Birding on an Overcast Afternoon

Yesterday we stopped into the birding center to see if we could see anything different. I also got some more practice with my new camera.

This duck is a hybrid and stays locally year-round. It's partly mallard and some smallish goose.

Spotted sandpiper

Female redhead duck

White ibis

White morph reddish egret

Red-breasted merganser

Year-and-a-half old alligator

Green heron in its usual spot

Male belted kingfisher (we haven't seen any females yet this year)

I always check the railing around the water tower to see if the peregrine falcon is there. Sure enough it was!

Male red-wing blackbird

Adult gator lurking on the edge of the pond

Skip getting a shot of the alligator

This photo gives a good idea of how close the boardwalk is to the waterways and marsh area. It is a fabulous facility. We know what the usual birds are but every time we come, we see something different.

The falcon moved to the parking lot side of the water tower so I was able to get a better shot.

The breast markings are easy to see in this shot

Shortly after this it flew off

In spite of the cloud cover, it was really warm. Rain is forecast for tomorrow - after 39 days of rain-free weather since we've been here.