Captiva Island

During this journey, we escaped into the mesmerizing turquoise waters of the warm gulf. I had read about this place in so many birder books and it exceeded my expectations. Captiva Island is one of the most desired locations for tourists.  We went on a weekday and left early before everyone woke up in Florida to find a parking spot.  And thanks to great planning on our parts, we had a fantastic trip into the unknown.  

Brown Pelican

My quest on this adventure was to search for the Northern Gannet, Magnificent Frigatebird and Swallowtail Kite. I had a schedule to keep, but I also wanted to do it in a fun way so that my friend Sydney could join along in the birding experience.  

A great place to start your day for breakfast or afternoon lunch

We grabbed breakfast and I ran to the beaches before the thousands of people arrived to chase all the birds away.  A sip of coffee and a quick run to the beach turned out to be a great idea as I was able to find several birds up close.

But we were heading away from Captiva Island to Cayo Costa State Park where we would be secluded and not have to deal with the tourist crowd.  So we brought our cooler of veggies and water along with beach chairs and umbrellas.....

Cayo Costa State Park

And from there I explored the beaches alone away from noisy crowds.  Sydney enjoyed the sun and water while I tracked Ruddy Turnstones. I was able to observe them close from the water while they foraged around vegetation left on the beach.  Several hung out on piers and others were strolling around on the beaches. 

Ruddy Turnstones

I had never seen Sanderlings before but I knew these birds right away when I saw them run on the beach.  They were tiny and spastic little birds.  

Sanderling

It was also here that I found my first US Anhinga!  I had only seen them in the dark rainy forests of Panama a couple years ago. When I saw this bird again, I smiled.  This bird moves like a snake through water or a needle pulling thread.  Cue Sound of Music:)

Anhinga

Laughing Gulls lived up to their names as they made their "laughing" type calls on the beach.  But this time, I was REALLY able to observe them up close.  The last time I had seen that bird was in Guatemala.  And before that it was in the middle of the desert!  Both of those sightings were far far away.  It was here in Florida I could watch them up close as they walked around me. 

Laughing Gull

Of course, any desert rat goes through "green shock" outside of our rocky canyons and cactus covered landscapes of browns and yellows. 

It wasn't my Shire(Wisconsin) nor was it the mystical Central America.  But it was tropical with too many birds all around me. I was in my own country birding and it felt safe. Granted, we had to seriously navigate around the Spring breakers and the Northerners who have had to endure a most painful winter. So in a sense, I'm glad I live in Arizona because I didn't feel the need to tan or soak in the sun all day on the beach......

We sat on the boat to and from Cayo Costa.  I remember wishing that time didn't exist.  Being with my friend and being in Florida around so many new birds made me wish I had a month to spend there. But life does not wait nor does it care what you do with it. So we made the most of it.  

Watching a Double-crested Cormorant tackle a large fish and then swallow it whole was fascinating.  

Double-crested Cormorant gets his meal

The Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins were life mammals for me.  I did take pics but a fin doesn't make an exciting pic:)

But a Horseshoe crab does!  I'm glad I was paying attention to the beach.  I'd hate to step on that one!

Horseshoe Crab

And along the way on my private little walk in paradise, I found the Swallowtail Kites and Magnificent Frigatebirds. 

Swallowtail Kite

As with everything in this life, it all flew by so quickly.  I met an older birder who recently told me while sitting at a hummingbird feeder that he needed to pay more attention to the history and stories of the places he visits.  I knew what he meant.  I could be in Russia, Thailand, Peru, or any place looking at a new and amazing bird..... and not really notice all the other little things around me. I do try.   

Magnificent Frigatebird

So no Northern Gannets.  They will have to wait until next time.  We had a wonderful day at Captiva and Cayo Costa State Park.  Stay tuned for more!  Next week we'll discover a religious sect ruled by women and Gopher Turtles......
For more on our world's birds check out Wild Bird Wednesday!

The Bridges of Lee County

A Muscovy Duck watches her chicks in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Cape Coral, FL.  Kathie and I both spoke about this bird and how she had found them there.  These birds count in Florida on the ABA.  I meet Olga who watches out for their safety....and maybe go out for a date.   

