Gilbert, AZ ~ Riparian Water Ranch

Long-billed Dowitcher

Long-billed Dowitcher

Western and Least Sandpipers AKA Peeps

American Avocet

American Avocet

American Coot

Red-winged Blackbird & Back-necked Stilt

Neotropical Cormorant

St Petersburg, FL ~ Birds of Boyd Hill Nature Preserve

Drove over from Belleaire Beach to St. Petersburg this morning which isn't such a long drive.  I had decided to explore the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve.  When I arrived I asked some hikers leaving what there best bird of the day was "Horned Owl and owlets."  They gave me the information on where to find them and off I went.  When I first started my hike I was pleased to find a butterfly garden and then all along the way I found butterflies on Shepard's Needle. The Screech Owl (left) was in captivity having been injured and is not able to be released again into the wild.  They have a display with a number of birds including Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Black and Turkey Vultures and more.

Great Horned Owl (and there's a owlet in there)

Nanday Parakeet Life Bird # 427

These American Coots want some of what the Redhead is eating

Redhead Duck

Another loop around ~ Savannah NWR, SC

Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly

Today I decided to also check the main headquarters of the NWR as they often have nice displays that are set up for you to learn about nature.  I didn't see one at this headquarters but did walk a trail and sat by there feeders a while .  I also checked out some impoundments for ducks as they suggested.  I ended with 37 species of birds and 4 butterfly species.  This is a refuge I would visit again in the future.

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Blue-winged Teal (Drake left & Hen right)

Savannah Sparrow feeding

Northern Mockingbird

American Coot

Merritt Island NWR, FL ~ Black Point Drive ~ Awesome!

American Coots were everywhere in great numbers.

Male Anhinga ~ Gotta love the the eye when breeding!

Blue-winged Teal

Common Gallinule

Pied-bill Grebe

Lesser Scaup

Reddish Egret

Palm Desert, CA

I really love these morning walks,  The solitude is wonderful and getting to walk around and just focus on God's creations and the glory of nature rejuvenates my soul. I enjoy listening to my thoughts and taking pictures in the warm sunshine.  In the afternoons I enjoy spending time with the family relaxing at the pool.

White-faced Ibis

American Coot

Pied-billed Grebe

Viera Wetlands & Click Ponds, Viera, FL ~ Take Two

Decided to take a drive back to our second favorite spot Viera Wetlands followed by the Click Ponds

American Coot

Great Blue Heron males fighting over female (just out of the picture)

Little Blue Heron going into adult plummage

Pied-billed Grebe ( First year)

and onto the Click Ponds...

Double-crested Cormorant

Green Heron

Florida Soft-shelled Turtle

CA ~ Relaxing at Palm Desert ~ Desert Willow Resort

Great Egret

Relaxing for me is to get up and go out walking looking for birds in the early morning  Club Intrawest has lots of good areas to walk around their grounds and see more of my old friends. This morining I saw Pied-billed Grebe's, Great and Snowy Egrets, White-faced Ibis, Verdin's, House Finches, and lots of  Anna's and Costa's Hummingbirds.

Snowy Egret & White-faced Ibis

American Coot

Female and Male House Finches

Gainor's Visit

A friend and her hubby came over from Delaware to spend some time visiting me and go birding in Cape May County, NJ.  They got to see lots of new birds they'd never seen before plus we had a good time visiting.  Here are some pictures from our time together.

Lake Champlain ~ Visiting ducks

Love visiting Lake Champlain in the Villas during the winter because of all of the ducks that can be found there.  Lake Champlain which is actually probably a retention pond but nevertheless is fun to visit.  This year some new ducks have been seen including 3 Red-necked Grebe's, a Pied-billed Grebe and a Ruddy Duck.  I have also seen Hooded Merganser's, Common Merganser's, Northern Shoveler's, Mallard's, Black Ducks, American Coot and Canada Geese.

CA ~ Fun times in the desert

Cooper's Hawk

Today's early morning walk was exciting! As I came out of the room there was a Cooper's Hawk sitting over on the fence and I was able to get a quick picture before the hawk flew off as I startled him. Then I went around the corner and saw a Greater Roadrunner chick jump into a bush, grab a bug and jump down onto the sidewalk again. Then the chick didn't seem to know how to get the bug broken into smaller pieces so he could eat it. What fun to watch him figure it out! On my walk I also saw 2 more life birds - Berwick's Wren and Gambel's Quail.

Greater Roadrunner chick catches breakfast

American Coot

Lake Champlain - Villas

A return visit to see the Common Mergansers, the Northern Shovelers and the American Coots

The Fight --  Immature male Merganser biting the Adult Male

Northern Shovelers (above)

American Coot