The birds are coming!

"The birds are coming back!", that's what I was thinking to myself when I noticed that a few species that I hadn't seen for a couple of months are now making an appearance and that, my friends, is a very good thing.

Come along and see what's happening at the Bailey Tract....

a Pair of Pileated Woodpeckers made themselves known by their kuk kuk keekeekeekeekeekuk kuk high-pitch sound which was followed by their drumming action - don't you just love to watch those as they go up/down/around the trunk while tilting their head in order to hear the insects within the wood!

Nearby, a male Anhinga wondered what the fuss was all about.

Then I came around the corner and right away noticed....

a Gator's head on the alert....

I'd be willing to bet that it saw me before I saw it....

and off it went to the pond across the trail - after all the ponds across the way always look much better, don't they?

A yellow bellied Cooter was leading the way on the path - slow and steady it goes.

A young Red-bellied Woodpecker - it doesn't have any red feathers yet.

Ha! Looks who's back! A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher buzzing by and moving quickly between the branches as it gobbled up insects galore.

Across the path a Carolina Wren with the sunlight hitting it just right - I love it when a photo comes together like that.....pure luck if you ask me.

And look who else is here....

A beautiful Prairie Warbler.

On my way out I finally got to see the family of

Mottled Ducks - 5 of them now and almost all grown up.

A Spotted Sandpiper silently flew in front of me before landing on this grassy weed bed - making me reflect on all the birds that I saw this morning and making me smile with the thoughts that the birds are coming back for the winter - how sweet is that!

Then, just as I get ready to get in my car - I noticed this Buteo at first thinking it was the usual Red-shouldered Hawk until I put my bins up - wait a minute....this is not what I thought! Those birds are a challenge and they are always sending me to my books and my friends ;) to confirm the right identity....

and it was finally figured out that I was looking at a Light Short-tailed Hawk - how sweet is that....and what a great way to end the morning!! I am blessed.

 

 

Sunday's rituals

We had quite a few strong storms last night and some much needed rain too, this is welcomed as it cools the air some -  so, armed with my bins, camera and bug spray - I headed to the trails.... come along and see what was there....

One of the benefit of the lack of rain recently is that the ponds get very shallow, it brings the fish in a concentrated area and as such we get a gathering of the Egrets and Herons - sharing a meal together.

The Common Gallinule have been multiplying successfully this summer - I counted at least 20 this morning, most of them were immature.

A Juvenile Little Blue - it looks very elegant in this posture.

Summer also brings many more Magnificent Frigate birds in our area too and I love it - these two were quite a bit closer than usual.

Mr. Cardinal - looks like he's been around the block a few times.

A skip over to the Sanibel Garden Preserves - I found 4 Swallow-tailed Kites roosting.

And thank goodness I was looking down as I was walking along the pond otherwise I might have stepped over this very little turtle and that would have been horrible.

I have a dilemma as to whether this is a Slider or  a River Cooter - both species are in the Pond and Box Turtle Family. These are active mostly during the day and like to basks on logs.

Some of our White friends were around the corner - A Great Egret and Snowy Egrets.

I couldn't resist but admire this bright colorful bush filled with berries.

This Osprey was working the Smith Pond along the Bailey Tract Preserve - he gave me a funny look as he flew by.

And off he went to continue on with his fishing business.

I would have bypassed this colorful wild flower if it hadn't been for a tiny feather slowly floating down capturing my attention as it landed in it. There is so much to see and so little time to take it all in.

In some Mangrove recess, this Tri-colored Heron caught my eye making me think of a beautiful Monet painting.

This bird itself is worthy of an artist's paint brush.

Once again, it's been relaxing yet  an invigorating experience, at the same time it brought me much peace - I look forward to my next visit already. 

Delicious treats.

I'm tempted to call today's blog: "A box of chocolate" because it does have a little bit of everything and each one different from the other. Come and see....

With the sun rising earlier these days, I am provided with plenty of light to begin my trek by 6:30 - the coolness in the air makes it more pleasant too. The drawback is the lack of light for my photos but that's okay too - the Green Heron greeted me as I entered the Bailey Tract.

Then I heard a beautiful song and I wasn't sure who was singing - boy oh boy - what a nice surprise!

A Louisiana Waterthrush

Even though he was behind plenty of twigs, his identity and charm brought me a lot of joy.

As the sun came up - the colors started to come alive and there is nothing better than a Northern Cardinal to brighten things up. Did you ever notice that they have pink legs?

And another singing his heart out - a Carolina Wren.

After a bit, I stepped over to the Sanibel Garden Preserves and I instantly had surround sound of Red-bellied Woodpeckers - this particular guy had a berry and was getting ready to enter his abode to share it with his little brood.

Around the corner I could hear quite a raucous, so I followed the sounds unto the path less traveled and came face to face to an orchestra of Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons, Tricolored Herons and Great Blue Herons too.

I was tempted to crop this photo to remove my shadow but I would have lost the feel within this vista - so, it stays.

Here's an interesting pair - A Great Egret with yellow bill and black feet, and a Snowy Egret with a black bill and yellow feet.

This is the other portion of that body of water - I could have used a panoramic setting to get it all in....if I had one that is.

The Great Egret investing time in its precious feathers.

An immature Little Blue Heron. In its juvenile state it is totally white and when it becomes an adult it will be totally blue. I like this in-between stage with the white and blue feathers - quite a striking effect.

After a bit, I returned to the trail and found this Black-crowned Night Heron resting in the mangroves....

soon to get some shut eyed.

A pair of Mourning Dove.

The pond by the tower had a duck -most likely an hybrid because none of his traits fits any of the ducks that I know.

Notice how dark his head is and the olive bill.

I lightened this one heavily to demonstrate its features up close.

As I step back onto the Bailey Tract, I got amused by this Black-necked Stilt and his body movements....a hip opener, my yoga teacher would say.

Why did the turtle cross the streets?

The grass was much greener on the other side, of course.

One of many Green Herons that I've encountered today - this one is getting ready to have a meal.

I started my trek with a song and it looks like it is ending the same way - not a bad day!

Happy Birding!