~Florida's Birds~

[MaggyNoLia]

Originally Posted by Sage

Oooops! Sorry about that! uhhhh, it's gonna be 80 degrees tomorrow.... but then that's why we're here~

LoL and that's a good reason for being there! I don't blame you. Ft. Myers is beautiful and I wish we had gone down more often before we sold my grandmothers house in N. Ft. Myers. I do plan on visiting again one day and once more enjoying the area. My last few visits were rather hectic and packed with loading and moving.

[Sage]

There is no end to the wildlife refuges in southwest FL. Heading for another one tomorrow if I feel better.

You're backyard looks fabulous, Maggy!

[MaggyNoLia]

Originally Posted by Sage

There is no end to the wildlife refuges in southwest FL. Heading for another one tomorrow if I feel better.

You're backyard looks fabulous, Maggy!

Enjoy your explorations. I know I can't wait to see more of your pictures and thanks for the compliments on the backyard. Any time you and Roger are ready to pit stop in SC keep that yard in mind...Egrets and Herons and Hawks Oh My! You don't even have to leave the backyard!

[Sage]

Thanks, Maggy! If that were my backyard, I'd stay home!

[Sage]

We followed directions in Bill Pranty's book,Amazon.com: A Birder's Guide to Florida (9781878788245): Bill Pranty: Books, and were rewarded with finding these Monk Parakeets on light pole structures and fencing at a ball field in Cape Coral!

Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus)





And this is their nest, and as you can see, it is adorned with much colorful plastic, including whole grocery bags!

from: Overview - Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) - Neotropical Birds

The Monk Parakeet is a noisy, green-and-gray parrot of open country in southern South America. It occurs from southern Bolivia and southern Brazil south through central Argentina. This species is green overall, with a gray face and breast, blue primaries and outer secondaries, and a flesh-colored bill. It occurs in dry, open habitats, including gallery forest, savanna, scrub, agricultural land, and towns and gardens and is considered a pest near human habitation. Its large stick nests house a colony of several pairs and are conspicuously placed in trees or on power poles and other man-made structures. Adults feed on seeds, nuts, fruits, and greens and, like other Psittacids, feed crop-milk to their chicks in the nest. It is commonly kept as a cage bird and introduced populations are established in many parts of the world, particularly North America and Europe.

[bridget1964]

Adorable little parrots, Sage! I saw them on several occasions while visiting Ft. Lauderdale. So many people complain, saying they are noisy, but I thought they were so cute!

[Luvbirds]

Wonderful Fl photos! You make me want to book a trip down there ASAP! My mom and MIL both have homes down there....Punta Gorda and Naples. I love to bird at Cork Screw Sanctuary.

The Red Shouldered Hawk (page 16) is a Juvenile, he is most likely screaming for mom to feed him!

[Sage]

Originally Posted by Luvbirds

Wonderful Fl photos! You make me want to book a trip down there ASAP! My mom and MIL both have homes down there....Punta Gorda and Naples. I love to bird at Cork Screw Sanctuary.

The Red Shouldered Hawk (page 16) is a Juvenile, he is most likely screaming for mom to feed him!

Wow! You've got it made! Just visit them a lot!

[Sage]

I wondered what that thing was on the bill of this White Pelican. My research found this answer in BNA

A highly fibrous, epidermal plate arises vertically and dorsomedially about one third distance from tip of upper mandible, plate (somewhat erroneously termed a “horn”) highly variable in size with base being 40–80 mm and height ranging from barely detectible to more than 60 mm, with that of males in pairs seemingly larger (FLK). Function of plate not clearly defined, but it is probably involved in courtship or agonistic behavior during pairing and territory establishment; plate shed during Presupplemental molt.

[Sage]

adult female Belted Kingfisher

another Crested Caracara!

female yellow-shafted Northern Flicker

female Anhinga with fresh catch

Sandhill Cranes