Hurricane Michael has been quite a powerful storm and bad news for residents of the Florida Panhandle. Luckily we were spared from Michael. Just a bit of rain and wind. We certainly did not want a repeat from what Hurricane Erma did to us a year ago. But any tropical storms during migration can effect the movement of birds such as pushing pelagics toward shore or creating a fall out.
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| White Ibis |
Today I opted to head to Bunche Beach to take advantage of a low tide and to see if any interesting had been blown in. My most unexpected sighting happened before I had reached the shore. While passing through Cape Coral I was able to add a Coopers Hawk sitting along a busy road. But later, while I was waiting for the light to change at a busy intersection on Colonial Parkway in Ft Myers, I spotted the very long tail of a bird resting on the wires. Was pleasantly shocked to see that it was a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Managed to pull over to try get better looks and noticed that the flycatcher was in the company of a trio of Gray Kingbirds and an Eastern Kingbird. They didn't hang around long enough for photography. I assume that the winds from Hurricane Michael had altered the movements of this small flock of flycatchers. Cha Ching! I also added a pair of Nanday Parakeets a few blocks over on Tufts Ave.
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| American Avocets at Bunche Beach |
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| Red Knot |
Got to Bunche Beach at low tide and had a nice visit. Saw no evidence of the effects of red tide. No dead sea life on the beach. Lots of birds though.
Best sightings were a large number of Red Knots and American Avocets. Wading birds were missing though. Only a few White Ibis and a Yellow Crowned Night Heron. Missed on any Reddish Egrets. Suspect the algae blooms may have affected them.
Best sightings were a large number of Red Knots and American Avocets. Wading birds were missing though. Only a few White Ibis and a Yellow Crowned Night Heron. Missed on any Reddish Egrets. Suspect the algae blooms may have affected them.
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| Red Knot |
Nice to see a Caspian Tern and a Forster's Tern sitting with a few Laughing Gulls, Brown
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| Short-billed Dowitcher |
Pelicans, Royal and Sandwich Terns. Other shorebirds busy on the shore and rooting through the wrack line included Piping, Black-bellied, Wilson's and Semipalmated Plovers, Sanderlings, Willets, Ruddy Turnstones, Least and Western Sandpipers and Short-billed Dowitchers. Besides missing on the reddish egrets, I also missed on any spotted or snowy sandpipers.
Was a good day!!
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| Semi-palmate Plover |
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