Bald Eagle at Babcock-Webb

We stopped for a little birding on our way south to our condo in Fort Myers where we are anxiously awaiting my sister's arrival. The Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area has a short road along the lake where you can drive past camping areas, fairly clean bathrooms and lots of trees.

We didn't see many birds - maybe because this beautiful Bald Eagle, and another juvenile were in the area. This picture made the stop worthwhile (well, this and the bathrooms).

Spiders, snakes, lizards, frogs, butterflies, armadillos and, of course, birds!

I'm so far behind in my blogging that I hardly know where to start. We were without Internet while in Fort Myers and I will never let that happen again! I can't believe how much I depend on something that didn't exist for most of my life!

The following pictures are from trips to Corkscrew Swamp and Babcock Webb.

I have no idea what kind of spider this is - but he's big!

Naturalists stage themselves along the boardwalk at Corkscrew so they can point out something special hiding in the trees or nestled in the weeds - especially if it is dangerous like this Water Moccasin.

You really have to look closely to see the lizard in this picture. Look how long his tail is!

The swamp lily is a native plant and we often see them growing in the swamps.

This is a tiny tree frog - only about one inch across - that was sitting quietly on a leaf. I turned the picture so he could be seen better.

A Great Egret trying to stay warm in the unusually chilly southwest Florida weather.

There were lots of pretty butterflies in the butterfly garden at Corkscrew.

These two were fun to watch as they played in the sun.

Another lizard...

This Great Blue Heron was far away but I liked the way he was framed by the trees.

Finally a hawk other than a red-shouldered! This is a Northern Harrier. We spotted it at Babcock Webb and it was a life bird for sister Beth. I took this picture through the window of Warren's van.

All the way at the far end of the Babcock Webb drive (open only during hunting season) we saw this beautiful Bald Eagle in the distance.

This was a nice surprise! We actually saw three Nine Banded Armadillos along the side of the drive.

Learning to Use a Tripod

On our last trip through Babcock Webb Wildlife Management Area before they closed full vehicle access after hunting season, I took along my tripod to see if it really made a difference in my pictures. I learned it makes a huge difference.

This shot was taken at full zoom (24X) and has been cropped and re-sized. The flock of Great Egret could barely be seen with the naked eye. The committee of buzzards on the left are feasting on the dead fish produced by the long spell of cold weather and hard freezes here in Florida. Dead fish are washing up everywhere - including the beaches. Thank goodness for the buzzards!

This is another of the panoramic shots that I was able to crop way down so I could identify all the various species including a Wood Stork.

Another of the several Wood Storks we saw at Babcock Webb.

Imagine my surprise when a large herd of Feral Hogs ran in front of the car! According to the species account at http://www.myfwc.com/:

"The wild hog is not a Florida native, and may have been introduced by explorer Hernando DeSoto as early as 1539. They may weigh over 150 pounds, and be 5-6 feet long. They travel in herds containing several females and their offspring.

Wild hogs occur throughout Florida in various habitats, but prefer moist forests and swamps, and pine flatwoods. They are omnivorous (eating all kinds of foods, both plants and animals, indiscriminately) and feed by rooting with their broad snouts. They may cause great damage of the understory and leave an area looking like a plowed field."

I've been trying to get a decent picture of a Belted Kingfisher. Not bad but I will still be working to improve on it. Most of the birds I photograph will not sit still while I set up a tripod - heck, they barely sit still for me to point and shoot!

This very tiny sandpiper was hunting for food along the side of the lake. I think it is either a Least Sandpiper or a Western Sandpiper.

Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area

Bill and I found a great new birding spot with a nice scenic wildlife drive and lots of hiking and biking trails - Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area. It is home to all kinds of creatures including the rare Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Babcock-Webb has over 65,000 acres of pine flatwoods, hammocks and freshwater marshes with thirty-seven miles of trails. During hunting season, (mid-October through mid-January) the entire area is open to vehicle access. We were able to drive the 5-mile year-round (paved) scenic drive, several of the improved side trails and the 15-mile main (unpaved) access road across the entire preserve. Since we are Florida residents and senior citizens, the $3 entrance fee was waived. What a deal!

We stopped often along the wildlife drive to get a closer look at all of the birds and take lots of pictures. This Red-bellied Woodpecker was clearing out a hole in the tree. We saw a variety of robins, jays, shrikes, warblers and sparrows.

I REALLY wanted this to be either a Yellow Warbler or a Prothonotary Warbler but I just couldn't get a good enough picture to positively identify it. It's probably a common Pine Warbler. Bill tells me that I zoom in too far and that I should rely more on my pixels than my zoom. Looking at my awful pictures from this trip - he is probably right.

Isn't this a gorgeous picture of a Mockingbird? I just wish I'd taken it - but it is one of Bill's.

Another of Bill's sightings - an Eastern Bluebird.

After the scenic drive we headed past the shooting range, around the corner and over the gravel side road in search of the rare Red-cockaded Woodpecker. They mark the trees where they know the birds nest and our map clearly shows the area with old pine forests that the birds call home.

We saw lots of woodpeckers, Red-bellied, Hairy and Downy. Our illusive bird looks similar to the Downys but with more white on its cheek. I took pictures of everything that moved and I have tons of pictures of trees where they had perched just seconds before. We were sure we saw the rare bird and I was sure I had pictures to prove it - and after looking closer, we think this one is a Red-cockaded Woodpecker!

The guide at the entrance told us we could drive through the entire preserve and across the 15-mile access road - all the way to Route 31. The gates were open - so off we went.

The access road was primitive to say the least. Bill had to drive very slowly - but it was worth it! We saw almost 4-dozen different varieties of birds including herons, egrets, quail, ducks, cranes, plovers, sandpipers, kingfisher, swallows, thrushes, warblers and a beautiful bright red Summer Tanager. A mother hog and her two babies crossed the road just ahead of us as did a couple of deer. This lake was full of alligators and every kind of wading bird Florida has. It was wonderful. Since we were in the car, we spent more time looking through the binoculars than taking pictures.

It was getting late - but Route 31 was just ahead, so we weren't worried. Unfortunately, the guide neglected to tell us that we couldn't get ON to Route 31, we could only get TO it! The exit was blocked with a large locked gate. Now we had to turn around and drive all the way back over the bumpy access road - hoping they don't close the gates at dusk. It was almost dinnertime by the time we reached the last gate. We will definitely go back - and I'll try again to get another picture of that rare woodpecker!