Some Local Birds

 Thursday March 10th

Bronzed Cowbird
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Spending less time traveling these days in search of interesting birds. So, I've been staying close to home to enjoy the nature surrounding us here.

Burrowing Owls
Cape Coral, Florida

Monk Parakeets
Cape Coral, Florida

Monk Parakeets
Cape Coral, Florida

Pileated Woodpecker
Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Eurasian Starling at
West Marsh Preserve - Lehigh Acres, Florida

Great Blue Heron
Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Gray-headed Swamphen
Harns Marsh Preserve, Lehigh Acres, Florida

Pine Warbler
Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida

Turkey Vulture
Harns Marsh Preserve, Lehigh Acres, Florida

Painted Bunting
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Bald Eagle
Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida

Dunlins are wintering at
Bunche Beach Preserve, Fort Myers

Brown-headed Cowbirds
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Florida Sandhill Crane
Harns Marsh Preserve, Lehigh Acres, Florida

A pair of Florida Sandhill Crane with their chicks
Baby cranes are called Colts
Harns Marsh Preserve, Lehigh Acres, Florida

Loggerhead Shrike at
West Marsh Preserve - Lehigh Acres, Florida

White Ibis
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Eurasian Collared Dove
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Merlin
Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida

Great Crested Flycatcher
Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida

Northern Cardinal
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Northern Cardinal
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

White-winged Dove
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Black-crowned Night-heron
Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Piping Plovers are wintering at
Bunche Beach Preserve, Fort Myers

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Cattle Egret
Harns Marsh Preserve - Lehigh Acres, Florida

White Pelican on Sanibel Island

Willet at Bunch Beach, Fort Myers

A large flock of Nanday Parakeets
 seen in Fort Myers

Muscovy Ducks
Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Common Ground Dove
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

New Year

 Sunday January 9th

River Otter

Ventured out to build a fresh list for a new year.  Visited venues throughout the area looking for interesting birdlife. At Torrey Island at Belle Glade saw that the Vermilion Flycatcher was still active as were a pair of River Otters.  Was told that it was suspected that the otters were being fed as they showed little concern with the walkers and birders.

Went back out to the cane fields to look for the raptors seen recently. Succeeded in relocating the White-tailed Kite, Northern Harriers, Bald Eagles, American Kestrels, Peregrin Falcon, Barn Owl and Red-tailed Hawks. Dipped on finding swainsen's hawk.

American Kestrel at Belle Glade Marina

Peregrine Falcon

Northern Rough-winged Swallow at Belle Glade Marina

Bald Eagles

Lots of the shorebirds and seabirds located at Bunche Beach and Fort DeSoto. 

Snowy Egret at Fort DeSoto Park

Red Knot at Fort DeSoto

Banded Piping Plover at Fort DeSoto

Red-breasted Merganser at Fort DeSoto

Caspen Tern at Fort DeSoto

Black-bellied Plover at Fort DeSoto

Brown Pelicans at Fort DeSoto

American Oystercatcher at Fort DeSoto

Limpkin at Six-Mile Cypress Slough Reserve

The Day of the Raptor

 Sunday, December 26th

Belted Kingfisher

In the quest for some final year birds went out to chase a Cassin's kingbird found in Holey Land WMA in Palm Beach County on Christmas Eve. Tried to access the location by driving south along the Miami Canal from US 27.  Seemed to be the most direct route when traveling from the Gulf Coast. But it is not.  Encountered closed roads and detours but did arrive just yards from the location only to be blocked by a water management project that had removed a bridge. 

Barn Owl

Okay so I doubled back to try to access the property from another direction.  Planned to go east along Bolles Canal but encountered a locked gate on this road adjacent to a pumping station. Have access this road many times over the years and hadn't ever seen it closed before. Elected to head home from here.

But before leaving I did take a look for any Barn Owls at the pumping station and did find an owl. This was actually a nice addition to todays. Because I had already encountered a number of interesting raptors while driving around the cane fields.

There were many dozens of American Kestrels present. Added a couple Peregrine Falcons, a couple of Caracaras, several Red-tailed Hawks and Northern Harriers. White-tailed Kites were working the fields, observed a lone Swainson's Hawk. saw a couple of Bald Eagles, several Ospreys and at least one Short-tailed Hawk. Turkey and Black Vultures round out the raptors seen today. Hundreds of Tree Swallows and a single Northern Rough-winged Swallow, plus Belted Kingfishers, Grackles, Cormorants, Anhingas, Wading Birds, Meadowlarks, Phoebes, Palm warblers and Common Yellowthroats were seen too.

Eastern Meadowlark seen along the Miami Canal

Northern Harrier seen along the Miami Canal

Bald Eagle seen on Blumberg Road

Peregrine Falcon seen on Rogers Road