Lesser Black-backed Gull and Amazing Herons

[SW Florida. December 2014]

Even as April beckons, winter's taunts of flurries, freezing rain and snow continue unabated here in Michigan. Thus, with Spring temperatures plunging again below freezing, the only warmth to be found was in a retrospective of select winter pictures from SW Florida featuring some common, but nevertheless delightful, species such as:

• Lesser Black-backed Gull
• Yellow-crowned Night heron
• Little Blue Heron
• Green Heron
• Great Egret
• Reddish Egret 

We start with the gull:

Lesser Black-backed Gull seen at Sanibel Beach

This gull is a regular winter visitor to our Eastern shores from Iceland and other European regions. First profiled on this blog in 2013, this is an imposing, dark-mantled gull that is just smaller than a Herring Gull.

Lesser Black-backed Gull seen at Sanibel Beach

Gulls are not known to be picky eaters and this Lesser Black-backed was not above making a meal of a decomposing fish.


In a bit of a non sequitur, we now turn our attention to herons - starting with Yellow-crowned Night-Heron:

Yellow-crowned Night-heron seen at Corkscrew Swamp

Both Night-herons (Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned) can be seen at Corkscrew Swamp.

Yellow-crowned Night-heron seen at Corkscrew Swamp

As implied by their name, these herons are active in twilight and are generally found roosting in the day.  Unlike the sedentary Night-heron, however, this Little Blue Heron was spied actively foraging:

Little Blue Heron seen at Corkscrew Swamp

The Ard.lit.bh's proximity to the boardwalk made for an interesting composition as it walked on the lettuce lake.

Yellow-crowned Night-heron seen at Corkscrew Swamp

The ABA's bird of the year is the Green Heron and a sharp plunging sound revealed, through almost impenetrable vegetation, the bird of the year with a crayfish:

Green Heron seen at Corkscrew Swamp

Unlike the gre.h, the Ard.gre.e (in trinomial shortform) was much more cooperative -- having landed conveniently on the railing of the boardwalk:

Great Egret seen at Corkscrew Swamp

Perhaps no heron is as entertaining as the Ard.red.e:

Reddish Egret seen at Bunche Beach

Reddish Egret seen at Bunche Beach

Finally, some bonus birds:

An American Coot, walking on water:

American Coot at Harns Marsh

American White Pelican in a stately flypast:

American White Pelican seen at Bunche Beach

We conclude with a reptilian footnote:

Cottonmouth seen at Corkscrew Swamp