The Shipley Trail - FOS American Robin

The Shipley Trail which borders the Bailey's Homestead and the new home for SCCF's native Nursery is progressing nicely - the nursery is open and the Homestead will follow on the early part of next year.

Come and take a look at all the progress...

This is viewed from the parking lot - in the back is where the Shipley Trail is.

The Bailey Homestead.

The Windmill which borders the trail and the homestead property.

The fresh water pond.

I made my way to the Shipley Trail which overlooks the Bailey Homestead.

A bit of history on the Windmill.

I walked to the reclaimed water area which sits behind Matzaluna Restaurant and at the end of the Shipley Trail - technically this area is also known at the Pond Apple Trail - the two trails connect. This morning several birds were already resting from their breakfast feasts.

A Tricolored heron.

A pair of Killdeer.

From the trail head of the Pond Apple Trail I am looking across the ponds and into the tall Australian Pine.....

where the pair of Bald Eagle is presently resting.

Further along, some little frogs were seen jumping the bridge (railing) into the nearby vegetation as I approached.

Plenty of purple moon flowers can be seen along the trails.

I love to be on a trail - looking ahead yet not knowing what I will encounter....an adventure awaits.

On my way back I noticed a few more Killdeers, as I raised my binoculars to count them I am surprised to see how many there are....

the more I watch, the more I see - I counted 24.

A Young Anhinga claimed a wood post - he watched intently as I walked slowly by....

after I passed him, I turned to watch his demeanor - he made me think of: Ready, set, GO!....but he fooled me because he stayed put after all.

Back along the boardwalk - I noticed the pollen dwellers.

And my surprise for today - an American Robin - my first of season sighting....the Robins have been making their way down south and looks like this fellow has arrived in Sanibel - how precious!

A young Indigo Bunting was also spotted along the trail...

in the midst of the Yellow-rumped Warblers, which have become a dime a dozen.

Folks, the birding is getting better and I would venture to guess that the wildlife/birds are approving their new grounds that surrounds the Bailey Homestead/SCCF nature Gardens ...check my E-Bird list for today - 33 species!

Oil Well Road and Corkscrew Swamp with the Caloosa Bird Club

Guess what day is today? If you answered Monday or Caloosa Bird Club day - you are correct and win on both counts.

We got up at 4 to get to our first destination at 6:30a.m. to witness the ducks waking up and some of the waders taking off for the day.

Check this out! How many ducks do you see?

This is only a very small portion of what was happening - species were seen all over - good thing we had many eyes on the scopes.

Several times we watched the birds/ducks being displaced by Northern Harrier and Bald Eagle flying overhead - it is just amazing to watch the ducks fly in unison and to hear the wings is just breathtaking. I did a whole lot of bird watching today as you'll see from my E-bird list for this location - I highly recommend a stop before the pond dries up or gets drained (whichever comes first) for tomato planting - very soon.

An hour later we made our way to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary - one of our first greeters for the day ..... a Mourning Dove

and a handful of American Robins - they are finally here and it is nice to see them again.

There were also a pair of Deers eating their fill and blending in quite nicely with their surrounding.

We take our birding very seriously and willing to suffer from neck stiffness in the process.

The Wood Storks we saw along the boardwalk...ummm.

This place is so beautiful and photos never do it justice - this is one of those places where you have to be there to know what it's all about.

A Limpkin drew a nice crowd - he quickly went down and started catching apple snails - his favorite food.

A Downy Woodpecker - my last photo for today. Check my E-Bird List for the Corkscrew - a very nice day of bird watching indeed.

Bailey's Bobcat

As I get older or should I say wiser, I've realized that I can plan my days/weeks/months way ahead of time but the end results are totally out of my hands.....I'm okay with that because often times the alternatives that surface are usually icing on the cake.

In my simple planning today - my goal was to see birds and open myself up for any surprises that may come my way....perhaps a rare sighting would be good. So, come along and see how my morning went....

The moon is full and the day is just about to begin - that in itself is exciting.

A flock of American Robins landed right behind me....

for me it is always exciting to see them especially since it doesn't happen very often.

A half hour into my walk I spotted a Bobcat leading the way - once in a while he would turn to see if I was still following.

He was focused on the Marsh Rabbits - following them in his 'cat' demeanor and jumping into bushes in his attempt to snag one....in this instance the Hare persevered and won.

Behind me a mother with a cranky baby in a stroller caught the cat's attention....

one more look and off he went ....

at a quicker pace.

In the meantime, a flock of White Pelicans were spotted seemingly floating in the air.

On my way out of the Bailey Tract - a small gator was seen watching people....

I bid him farewell with glee in my step. This day surely brought a different spin - and oh, what fun! My E-bird List for today.