A Full-time Life

Category: Florida birding

All About the Birds

All about the birds today — and our get-away to go see them. We actually took a few days off from our restoration work at the end of last month. It was a lovely time, made even lovelier because it had turned cold (for here) and heat on chilly mornings comes from the same presently non-existent source as air conditioning on hot days. (We lost our heat pump/air conditioner and all the duct work as well as under the floor insulation because of Hurricane Ian. )

Brown Pelican — Chokoloskee Bay, Everglades

We went to the Everglades/Big Cypress where it was beautiful and as birdy as ever … and the camper van was snug and warm whether we were driving or camping.  It was a wonderful birding trip. If anything, we spotted even more than usual for this time of year. Apparently the hurricane didn't affect the birds much. (That's an entirely unscientific observation — I hope it is correct.)

Big Cypress National Preserve

The sign is a sign of good things happening. The National Park Service is currently in the process of restoring many acres of land. They are turning the Everglades back into the river of grass it is meant to be. And the wetlands the restoration creates are definitely for the birds. And birders.

The other pictures in the mosaic really only go a little way toward showing the sheer number of birds we could see all at once.

Snowy Egret (yellow slippers)

I tried several times to count but kept losing track. It was more fun to try for pictures of the individual birds, although sometimes it was hard to focus because there were so many places to look.

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Everyone will understand why I related to the following from the National Park Service facebook page:

Me: “I’m an expert at identifying birds.”

Friend: “OK, what about those ones flying over there?”

Me: “Yep, they're all birds.

Whoever does the NPS page has a great sense of humor, but provides good (serious) information too. The page is well worth checking out often. Here's a link: National Park Service

So yes, as usual IDs were not easy for me. But whether I know their names or not, observing the birds is the important thing. The wildlife, the water, the nature — that's really why we keep coming to Florida.

Tri-Colored Heron ? Night Heron?

White Ibis

Playing a game of peek-a-boo maybe?

Great Blue Heron

It didn't matter whether you looked in the marshes, in the water, or up in the Cypress trees, birds were everywhere.

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We stayed at Midway Campground in Everglades National Park but most of the birds we saw were on loop roads in Big Cypress National Preserve — the two Parks adjoin.

Little Blue Heron

We enjoyed our little break from reality. Our cottage and our snowbird neighborhood are almost back to normal (pre-Ian). But it's still a bit of a construction zone around here so we are reminded daily of the damages that storm caused. But it was not nearly as bad for us as for much of the Fort Myers area.

We drove a different route on our way home coming back along along the recently reopened road through Fort Myers Beach, the area that was most devastated. So very sad still. A full three months after the storm there is very little recognizable about this seaside town.

Wood Stork

It was quite a contrast — from the beauty of the Everglades area which seemed unchanged to the beach which may never be the same. We were glad to get away from it all but glad to be home too especially with the reminder of how fortunate we really were.

LINKING this week to the following: Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD Wednesday; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS and RATHER B' BIRDING

January 8, 2023
In-between

We can't quite decide here in Eugene whether it is Autumn or late Summer.

Stella de Oro Daylily

Colorful flowers are still blooming in the neighborhood …

But the squirrels are busy gathering as many acorns as they can.

Skies are smoky some days …

And bright blue on others.

It's a beautiful time to be in Eugene and we're always grateful to be here, and especially this year. But we are personally feeling very in-between seasons too. It's hard to enjoy beautiful Eugene when we're worried about our winter home in storm-damaged Fort Myers.

So we're thinking we'll spend a shorter time here this year than we'd originally planned. We know there will be lots of work to do at the Canal Cottage. And oh so much in the area that we will miss. The pictures in the Mosaic below are memories of happier years at Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island and Six Mile Cypress Slough. Both are among the many nature areas that are closed because of hurricane damage.

We remain hopeful — and, no matter what, grateful for the memories.

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; and SATURDAY CRITTERS



October 16, 2022
Winding Down and Wrapping Up

Our season in Florida is drawing to a close. This week we'll be getting ready to close up the house and getting the car and tiny trailer ready to head for Oregon — and then we'll be doing exactly that.

I didn't even get to take advantage of the last normal week at the Canal Cottage photographically because our weather didn't cooperate. We had a lot of rain. And gray skies. But we're grateful that we missed the terrible rains that hit further South. Our area just caught the tail end of the Florida monsoon that hit last week.

