Sunrise on the Bird Walk

Sunday January 4, 2015
From Myakka River Site 84 to Oscar Scherer Site 90

 

 

 

This morning we go down to the bird walk at dawn to see if the traffic is heavier than it was on our visit yesterday afternoon. With all the fog out we know our chances are slim to see anything until the sun burns it off.   Things are definitely socked in.

 

 

 

Up close on the boardwalk to the viewing platform we can see  the beautiful artwork of nature’s excellent weavers.

 

 

But even with my 50X zoom lens, these spoonbills are a foggy duo.

 

It is fun watching what I think is a heron hopping around in the fog.  He’s acting a bit like a reddish egret dancing.

 

Fairly close to the platform a wood stork and black necked stilt are foraging.

 

As we near 8:00, the sun begins burning a bit of a hole through the fog.

 

 

Things begin to clear up.  This little warbler is quite the acrobat.  From the bobbing of his tail I think he may be a palm warbler but since his butt is butter he might be a yellow rumped.  Hope Judy can help me out, I’m terrible at warblers even when they stand fairly still.   I catch the third shot of him later in the morning.

 

 

 

 

I catch this shot of him later in the morning as he hangs around the platform running around on the floor boards and flitting on the side boards.  The volunteer who is here with the scope says the warbler is around all the time but even looking in his Sibley Bird Book isn’t sure it’s a palm.  Usually the volunteers are excellent birders.  I think this man is, like me, an aspiring birder.  I admire him for his efforts to learn from some of the people for whom he sets the scope.

 

 

 

The black necked stilt is showing off his pink legs and high stepping it through the water.  They are such a contrast with their formal black and white attire, they almost look like they are wearing tuxedos but then pink legs.  Too funny!

 

 

 

A group of Northern Shovelers congregates and dabbles around. 

 

 

 

 

It’s a great morning for variety.  White pelicans and pink roseate spoonbills finish up our time at the Bird Walk this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has really turned into a beautiful morning, blue skies, wispy white clouds, swaying palms.

 

 

 

On the side of the lake as we are headed for home we stop to watch the sand hill cranes.  We had been hearing them at the platform.  Their call is so distinctive, you know it’s them immediately.  I got some pictures of them through the fog but these are much better of them on the edge of the lake.

 

 

 

 

This has been a lovely way to begin the day.  But now it’s time to pack up and head back to Oscar Scherer for a final two weeks.

 

It’s a short drive and soon we are set up in a few sites down from where we were before our Myakka week-end.   This site is pretty narrow but it has a nice “backyard” overlooking South Creek.   The set up of the site doesn’t encourage us to pull in so we’ll have to enjoy the creek from our outside chairs.  Hope it will be warm enough for sitting out.

 

 

 

 

The back yard is plenty big so I really can’t figure out why they decided to put the clothes pole right in the middle of the river view rather than in the big space to the left of the table which is most easily seen in the final picture.

 

 

 

 

 

Temperatures are dropping so I’m not sure how much beaching or paddling we’ll be doing in the near future.   It’s predicted to get down as low as 42 here tomorrow night.  I know those of you in single digits and below zero temperatures don’t have much sympathy for us and I don’t blame you.