Fort Myers Beach +

We arrived. at Indian Creek RV Resort in Fort Myers Beach on Oct. 15th where we will be staying until New Year's Day.  Each week we will go to different birding areas, but what's really nice, there are lots of birds right here in the park.  White Ibis, sometimes called "Florida Chickens" are abundant and wander all over the grass areas digging for grubs and worms.

Immature White Ibis with adult

Great Egret hunts along the many "lakes" in the park

Osprey are often here but we haven't found the nesting site

Little Marsh Rabbit - note short ears

Green Tree Frog
 

We were delighted to see that the Bald Eagle pair are still here that we enjoyed in past visits.  Looks like they will be using the same nest.

Here's the pair talking it out.

Coming down for a drink

They don't mind maneuvering between the homes

Loggerhead Shrike catches lunch

Our first day trip was to Lake Okeechobee area, 80 miles east of Fort Myers.  We found lots of great birds and added a couple to our year list.

 

This Green Heron was having a bad "hair" day in the blowing wind.

Red-shouldered Hawks are everywhere and like the wires for perching.

Male Anhinga along the roadside canal

American Bittern jumps up near the road

Up, up and away

This is a big ranching area with lots of cattle so the Cattle Egrets love wintering here.

Purple Swamphen at Lake Okeechobee

Note the long legs and toes for walking on floating vegetation

The five foot tall Wood Stork wanders near the canal

Amazingly, these large heavy birds nest high in large trees

Fish Crows are common in the RV Park and we have had over 370 come in each night to roost.

The fruit of the West Indian Mahogany Tree

Little Blue Heron resting on a railing

Performing on the balance beam

Glamor pose

Beautiful sunset, a reminder that God is still in control no matter what is going on in the world.

Love & Prayers,

Ty & Ida Baumann

Alabama into Florida

 

We traveled into Alabama south through the highest point in the the state, then south to Wind Creek State Park where we spent the night.  We had a beautiful site on the flowage and this Red-headed Woodpecker was busy stashing food right next to the RV.

Great Blue Heron high in the pine over our RV site.

Our first sighting of the Brown-headed Nuthatch

 

Carolina Wrens were singing and active everywhere

Eastern Bluebird

We then drove into the Panhandle of Florida and stayed a night at Ochlochonee River State Park.

We found this Long-tailed Skipper on the many flowers in the Pine Forest understory.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Summer Tanager

Pied-bald White-tailed deer - still here from when we saw her three years ago.

Tiny (1/2 inch) Gray Tree Frog

Buckeye Butterfly

We then drove to St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge and as we drove south on the seven mile

auto tour we encounted a wonderful surprise.  In flight, a circling American Flamingo!!!

Our first opportunity to see this bird within distant photo range.  The local birders said "Pinkie" arrived in the refuge in 2018 on Halloween Day brought in by a hurricane.  The bird returned every October for the last three years.

Local media coverage and ebird brought in many birders to get this bird on their North American Bird List.

Ty walked around the dike to get some even closer photos

No trip to Florida would be complete without the photo of an Alligator

Yellow Water Lily (Banana Water Lily)

Common Gallinule

Common Green Darner

Zebra Haliconian

Gulf Fritillary

Very common Osprey

We will be coming back to St. Mark's for January-March and will look forward to seeing these Bald Eagles add to the nest and bring offspring into the world.

We are now in Fort Myers Beach visiting our dear friend Patti.  Plus taking birding trips to many area birding spots.

Always wonderful to see God's creation wherever we go.

Love & Prayers,

Ty & Ida Baumann