West Lake and Eco Pond

The mosquitoes were gone in the morning so I set up my stove outside for coffee and breakfast gave Casey a walk around then we headed out for various sights, birding, and nature walks....So our first stop was again over in the Walk in area to check the skimmers and the bay...still busy 

And there was a red shouldered hawk hunting in the area in fact he would fly over the bay and spook the skimmers

then rest on the solar array framing

This white pelican was out of the water in the mud..and a willet was patrolling the beach

Our next stop was West lake and the boardwalk there...

that takes you thru a red and black mangrove forest! Trees that have half the root out of the water...and manyyy roots up to get oxygen..

and you can see some of the red tannic acid in this shot

Came upon this chillin Gr Egret on the boardwalk 

then the board walk opens up to West Lake..

Saw some warblers on the way out some weird streaky photos of the quick little devils, there was a Black n White, a Black Throated Green, Louisiana Waterthrush and a Black Throated Blue!! 

The most common butterfly I saw was the Florida White!

No hike on Snake Bight trail too many skeeters, so we went back down to Eco Pond to look for the White crowned Pigeon that was rumored to be hanging around..got a sneak peek at a white eyed vireo they had been following me every where I was happy to get a backwards glance shot. 

We flushed the pigeon right away and I figured I missed my shot at getting a photo..but when I was leaving the Eco Pond, I respotted him eating some berries in thick cover about 10 ft up...I kept trying and got these not so hot shots of a new lifer for me..

and a closer altho fuzzy shot of that white eye!

So with this White Crowned Pigeon, this brings my lifers to 5 I totally forgot to put one on the post where I saw him so I'm adding him here and with a Dunlin, a Semipalmated, and the Stilt SP 

1. Lesser Scaup @  Little Talbot
2. Roseate Spoonbill @ Merritt Island
3. American Flamingo @ Bunche Beach 
4. Limpkin @  Big Cypress Nat Preserve
5. White Crowned Pigeon  @ Everglades

              

And then I met this fellow at Eco Pond looking for the pigeon, I was able to help him find it in the same place I saw it...so that was fun because it was fun to share with someone who was as excited as me to see it...and he shared a bit of info with me--- my next post.

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.