Sanibel, wildlife refuge

Today's post is long, because we saw so much today.  We drove the five-mile drive through the island's wildlife refuge, and it took three hours, there was so much to see!   More birds, mostly, but Florida's birds are so amazing, it is bound to happen.  All of the following photographs were taken by Lee.

Let's start with a lizard, for those of you who are tired of birds.  Isn't he cute?  Florida is full of lizards, all over the place.  It's amazing how much noise they can make when running across the forest floor.  This guy was small, perhaps three inches long.  Is that a belly button I see?  Anyone, do lizards have belly buttons?

 

The wildlife refuge is largely areas of water bounded by red mangroves, as in this photo.  The water seems to be quite shallow - the long-legged water fowl could be seen foraging even out in the middle of these bodies of water.  In this photo is a Tri-colored Heron.

 See how well he blends into the mangrove roots?

Lee and I had just read about the Reddish Egret, and were looking forward to seeing one.  We read that the Reddish Egret is a very active forager, that rushes and raises its wings and flaps as it hunts.  Not ten minutes later, Lee and I find an Egret behaving strangely, and it is the Reddish Egret!!  It was zigging and zagging, lunging and plopping, flapping and pulling its wings up over its head.  It truly does have very distinctive behavior.  It also has a reddish neck, and a pink bill with a black tip.

The sand bars in the bays and inlets were perfect for afternoon naps and preening.  I was surprised to see White Pelicans - I thought they were a West Coast bird, but it turns out the are also found on the West Coast of Florida, and only the West Coast.

White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants

How do I know these are Double-crested Cormorants?  Well, because the signs said so, and also because they have orange "chins".

A White Ibis, its bill blending with the Mangrove roots.  It has the same curve:

Lee got some great shots of a White Ibis that was foraging very close to the road:

Another Tri-colored Heron.  I am starting to know my Herons!

And a Snowy Egret, as indicated by the yellow lores (between the bill and the eyes), the black bill, and the up-turned tail feathers.

Here'a another way to identify a Snowy Egret - look at the photo below.  Note the black legs and very yellow feet.  How odd is that?  The fellow next to him is a Great Egret (as indicated by size, gray legs, and yellow bill). 

Another Snowy Egret.  See the yellow foot and upturned tail?

I think these are Willets, but I'm not sure.  They are a bit fuzzy, and were at a good distance.  Just enjoy the photo.

More White Ibises, taking refuge in the Mangrove roots:

Birds everywhere!

I was really disappointed that I didn't see any Roseate Spoonbills, even though I looked for them.  They were supposed to be there.  Then we arrive back at the RV, I start going through Lee's photos, and what do I see?  A flock of Roseate Spoonbills!!  I completely missed them!  And Lee is color blind - he doesn't see red or green, so had no idea these birds were pink.  How do you like that?

On our last stop, which was a trail through a wooded area, we saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker.  I have these in my backyard at home, but here he is perched on top of a topless palm tree.  Apparently, the hurricane Charlie swept through Sanibel Island in 2004, a direct hit.  There was quite a bit of destruction on the island.  It did not spare the Mangrove forests and palm trees.  

One last photo, another Tri-colored Heron.  The giveaway is the white belly: