May Gallery Pics

Wednesday May 30th

Swallow-tailed Kite

Purple Martin seen at the Franklin Locks

A Chucks-wills-Widow see at Babcock-Webb WMA in early May

 The flowers were blooming at Hickey Creek Mitigation Park in Alva.  Still working on my flower identification.

Newly hatched Purple Martin chicks

at the Celery Fields Nature Center

Florida Red-bellied Cooter seen at the Franklin Locks

Wilson's Plovers seen at Bowditch Point

American Oystercatcher seen at Bowditch Point

Sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones 

seen at Bowditch Point

A very young Water Moccasin 

seen at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Peninsula Ribbon Snake 

seen at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Red shouldered Hawk s

seen at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Button Bush Blossom

Dragonfly
It maybe a Green Darner

Cuban Brown Anole flashing his dewlap

A Relic seen at the Shell Mound Trail at Ding Darling NWR

Fruiting Shrub at the Bailey Tract

Black Racer seen at the Bailey Tract

Fish Crow Examining a Horseshoe Crab shell

Mangrove Blossom

Cape May Warbler seen at Bowditch Point

Eastern Screech Owl at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

House Crow seen at Nokomis Beach

Boat-tailed Grackle

Milkweed seen at Hickey Creek

Clover at Hickey Creek

Birding in Early April

Sunday April 10th

Eastern Screech Owl seen at Six-Mile Cypress Slough

So far birding in early April hasn't been very exciting. We're seeing a smattering of migration activity at local hotspots, such as at Sanibel Lighthouse and Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. 

So far I've been able to see FOS Gray Kingbird, Least Terns, Scarlet Tanager, Worm-eating Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler and Red-eyed Vireos.  Other sightings have included Swallow-tailed Kites, Northern Parulas, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-headed Vireos, Magnolia Warblers.

Other migrants being reported, but are yet to be in my line-of-sight include Cliff and Cave Swallows, Chimney Swifts, Eastern Kingbirds, Hooded Warblers, Swainson's Warbler, Blue Grosbeak. Many wintering species have definitely pulled-out already including Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers, American Kestrels, Belted Kingfishers and Eastern Phoebes. Any day now, Common Nighthawks will show-up for the summer as well.

Cedar Waxwing 

Currently, a flock of Cedar Waxwings are being seen daily just outside my door. They will probably hang around for a couple more weeks, till they begin to follow Spring as it expands northward.

Trip Report - Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival

Day One

Wednesday, November 4th

Today, I arrived at Harlingen, Texas about 11:00 am to attend the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival. The Rio Grande Valley hosts many bird species that aren't found anywhere else within the U.S. as well as western species not seen at home in Florida.  And I have wanted to visit here for a long time.

 

Bronzed Cowbird

So after collecting my rental car, headed over to the convention center to collect my credentials Here I also collected my first species of the trip - the very numerous Great-tailed Grackle, Bronzed Cowbird and Inca Doves. 

Estero Llano Grande State Park

Then it was off to Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco. This park is a must visit location for birders and had recently hosted a juvenile Northern Jacana. I had high hopes of seeing this rare-in-the-States Mexican bird, and had been regular in Estero for several weeks. but disappeared just two days before the festival began. Disappointing, but there was so much more to see.(bird List)

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Upon arrival birders were commenting on sightings of a Ducky-capped Flycatcher and a Blue-throated Hummingbird. Spent some time looking for hummingbirds and saw Bluff-bellied and Ruby-throated Hummers. Missed the Blue-throated. At the visitors center deck over-looking ibis pond, was able see add both Least and Pied-billed Grebes, American Coots, Gadwall, Great Kiskadee, Great Egret, more Great-tailed Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds. 

Gadwall

On the trails I added White-tipped, Inca and Mourning Doves, Indigo Buntings, Eastern Phoebes,  Vermilion Flycatcher, Sora, Lark Sparrow, a Eared Grebe, American White Pelicans, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Couch's Kingbird, a pair of White-tailed Kites, White Ibis, Great Blue Heron, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, Tree and Barn Swallows, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Mockingbirds.

A pair of White-tailed Kites

Savannah Sparrow

Vermilion Flycatcher

Later in the afternoon, Dave and Tammy McQuade arrived at Estero Llano.  Dave and Tammy had been on a guided tour of a northern section of the King Ranch earlier in the day and had great success including a Ferruginous Hawk and a large gathering of Mountain Plover.

Eastern Screech OwlTexas Screech Owl or McCall's Screech Owl (Megascops asio mccallii, Range: Southern Texas (USA) south to northeastern Mexico

So now they were on-hand and quickly began a search for the Blue-throated Hummingbird. After a time we moved on as Dave was going to take me to a spot he knew about, to see a ground roosting Common Pauraque. This bird was just inches off the trail but was so easily missed do its being able to blend into the forest floor. Then we looked at a near by screech-owl box which had its resident Eastern Screech-Owl (McCall race) poking its head out to greet visitors. Down the trail was Alligator Pond, were  we saw  Anhinga, Ringed and Green Kingbirds, Long-billed Thrasher, Nashville Warbler, Spotted Sandpiper and Black-crested Titmouse.

Common Pauraque

After five and half hours of birding the property, it was time to check-in to the hotel and crash.  Dave and Tammy stuck around Estero to wait for the arrival of some friends of the theirs and to continue the search for the Blue-throat. They would add Plain Chachalaca after I left and Dave would spot a female Red-legged Honeycreeper at Estero a few days later.

White Ibis

Day List (50) - Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Gadwall, Blue-winged Teal, Least Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, Eared Grebe, Anhinga, American White Pelicans, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, White Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, White-tailed Kite, Sora, Common Gallinule, American Coot, White-tipped Dove, Mourning Dove, Inca Dove, Eastern Screech Owl, Common Pauraque, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Ringed Kingfisher, Green Kingfisher, Eastern Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Couch's Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Black-crested Titmouse, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Long-billed Thrasher, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Nashville Warbler, Lark Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Bronzed Cowbird, Great-tailed Grackle and House Sparrow.

Couch's Kingbird

Ringed Kingfisher

Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge

Thursday January 29th


Visited the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island this morning to look for the White-crowned Pigeon and Eastern Screech Owl, as well as to test out my replacement camera. My old camera was damaged after falling into the water at Six-mile Cypress Slough a couple of weeks ago.  Canon replaced it with a refurbished camera at no cost to me,

Eastern Screech-Owl

Arrived at a low tide and hundreds of wading birds were present, including mostly Great Egrets, White Ibis and Roseate Spoonbills, but very few shorebirds. The shorebirds seen were mostly Willets, with a few Spotted Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plover and Black-bellied Plovers.

Spotted Sandpiper

Ring-billed Gull

Black-bellied Plover

Reddish Egret

American White Pelicans

A Wood Stork

On the trail close to the Wildlife Drive entrance was found the Eastern Screen-Owl, along with several Blue-winged Teal, a couple of Green-winged Teal and several Black-crowned Night-herons.


At the Shell Mound Trail I was able to find the White-crowned Pigeon, but only because of the help of a gentleman who was already on the bird. Getting a descent  photo was difficult as the bird was staying some what buried in the foliage.

White crowned Pigeon

After leaving the refuge I visited nearby Blind Pass were several Northern Gannets were seen and as I was heading home, a stop along the Sanibel Causeway Park I was able to add a Common Loon and a Black Scoter.  It was a good morning.

The fruit of the Gumbo Limbo Tree, which is one of the food sources for the pigeon

The Snowberry is currently the favored food for the pigeon.