Back to Fort Myers

Over the weekend Bill and I visited our good friends Wendy & Larry in Cape Coral. Naturally, we found some time to get a little birding in.

This beautiful Bald Eagle was perched just a couple of houses away from Wendy's. What a great way to begin our day!

I've only seen a Reddish Egret one other time while walking on the beach in Fort Myers with my sister. This one was at Ding Darling on Sanibel.  Unfortunately, it was about the only bird we saw at Ding Darling!

Love the hairdo!

Harns Marsh is one of our most favorite places to visit. We arrived just as the sun was coming up through the fog. There were several Limpkins making lots of noise.

We saw about 5 Sandhill Cranes and they too were loudly protesting the arrival of morning.

Harns Marsh is one of the few places you can see Snail Kites and we were not disappointed. We saw about a dozen including several juveniles.

 After our visit to Harns Marsh we walked Six-Mile Cypress. I was delighted to see this Ovenbird.

Every time we visit, the slough is different - but we always see Double-crested Cormorants.

And Anhingas

This is a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron. We saw a couple of adults, but they were deep in the bushes and I could not get a decent picture.

We saw a few smaller birds, including a Black-throated Green Warbler, but the light was terrible for pictures.

It was nice to visit our old stomping grounds, but we are glad we moved to Ocala. The traffic in Fort Myers, Sanible & Captiva was horrible. Our visit was special but we were glad to get home.

Harns Marsh & the Three "R's"Reflections, Roseates & Reddish

  We promised Beth a trip to Harns Marsh. It was postponed on Monday in favor of the fallout at the Sanibel Lighthouse, but very early on Tuesday we headed into Lehigh Acres and Harns Marsh, arriving at sunrise. Another photographer that we met there before was already in place.

Great Egrets

 Great Egrets were out in numbers. They are always beautiful and a pleasure to photograph.

White Ibis and Reflection

Harns Marsh

  While we were watching, all of the birds suddenly took flight,

Bald Eagle

 ...and this was the reason.

Roseate Spoonbills

 The early morning light complimented the pink reflections.

Roseate Spoonbills

Roseate Spoonbills

 The Roseate Spoonbill in the back is almost all white - very little pink. Both of these are juveniles.

Roseate Spoonbill and Snowy Egret

Sister Beth: http://quilterb-bethsblog.blogspot.com/

Snail Kite

 We drove to the other side of the Marsh to see the Snail Kites. I was surprised that Bill drove back the sand road after our last experience - but I guess he took pity on us old gals.

Snail Kite

 They were quite a distance away - but very numerous. We counted over a dozen.

Snail Kite

Reddish Egret

  The last of my three "R's" is a Reddish Egret. This picture was taken at Ding Darling on Sanibel the day before.

Reddish Egret

He looks cold but he's just getting ready to open his wings to shade the water so he can see the fish better. I like this shot because it shows his bright pink bill and long breeding feathers.

Merlin

 Another one of my mystery fallout birds identified! This is a Merlin and he probably thought of the influx of tropical birds as "lunch."

Merlin

Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge

Sanibel's Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is a short $6 ride over the Sanibel Causeway from Fort Myers. Ding Darling features a Wildlife Drive through the 6,400-acre refuge. It is open to visitors everyday BUT Friday. Guess what day we picked to go. Another $6 - and we were back on Monday. Since I have a National Parks Lifetime Senior Pass, the $5 per car admission was waved.

This Red-bellied Woodpecker is enjoying the berries on a bush by the side of the road. He is named for the tinge of red on his belly - which I have yet to see. He is often misidentified as a Red-headed Woodpecker which has an all red head and solid black back.

Ding Darling is home to a large flock of White Pelicans. Their cousins, the Brown Pelicans, perform the wild aerobatics - diving head-first into the water - that visitors find so entertaining here in Florida. White Pelicans just kind of stand around in big groups looking pretty.

Loggerhead Shrikes are common around here. I like this picture because you can clearly see the hawk-like bill.

Another common Florida bird is the Osprey. They are large eagle-like birds and the only raptor that plunges feet-first into the water to snag fish. I usually see them flying overhead or sitting in a tree - so it was a treat to see this one standing in shallow water.

