Guided Bird Walk on Bunche Beach

There was two bird walks this morning at Bunche Beach - hard to choose, so when in doubt do both :). I arrived before the sun and bundled up as much as I could and still be able to move - hey, this 50 degree weather is brutal for a Florida girl considering that 6 months out of the year we hover in the mid 90's. Well, enough of that....lots of birders showed up - I'm guessing about 60 people that got split into two groups....so here we go....

We spent some time setting up scopes and checking out the area - some Marbled Godwits took flight and soon after....

so did the Black Skimmers - it is quite a sight to see hundreds of birds flying/dipping/turning - all in unison and mesmerizing us all.

Just a few feet away a Turkey Vulture was enjoying some fish leftovers....

"Did you want some?" No thanks.

Then we came across this print - it is HUGE -

and just for size comparison I had Fran put her foot near - I'm guessing it might have been from a Great Blue Heron.

And then the Tree Swallows started coming closer to the ground and were actively

feeding on the fly as they dipped on the beach. The group went further up the west end and we observed some of the small shorebirds..................

 

 

 

 

 

quite a few Semipalmated Plovers and

several Piping Plovers.....a few

Ruddy Turnstone too. A bit later the wind kicked up a notch so we retreated along the shoreline looking for warmth - it was time for the group to conclude our walk - we counted species and people - a pretty good day after all. We bid farewell until the next time and I set out to walk with Suzanne - a northern visitor - to the East end to check a bit closer what is there.

I'm glad I made the walk over - look - Horned Grebes!

We enjoyed watching them dip in, disappear and reappear with some vegetation in their bill - they are just adorable.

As I headed back, the Black-bellied Plover and a Dunlin seemed to follow me along, so did the

Wilson Plover and Sanderling. As I turn around for one last look, a

Marbled Godwit reminded me to come back soon.

This, my friends, is the way back home.

I made a stop along the Causeway to check on the gulls - a 1st winter Great Black-backed Gull was there

while all the Laughing Gulls kept their distance - notice the size difference even several feet apart, it's amazing.

 And this, folks, conclude my outing for today - a great birding day. Thank you to the Lee Co Bird Patrol and the SanCap Audubon Group for leading the way and for sharing your knowledge, you are appreciated. My E-bird List for Bunche Beach