Tanagers, and Buntings, and Grosbeaks! Oh, my! Fort Desoto - April 26, 2017

Finally got some nice shots of the migrants at Fort DeSoto this morning.  I think these tanagers, grosbeaks, and buntings deserve their own post for being so pretty!

Scarlet Tanager

Summer Tanager

Indigo Bunting

Scarlet Tanager (female)

Scarlet Tanager (male)

Blue Grosbeaks

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (female)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male)

Owls at Fort DeSoto - April 26, 2017

In addition to everything else today, these two baby great horned owls were a nice surprise!

Fort DeSoto - April 26, 2017

Today will need several posts because there was so much going on at the park today!  To start, here are some of the migrants seen today:

Here are some shrikes that seemed to be in a nesting area, but couldn't find the nest.

Also, lots of shorebirds, but too sunny to identify most.

Hillborough River & Sargeant Park, Tampa - April 23, 2017

Got to see a few more birds at these two parks at the end of the day today.  The most unique find was a Cape May Warbler at Hillsborough River park.  Also got my target bird for the park today: a red-headed woodpecker, my first of the year.

Also pictured below is the downy woodpecker on the same tree as the red-headed, as well as an adult and juvenile red-shouldered hawk.  Notice how the adult has a rusty-colored chest, where as the juvenile is spotted.  They were flying together, so probably related.

Best photos of the Tampa parks were of this skipper butterfly on a thistle.

At Sargeant Park, there were a few heron species hanging out together, pictured below are adult and juvenile black-crowned night heron with a great blue heron and juvenile little blue heron.

Gator Hole, Circle B Bar - April 23, 2017

The most interesting thing today was a dried-up puddle that still had a huge gator, along with a bunch of birds, trying to fish in it.

Circle B Bar Reserve - April 23, 2017

A nice day to visit the park today with lots to see.  My favorite animal today was this "Florida Brown Snake", a first-time sighting.

Also, many other critters to see and photograph, including  broad-headed skink and wood storks pictured below.

Hackberry (above) and Halloween pennant (below)

Green heron diving for fish

All three of the bird species in the photo above are unusual for the park: spotted sandpiper, stilt sandpiper, and western sandpiper.