December 26, 2016 - North Cape Coral with the Caloosa Birding Club

I'm a bit behind in posting so bear with me as I'm catching up. This particular outing was a birding day with the Caloosa Bird Club - the meeting took place in North Cape Coral....our first stop was at Charlotte Harbor State Preserve.

That particular morning was rather windy which made it fun to watch the Tree Swallows - there were most likely several hundred of them at one point.

A Northern Flicker was heard several times before we were able to locate it - smart fellow!

 

We walked all the way to the point and were greeted by this pair of Hooded Mergansers.

Along the shore it was evident that someone else had beat us to this location - I'd venture to say that it was a raccoon.

Our next stop was the leader's house for coffee and sweet treats and when we came out of his house we observed a group of Brown-headed Cowbirds.

Then off we went to the usual spot to view the Scrub Jay family - we had 5 of them in sight at one point.

Around the corner we spotted this pair of Burrowing Owl - though I bet they spotted us before we saw them.

And that's all for now - keep a watch for the next post.

 

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.

 

Birding is priceless

I've come to the conclusion that birding is one of the best therapy by far and having a friend to come along makes it even sweeter and for that I am  grateful.

Today's venue: Gator Hole. My friend Elaine and I did wondered why it was called a "gator hole" since there is no hole, nor were there any gators....for the time being it is a mystery.  It is a Pine forest amidst native wild flowers, scrubs and bushes and even though it is surrounded by heavy traffic - once you get immersed in the experience - the background noise gets forgotten.

Come along and see....

Because of the heat, this time of the year you need to take advantage of the early hours and what better way to appreciate nature than to start with the sunrise.

A few Dragonflies kept us company and we appreciated the fact that there were no other insects to speak of.

We were blessed with many woodpeckers today - other than this Downy, we were gifted the sight of Flickers, Red-Bellies, Pileated and Red-Headed Woodpeckers - very, very sweet!

A Bluebird family made some fleeting appearances and this youngster stayed put just long enough.

One of the Flickers that I mentioned earlier - funny how they position themselves so that they get a clear view position to look at us.

And the Brown-headed Nuthatch - they were whizzing by in little groups, we saw two nests and it was at that moment that my camera decided to retire for the day!!

So, you'll have to take my word that we also saw several families of Bobwhites crossing the trails in front of us as well as this Red-Headed Woodpecker which made quite a few appearances showing us its striking white rump, bright red head and jet black back....what's not to love! All in all it was a great day with many surprises along the way.

Lac Superior, Canada

A visit to see my family was way over due and of course the icing on the cake was to observe some of the wildlife, the rain kept getting in the way but what I did see was quite rewarding.

Just a few feet from the back deck I was able to observe a Hairy Woodpecker - how awesome is that!

A Blue Jay stayed close by - some injury kept him from flying away.

This was quite a highlight for me - a Black-capped Chickadee - and how I loved their song and quick movements!

These little Chipmunks were quite precious.

An American Goldfinch - probably getting fat for the long journey south.

Several Sparrows were spotted, a Chipping Sparrow took the time to pose.

Ha! This one looked familiar - An American  Robin on top surrounded by pine cones.

A pine forest ready for hikers.

A White-throated Sparrow.

A male (whisker) 'yellow-shafted' Northern Flicker showing off his yellow accents.

A fawn was seen following his deer mom.

Another Chipping Sparrow.

A Red-breasted Merganser, by himself on a big lake with not another duck in sight.

This setting was the back yard of the charming B&B that we stayed in - "La Petite Douceur" was charming and homey, the hosts....Francine & Daniel....extremely accomodating and the breakfasts were to die for. If you are ever in this area, I highly recommend a stay with them.

 Another White-throated Sparrow.

This one was a nice surprise - a female Black-throated Blue Warbler.

 Sadly the week went by too quickly, however many happy memories will be treasured for years to come.