced a rainbow of colors above the boardwalk along the Caloosa trail.

Ahhhh, what a nice way to end the drive with a Magnificent Frigatebird - a large, black, soaring seabird, an adult male with his bright red throat pouch.