Ole stomping ground

It is good to reconnect to my field roots - it brings me peace and serenity and right now I need it in addition to food and water in order to survive, come along and see how relaxing the Bailey Tract and its surrounding can be - especially first thing in the morning....

I've seen many Marsh Rabbits along the trails of the Bailey Tract - however they are usually down on all fours while chewing on grass and not standing tall like it is here.

Of course a customary look at the Magic Tree is in order and it did not disappoint - A Cardinal and a Great Crested Flycatcher stood alert while the Pileated Woodpecker whizzed on by.

I know that the Cardinal is a common sight but what's not to love about this scarlet coat and black mask!

A Red-bellied Woodpecker in his Tree House - well truth be told - it's actually a Christmas Vine and it surely caught my attention.

Shocked!! This is not something that I've seen before - a river Otter walking away with its soft shell turtle - who knew they ate turtle too!

This one made me sad - let me explain....the Anhinga has sharp teeth along its bill and they all point toward the throat - it's perfect for flipping a fish down the hatch after stabbing it however if they try to eat fish that hang around docks with ropes - the Anhinga is bound to get some rope stuck around its bill....luckily for this guy he's figuring out how to eat his fish by bringing it to shore, stabbing it repeatedly and somehow swallows bits and pieces....sometimes life hands you lemons, the trick is to learn how to make lemonade out of it.

Green Herons are everywhere now - it also coincides with nesting and raising young ones - in a few months they'll be harder to spot.

Here's another view of my challenged Anhinga - on the left is a gator.

See what I mean, the rope material is blocking the hatch.

A very young soft-shell turtle floating lazily among the fishes.

The Black-necked Stilts were happily foraging while the parents kept a close eye for protection.

They grow up so quickly and before we know it they'll be going south by the end of July/August and won't returned until March.

The Common Ground Dove - our smallest dove.

A Little Blue Heron in its Calico phase - by next year it'll be all blue.

A young Tricolored Heron was nearby too....

and then they crossed paths.

And this is just what the doctor ordered because while I watch nature unfold before my eyes there is no room for anything else.....until the next time.

 

Migration time!

Now that it's migration time I tend to spend a bit more time at the Lighthouse Point and the Pond Apple Trail since it seems to be rather productive with sightings of Warblers passing through - come along and see what I've come across for the past week or so....

All right, I know that this male Pileated Woodpecker is not migrating but I couldn't pass him up as he sat on top of this wooden pole.

A Cape May Warbler took me by surprise - at first it was being called a "Prairie" by others but the more I looked at it the more I was questioning the call - I was delighted when I got home and started to study my photos and I was able to come to the conclusion that it was a Cape May.

A Northern Waterthrush has also been seen along the Pond Apple Trail - picking along the small ponds here and there along the trail.

While it happens to be migration - it also coincides with our local birds going into their breeding season - evident here with this Cattle Egret and....

the Tricolored Heron.

A day later - I found myself at the Lighthouse for the first hour only to move to the Pond Apple Trail and for good reasons......

A Yellow-billed Cuckoo made a swell appearance.

and so did the Summer Tanager.

I don't know about you but every time I see a Yellow-billed Cuckoo I am delighted - what's not to love!

The Vireos were in good numbers too - I was able to photograph this White-Eyed Vireo and

this Blue-Headed Vireo.

The Red-eyed Vireo as well as the Yellow-throated Vireo were seen but not photographed.

Another sweet appearance from the Summer Tanager.

I couldn't pass this young Little Blue Heron - they have a special appeal when the blue starts to color its plumage.

Today I found myself at the Lighthouse once more and was delighted to see several Northern Parulas,

and Yellow-throated Warblers

and another Cape May Warbler - this is great! We should have another week of migration and hopefully we'll get more sightings along the way....stay tuned.

Sunday at the Bailey Tract

I love this time of the year - and at the present we are having beautiful balmy and sunny weather - what's not to love. It started with a bit of fog and it warmed up in no time at all - the trail is void of folks and the birds are waking up, " Let's go!"

The Yellow-rumped Warblers were in great numbers this morning and filled with hyper energy as they zipped by.

The Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were also eager to fill their belly.

There was over two dozen Blue-winged Teals and they were chatting away - they sure were entertaining.

After being seemingly out of sight for a few weeks, the Common Ground Doves have returned and they are feeding along the trails.

The Red Cardinals have become quite melodious and are entertaining to listen and watch.

Several Palm Warblers were observed too - they were feeding heartily - soon they will go back to their breeding grounds.

At least the Mottled Ducks will stay and have their families.

This Tricolored Heron begs for a quirky quote.

Here's a great example of how important it is to learn the bird by shape (Grey Catbird) - especially when it is in a dark recessed corner.

There's something to be said about sunny days and how the colors perk me up.

A young Little Blue Heron was quite focused on getting something else to eat.

A skip over to the Sanibel Garden Preserve provided me with great views of a Kestrel and

an Eastern Phoebe, what a great way to end the day!