Eagles - Juvenile and Adult, and more

We walked around Pond Apple Trail this morning. We didn’t see any birds until just before we were ready to leave. Overhead was a beautiful eagle that still had some juvenile markings. It takes about 5 years for the eagle to get the white head and tail, along with dark brown plumage. Once the eagle has adult plumage, it also signals that it is sexually mature.

This looked like a nice little cormorant family

This big Florida Softshell Turtle would peek out at us, then duck back under the water. They are such odd creatures.

We dropped by the Bailey Tract for a quick walk through. The Mottled Duck below seems to be getting plenty to eat!

We saw one small gator. He was probably about 4 feet long.

And then we had a real treat. Thank you to the lady who pointed out an American Bittern to us. It was camouflaged really well in the weeds. This is the first time for me to see and photograph this pretty little bird. It was so cool to see.

I have completed the Audubon Eagle Watch training and will be reporting on nest #LE991 on Sanibel this season. It was interesting to see a juvenile eagle sitting in the nest and checking it out today. I grabbed my camera and took a quick a snapshot. But, by the time I could set up my tripod to get a better photo, it had flown away.

Then, later, I saw one of the adult Bald Eagles in the nest.

That moment when you realize you’ve been spotted.

It’s so cool to watch them lift up and then drop down from the nest.

Birds, birds, birds

It was an overcast morning at Ding today. We were treated to quite a few birds. I decided to use black & white for this first one.

How cool is it in the photo below, that there are Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Ibis, a Reddish Egret, a Juvenile Tri-Colored Heron, a Little Blue Heron and a Little Blue Heron in the white phase (bottom left).

The Little Blue Heron in its white phase came flying by almost too close to get into the frame!

Then, it joined a Snowy Egret in a tree, making it easier to see the differences between the two.

Compare the size of the Great Blue Heron and the Little Blue Heron.

This Reddish Egret decided to fly in with a bit of an attitude.

The Great Blue Heron remained detached from the chaos and watched from the sidelines.

The Tri-Colored Heron didn’t care for the disturbance either.

Then, home to a Giant Swallowtail Butterfly. It was as bigger than my hand. I’d never seen one up close.

I believe this is some sort of skipper butterfly. It looks like a giant moth.

Manatees and Eagles

When we drove through Ding yesterday, we didn’t see any dolphins, although other people saw them yesterday and today. But, we did see some manatees frolicking the in water. They didn’t surface enough to get great pics, but it was fun watching them. You have to wonder how these big mammals get from the bay into the shallow water at Ding.

The only other wildlife we saw at the refuge yesterday were a Green Heron and a Great Egret in the early morning light. I love the colors on the Green Heron, but he wouldn’t turn so I could see his face.

The eagles I’ve been watching are busy with their “nestoration”. They are so much fun to watch.

Now, just leave it where I put it!

Hmmmph. We’ll see about that after you leave.

If you want something done right, sometimes you just have to do it yourself. Know what I mean?

Eagle Love

This pair of Bald Eagles on the island continue to watch over their nest every day. They look like a couple of love birds in the first photo.

Catch ya later, babe . . .

Hmmm. I wonder where she’s going?

Time to go find my mate!

Some other photos that didn’t make it into my blog yesterday.

This hawk was watching very closely as my husband cut a limb from a tree. He seemed very interested!