Pintails and Avocets!

My friend Libby is visiting from Tennessee and it seemed to be a good idea to go and revisit the Estero Preserve State Park with Elaine. It felt like an early summer morning with the warmth and humidity - not to mention all the mosquitoes that came alive when we entered the preserve....but....we were prepared with bug spay and head net - so off we go.....

Our first stop for observation was at the "Wigeon Pond" - where we found multiple Pintail Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teals and some Wigeon too.

A different version of Bottom's Up!

A Tri-colored Heron looked thin and long standing between two straight trunks.

We circumvent the Wigeon Pond to get to this little pond - this time around only a few species were observed....

the Avocet stole the show.

After a bit we headed toward the bay - some water, some mud - and birds on the horizon...

more Avocets!

They are so much fun to watch as they feed they all go on the same direction as if they are dancing.

Here they picked up the tempo as they started chasing some food unseen by our human eyes.

Several Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs were dispersed around, they didn't go unnoticed by us.

As you can see the Avocets captured our attention.

There were a few shorebirds - such as this Dowitcher however the visibility was diminished and the terrain difficult to navigate at some points.

It was also quite muggy and downright how for December.

Funny too how the sun would peek through the haze and then disappeared again.

This Cardinal perched on these dead twigs and made me think of a winter's day up north - from years ago.

A Flicker played hard to find.

Alas it is time to return....

back through the foot trail among the mosquitoes, good thing we know where we're going. Over all a fun morning spent with the Avocets in the company of good friends. My E-Bird list for today.

 

Estero Preserve

Where does the time go?? I meant to blog about my bird outing at the Estero Preserve and somehow it got lost in the shuffle, well....there is not better time than now, so come along....

as it is customary for me - I arrived before the sunrise and I was granted golden views of this American Bittern along the 'little pond' aka Wigeon Pond - however the pond was almost devoid of ducks except for a handful of Blue-winged Teal and one....

Green -winged Teal, now that's a beautiful duck!

A Blue-winged Teal showing its blue feathers.

More views of the American Bittern.

While searching for rails and sparrows, we found White Pelicans flying overhead and....

a handful of American Wigeons.

We (Elaine and I) found a pond that we had never seen before and in it were a few Wood Storks,

several Killdeers,

American Avocets and Greater Yellowlegs.

I never get tired of watching Avocets - I could easily spend an entire day with them.

Estero Preserve can be challenging with mud, water and lack of marked trails.

However, it is well worth the effort as the time spent there is truly priceless.

 

Sod Fields

I was blessed today with good friends and the ability to visit the Sod Fields in Palm Beach County - I've often driven by the area but little did I know that there was so much to see. Come along and take a look....

The Black-necked Stilts are always a joy to see - with their sharp plumage and bubble gum legs - what's not to love! I've also missed seeing them this year in Lee Co, the Bailey Tract had way too much water when they arrived for their summer breeding, causing them to find other locations.

And a new lifer for me....a Gull-billed Tern! Thanks to the McQuade for taking us along and showing us where this Gull hangs out.

Here's a nice little group with 2 Gull-billed Terns, 1 Black Tern and a few Black-bellied Plovers.

A few American Avocets were spotted too - how sweet is that!

A crop duster was busy at work while we were there, we watched as the birds

flew up in order to escape what was coming down the pipes....yikes!

"I know, I get bug-eyed too!"

Who knew that a Gull-billed Tern has such a red mouth!

It's beautiful in flight too....

And as an adult it has a black cap too!

Another nice surprise for us to see was the Common Nighthawks that were resting on the ground.

This was my first opportunity to see one so close, most of the time they are flying by at dusk - so big bonus for me.

Look how many birds there are....

they were all lined up along those ditches

and some more were coming to join in

It is just totally amazing to see this

We should have some sod fields in Lee Co!

You heard of road block - well, this is a bird block!

Several Sandpipers were seen too, a Pectoral makes for a nice treat.

Well, all good things eventually come to an end - and what better way than to check out the swallows before we go! 

 

 A great day birding as always and a big thank you to the McQuades for taking us along for the ride.