A visit to Green Cay and Wakodahatchee

Once per year the Caloosa Bird Club takes a bus trip to go to the East Coast of Florida to visit Green Cay and Wakodahatchee - it is a trip that I really look forward to and this Sunday was the day! Come along and visit with me.....

Along the entrance to Green Cay - which was shielded from the 30+mph wind gusts - a few butterflies caught my attention, this Atala stole the show.

This bird feeder is quite the attractor for the Painted Buntings.

This following segment takes place at Wakodahatchee - here is a Gray-cheeked Swamphen, notice the red face and bill which matches the legs and feet.

Further down a Common Gallinule family captured my interest...

The Pied-billed Grebe might be pondering the fact that it will be in breeding mode soon.

A first time sighting for me was this Juvenile Purple Gallinule.

It was pretty amazing that it was able to stay put while eating the flowers while the wind kept on gusting.

Not too far away....perhaps the parent to the above juvenile....notice the candy cane bill is just like the Common Gallinule bill....one difference being that the Purple Gallinule, beside being purple has a blue patch between the eyes.

And let's not forget about the Wood Storks! This year is seemingly a successful season for nesting and that's a very good thing.

Check those chicks out!

Good thing the parents know what they're doing - with all those legs in such a small nesting area I'd be afraid to step on my babies.

A couple Great Blue Heron chicks waiting for the parents to return with more food.

Another Wood Stork family.

A soon to fledge Cormorant (left) with parent on right.

More Gray-cheeked Moorhen.

A Cattle Egret in full breeding attire.

And, as with all my adventure, this too comes to an end.....I hope that you enjoyed this visit.

Harn's Marsh in January

We (Elaine and I) had not been to Harns Marsh this year and we thought it would be great to get our list up to speed with species we haven't seen since the new calendar year began. We were blessed with a sunny day - let's go.....

A nice reflection view of the Glossy Ibis.

Savannah Sparrows popped up and graced us with a few minutes and stayed put.

Sandhill Cranes were present - we saw 5 of them on the main path.....and sang for us too - in a sandhill crane kind of way.

Ed caught up with us just about the time when we spotted the Gray-headed Swamphen (or is it gray-faced?) It was in the far away grasses and quite busy eating - never up enough for a decent photo but just in case you're wondering what they look like - here's a photo that I took back in November at Wakodahatchee.

Okay, back to Harn's Marsh - with more views of the Sandhill Cranes...

and some Ring-necked Ducks

What a face, hey?

Another Savannah Sparrow - this one a tad bit more colorful.

The Vultures are quite numerous at this location - most of the time they can be seen perched in the trees - this Black Vulture decided to dry up its feathers on the ground near the walking path.

And a Green Heron - always a nice addition to a bird list before the day is over. My E-Bird List for today with 57 species - a pretty good day!

 

Wakodahatchee Wetlands

I was on the East coast of Florida with a family visit agenda and thought I would fit in a few hours of birding. A stop at Wakodahatchee from 12:00 to 2:00 was fruitful - not my favorite time of day to do birding but I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. My first sighting - a Black-crowned Night Heron

Some Black-bellied Whistling Ducks with a Roseate Spoonbill dipping in the foreground.

Great views of a Purple Gallinule

Several Double-crested Cormorants were nesting/raising youngs....

...So was the Neotropic Cormorant.

A few Iguanas have called this place 'home'.

A young Pied-billed Grebe.

A Glossy Ibis.

More Black-bellied Whistling Ducks.

The Lily pads - providing shade for the small fish and often used as a carpet by the Gallinules.

Several Swamphen were spotten....note they are now called "Gray-faced Swamphen".

I had a great time re-visiting this spot - my E-bird list for today.