Red shouldered hawks, Eagles, Osprey

So none of the pictures in this post are new. They are all from this Season however. Even though we were busy doing a lot of non-blogging work on the Canal Cottage and didn't do nearly as much Florida exploring as we have in the past, there were still many photo opportunities. All of these birds of prey were seen in our own neighborhood.

Ibis, Little Blue Heron (immature), Tri-Color Heron, Northern Shrike, Ducks, Kildeer, Blue Jay, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Snowy Egret

All pictures in the collage above were taken right here on the grounds in the resort where we live or at neighborhood parks or ponds. All were accidental sightings — none were from special birding trips. You never want to go anywhere here without a camera. Normal activities like morning walks or short errand runs frequently turn into great birding opportunities.

These are frequently seen roadside birds. Almost every time we drive anywhere we see Egrets on the ground or in trees, Wood storks in roadside wetlands or even in water-filled ditches, vultures doing what vultures do, and Ibis everywhere.

Grateful for our season in the sun. For the views, the warm winter weather, and the many accidental birding opportunities right here at home. (But not-so-secretly hoping we'll have time for a little more Florida exploring in another season.)

Linking this week to the following sharing opportunities: Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; SATURDAY CRITTERS ; and RATHER B' BIRDING

June 5, 2022
Venice Audubon Rookery

May really is a pretty month here. The moods of the sky are fascinating and every morning walk is different.

Last week's morning walks at home

We stay busy indoors during the hot (and sometimes rainy) part of the day, but sometimes you've just got to get away in spite of the heat.

So one day last week we drove about an hour North of us to visit the Venice Audubon Bird Rookery. From their website:

"The Rookery island’s deep lake is small enough so that from the shaded pavilion benches you hardly need binoculars for a clear view of the birds. Tangled invasive plants have been replaced by Florida-friendly vegetation so you can easily walk around the edge of the lake and watch bird activity on all sides of the island."

Green Heron

May is the end of the nesting season, so there wasn't too much activity in the rookery itself. But there were some very nice birds around the edges of that small Lake. One of my favorites, the Green Heron was the first bird I spotted on that walk.

Great Egrets and Great Blue Heron

At the nests, which are on a bird island in the center of the Lake, we caught glimpses of a few big babies poking up their heads to be fed, but I think most of the nestlings had left home already. The ones we saw (I didn't get pictures) were as big as the parents.

There were a couple pairs of Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks on the opposite side of the Lake from the parking area.

Whistling Duck

There's just something about these guys that makes me smile. Maybe it's the pink legs?

Or the Mohawk Hair cut?

Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks

Or their pretty eyes? Or what seems like their curious nature. Whatever it is, they are a joy to watch. We've seen these ducks before, but not this close to home.

We spotted this high-density neighborhood on the edge of the Lake:

Purple Martin Condominium

And a condo tenant (Purple Martin)

He looks a little cranky. Most of the residents didn't want their picture taken at all. (The picture is highly zoomed. I really don't think he even saw me.)

Here's some more Spring color from walks in our own neighborhood:

More Florida Spring Flowers

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities: Thank you to the hosts.

NATURE NOTES; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD Wednesday; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; WANDERING CAMERA; SATURDAY CRITTERS and RATHER B' BIRDING

May 29, 2022
At home with camera …

.. and a computer on which to download its contents. Life is good.

This morning … looking East from the back-porch:

SUNRISE: Like sunset in reverse, but without the wine.

Osprey seen on a hot day's drive in the Babcock-Webb wildlife area.

Red shouldered Hawk seen on a crack-of-dawn walk here in our neighborhood. I guess he'd already had breakfast because he made no move toward those little birds perched right below. I walked around the block and hawk and (I think) mockingbirds were still perched in exactly the same place when I got back to this point.

The Kildeer skittered around leading me away from its ground nest even before I even got anywhere close. I always wish I could tell them that I wouldn't dream of hurting their babies.

The bunny's defensive strategy, on the other hand, was to freeze in place also before I got anywhere close. There is a reason why rabbits are at the bottom of the food chain. But I always like spotting them. This grassy area borders the wildlife walk next door to our resort and I've probably taken pretty much the exact same picture every season we've stayed here. Except of course this bunny is at least the 12th or 13th generation of wild rabbits over that number of years.

Florida Spring flowers are anything but subtle.

The rainy season arrived early this year. That's good for flora and fauna. Here in subtropical Florida, the mornings are almost always sunny – the rains come later in the day. They move in fast and furious and then are completely gone for the day, with not a drizzle left. We need more English words for rain, because it's very different here than in our home state of Oregon.

