Cape Coral with the Caloosa Bird Club

It's Monday - and guess what day this is? Well, it's Caloosa Bird Club day - the best way to start the week. It's very humid and cloudy this morning with warnings of rain/thunderstorms later, I'm hoping it happens after my bird trip.

Well, let's get the show on the road - today's destination: Cape Coral....let's go....

Our meeting place: Rotary Park - very first sighting...

Pink Flamingos - this is promising.

In the distance we heard the shrill of the Red-shouldered Hawk, several were spotted.

Several Blue-winged Teals were observed.

Some Penguins too :) on one of our leader's shirt, that is.

The Caloosa President assessing the situation..."Hello Sheila!"

A Mottled Duck - most likely an hybrid of some sort considering the dark plumage and bill.

A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - a female - shown by the white throat.

Then we were off to the next stop - the Pelican Ballfield where we had the opportunity to watch some Burrowing Owls, sweet!

Then we were off to Jaycee Park along the Caloosahatchee River - we could see several 'rafts' of Lesser Scaup in the distance.....

Here's a close up. Other than the Scaups, we also noted some Red-breasted Mergansers and a loon in the distance.

 

It started to sprinkle a bit and the air was heavy with humidity but the water was calm and almost glassy.

A little break while enjoying the vista before we raised our necks and watched the warblers in the Pine Trees - many Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers were seen.

We returned to the Rotary Park to have lunch and do our bird list, on our way to the parking lot we spotted the Monk Parakeets....

now, this burst of color made my day.

My kind and gentle friend Elaine.

Elaine, took me for a quick visit in her back yard where we observed some Gadwalls.... the male above and the female below.

One of the Mottled Duck in her pond - mallard? Look at the feathers - blue and green on the wing.

Well, all good things come to an end or close to it....had to stop on the causeway to check, here a Sanderling

a Ring-billed Gull

and...take a look at this one....yellowish eyes...

yellowish legs...

look at the size and how it towers over the Ring-billed and Laughing Gulls - especially look at the wings and the color on the tips

and here's a better view of the bill with a large reddish spot

care to guess what my name is.....I am a Lesser Black-backed Gull.