Shiny Cowbirds

 Tuesday March 9th

On Saturday I had planned to do some early morning birding at Bunche Beach on Sunday because of a beneficial tide. I like to be there on a rising tide which was about 7:30 am.  But before heading out on Sunday, my plans changed. Elected to to drive the hour and a half out to the Sem-Chi Rice Plant in Palm Beach County. The location attracts a lot of blackbird species including wintering Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Sundays are probably the best day of the week to check out this location, because the plant will probably be closed. The access road can be very busy and dangerous for birders when the plant is operation.  

Got there about 8:30 am and got off to a good start with a trio Blue Grosbeaks. Lots of Brown-headed Cowbirds and Red-winged Blackbirds. Patrolled the road about four times looking for the yellow-headed blackbirds, but I didn't spot any today.  Weird, because several other birders reported them on eBird. So I'll have try again next Sunday.  But I was amazed to  spot a couple of male Shiny Cowbirds, that seemed to doing some kind of a head bobbing interaction. Noticed there was a least one female present as well. 

Just down the road, wetlands offered views of Gull-billed Terns, a Caspian Tern, Gray-headed Swamphens, Common Gallinules and American Coots

House Sparrow

Birding at Home

Saturday, April 10th

Mangrove Cuckoo 

was very reluctant to pose for the camera

With the beaches, parks and preserved closed to enhance social distancing, birding during Spring Migration has become very frustrating.  Locally the wildlife drive at Ding Darling NWR on Sanibel Island  remains open and one can bird by car.

I recently did bird from the Ding darling Wildlife Drive and was rewarded with a with a few interesting birds. Not much in the way of any neo-tropical migrating birds though on that day.  Did spot and heard a Mangrove Cuckoo, plus a soaring Broad-winged Hawk and several Red-breasted Mergansers were still present.

Lots of Cedar Waxwings dining on figs

House Sparrow

At home I have a couple of feeders set up under a huge, old and fruiting Laurel Fig tree.  Cedar Waxwings are a constant these days, feeding on figs and several Gray Catbirds have been hanging around, plus numerous European Starlings are preparing nesting sites in that big, old tree. But, again not much in the way of interesting migrants yet. The feeders are very popular with the expected resident birds.

Northern Cardinal

Gray Catbird

Brown-headed Cowbird. 

Only a single cowbird visits these days, but in earlier days flocks of 30 or 40 were common visitors

Starlings

Common Ground Dove

Common Ground Dove

Blue Jay

Starling

Eurasian Collared-dove

Boat-tailed Grackles don't visit the feeders very much

Gray Catbird

A Few Pics

Friday, March 1st

Did a little local birding the past couple of days

A somewhat downy and sleepy 

Great Horned Owlet

Seems that springtime is carrying on.  Many nesting birds.  Observed a Snail Kite, yesterday, carrying nesting materials, while some birds like Bald Eagles and Great Horned Owl babies will be fledging soon.

Wildflowers are blooming and butterflies and dragonflies are evident as they flutter and zoom about on these warming days.

Pearl Crescent Butterfly

Appears to be a Krider's Red-tailed Hawk seen along Blumberg Road in Hendry County

Brown Cuban Anole

An invasive and dominate species

replacing the native green anole

Another Brown Cuban Anole.  My first inclination was to identify it as another invasive lizard, the Brown Basilisk, because of the crests, which I learned are called a roach.

 I don't recall seeing a specimen displaying such a large roach

Prairie Warbler. 

Warblers have been a very difficult birds to photo as they don't tend to pose. 

House Sparrow. A while ago we called them English Sparrows. Not sure why the name change.  

They brought over here from England

Monk Parakeets can be found at the baseball fields on Pelican Boulevard in Cape Coral

Palm Warbler. Some are starting to show more of their breeding colors

 as spring migration approaches

Some December Pics

Thursday December 27th

Some interesting birds are around this month.  A smooth-billed Ani has been reported on Sanibel Island and Pine Siskins are being spotted as well.  But were diffidently seeing far fewer waterfowl and other wintering birds seen on the water.  Like loons and horned grebes.  Suspect the our recent problem with red tide may have had a negative effect.

Have prepped a gallery of some of my sightings in the past month.

Male Hooded Merganser photographed 

at first light on the Caloosahatchee River

Male Snail Kite observed along Sunshine Parkway in Lehigh Acres

Male Snail Kite observed along Sunshine Parkway in Lehigh Acres

Roseate Spoonbill taking flight at Harns Marsh

A Florida Banded Water Snake

Pine Warbler

A young Red-shouldered Hawk

Short-billed Dowitcher seen at Bunche Beach

Appears that this Cockleshell Clam is trying to stay

 hydrated during a low tide at Bunch Beach

Florida Scrub Jay seen in Lehigh Acres

White Checkered Skipper

Probably a Whirlabout Skipper

A Rattlebox Moth. 

Been seeing them at Harns Marsh

Florida Red-bellied Turtle basking at Six-mile Cypress Slough Preserve

A Ring-billed Gull doing a bit of crabbing at Bunche Beach

Wilson's Plover at Bunche Beach

Semipalmated Plover at Bunche Beach

Piping Plover at Bunche Beach

Least Sandpiper at Bunche Beach

Carolina Wren at Six-mile Cypress Slough Preserve

This Savannah Sparrow was hanging out at the observation parking area at the airport

Tufted Titmouse busy trying to get something to eat

Tri-colored Heron. They were formerly known as Louisiana Herons

Male Red-bellied Woodpecker

A very young Water Moccasin seen at Six-mile Cypress Slough Preserve

This adult Water Moccasin was on the hunt at Six-mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Dunlin at rest with a flock of Sanderlings on Ft Myers Beach

Foster's Tern seen at Carlos Point on Ft Myers Beach

House Sparrow

Fish Crow seen at Lovers Key

Monk Parakeet seen in Cape Coral, at the Baseball Fields on Pelican Boulevard 

Palm Warbler at Manatee Park 

Sandhill Cranes seen at Harns Marsh

Nanday Parakeet photographed near Manor Park in Ft Myers

Sanderling

American Goldfinch feeding on Elm Tree seeds at Six Mile Cypress Preserve

Yellow-rumped Warbler photographed at Alva Scrub Preserve near Lehigh Acres

Loggerhead Shrike at Estero Bay State Park

The Melaleuca is in bloom. Noted that the melaleuca, Brazilian pepper and Australian pine are making a come back on the Estero State Park at Estero Point