A walk on the beach side

I had some free time on my hands after checking on the last turtle nest so I took this opportunity to walk the beach, I enjoyed breathing that salt air with the breeze and the peacefulness that came with it - come along and join me....

I got there really early and I could barely make out that the birds were Black Skimmers

And before I knew it, the sun peeked into the horizon - giving the air that golden hue that I adore.

The Dune Sunflowers seemed to embrace that sun.

The little favorite: a Snowy Plover

Second favorite: The SemiPalmated Plover

An Adult Brown Pelican took off just as I set my lens on it - I love their expression and how they often engage eye contact.

More Semi-Palmated Plovers

A Black-bellied Plover

A bright and alive Lightning Whelk - I watched it as it slowly buried itself deeper into the wet sand.

And just for fun I collected a few Kitten paws and lined them up leading to a Spiny Jewelbox.

A hawk flew by and quickly landed into this Australian Pine - too many shadows and since I didn't have my binoculars with me, I wasn't quite sure which specie I was looking at.....

until it switched trees - the bright highlights near the tip of the wings was indicative of a Red-Shouldered Hawk.

Crossing air paths - several Brown Pelicans were cruising.

A pair of Sanderlings quickly got up when I approached - they blend so nicely with their surrounding that I had not noticed them until they moved.

Looks like a Bald Eagle - from the remaining dark feathers on its head - I would guess this adult Bald Eagle to be 3 years old.

While I was watching the Eagle - several of these were swooping by - can you guess which specie this is? I still need to spend more time to figure it out, though I have a hunch that it's a Northern Rough-Winged Swallow.

I couldn't tell what the Eagle was watching so intently but whatever it was, it must have moved on.

A half mile later I came across more Snowy Plovers.

There are three in this frame.

And this concluded my walk today - it is bittersweet to see this last nest of the season as the Sea Turtle Season is about to end - I bid farewell till the next time.

 

Estero Bay Preserve

It has been almost a year since I visited the Estero Preserve, reports of several ducks and other species made me itch for a visit.

Before heading there I made sure that I was prepared for the hike - water in the trails and insects in the air - we armed ourselves with boots and bug spray, two of us were glad to have a head net because the deer flies were in great numbers.

A beautiful sunny sky with a rainbow greeted us as we entered the preserve....our first stop....pond..

This is the pond where the American Wigeons have been seen, so....we quietly approached the pond...

because the ducks are known to be skittish and fly off if they are disturbed.

Well, not only did we have Wigeons but also Northern Pintails - sweet!

Not long after that the ducks took flight....we were glad to have been able to see them before they left for the day.

We traveled another mile or so before finding the second pond....

This pond is much larger than the other one and as you can see a lot more species....

Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Ducks and Buffleheads - oh my!

After exploring the big pond we ventured toward the Bay - walking gingerly on different types of terrain - we spotted small peeps....can you see them?

How about now? Isn't it amazing how well they blend in?

Semi-palmated Plovers are one of my favorites.

My birding partners and where we've been....don't you just love the expanse of this property? I highly advise not to venture alone, the trails are not well defined and one can easily get lost without a good sense of direction. Also, some areas are really muddy and very easy to sink in and loose your boots if you're not careful.

Another sweet spotting today: American Avocet.

A Dunlin receiving some sweet notes from a Semi-palmated Plover.

A group of Western Sandpipers.

A Greater Yellowleg.

One more area to venture through water and mud before reaching the edge of the shore.

Positioned by the shore we could see how many White Pelicans were across while a whole group flew above our heads.

Also, quite a few American Avocets far off.

These two were very close to us....what a nice gift!

This was indeed a very sweet visit and I look forward to return and explore the sparrows and rails territory.

What will you see when you visit? Check my E-bird List for the species we saw, also within that list you can click on "map" to see where it is. Happy Birding!