Great Blue Heron (leftover from beach trip posted last week)

It was an ordinary week and in our family we have always been grateful for ordinary days. But when I think about how nice it is to sit at my nice new speedy computer to write these words, I can't help but think about how different an ordinary week is nowadays. I'm glad for that because I like this way of saving our memories.

Linking this ordinary week to the following sharing opportunities, with thanks to the hosts:

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; and SATURDAY CRITTERS

May 8, 2022
Happy to be here

Happy to be back from an unintended vacation from blogging. We have been busy and well — the time away was caused by computer failure. My poor PC gave up the ghost! After several trips to the "not-quite-as-Best-as-it-used-to-be" store, my new machine is finally here. And installed and ready to go, thanks to the in-house computer person (the one in our household who is not me).

And now all I have to do is remember how to use it. I'm thankful to be back and to have new pictures to share. And very grateful that my old ones were safely restored.

Ruddy Turnstone

Except for the memory collage a little way below, the pictures in today's post were taken on Captiva Island last week. It was our first real boating excursion in over two seasons.

We stayed two nights (aboard our boat) at the historic Tween Waters Inn. It is located on Captiva Island be'tween' Pine Island Sound and the Gulf of Mexico. Click on the sign to read some of its history.

It was kind of a bitter-sweet time because we went with good friends who have sold their winter home on the Canal and will not be back next season. They are the ones who really helped us get to know the good places to boat here in SW Florida.

Brown Pelican

We have had so much fun together, boating and ashore, during our twelve seasons here. We will miss them.

This collage is not from last week, but is just a few memories from past boat trips with these (and other) friends.

We didn't let the bitter over-rule the sweet on this trip and we had fun together. By this time in our lives, we all know that change happens.

Ospreys on historic Tween Waters cottage

Here's to happy times: Past, present, and to come!

More Sunset from Tween Waters Beach, Captiva Island (Pine Island Sound)

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to the hosts:

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; and SATURDAY CRITTERS

May 1, 2022
An Eagle Adventure

The supermarket across the street from the Eagle Pasture isn't my favorite one, but sometimes I do our shopping there there just to have an excuse to check up on the Eagle family first. Last week, I stumbled on a bit of unexpected action when I stopped by. The picture just below, though, is actually the end of the story.

But it's a clearer picture than the action shots are, so it gets pride of place. This is Harriet, who along with her partner has almost completed raising two eaglets this season. The "babies" are now almost as big as their parents. They are their 19th and 20th offspring since the SW Florida Eagle WebCam has been in place.

It had been a couple of weeks at least since I'd stopped by, so when I saw a young eagle perched up above the nest, I thought it was one of the two.

(All pictures can be enlarged by double clicking on them.)

I wasn't too surprised, because I knew from the WebCam that they had started to make short hop flights out of their nest.

But then as I focused on the nest, I saw two heads peeking up. What??? In the picture above are both E-19 and E-20 in the nest and the one who does not belong perched up above. A lady who is almost always at the nest taking pictures told me that the sub-adult visitor had flown in a little earlier. She thought it was probably hoping to cadge something to eat when the parent eagles returned to the nest with food.

Suddenly as I focused on the nest, one of "our" nestlings flew straight up to the branch where the visitor was perched. There were lots of peeps from both and from the baby still in the nest! (And some low worried murmurs from the humans watching from below.

In the picture above you can see a little of the confrontation while the second eaglet watches from a safe spot in the nest. The other people there thought the brave Eaglet was E-20, the youngest of our two. Although I have no idea how anyone could tell them apart.

I pretty much lost the thread with the camera at that point.

Actually, I am surprised I got as much of the action as I did, because usually when anything like that happens, I get excited and forget that I'm taking pictures. This time, it was only a few minutes and there was no violence, just a lot of noise and flapping. The visitor apparently decided he wasn't wanted and he flew away. E-20 flew back to the nest branch. Job well done!

(S)he sat on the nest looking proud — and that was when Harriet (Mom) flew in from across the pasture to land on the branch above. I wonder if she had been keeping an eye on things from wherever she was, just to see if her youngsters could figure out how to handle an intruder by themselves.

She did not bring any food or reward at all!

It won't be much longer until the Eagle Pair are literally empty-nesters!

I'm pretty sure everyone can be divided in two about my little adventure story. Half (at least) will say "Oh, lady, get a life." The other people will say "I probably would have enjoyed seeing that." No doubt about it for me — I thoroughly enjoyed my hour or so with the Eagles and went on across the street to the supermarket feeling like it had been a very good start to the day.

Sky-shots taken right here at home.

