Canada Goose in S.W. Florida

It had been several days since I visited the Bailey Tract, the weather is gray and it is misty, so I geared up and headed out.

Some of my first sightings were Blue Wing Teal.

And then.....I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this Canada Goose...wow, what a surprise!

It seemed to be comfortable in our environment - happily feeding on some submerged vegetation.

I'm happy to see this and think to myself....this weather is perfect for those fowls and I'm blessed to be able to watch them.

The Hooded Merganser is still here - the Bailey Tract must agree with her.

More Blue-winged Teal - 2 males, 1 female

A Mottled Duck

More Blue-winged Teals.

I had to return and observe the Canada Goose some more, I watched it rest while reflecting on the last time that I saw a Canada Goose .... last winter with my good friends, Carol & John ....oddly enough, at the time, the Goose had been sighted in Marco Island.

A Coot and a Common Gallinule

Checking out this Common Gallinule along the roots of the Red Mangrove.

"Well, Hello there! Might you be lost?"

"Well, perhaps....but I kind of like it here."

It seemed to be right at home with the Commong Gallinules and Tricolored Heron.

On my way out of the Bailey Tract, Jim Boughton pointed out the Wilson Snipe hanging by the shoreline.

Unless it is singing and getting flushed from vegetation, this Wilson Snipe is easily camouflaged making it hard to notice.

Well, folks, it might have been rainy and gloomy but my heart was filled with sunshine - it was a great morning being surrounded by my feathered friends.

My E-Bird List today  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S20622836

Duck question

I was out roving the Bailey Tract this morning and had great conversations with folks I met along the way. One person mentioned the Mottled Ducks with one having a different colored bill. When I got hope and looked at my photos - I could see what he was talking about. Please take a look and share your knowledge as to the reasons for the different colors....could it be one of those Hybrid Mallard that I had heard about?

 It was very foggy this morning - so the colors are not the greatest.

Duck, Duck, Ducky!!

What a spectacular day! Yesterday was my second outing with the Caloosa Bird Club and it certainly was a memorable one ..... again! The day started out at Eagle Lakes Community Park in Naples and concluded at Sugden Regional Park - also in Naples. We had a nice group and saw a collective count of 70 or so species....sorry the numbers are vague now - note to self....make more notes.

After a picnic lunch, a bunch of us agreed to follow Vince to Oil Well Road in Immokalee....well, that really topped the cake with a big cherry on top. 

Well, before I get ahead of myself - let's take a look at some of the photos from the Parks in Naples.

One of our first sighting was actually a Northern Flicker - way up - a life bird for me, too bad that I couldn't get his photo.....maybe next time.
The usual fare was seen all around - the Common Gallinule didn't mind posing and so did all the Grackles -  some folks were hoping to see the Cowbird which had been at that location previously....but not this time around.

Then we gathered up in the parking lot and got our directions for the next stop...the Sugden Regional Park.

This was a very lovely setting - very peaceful in comparisson to all the bikers/runners that we encountered in the Eagle Lakes Park.

My very first sighting of "Ruddy Duck".

Aren't they lovely?
Don't let the amount of photos fool you because there were close to 70 species seen at those two parks and it was a great outing - Thank You M.Mulheim for leading our group.
My E-Bird List - combined sighting for both parks.
Now, this is where it gets really ducky....

Quite a few White Pelicans....they brigtened up the place like a light bulb.

Not visible from any of my photos - was the fact that there were literally thousands of Coots in the back portion by the shoreside.

Avocets! I was so happy to see them. I had been wishing to spot Avocets since I first set my eyes on them - over a year ago.....I wanted to add them to my Lee Co.....but, hey, I'll take this anyday.....even in Collier Co. :)

The Avocets in flight - shortly after a raptor flew over.

The funny - odd - thing, was that the group in flight was lead by a Black Skimmer. That is what is so exciting about birding....you think you're looking at something you thought you knew when all of a sudden you realize that it's something else entirely.....don't know about you, but I love surprises like these.

The Northern Shoveler were in the midst of many other ducks.

Before long - 3 Bald Eagles came flying overhead and this caused many flocks to rise up and fly off - generating clouds upon clouds of beating wings....it was just BEAUTYfull to see and to hear too....wow!

Blue-winged Teal.

The general view from the road - where we had all set up our scopes. Too bad that my equipment doesn't allow me to get better photos from afar, but hey, that's okay....I'm just glad that I had the opportunity to see it all and to capture the few bits that I did.

I am glad that I went the extra mile - literally - to go and see those ducks.....many of them were put on my Life List.

Check out my E-Bird list to see all the ducks that were spotted on that trip.

A big Thank You to Vince for showing/sharing his knowledge and spots where the birds/ducks are....this make for happy birding.

Sweet Saturday

Sweet Saturday indeed! I went through the Wildlife Drive this morning and lost myself in the moments - yes, very sweet indeed.

The White Pelicans are back - this was evident as they were seen at many different locations along the drive. It was windy and the rain had just stopped - the sky was gray and filled with humidity.

And look, in the background, there's a mullet out of the water - stroke of luck if you ask me.

The Pelicans couldn't care less - they were busy and had important things to do.

Then I spotted them - a fleet of Magnificent Frigatebirds roosting and flying out of a mangrove island - they could be seen on the right side of the Wildlife drive by the Tower area. My estimate is that there were 50 of them - adults male and female as well as juvenile. This is as far as my zoom on my Canon SX50 could take me.

A bit fuzzy but a pair can be seen on the mid left portion of the photo.

Cormorants were busy feeding on the opposite side of the road - keeping an eye out for humans too.

Blue-winged Teal - 4 of them - very lovely.....I've missed them.

My only regrets was that I had to leave ..... time sure flies when you're having fun.
My E-Bird List for today - 38 species.  

Ding Darling is Open!

Ding Darling is finally opened - it has been a long time coming.. - it is beautiful and filled with life. The new paving makes for a very smooth ride, the new water structure has already brought about new changes and the wider road and the extra parking spots will help accomodate everyone.
This little Palm Warbler welcomed me back and sat for a bit before flitting about.

The Killdeers sat too for a while and then they took off with their usual "kill-deah" sounds.

Here's a common sight of Ding at low tide...Roseate Spoonbills, Little Blues and Snowys.

The mottled ducks are back too....

the White Pelican too....soon to be joined by many more. The White Pelican is a fresh water feeder and works with others to gather up their feed - as opposed to the Brown Pelican which is a diver feeder - often seen by the ocean side.

Dreamy, isn't it?

Blue Wing Teal

Roseate Spoonbills with a seagull.

The Spotted Sandpiper - wears it's name very well as it bobs (spot)  it's tail all the time.

Great Blue Heron

Great Egrets, Snowy, Tricolored and Juvenile Ibis.

The Stork! One of 20 that I saw that day.

More White Wonders....Great Egrets, Snowy, Juvenile Little Blues, White Ibis and Stork.

I returned to Ding Darling in the afternoon - and joined a group lead by Terry, a volunteer who shared her knowledge about photography. We boarded a tram and drove through the Wildlife Drive - it was mid afternoon and it was very bright and quite a challenge for taking photos of white birds - good opportunity to discuss those points.

Terry is very knowledgable and generous with her time and patience - it was fun and I walked away with some great tips that I look forward to put into practice.....as she said.....you get to be a good photographer by practicing and taking lots of photos and by golly....I'm working on it and loving it.

Gator was there to say farewell - till the next time.....check his smile out! I don't know about you but I  keep my distance at all times.