Week One of the New Year

 Monday January 9th

In the first week of this new year did a little birding in Palm Beach and Dade Counties.  Checked out some of the rural areas in the Everglades Ag Area looking for Raptors and Barn Owls. Spotted dozens of American Kestrels, three White-tailed Kites, several Northern Harriers, Red-shouldered Hawk, an Eastern Red-tailed Hawks, Short-tail Hawk, Crested Caracara and a Barn Owl. 

Came across some flooded fields with Blue-winged and Green-winged Tea, Mottled Ducks, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers and Long-billed Dowitchers. Other sightings included Tree and Northern Rough-winged Swallows.

Chipping Sparrow
seen at Lucky Hammock - Frog Pond WMA

 

Checked out the Sem-Chi Rice Mill and was disappointed that no blackbirds or cowbirds were present and not much of interest seen at the nearby wetlands.

Glossy Ibis
seen at Wakodahatchee Wetlands at Delray Beach

Visited the Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach were waking the boardwalk noticed that the rookeries of wading birds hadn't starting nesting yet. Lots of Wood Storks and various wading bird species were present. Had Black-belled Whistling Ducks, Gray-headed Swamphens and Green Iguanas

Palm Warbler
seen at Harns Marsh, Lehigh Acres, Florida

Gray-headed Swamphen
seen at Harns Marsh, Lehigh Acres

Tricolored Heron
seen at Wakodahatchee Wetlands at Delray Beach

Wood Stork
seen at Wakodahatchee Wetlands at Delray Beach

Cattle Egret
seen in Palm Beach County

Red-shouldered Hawk
seen at Lucky Hammock - Frog Pond WMA

 

Down in Dade County, west of Florida City briefly walked along the L31W Canal.  Not much spotted aside from a resting Broad-winged Hawk. At the Souther Gladys Trail 111 Canal/ Pumping Station, saw the Vermilion Flycatcher, a couple of Brown-headed Cowbirds, Eastern Phoebes and a White-tailed Kite.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
seen at Lucky Hammock - Frog Pond WMA

 

Then at Lucky Hammock, I had run into a very large birding group from Tropical Audubon Society. Best sighting here was a Swainson's Hawk, plus a couple of Short-tailed Hawks. Also added were some Chipping Sparrows and a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Spotted a bright Great Crested Flycatcher but would have liked to have spotted the brown-crested flycatcher seen by the Audubon birders..

Some Pics for July

Monday July 25th

Northern Bobwhite
seen in Lehigh Acres

Cattle Egret
begging at the drive through at McDonalds

 

Showy Milkwort
at Lehigh Acres

Earthstar mushrooms
see in Lehigh Acres

Gray Squirrel
loves my bird feeders

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks
have become common in the area

Feral Pigeon

Monk Parakeet
at the Pelican Boulevard ballfields in Cape Coral

Reddish Egret
at Fort Myers Beach

Atala
seen on Fort Myers Beach

Beach Morning Glory
Fort Myers Beach

Reddish Egret
Fort Myers Beach

Brown Thrasher

Bronzed Cowbird
Eagle Lakes Park - Naples, Florida

Florida Rainbow
Mussel shells collected at Babcock-Webb

Panaeolus antillarum
mushrooms that like to grow on cow dung

White-winged Doves
there numbers are growing at Babcock-Webb

A New Year

 Friday January First

Spent the day looking to start my new year's list with visits to a few local hot spots. 

Snowy Plover at Bunche Beach

Had  a good start at Bunche Beach, arriving at a low tide.  Best bird was perhaps seeing a Snowy Plover. We occasionally will find a Snowy Plover at Bunche, but the sandier beaches on Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel are better places to look for them.  Other sightings at Bunche included several Reddish Egrets, American White Pelicans, Piping Plovers, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Least Sandpipers and Spotted Sandpiper. Dipped on several expected species, which turned out to be the trend of the day. 

American White Pelican at Bunche Beach

Next made a quick check of Lakes Park. Looking for least bitterns here, but settled for a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a Cooper's Hawk and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 

Mottled Duck at Lakes Park

Moved on to the boardwalk at Six-mile Cypress Slough Preserve. Which was very quite today.  The same for Rotary Park in Cape Coral. Next were the burrowing owls and Monk Parakeets at the nearby Pelican Boulevard Ballfields. The noisy parakeets can be easy to locate, but the owls were in hiding today. 

Loggerhead Shrike at Lakes Park

Cattle Egret at Harns Marsh

The Florida Scrub jays were absent today too.  Looked for them in Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres.  Ended the day at Harns Marsh. Lots of Pied-billed Grebes, a few Grey-headed Swamphens and the expected wading birds. So the day's tally wasn't very high. And that's OK

Least Sandpiper at Bunche Beach

Common Gallinule at Harns Marsh

Northern Mockingbird at Lakes Park

Little Blue Heron at Harns Marsh

Great Southern White 

At Harns Marsh

Wings Over the Water at Harns Marsh

Wednesday March 13th

Sandhill Crane family looking to cross the canal

Next Saturday marks the eighth annul Wings Over Water Festival at Harns Marsh. Tours, Speakers exhibits and more.

Harns Marsh is a special place here in Lee County for birders, nature lovers, walkers, fisherman and more.  I first came out here many years ago after reading an article in the Fort Myers News-Press about the Kites found at the Harns.  Both the Snail and Swallow-tailed Kites.  Been hooked very since. So far I've recorded at least 129 species of birds and am know recording or flora and fauna as well.

http://www.wingsoverwaterfestival.com/about-us/

'Someday day you'll get this big'

'Looks like its too deep to wade, so lets enjoy a swim'

Mom, or maybe its Dad, swimming with their colt.

Our Sandhill Crane colt made it across the canal

Florida Tasselflower is a common plant

Halloween Pendent Dragonfly

A young Red-shouldered Hawk

Prairie Fleabane

More Wildflowers seen today at Harns Marsh

Large flower Rosegentian

Pine Hyacinth (Clematis baldwinii)

Blue-eyed Grass spp

Dragonhead

Black-eyed Susan