Raccoon at Circle B Bar - January 31, 2016

Followed one raccoon for a while, and also saw a couple wild boar today. 

Reptiles & more, Circle B Bar - January 31, 2016

One water snake was in about the same spot all day.  He was about to shed his skin, because when I looked closely, I could see a film over the eye.  Also saw a little ribbon snake and the usual gators.

Birds of Circle B Bar - January 31, 2016

Many beautiful birds out at Circle B today along with all the other animals I saw.  A total of 48 species, listed at Ebird.

purple gallinule 

tricolored heron

sandhill crane

Forster's tern

 common yellowthroat (female)

bald eagles

cattle egrets

cormorant

sora

great blue heron

 barred owl

red-shouldered hawk pair

Courtney Campbell & Ben T. Davis - January 24, 2016

Stopped at both ends of Courtney Campbell Bridge (Tampa and Clearwater) and found many shorebirds and ducks (mostly lesser scaup).  Also went to Kapok Park in Clearwater today, but no nesting owls around, so not too much to report there.

lesser scaup at Ben T. Davis park

black-bellied plovers with dunlin (Ben T. Davis)

dunlin (and sanderling)

horned grebe at Clearwater side of Courtney Campbell

view of several scaup offshore (Clearwater side of Courtney Campbell)

Flamingo at Bunche Beach (afternoon) - January 23, 2016

Came back in the afternoon to visit the Flamingo again, and there were still many other birders here.  The bird had moved further out with the tide, but still in about the same place as this morning.  I love the spindrift coming off the waves in some of these photos.

Ding Darling NWR - January 23, 2016

While in this area of the state, I had to make a stop at Ding Darling National Wildlife Reserve.  Always a great spot for birds and a beautiful drive overall.

Bunche Beach, Ft. Myers - January 23, 2016

Usually, I would have been excited just to see this piping plover and group of spoonbills at the park, but today my focus was on the beautiful flamingo instead!

Flamingo at Bunche Beach (morning) - January 23, 2016

Drove down to Bunche Beach in Fort Myers to look for a Flamingo today.  Amazingly it was there!  I got great views along with a bunch of other birders and photographers (some of whom were getting much too close to the bird). 

Some said earlier you could see the bird's feet and there were no bands, so it is not an escapee.  When I got first there in the morning, the flamingo was battling the harsh winds and rain, but still looking for food (not sure if he eats fish or something else?)

I never thought I would see one of these birds, except maybe if I made a special trip to the part of the everglades where they are sometimes seen.  What a great start to the new year!