Bunche Beach

After several days of morning rain, it was nice to see the sun this morning with a low tide - time to visit Bunche Beach and see who is feeding.

 

Several Semi-palmated Plovers were foraging....

as well as Short-billed Dowitchers.

Short-billed Dowitcher

Semi-Palmated Plover

Roseate Spoonbills were feeding too.

And the Least Sandpipers are back!

And so are the Spotted Sandpipers.

The Green Heron checking it twice....wondering who that is in the neighborhood.

On your mark, get set.....

GO!

The Marbled Godwits were in good numbers - one of my favorite.

The Least Sandpiper - the smallest of them all.

The Marbled Godwit with a Willet - a fine pair they make.

What's not to love at Bunche Beach!

Short-billed Dowitchers.

Same specie - different age and plumage.

A Tricolored Heron - beautiful!

And the one that steals the show - the white morph of the Reddish Egret

Enjoying his ballyhoo catch.

Yum....that was good!

Fluff, fluff....shake, shake, shake....

get ready....

and start the whole process of feeding all over again....

As we neared the exit toward the parking lot - a Calico Crab grabbed our attention...

as well as some Oyster clusters - looking like a foot print in the sand....though, you wouldn't want to step on that.

And folks, the Calico Crab has a message for you....listen up.....

Great message, don't you think? This sign should be at the entrance of every single public beaches - it carries an important message. (My E-bird List for today.)

Harn's Marsh with the Caloosa Bird Club

It's Monday and today's destination: Harn's Marsh which is located in Lehigh Acres. I haven't been there in several months and I was really happy to have the opportunity to visit with the group.

My breath is always taken away when I arrive and take in the vast expanse before me - what's not to love.

The closest pond from the parking lot - across the way the vultures can be seen perched atop the trees....

Turkey and Black Vultures.

And the Sandhill Crane families - always fun to come across them, listen to them and watch them as they fly off.

Come fall and winter time - the ducks start to arrive and make the Marsh their home for the season.

Some of the ducks are further and hidden between the reeds along the many water channels that exist within the Harn's Marsh.

A nice find today: A Redhead Duck.

Harn's Marsh is a 4 mile loop and if you travel toward the back portion of it, often times you'll find shorebirds just like these 3 Least Sandpipers.

Snail Kites were in big numbers today - we saw at least 5 of them throughout the Marsh.

An odd sighting of what appears to be a Boat-tailed Grackle with most of its tail feathers missing and a lot of white feathers.

After leaving the Marsh - we went for lunch and on the way home we checked a few key spots - such as North River Road where Red-headed Woodpeckers can be found.

Across the way a Cow taking care of her calf.

Once again - a great birding event with the group as well as beautiful Florida weather - it doesn't get much better than that. My E-Bird list for the Harn's Marsh.