So many reasons to be grateful.

Thank you to the hosts of these sharing opportunities where this post will be linked:

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD Wednesday;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; SATURDAY CRITTERS and RATHER B' BIRDING

March 27, 2022
IT’S SPRING

Today it is officially Spring!

Here in SW Florida, we don't see the usual flowers that early Spring brings to much of this hemisphere. Our Spring gold is not fields of daffodils but this flowering tree that blossoms beautifully for at least a few days this time of year. (As with the flowering cherry trees elsewhere in the country, even a light wind can strip the beautiful flowers pretty quickly.)

So far, most of the blossoms are still on the branches!

Ibis in Spring breeding colors stroll around the lawn here at the Park. I counted at least 20 on this particular evening walk.

It's called either a yellow Jacaranda tree or a yellow trumpet tree , depending on which Google Image site you believe.

This guy stopped to stare at me on his way up the tree trunk.

As the World Turns!

Thursday evening I took pictures of the almost full moon from our back porch looking East across the Canal – the next day, early morning moonlight shining right through the window blind woke us up. (Our bedroom is on the West side of the house.) We never know what will await us in the morning here. Mocking birds, fish-crows, mourning doves, woodpeckers, or (now) morning moonlight have all served as our alarm clock. All of them start the day off with a smile. So much better than the kind of alarm you have to set the night before.

Here's a golden memory from last March, when we were in Oregon:

Thankful for Spring, wherever we are.

Linking this week to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; and SATURDAY CRITTERS



March 20, 2022
Bird Rookery Swamp

We drove to the CREW Bird Rookery on a beautiful blue-sky day last week.

We couldn't have had a better day for a nature walk. Perfect walking temperature, not too hot, not too bright …. and lots and lots of birds. There can never be too many birds.

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There were birds in trees.

(I would have guessed this was a snowy egret but I couldn't see the yellow feet. So maybe an immature great blue heron? Or ???)

Cormorant, snowy egret ….

Different species shared the same branches. I always like to see this.

Wood Stork

Storks shared the same trees, but the other birds gave them more room. They're pretty big compared to everybody else.

And then there were birds in the water:

Snowy Egret (I think) and Immature Ibis

And there were Great Egrets everywhere.

Including the one in the center photo who owned that path and was not afraid to let everyone know it. He walked back and forth several times while the humans who were using his path waited patiently on both sides. That beautiful green color around the eye is part of the bird's breeding plumage.

Tri-colored Heron

And there were other birds in the wetlands.

We used to see Great Blue Herons all the time but the Tri-Colored seems to be more common this season. I think I've seen at least one on every nature walk we've taken.

And then there were the other guys — more than a few sightings of wingless wildlife:

Hard-shelled turtle, soft-shelled turtle, and … Ta-Da:

Our first Alligator of the season (you know I have to do it!). Doesn't he look happy?

We are grateful to CREW (Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed) Land and Water Trust for what they do to save some spaces in our State for earth and wildlife – and for making parts of it available for the rest of us to visit. Click to enlarge the informational poster below:

… and then look at that map on the right. So many places to explore. Thank you CREW!

Linking to the following sharing opportunities, with thanks to the hosts who provide them:

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD Wednesday; SIGNS SIGNS;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING

March 6, 2022
In the Jungle

In the jungle, the urban jungle …

the monster sleeps tonight

You never know what you might find in the jungle. But things aren't always what they seem, especially when seen through a zoom lens. Here's the way the monster (an anole lizard) looked with the naked eye.

Points if you can identify the acrobatic bird in the first picture (or if you can even tell it IS a bird). More points if you even see the bird in the center picture. (Against the jungle background, the anhinga's wings look disembodied.)



The same heron as in the collage above — in a more normal (and more attractive) pose.

Waterways wind through the jungle.

Common Galllinule (Moorhen)

There were several moorhens, but they all refused to turn around for me. I did like this picture because it shows its weird feet. I've heard a lot of people call this bird a "duck", but those feet prove otherwise. Yes, it's a swimming bird. But not a duck! Things are not always what they seem.

And this whole post is really not what it seems … this jungle is really part of a County Park, within the city limits of Fort Myers. And within sight of these condo towers. All pictures were taken on a walk at Lakes Park — another nature fix on a run-of-the-mill errand day.

Ending with another beautiful SW Florida sunrise (from our backdoor). Grateful for the daily reminder that every day is a new beginning.

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities: Thank you to the hosts.

NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; and SATURDAY CRITTERS;

February 27, 2022