I love the profile of the Belted Kingfisher - his head looks too big for his body. He is sitting in a tree over-looking a large tidal pool deciding which fish he wants for lunch.

Little Blue Herons are fairly common near both fresh and salt water.

I think this is the rarer, slightly larger Reddish Egret, also part of the heron family.

Isn't this grumpy old man just wonderful? He is actually an immature Yellow-crowned Night Heron.

There was a large group of Pied-billed Grebes on the water but they did not want to be photographed and quickly swam away as I got closer.

I know these are just common Mourning Doves - but it is so rare to get a picture of them in a tree instead of on their usual perch - overhead wires. The nest-like mass on the limb is an air plant.

These two doves were singing love songs back and forth and did not seem to notice me.

I saw several Roseate Spoonbills and an outstanding male Magnificent Frigatebird flying overhead - but did not get decent pictures of either. Maybe next time.

Our Final Week in Fort Myers

This is our last week in Fort Myers and we continue to keep busy. On Sunday afternoon we sat by the lake behind the outlet shops in Bonita Beach to soak up the sun and watch a water skiing demonstration. The group is in training for a show at Cypress Gardens.

These youngsters were having a great time! Notice that each girl is on one ski.

Some of the more adventurous skiers going over a jump. There is a third skier who went around the jump and met them on the other side. The driver of the boat was as talented as the skiers.

This gorgeous tree is aptly named the Tree of Gold. Until I looked in up in my "Flor-ida's Fabulous Trees" book I called it the Daffodil Tree because each blossom in the cluster looks like one of the beautiful yellow Spring Daffodils that bloom in our yard in Colorado in April. We should be home in time to see them.

Monday was my second field trip with the Caloosa Bird Club. The day was dreary with a light drizzle but it didn't dampen our spirits one little bit. Our first stop was a birder's paradise. A couple from the club had invited the group to their home in Alva to see the Indigo Buntings and other birds that call their yard home. There must have been 3 dozen Indigo Buntings in the bushes and at the feeders! A handsome Painted Bunting, several White-winged Doves, a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a pair of Cardinals also made appearances.

I was so taken with this beautiful display that I took Bill, Mike and Mel back today to see them. Lois and Leon welcomed us, had us sign their guest book and took us on a birder's tour of their yard. They obviously delight in their birds and enjoy sharing them. Nice people - and hopefully, new friends.

At the club's next stop we saw a Great-horned Owl and a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers that mated in mid-air as we were all lined up on the side of the street - with binoculars in hand - watching them fly around.

But my real treat of the day was at the Franklin Locks where I saw this pair of Bald Eagles. They were in the distance, but stayed around long enough for us all to get a great look at them.

I took this picture of a Zebra Butterfly on one of the nature trails near the Caloosa-hatchee River. Other sightings of note included all the usual shore birds, Limpkin, Coot, Moorhen, Kingfisher, Blue-headed Vireo and a Northern Parula.

The weather had cleared up nicely by noon when the group met back at the starting place. Bill was waiting for me. We picked up Mike and Mel and went down to Bunche Beach to see if we could spot the Scarlet Ibis. Bill brought his kite for Mike and him to fly. The two great friends had a wonderful time - but it was too windy and the kite crashed.

We didn't see the Scarlet Ibis, but this Reddish Egret was walking in the shallow surf.

Bunche Beach is a strange beach - much more secluded than Fort Myers or Sanibel Beach - with more mud flats than sand. I saw lots of common shore birds.

While we were enjoying the day, this huge flock of White Pelicans flew over.

Today, on our way back to see the Indigo Buntings at Leon and Lois' feeders, we stopped at Manatee Park. Mel had never seen a Manatee. Luckily, one was there - but only one. Since the weather is warmer than in January, they have headed back out to the Gulf.

This Mockingbird was sitting in a bush singing the whole time we were there.

They have a beautiful butterfly garden with lots of pretty flowers.



Mike and Mel wanted to walk around the docks in Fort Myers. They love to look at the boats and we all talked about the one we will buy when we hit the lottery.

This is a common Rock Pigeon and, like the other birds this time of year, is showing off his colors.

Mike and Mel are leaving early tomorrow morning to head back to their home in Missouri. We've had a great time and will miss them.