So I have this friend who decided to go to Cape Coral, FL with her mother.  Little did I know that we both were heading to the same place at different times!  Then Kathie begins to bird those areas without me!!!  I mean really, Ms. Brown!  So what's a friend to do while she's there?  Team up.....via the phone and internet!

Monk Parakeet-another bird we spoke about in great detail (although we went to different places to find this bird)

Somewhere along the way, I remember her telling me that she was going to Florida, but I had forgotten where it was that she was going to visit.  Until she gets there.  I'm excited about all the birds she's seeing.  She's excited about all the birds she's seeing.  And I'm thinking, "Where are you?"  Cape Coral.  No way.  Then she tells me that I never listen.  It's true.

Mottled Duck-I had NO idea that there was such a creature until she told me to keep an eye or two open for these VERY Mallard looking ducks

Then she starts telling me about the places she's visiting.  While we're on the phone, I'm researching all the spots that she's visiting.  She tells me some of the birds she'd like to find.....which also happen to be some of the birds I'D like to find.  And while we're only several millions of miles away, we're still working together as a team.  Almost every night, we chat on the phone for an hour or two about her day.  If you don't know Kathie, she does like to chat.  I hate talking on the phone, but with Kathie it doesn't phase me.  She's one of the most positive people I know.  Plus we both like to do a lot of reading and research together about....birds.   

"Keep your eyes open around the canals", said Ms. Brown.  After some near car crashes, I learned to both bird and drive at the same time in Florida.  Glad I did!  Found this Glossy Ibis hanging out.  

We've been apart now for over 2 months.  Each time I find a new life bird, I get a little emotional because she isn't here to share in the fun.  That's what we did together.  We'd enter data for ebird during the week from our patches and then on the weekend, we'd work for new birds. So when she was in Florida, we worked on the various patches each day.  I'd read her reports and her Facebook updates and then at night research areas where the birds were being seen.  We'd talk everything through thoroughly to maximize our time out in the field.  Florida, like Arizona, is a rich area full of bird life and one of the states one must visit when doing a big year. Not that I'm doing one.  My mission is to seek out new life and new civilization. 

"There are Osprey everywhere!"  She wasn't kidding. Here a Juvenile Laughing Gull wants to share the meal. 

But Ms. Brown had been so busy with her own life that she hasn't had a moment to breathe.  So when she found the rare Florida Scrub-Jay, she had that moment I have been experiencing since she abandoned me. Deep intense sadness. She couldn't go on with her life without me;) I'm joking of course, but I knew it would happen eventually. Her birding buddy, me, wasn't there to share in the exciting experience.  I was so happy and excited for her but I knew how she felt.  The same thing happened to me while I was looking at the Rosy Finches on Sandía Crest in New Mexico. I had to walk to the shirt rack in the far corner of the store away from everyone. That was something she had wanted to do, but couldn't because of her move back to Maine.  

"Bald Eagles fly over your head!"  They sure did.  WOW!

Both of our spouses joke about us being married.  We're not.  We're just awesome friends who love birding a little too much. Perhaps it's a bit obsessive. But growing up on a National Geographic made me want this life.  Speaking Spanish gave me the keys to explore.  And meeting Ms. Brown was like being back in college again.  We were friends who could spontaneously go out on a birding trek.....anywhere.  Arizona holds many secrets unknown to the public, but the birds exposed us to this incredible world. We're both very curious individuals who like to explore every nook and cranny. Florida was a new playground we both could discover together. And did.

I find it interesting that such a common bird like this Blue Jay is so difficult to get on camera.  So I used my secret weapon.....nuts!

So we never did get to bird together in Lee County, Florida. It was such a bizarre event. So while I was writing this post, I began to laugh at the title. There are several major bridges in Lee County and we crossed them nearly every day to get to all the hotspots! The quote below is from the first book that made me cry. Who knew books could do that to a person?!!!  Anyhow, you might recognize it. 

"There are so many Palm warblers here!"  It wasn't a lie. 

