Beachcomber's Basics

Due to changes in my life, I've decided to change my Blog as well…I've changed the title (not the URL), and am tweaking its direction. About a month ago, I began making an effort to get to the beach at least once a week, for both the physical and mental health that being at and walking on the beach gives me. Esp. now that it's spring and the weather's alot nicer…

I recently attended a "Beachcomber's Basics" class, and was greatly inspired to embrace my beach-y side. My doc had recently asked me, after informing me I need to lose 30 lb., what exercise I like to do best. Well, I like walking. I thought about her question for days, realized that what I really like best is walking…on the beach. So, I've been getting to the beach 1-2 times a week. I go early in the AM, to beat the heat and the "crowds", although the beach I go to is nearly deserted.  :)

I made one such run for the beach this AM…..

…And found 5-6 black-bellied plovers dotting the shore…

This was a first; I'd never seen more than one lone plover before…

They must be gathering before heading N. for the summer…

This plover's plumage is changing from winter to breeding colors…

I did see only one lone laughing gull…

My first photo this year of one with it's breeding plumage...

While at the Beachcomber's Basics class, a really handy guide book

was suggested, "Florida's Living Beaches: A Guide for the Curious

Beachcomber", which I dashed home and bought online…it's

definitely very handy to have! It IDs everything found on FL's coastlines, from 

shells to plants and shore birds. I've come across a handful of

different types of crabs lately (besides the common ghost crab)…

today I found my first speckled crab. Sorry to say, he's deceased.

A Round-About Trip to Jacksonville

Not long after the trip to St. Augustine's rookery, friend Karen and I took a trip up north to Jacksonville and Amelia Island, as it turned out…there are several birding sites along the way and we made several stops to check things out. Overall I'm sorry to say I was disappointed, but we did get an eyeful of nature…

Just no male painted buntings like I was hoping...

My favorite shot of the day was this laughing gull at Huguenot Memorial Park…

(Just look at that saucy red lipstick!)

A gulf fritillary …. uh, somewhere…

We saw this cottontail on the trail to Boneyard Beach on Big Talbot Island...

The beach had a lot of "driftwood"…more like dead trees, hence the name…not a common sight in FL…

(Decided to do this shot in B&W, didn't like the colors)….

Seeing jellyfish washed ashore isn't so rare, however…but then again, seeing one in one piece isn't so common, for me at least…

Also saw this interesting hollow tree….

On a path to Amelia Island Beach, we encountered this baby gopher tortoise…it was marching along, stopping briefly to eat along the way...

Meanwhile, closer to home…near Flagler Beach, we saw this pileated woodpecker near the boardwalk that goes to the Intra Coastal Waterway…might be the same one I saw last time I was there...

I'd never noticed fiddler crabs before, below the boardwalk in the marsh muck…Karen pointed them out to me. Don't think I'd ever seen a fiddler crab before! (If memory serves me right, which is highly debatable, I'm sorry to say.)

~   ~   ~   ~   ~

Back at home, the avian nursery work has been in full swing…this pops was gathering grub around my hydrangea bush...

Mayme I canph stuff oneph phore fug in myph mouph...

This, That, and A Positive ID!

I thought I'd try to post about every 2 weeks, but HELLO! It's been a month since my last post. My bad?! Anyway, some new birds for the year's count have been sighted -- no photos dang it! -- and one, just this morning during my stroll around the 'hood, is also my first positive ID of….drum roll please… the Eastern bluebird! Oh yay! I've seen this "mystery" bird a few times over the past year-ish, but every time I saw it, it was an overcast day and I could not, no matter how hard I squinted, actually make out the color blue. ARG! Today, I saw BLUE! What other bird has the russet "bib" and white belly? I was like 99.9% sure it was the bluebird but me being me, I HAD to see that pretty blue top-side before claiming I'd sighted one.

Also, a couple days ago, also during my morning walk, I spotted not one but two pileated woodpeckers! I spotted one in a neighbor's pine tree last year, and one at the WA Oaks Gardens State Park as well. Gotta love that 'do! These two were near each other, about 2-3 houses apart, so am wondering if they were a pair. They were both hammering, or I'd never have seen them...

I just have to mention that I received a book in the mail the other day, from my 90 year old, dear dad. He sent me his copy of A Field Guide to Western Birds by Peterson. The point of my mentioning this is that this particular edition is copyrighted 1941; the newest edition is 2010. The book arrived the day after I'd spotted the two pileated woodpeckers…there was a small note tucked into the book like a bookmark…the page it was tucked into happens to be page 104, under the Pileated Woodpecker…!

Oh, also seen recently…the first batch of wild turkeys!

A thank you goes to Bob P. for helping me with the correct ID on my previous post…the small tern is a Forster's not the common tern, which isn't so common it turns out…at least not in FL...

Ok, on to some photos…mostly blurry due to taking them through a window…

The birds are eating us out of house and home…and, we now have a male downy woodpecker visiting the suet feeder! I saw him 1-2x last year, but he has been showing up occasionally this early spring on a fairly regular basis.  :-D

The pine warblers had been scarce lately, but seem to be making a come-back…they're here year-round technically at least…

I ran out of suet Wed., the day before I went grocery shopping, and after watching several birds at the empty feeder, I felt guilty enough to make my own suet, ha! The Carolina wrens sure seemed to like it…I even had two at once at the feeder. They are definitely becoming more brave at the feeders this year vs. last year when they were very skittish and scarce.

You know it's spring when the squirrels start pigging out on the maple tree seeds! And I mean PIG OUT…they don't quit until the seeds are all gone, just like the robins and the red berries. Last year, we worried whether the tree would still grow leaves…this front yard tree is still leafless but the back yard, larger maple has it's new leaves.


We have been to the beach since my last post…

Is it me or does this hunkered down pelican look like a feathered football?!

There was a large cluster of sea birds, including a few immature brown pelicans…this one has a leg band…

…Lots of laughing gulls, which are getting their solid black "helmets" back for summer…in case you're wondering why they're called laughing gulls, well just try hanging out for a few minutes with a flock of them…they don't shut up, and they sound kind of like they're laughing when they squawk at each other. Which is constantly. OY! Just another fun day at the beach!

Beach Birds

...Not to be confused with snow birds,

Which I admit I still feel like I'm one of those...

Even tho we now have our Florida license plate

And Florida driver's licenses,

Making us "official" now!

Spring has sprung in S. Florida,

And I hope to get around the 'hood to get flora fotos soon.

In the meantime, we've been to Ft. Lauderdale Beach

A few times recently...

The laughing gulls' heads are blackening...

So are the royal terns, but this one is still in transition...

During our last trip to the SW coast, we checked out Bunche Beach,

Which is on the Great Birding Trail...

An osprey flew over, and a brown pelican,

But otherwise it wasn't impressive

Even if I did smile for this pic...

I thought I was taking a shot of a Calif. gull,

After once again failing to find any skimmers

Since I saw the two and had no camera...

BUT, this is actually a lifer!

Checking my Stokes guide,

I then thought it was a great black-backed gull...

But the legs are yellow, not pink...

So it is a lesser black-backed gull!

Now this royal tern has it's spring/summer black cap on...

This spiffy moth was in the driveway recently...

Ru remembers being afraid of these as a kid, cause they look like a wasp...

This is actually a polka-dot wasp moth!

A Laughing Lifer

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?)

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.

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...

Anyway, among the many adult ring-billed gulls

Was this imm. one

That looked to be on steroids.