Showing posts with label Cardinal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cardinal. Show all posts

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Hammond's Flycatcher

Sunday January 19th


Hammond's Flycatcher at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary 
Why is a Hammond Flycatcher hanging out at Lettuce Lake at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary?  It should be wintering in Mexico. It's a western bird. And its a lifer for me.  Lots of birders have twitched after this small bird, which can be cooperative by posing close by occasionally. 

Will staking out the Hammond's a nice variety of birds were seen busily feeding close by.  Tufted Titmice, Blue-headed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Black-and-White Warbler, a male Black-throated Green Warbler and Palm Warbles, Downy Woodpeckers, a raccoon, gators and a basking Banded Water Snake. 

Ovenbird
At the Bunting House feeder we had a male Painted Bunting, an Ovenbird, Mourning Doves, Catbirds, a Red-shouldered Hawk and an unexpected female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Other sightings included a Purple Gallinule, Brown-headed Cowbird, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Carolina Wrens, Black-crowned Night-heron, American Redstarts and Common Yellowthroats.








Northern Cardinal 
Painted Bunting

Banded Water Snake

Tufted Titmouse

A Wild Orchid

A wild Orchid high up in a tree near the Lettuce Lake

Wild Turkeys are often seen feeding on the property adjacent
 to the Sanctuary's parking area

Several White-tail Deer were also feeding in the same yard as the Turkeys











Sunday, March 26, 2017

Spring Time at the Beach

Saturday March 25th


Sunrise at Bunche Beach



A sunrise visit to Bunche Beach today to see what's new. Noticing that the shore birds are beginning to molt into their spring-time colors. Mostly we see these winter visitors in there most mundane off-season coloration. They seem to be just getting started. But it won't be long till they reach there breeding molt and head for the arctic or sub-arctic nesting sites.





Black-bellied Plover

Black-bellied Plover


Dunlin nest in the Canadian Arctic
Dunlin Migration

Willet

Spotted Sandpiper

Sanderlings still in their winter feathers


Red Knot


Little Blue Heron

Northern Cardinal

Caspian Tern

Monday, April 13, 2015

Spring Migration Has Stalled





Cuban Anole seen at Six-Mile Cypress Preserve
Monday, April 13th

Spring migration has come to a screeching halt. We had a very nice land-fall a couple of weeks ago, but weather patterns have largely pushed the migrates to the west of Florida.  Even a visit today by the Calusa Bird Club to the migrate hot spot at Fort DeSoto, in Pinellas County, as reported by Vince McGrath, only yielded a couple of  passerine migrants.

Gray Catbird at Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

At Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve today we , Ron Bishop and Walt Wintondid find a Northern Waterthrush and lots of Gray Catbirds. But mostly we found the expected natives like Carolina Wrens and Northern Cardinals.

Northern Cardinal at Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Carolina Wren at Six-Mile Cypress Preserve


We still have a lot of interesting birds that are seen year round.  Here are a few.

Black-crowned Night-Heron at Six=Mile Cypress Preserve

Green Heron at Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Male Wood Duck seen near the airport

Florida Scrub Jay found in Leigh Acres. Our only Florida endemic species

Male Snail Kite seen near Harns Marsh

The very common Boat-tailed Grackle

Our State Bird - The Northern Mockingbird

Burrowing Owl dozing in Cape Coral

The Eurasian Collared Dove is also a very common species

This Monk Parakeet was collecting nesting materials in Cape Coral

This strange looking duck appears to be a cross between a feral Muscovy Duck
 and some sort of domesticated duck
This Blue Jay was seen at Six-Mile Cypress Preserve



Monday, June 30, 2014

June Birds

The month of June is pretty much the slowest time of the year to look for birds in south Florida. To try to spice things up several enterprising birders started the June Challenge.  I'm not officially participating, but I did manage to find one hundred birds in Lee County.  Soon migration will slowly see a trickle of shore birds back to our waters from breeding in the arctic and this will kick-off our fall migration experience




I've added a few photos of some of the birds seen here this past month. .


Red-headed Woodpecker

Black Skimmer

A White- Morphed Reddish Egret

Reddish Egret

Least Tern
A nesting Black-necked Stilt
Osprey
Great Blue Heron
Roseate Spoonbill
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Fledgling Great Egrets
A fledgling Northern Cardinal

Mottled Ducks