We made it back to Ft. Lauderdale Beach today...
We both could swear we'd seen a sign
ID'ing it as Dania Beach but
That was probably the area just south of
The parking lot we'd used last time
And this time...
Anyway, I put the camera in a small backpack
And we hoofed it S on the beach again,
But not one skimmer peeked out
Among the terns....sigh...
But the skimmer is supposed to be found
On all of Florida's coastline,
Year-round......
In the meantime, I did realize the other day
That I needed to pay closer attention to the gulls....
Above is a laughing gull in winter plumage...
I'm pretty sure I "saw" them during the last beach visit,
But my eyes didn't connect to my brain,
So this is untechnically a lifer...(right?)
.JPG)
This laughing gull is morphing from winter to summer....
The legs and bill have just a faint tinge of red to them as yet...
But the head is obviously solid black.
.JPG)
I sat for two hours in the sun, one hour in the shade of a palm...
Got a lovely sunburn to prove it;
Don't ask why I didn't put the 'screen on, I had it....
Fortunately my face didn't fry...
I wear a $35 light-weight baseball cap
I love the cute floppy summer hats
Many stores sell for women
BUT...my ginormous head won't fit in any of 'em...
.JPG)
Anyway, among the many adult ring-billed gulls
Was this imm. one
That looked to be on steroids.
Sometimes identifying birds can be so very difficult. Many juveniles and immature birds look different then the adults and the change to breeding plumage confuses me even more. Sounds like you spent a lovely day at the beach. I am sure you will see some skimmers sooner or later. Congratulations on the life bird! Love your lone palm tree image. It makes me long for a walk on a beautiful Florida beach. Nice gull shots too!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny I feel like I have a worse time than anyone else with the bird ID'ing difficulties! :o) Thanks for the comps! The sunburn is mostly tanned now but I'm peeling some too, of course!
DeleteI have a lot of trouble identifying birds, but I saw a bald eagle yesterday. Hubby thinks I'm nuts, but he didn't see it. Mr. Eagle was sitting in a small tree alongside the interstate. If only we could have stopped so I could take a picture. All of these seagull shots are amazing.
ReplyDeleteRoan, we saw a bald eagle yesterday, flying over a woodsy area while we were out w/ a realtor looking at houses for sale. My first baldie in FL! The realtor was as excited as I was, ha! I see hawks but cannot ID them w/o photos (I'm always in the car traveling), which frustates me. :o/
ReplyDelete