|
|
Honeymoon Island
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Participants: 8
Species: 46
As a birding destination,
Honeymoon Island never disappoints us. On the way we stopped on the causway and
some got their first look at the Common Loon. There were many Brown Pelicans,
Laughing, Ring-billed and a few Herring Gulls. Once in the park we stopped at
the lagoon to view the mud flats, oyster bars and mangrove area. The Horned
Grebes, at least six, were new to some. Except for the Tri-colored Heron, all
of the expected herons and egrets were there but the antics of the Reddish Egret
got the most attention.
Over in the Pet Beach area, the
birds were clustered on a large sandbar. One Sanderling ran along the beach.
On the sandbar it was easy to pick out Black Skimmers, Cormorants, Royal and
Forster's Terns but the only shorebird we could I.D. for sure was the Willet.
We stopped to watch a flock of Savannah Sparrows on the path to the beach and
also saw Common Ground Doves on the same path.
The Nature Center was having a
"Shell Show" and presented a video on the life history of the living mollusks
that produce the shells that collectors covet. The video was filmed on Sanibel
and featured living creatures and many facts about their morphology and life
activities.
On to the Osprey Nature Trail
where we would see the nesting pair of Great Horned Owls. The nest is vey
exposed and the chicks will be easy to see. The eggs should be hatching any
day. The female was asleep on the nest but did stir and open her eyes when a
Coast Guard chopper flew over. The male was roosting in a living pine right
next to the trail.
We practiced our birding-by-ear
skills picking out Osprey, Towhee, Cardinal, Carolina Wren, Catbird, Red
-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, and Mockingbird. And finally, in our efforts to
find something else among the Yellow-rumps and Gnatcatchers--a brilliant yellow
Prairie Warbler landed right in front of us. A very enjoyable trip. Aggie
Condon
|