Raccoons, birds, and fish

I had a couple of photos from our trip through Ding last weekend, so I combined them with the ones from today. And, of course, I took a LOT of photos today. Isn’t that the way things happen?

The Great Blue Heron below was busy preening its beautiful mating plumage.

This roseate decided he was just as beautiful

I took the pic of this group of Roseate Spoonbills last weekend.

We saw this group of Roseates today

When you are so bad ass, you can walk on water!!

She said what about me? Don’t you believe a word she says!

This fisherman caught a small snook at a culvert along Wildlife Drive.

We came upon a couple of small raccoons having a feast on the berries that had fallen on the road. They were doing a good job of vacuuming them up with their mouth.

It’s always a treat to come upon a feeding frenzy where the birds drag their feet through the water as they snatch up little fish.

Synchronized fishing

Every now and then you get lucky and catch a big fish

I half expected the peanut gallery to hold up numbers and score the other birds on their catches.

A Tri-Colored Heron decided to fly through but didn’t stop.

And then back home to the owl box in our yard, where a little female Red-Breasted Woodpecker seems to be building a nest.

Ding nests are almost empty

There were two yellow-crowned night heron chicks in the nest where there were previously three. They appeared big enough to possibly fledge, so hopefully the third one was just off on its own. If you look at my post from June 13, you’ll see the three in the nest and how much they’ve grown in 2 weeks.

The Little Green Heron below flitted from tree to tree giving me a couple of chances to get photos.

A Tri-Colored Heron was hiding in the weeds near the boardwalk.

The bird below is a young Ibis. They are very common and are affectionately called island chickens. A flock of them will make their way through your yard pecking at the bugs and worms and making little piggy sounds. It can be quite comical.

This cross section of a branch cut from a tree caught my eye along the Indigo Trail. It’s not wildlife, but I found it interesting.

The teeny little fiddler crabs act like they are big and bad. It’s fun to watch their antics.

We were a little late getting to the pink party on Saturday morning. There had been 30 or so Roseate Spoonbills at this spot along Wildlife Drive earlier, but just a couple were left when we arrived. Photographers always hang around to get photos of them taking off.

A game of leap frog (or spoonbill)!!

And the last one to go . . .

When you know you are the best and show it off.

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A walk through Pond Apple Trail last weekend only yielded a cormorant and some iguanas. The iguanas seem to be taking over along the trail and are everywhere you look.

A quick walk on the beach is always relaxing, even if you have to follow new rules.

Chicks Growing Up

Rain kept me away from Ding last weekend, but we were able to drive through today before the rain started. The chicks that we could see appear close to fledging the nest. The one below was alone in this nest.

The nest below is next to the Indigo Trail and appears to have 3 healthy chicks that will be fledging before too long.

This chick seemed intent on watching the water below.

The juvenile Green Heron below appears to have fledged the nest and was being very cautious.

I’ll caption the photos below as “What happens when you let your teenage daughter give you a haircut during the pandemic”

The juvenile Tri-Colored Heron below posed for several photos on the boardwalk on the Indigo Trail.

The Yellow-Crowned Night Heron below appears to be surveying his kingdom.

When you know you are the best looking of the bunch.

We saw many of the birds batting at the same mosquitoes that we were!

The Great White Egret is so pretty with its mating plumage.

This big guy below looks like a grumpy gus.

A friend and I drove through Ding a week ago during a light rain. The green iguana below was the only wildlife we saw. Well, except for the Jeep full of mosquitoes that we collected along the drive!

Back at home, this big lizard watched me closely from a tree.

Nest kind of day

There’s no doubt that summer has arrived on Sanibel. The day started out hot and humid. This time of year, the photo opportunities aren’t as plentiful as when the migratory birds are here. However, having the nesting birds around are a plus for now!

Any parent can identify the need for a quick nap, while the kids have been fed and also napping. See their little fuzzy heads in the nest.

When your honey sends you out for building supplies and you realize there are cameras everywhere!

But, it’s all worth it when she approves of the purchase.

Making yourself into an umbrella to keep the kids cool.

Whew! It’s hard work being a good parent.

That look you have when you know a secret that no one else knows!

The Green Heron below was making some pretty calls, maybe to a mate?

The gator was waiting for us by Indigo Trail again this morning.

The Little Blue Heron below has some of the prettiest markings I’ve seen on blue heron moving from the white phase to the blue phase.

I had the hardest time getting a photo of this cardinal in a tree in our yard. They are so camera shy.