Florida Scrub Jays, Snail Kites and more showy birds

Where we're staying in Cape Coral, by fortune, seems to be the southernmost reliable site for the endemic and enigmatic Florida Scrub Jay. Listed as vulnerable, it was a new species for me - as early on this morning, I managed to see three birds at a regular site in the north of the city (east of Chiquita Boulevard north and Kismet Parkway West by the intersections of NW14th Avenue and NW26th Street). The birds were pretty inquisitive, with one deciding to perch on the car wing mirror and see what was up!

Florida Scrub Jay Cape Coral, Florida 15th Feb 2016

Lots of Eastern Meadowlarks here too, as well as a couple of Loggerhead Shrikes, American Kestrels, American Robins, Palm Warblers, an Eastern Phoebe and a flyover adult Bald Eagle. Not bad before breakfast. And shortly after that, and picking Karen up at the hotel, we were onto a nice showy juvenile Snail Kite frequenting an urban canal to the north of Fort Myers Beach at the intersection of John Morris Road and Summerlin Road. A really good bird, making the most of its surroundings and plucking out water snails from nowhere!

1st-winter Snail Kite near Fort Myers Beach, Florida 15th Feb 2016

Having driven through the overdevelopment and grimness that is Fort Myers Beach, it was onto Lovers Key State Park which was a great contrast. White sandy beaches and showy birds galore - a couple of Bonaparte's Gulls were a nice surprise among the large numbers of Laughing and Ring-billed Gulls while Snowy Plovers, Sanderlings, Willets, Royal Terns, Snowy Egret and Great Blue Herons were pretty common too. All totally unafraid of the beachgoers too! Reddish Egret and Tricoloured Herons showed well in the mangrove channel on the way back as well. Some roadside Black and Turkey Vultures were also good value, though they did stink a bit.

Great Blue Heron Lovers Key, Florida 15th Feb 2016

Snowy Plover Lovers Key, Florida 15th Feb 2016

Double-crested Cormorant Lovers Key, Florida 15th Feb 2016

Royal Tern Lovers Key, Florida 15th Feb 2016

Bonaparte's Gull Lovers Key, Florida 15th Feb 2016

Black Vulture Lovers Key, Florida 15th Feb 2016

A visit to a shopping mall late afternoon was a surprise in the birding stakes, with a small area of pools providing Glossy Ibises, Black-crowned Night Heron, Green Heron and Common Gallinules as well as some decent Roseate Spoonbills and Little Blue Herons; just a shame the light was going when I discovered it! Getting back to Cape Coral at dusk meant that one of its resident Burrowing Owls was active. This one was perched on the roadside by Pelican Boulevard and SW 47th Street.

Burrowing Owl Cape Coral, Florida 15th Feb 2016

Sunshine and (some) birding - Flamingo and Florida intro

I'm in Florida for a week this half-term; a far cry from the usual gull haunts that draw me normally at this time of year. To be honest though, this British winter has been pretty hideous so the pure blue skies today (having arrived in Miami last night) were a joy.

A walk about near the place we're staying in Cape Coral (on the Gulf Coast) early this morning was a really pleasant introduction - nice to get the Palm Warbler count up straightaway along with Red-shouldered Hawk, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Phoebe, Grey Catbird, Myrtle Warbler and four Wood Storks. American birding like this is easy and a pleasure - and back before breakfast.

Red-shouldered Hawk Cape Coral, Florida 14th Feb 2016

Palm Warbler Cape Coral, Florida 14th Feb 2016

Wood Stork Cape Coral, Florida 14th Feb 2016

Anyway, as always, there was a target bird today. An American Flamingo turned up in January at Bunche Beach and has frequented from there to along the causeway to Sanibel Island. Turning up mid morning, it didn't take me long to locate this bright pink bird, an ABA code 3 bird - despite being a mile or so away, Karen was able to verify the sighting (and I got a grim phonescoped image that I'll keep to myself!). The showy Laughing Gulls nearby were a bit closer.

1st-winter Laughing Gull Sanibel Causeway, Florida 14th Feb 2016

One of the places I have the best birding memories of as a child was the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. This extensive area of mangroves, from what I remember, was just full of birds - loads of Roseate Spoonbills and stuff like that (plus a lucky sighting of a Mangrove Cuckoo). Today, though, the cuckoos weren't about due to the time of year and for some reason it was free entry so there were loads of people around. Not to worry though, as this place was still teeming with your 'standard' southern Florida birdlife - Reddish and Snowy Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, Tricoloured, Little Blue and Yellow-crowned Night Herons, a couple of Bald Eagles and loads of Ospreys, White Ibis, Wood Stork plus Brown and White Pelicans, Short-billed Dowitchers, Willets and a Belted Kingfisher. Throw in a showy Alligator too and that was the wildlife drive.

Little Blue Heron Ding Darling WR, Sanibel, Florida 14th Feb 2016

Yellow-crowned Night Heron Ding Darling WR, Sanibel, Florida 14th Feb 2016

Alligator Ding Darling WR, Sanibel, Florida 14th Feb 2016

A quick walk along the beach at the north end of Sanibel was pleasant too, and back in the car park the birding wasn't too bad - Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Cardinal and Myrtle Warblers. On the way back off the island, Royal Terns and Ospreys kept us company. A Muscovy Duck flew over McGregor Boulevard in Harlem Heights; shamefully I'll have this as an ABA tick given they're countable here in Florida (having dipped the genuine articles on the Rio Grande in Texas a couple of years ago).

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher Sanibel, Florida 14th Feb 2016

Slaty-backed Gulls - adults

One of the main reasons I went to Japan in December and January was to get some first hand experience of Slaty-backed Gulls. Thankfully this is the common large gull species in Hokkaido and it was hard to find any harbour area without them. The following images were taken from 25th to 31st December 2015 (just like the 1st-winters and 2nd-winters), and with a variety of weather conditions, I'm hopeful these images give some idea of what adult Slaty-backed Gulls genuinely look like. Light levels and snow do transform how birds look, so with over 30 photos here there should be enough to get the general gist. Here is my summary: -
- mantle colour variable from graellsii mid grey and darker to intermedius dark grey in extreme examples
- white tip to P10, with black subterminal band/area bordering obvious white mirror; P9 varying from lack of mirror to usually a small mirror and white tongue tips to P5 through to P7/P8
- obvious underwing 'shadowing' with primaries and secondaries dark contrasting with pale underwing coverts
- deep pink legs in all cases

extreme wingtip pattern on this individual