Lift Off

Pictured is a Song Sparrow leaving a tree branch. I capture this shot occasionally by either holding the shutter button down for multiple shots or, as happened in this case, there is a time delay from the moment the shutter button is hit and the time the image is recorded. In any case, I like the shot with the light coming through the feathers,the bill pointed straight up and the feet pointing straight down.

Spring Wildflowers

Spring is a great time of year to get to the nearest woods and look for the explosion of spring wildflowers, mushrooms, and deer sheds. If you find the two I have pictured please give me a call as they would be a rare find for east central Illinois, but I guess after seeing a Black-necked Stilt here yesterday, anything is possible. Someone asked if I take all my own pictures. Well the truth of it is, I don't, my camera does!

Black-necked Stilt

Sunday I was informed of a rare visitor to Coles County. A pair of Black-necked Stilts had stopped at the Douglas Hart Nature Center wetlands. I was there in the afternoon and only one was left. Truly a very exciting bird to see with its long pinkish legs and needlelike bill. I was told this was the first time these birds had been seen in Coles County.

Varied Thrush

Pictured is a Varied Thrush taken at Mount Taber in Portland Oregon. I had never seen this bird before and was quite excited to see one. This is a very handsome bird whose numbers seem to be on the decline. A special thanks to my son-in-law who led me to this beautiful spot.

Lighthouse

One of my very favorite things to do on Sanibel is to go to the lighthouse beach just before the sun comes up. I have never been disappointed. Today was my last visit to the lighthouse this year and I was rewarded with a special treat. Just as the sun broke the horizon a Magnificent Frigatebird appeared. It was riding a gentle thermal and circled between me and the lighthouse. As per usual, my camera was ready and I captured the silhouette of the bird as it passed the light of the Sanibel Lighthouse. That is all from Sanibel until next year.

Birds in Flight

Undulating back and forth, up and down and doing this without running into each other. Breathtaking to say the least. Featured in this show are Dunlins.

Prairie Warbler

In Illinois, the prairie state, the Prairie Warbler is a rare visitor. In fact, this bird is not well named because it favors dense second growth and thickets, not open prairie. It is common in Florida and frequents the mangrove swamps. This guy was feeding on little green worms in the mangroves lining the edge of the wildlife drive in Ding Darling NWR. We had never seen a Prairie Warbler so this was quite a treat as she darted from branch to branch.

Wilson's Plover

In Southwest Florida in the winter months there are four small plovers to be seen. The largest of the four and the one with the biggest bill is the Wilson's Plover. I have never seen this plover on Sanibel Island. The one pictured was taken at Fort Desoto Park.

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

A nocturnal heron of the southern swamps and coasts, the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron can also be found breeding along wooded streams northward to Indiana and Illinois. Even though I just said this is a nocturnal bird I often see it feeding in the daytime. It moves very slowly along the waters edge looking mostly for crabs. This slow movement makes it fairly easy to photograph.

American Oystercatcher

The previous post showed an American Oystercatcher with a group of shorebirds. Pictured here are close ups of this very unusual bird.

American Oystercatcher

Featured in this photo is the American Oystercatcher who has a bright red bill, black head, brown back and white belly. True to its name, it is specialized in feeding on bivalves (oysters, clams, and mussels) and uses its brightly colored bill to get at them. Its habitat is the coastal islands, beaches, and mudflats.

Ducks

Pictured are a Redhead and Ring-necked Duck. I will let you guess which is which. Well one hint is the Ring-necked has a white ring around its bill, consequently the name ring-necked. Confused? Well the Ring-necked does have a light brown ring around its' neck which is hardly noticeable. We spotted these ducks with others in a pond along the road to Fort Desoto State Park. Located south of St. Petersburg, we found this park to be quite lovely and hopefully we will go again next year and explore it with our grandson Zachary Cole Ezetta.

Bald Eagles

In August of 2004, Hurricane Charley blew through Southwest Florida destroying many homes. One of the homes destroyed was the tree that housed a Bald Eagles' nest. So, they relocated to an Australian Pine next to the Dairy Queen. The last four years I have intently observed the eagles who would care for their young and do daily house maintenence. This year, however, other tree branches have grown in front of the nest (anyone got a chain saw) and a couple the dead trees on which they used to perch have blown down. Consequently, I haven't been able to see or, more importantly, photograph them - until this morning. They were both sitting together on a dead snag. It was a foggy, misty morning so I gave it my best shot.

American White Pelican

The White Pelican does not dive for fish as the Brown Pelican does. Instead, it dips its head underwater to scoop up fish. Several pelicans may fish cooperatively, moving into a circle to concentrate fish, and then dipping their heads under simultaneously to catch fish. As they do this they usually attract a crowd of other birds such as Ibis and Egrets which can make for a spectular site. I was lucky to witness such an event yesterday.

Two Spoonbills

I recently posted pictures of Roseate Spoonbills but I thought this picture showed off their name sake bill from the front, the side, and even the inside. This is truly a very beautiful but a bit prehistoric looking bird.

Osprey

Osprey were once threatened due to the use of DDT and loss of habitat. DDT has long been banned (in the U.S.)and man has helped provide nesting areas by building platforms. The bird pictured was sitting on a dead snag and I captured the lift off. He has what appears to be a direct bead on me!

Three Skimmers

I combined three pictures of the same Black Skimmer preparing to lay down. Most Skimmers I have seen stand with their head tucked back against their body to rest, so this guy laying on the sand seemed a bit unusual.

Roseate Spoonbill

The Roseate Spoonbill is a bird of the Southeastern U.S. coasts. Its pink feathers and spoon shaped bill make it a big attaction to the birders and tourists of Sanibel. Tourists are the ones who call it a Flamingo. In the pictures I took today
I show the bird landing, feeding (it sweeps its' partially open bill back and forth in the water until feels something to eat), preening (cleaning itself), and taking off.

Lighthouse Cafe

The Lighthouse Cafe, located on the East end of the island, is famous world wide for their great breakfast. Each wall is covered with pictures of different lighthouse pictures that have been given to Mike, the owner, over the years. This year, it was my turn to have my Sanibel Lighthouse picture hung with care in a very prominent location. The picture posted shows the front of the cafe with a very cute young Mother and a very cute young baby looking out the window. They look very happy to be in sunny Sanibel instead of rainy Portland, Oregon. They have enjoyed their breakfast.

Cooper's Hawk

I was on a bike ride late this afternoon when I spotted this Cooper's Hawk sitting in a tree down by the Lighthouse Park. Of course I wasn't carrying my camera on my bike. Praying that he would hang tight for a little while, I rode home, grabbed my camera and jumped in the car, hoping against hope that he would still be there when I arrived back at the Lighthouse. I was really pleased to see that he was still on his perch and I got a few shots before he flew. Cooper's are hard to distinguish from Sharp-shinned Hawks. The Cooper's Hawk is larger than a Sharp-shinned Hawk and the Cooper's tail is more rounded at the bottom. They prey on mid-sized birds like pigeons, robins and flickers. They also dine on the occasional reptile and small mammal. If the birds at your bird feeder suddenly disperse in a panic, it usually means a Cooper's Hawk has landed nearby.