Estero Preserve at Winkler

This rustic preserve has become one of my favorite places to go to - it can be rough walking, boots are needed most of the time and a mosquito head net is often worn - and I love it! We had a total of 53 species this morning and it was lovely, here are a few snapshots that I took along the way....

 I've been looking for this Nelson Sparrow on and off for a couple of years now and I was totally delighted to find it in this little clump of mangrove along with a Sedge Wren just a foot or so down below it - how sweet is that!

That large clump of mangrove is where we saw it.

At the large pond for the past two years we had several hundred different ducks visiting for the winter, so far this winter this is it - 6 Lesser Scaup and 2 White Pelicans had the pond to themselves....hopefully they will bring their friends soon.

At the bayside we were hoping to see some Avocets but were surprised with Red-breasted Mergansers and several Reddish Egrets....

those three White Pelicans were perched on stumps - perhaps drying their feet for a bit.

A few hundred Tree Swallows had an harmonious rhythm going until a Red-shouldered Hawk made an appearance and made them all scatter in different directions.

Soon after a Bald Eagle cruised on by.

Soon it was time to head back but not before taking a closer look at this Yellow-rumped Warbler - a very interesting specie with many different features from one bird to the next.

Another day, another stick and another preserve - so much to see and so little time.....do take the time to explore and enjoy the moments in your day....I did and I have no regrets.

Ding Darling - Wildlife Drive

Several interesting birds have made an appearance in Sanibel this past week - One Brant was seen and photographed along the Wildlife Drive by one person. A Hermit Thrush was reported at the Sanibel Garden preserve, I've made three separate attempt to locate it, unfortunately it lived up to its name for my sake. And then, yesterday, a Long-tailed Duck was photographed off Colon's Point at Ding Darling. I figured three's the charm and hoped to see a new bird - so off I go.....

It was in the early morning hours and the tide was low - a perfect combo for a drive along Ding Darling. The first pond provided great views of the Yellow-crowned Night Herons.

At the Mangrove Overlook -hundreds of white birds could be seen in the distance.

And so were the White Pelicans, we are glad they are back.

The White Ibis were in great numbers as were....

the Snowy Egrets.

Some Hooded Mergansers had been reported too however I managed to spot 3 Red-breasted Mergansers instead. This may not have been my luckiest week for finding some of those sought after birds - all in all though I can't complain because, after all, I live in sunny Florida where I can still see plenty of beautiful birds, I am blessed.

 

Estero Preserve

Where does the time go?? I meant to blog about my bird outing at the Estero Preserve and somehow it got lost in the shuffle, well....there is not better time than now, so come along....

as it is customary for me - I arrived before the sunrise and I was granted golden views of this American Bittern along the 'little pond' aka Wigeon Pond - however the pond was almost devoid of ducks except for a handful of Blue-winged Teal and one....

Green -winged Teal, now that's a beautiful duck!

A Blue-winged Teal showing its blue feathers.

More views of the American Bittern.

While searching for rails and sparrows, we found White Pelicans flying overhead and....

a handful of American Wigeons.

We (Elaine and I) found a pond that we had never seen before and in it were a few Wood Storks,

several Killdeers,

American Avocets and Greater Yellowlegs.

I never get tired of watching Avocets - I could easily spend an entire day with them.

Estero Preserve can be challenging with mud, water and lack of marked trails.

However, it is well worth the effort as the time spent there is truly priceless.

 

Sweet shore

My plans changed several times within the last 24 hours or so and the winning location turned out to be south Ft.Myers Beach - the traffic has diminished a great deal and heading on that busy street is now doable. Come and see what was on the shore today....

A small raft of Scoters has been reported along the shore and it didn't take long for us to notice them.

We found one Surf Scoter - "rare" according to e-bird. This is a young male which is noticeable by the white and orange bill, when the male becomes an adult it will have a white patch above the bill and behind his head.

This lone Surf Scoter was hanging with 5 female Black Scoter which are really brown, however the male Black Scoter is black.

Several Wilson Plovers were spotted this morning,

the male (on the right) has a darker band below the neck, the female remains brown.

A lone White Pelican was observed, it looks quite young and will most likely stay behind for the time being.

I always find this amazing when I see their pouch and how thin it is when highlighted with the sun.

More Wilson Plover prints.

The Ruddy Turnstone were found in big numbers today - soon they will leave our area and migrate to the High Arctic Tundra of N.Amer where they will nest for the summer.

While we were watching the Ruddy Turnstone a Whimbrel made a brief landing before taking off again - perhaps next time I'll get to see it a tad bit longer.

The Least Terns have arrived and they were quite vocal - a trait that I had forgotten about. They were seen diving in for tiny fish and eating on the fly.

One of them on the right is banded - pale blue over yellow on the right leg.

A White Morph of the Reddish Egret in breeding plumage - take a look at that bubble gum bill!

A pair of Cattle Egret also in their breeding plumage.

A beautiful sunny day makes it enticing for a dip in the Gulf.

Or for a rest on the beach - the Black Scoter seems to know just how to do that. Happy Birding folks! My E-Bird List for today.