Fly, roost, swim, sit and pick - a week's recap

It seems as if S.W.Florida has been out of sorts this past winter - high winds, overcast days and mucho rain which provided some challenges for bird outings - however not enough to keep me totally away. Today I bring you a few glimpses of where I've been this past week....let's go.....

A spiffy Black-and-white Warbler was spotted at the Bailey Tract.

A Great Egret was sporting its breeding plumage (green face/dusky bill) at the Sanibel Garden Preserve.

A Yellow-rumped Warbler was not too far away.

A visit at Lakes Park provided quite a few sightings of Great Blue Heron in/out of nests....way up in the Australian Pine Trees.

One of my highlight this week was being able to capture bits and pieces of this Hairy Woodpecker.

This pecker looks similar to a Downy however it is slightly bigger (Robin size) and its bill is much larger. 

I did find him along the boardwalk at the Six Mile Cypress Slough among many other woodpeckers (Downy, Pileated, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Red-bellied).

On my way out of the slough - a sweet sighting of an Eastern Bluebird.

A quick stop at Bunche Beach provided another look at the wild American Flamingo that has been making an almost daily return for the past two weeks.

Two out of three Common Loons are pictured here with Estero/Ft.Myers beach in the background.

A pair of Forster Tern bid us farewell for the day - my weather app popped up with warnings of more rain coming. All in all it was a great week for bird watching with the added bonus of capturing some of their sweet faces.

 

American Flamingo

An American Flamingo has been making fleeting appearances in our area since this past summer and I've been out looking for it. This past Thursday a Flamingo made a landing at Bunche Beach Preserve and when I got word I had just arrived home battling the famous traffic that plagues the island - so I hoped that it would hang around. On Friday morning it made a short appearance which I missed - so this morning, with high hopes, I showed up at Bunche hoping to catch it in some nook/cranny seeking shelter from the strong winds.

Several Dunlins were trying to hunker down and stay warm.

The Spotted Sandpiper had the best spot - totally sheltered and away from people. Well, after being blown around for a couple of hours and with no signs of the Flamingo - we figured that we would call it quits. I headed home and as I worked hard at keeping my car steady as I climbed the Causeway, I wondered how much stronger the winds would need to be before they closed it. Anyway, got home, started eating my husband's famous Buckwheat Pancakes while logging on to FB and OH My God!! The F bird is now there! I barely finished my food and out the door I was. It was probably one of my longest drive across the causeway...praying/hoping that it would still be there when I arrived.

And there it was - what a beautiful bird!

The American flamingo is found in Central and South America and the Caribbean. It is also occasionally seen in Florida and along the Gulf Coast as a vagrant. The American flamingo doesn't breed in the United States. The American flamingo was once considered to be the same species as the greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) found in Africa, Asia and parts of southern Europe, but it is now considered a separate species. It is the only flamingo species found in North America.(nhptv.org)

I was standing on the edge of the water and trying as hard as I could to stay steady on my feet while taking photos.

And there it is standing sideways - how in the world does it do that? I am being blown away and I'm much bigger than he is.

The winds today are from the NW at 39 + mph, there is also a high surf advisory in effect until 4a.m. Sunday. Strong onshore winds continue today, producing dangerous surf and deadly rip currents...this bird is brave!

After getting tired of being whipped around, I decided to step back and sought small shelter from the wind.

Thanks to my Canon SX50 - I'm able to zoom in and get decent photos without bothering the bird.

I guess my vintage point was pretty good because

I soon lost it.

Once I moved I was able to re-connect with the bird.

Near me - a Piping Plover - he too could barely stand.

And a beautiful Blue Crab was by my feet.

Well, beautiful American Flamingo - thank you for coming back and letting me get good looks. I hope others will have a chance to see it too.