“It's clear to me now that I have been moving toward you and you toward me for a long time. Though neither of us was aware of the other before we met, there was a kind of mindless certainty bumming blithely along beneath our ignorance that ensured we would come together. Like two solitary birds flying the great prairies by celestial reckoning, all of these years and lifetimes we have been moving toward one another.” (Quote from the Bridges of Madison County)  This of course speaks of the love relationship that develops in that book, but it also works with friendship.   

"You'll have Gray Catbirds on almost all your counts."  No kidding!

As for the bridges of Lee County? Well they cost 2 dollars to cross and 6 bucks if you're heading over to Captiva Island.  But that is another story.....

For more on birds from around our world, check out Wild Bird Wednesday!

A Slight Headache

White-faced Ibis

When one is addicted to birding, one will do whatever is necessary to find the birds.  On today's post, I drove a long way to find some birds.  It was a big deal, but it was also going to be one of those birding days.  I couldn't sleep the night before because there were potentially 3 new lifebirds to be found south of Tucson in the Willcox and Safford areas.  I got up at 4 AM and drove.  These birds weren't birds I was truly excited about seeing, but they were new birds for my Arizona list.  I left Pat at home to sleep while I did my job.

Forster's Tern

It was a tricky morning full of ID hell.  There are some birds out there that look similar to one another.  There's the Pacific-slope Flycatcher vs. the Cordilleran Flycatcher.  There's the Baird's Sandpiper vs. the White-rumped Sandpiper.  And of course, there are many many more that present challenges for birders. Today's challenge was......Forster's Tern vs. Common Tern.   While the Forster's Tern wasn't a lifebird for me, it was my first find for the AZ list.  I began to doubt the Common Tern label.  The marks were slightly different.  It came down to the primaries(the tail feathers) and absent black patch on the wings that helped me ID this bird as a Forster's Tern. It reminded me of my studies on the gnatcatchers.  Same type of issues, but the behaviors and sounds are different between these two birds.

Luckily the White-faced Ibis are easy to ID as they are common this time of year around Arizona.  BUT they can also present challenges when the Glossy Ibis are found in the same areas.  Luckily for me, they aren't.  A few sometimes will make it to Arizona, but today, they were the easiest to ID:)

Laughing Gull

But then we get to the gulls!!!!!  Thankfully gulls aren't very common around our areas.  Nor are there many.  I look at them as lifebird gifts.  Some are easy to ID while most are not.  One of my target birds was this Laughing Gull.

Tricky tricky.  It's obviously not in full plumage, but turns out that it does resemble another bird!!!!  The Franklin's Gull!  This bird in its first year plumage looks almost exactly the same!  Again it came down to the tail feathers for me.  The long black tail feathers at the end are signs of the Laughing while with the Franklin's Gull, we'll find some white "dotting" mixed into the end feathers. Putting that all aside, the easiest way to ID is from the gull's call.  It sounds like a laugh which helped me pick up this lifebird number 338.

Black-neck Stilt, Laughing Gull, Killdeer

This is a terrible pic above but I had a good laugh.  They are all so different looking which made for an interesting shot.

Blue-winged Teal

For some reason on this blog, I've never shown people the Blue-wing Teals.  They are never in great numbers here, but they can be found around our waterways.  They are some of our most timid ducks.  Green-wing Teals and Northern Pintails can also be very shy around people which makes getting pics of them tricky at times.

Back to the Terns.  Another tern was also reported at Roper Lake State park.....the Least Tern.  This bird also changes in appearance over the years. This is a Juvenile below.  Normally, this bird will have a yellow bill. I always question the birds being reported.  Was this a Least Tern?  After 30 minutes of reading/research, I could easily say YES.

Least Tern

It's definitely a small tern compared to the larger Forster's Tern that was flying around the lake. This lifebird was number 339 for me.

I know I've seen a lot more birds than this in my lifetime, but since I didn't document any of it, I had to start from scratch.  Speaking of scratch, I scratched my head on the sandpiper below.  It wasn't a Western.  And then I realized another Baird's Sandpiper popped up!  I was finally able to obtain an ID shot of this bird.  Some sandpipers are major headaches!

Baird's Sandpiper

Birding is mostly fun, but sometimes it's tedious work.  A simple post like this can take hours of time to put together.  After I got home from this 4 hour trip, I went to bed and slept!  Mission accomplished.

More to come from Las Aventuras......