I often mention I always take my Canon Sx-70 Super Zoom Bridge Camera on my almost daily bicycle rides. Yesterday was no exception, and while on over 95% of my rides I never see anything that warrants interrupting my exercise, yesterday was the exception (read more about my bicycle birding setup). In fact about the only time I do not have a camera with me is while I am cross-country skiing (unless wearing a GoPro). Normally while skiing hard I definitely do NOT want to be encumbered with any backpacks or hip bags. A super zoom camera makes for an excellent choice for bringing equipment along. If not in a car, the light weight and small size is a great advantage; yet one still has reach given the zoom lens.

Anyhow back to yesterday’s ride … it was late afternoon with perfect light when as I approached the end of my route I noticed a Red-Shouldered Hawk looking for dinner. The raptor was amazingly docile in terms of letting me watch its hunt. In the first set of images, I had noticed the pine tree in the background with blue sky gaps … the perfect backdrop for my photos. Enjoy.

I normally do not like to take photographs of birds on power lines, but these conditions demonstrated there are no hard and fast rules. More Red-Shouldered Hawk.

Yes, the age old question was answered shortly after sunrise yesterday at the Pelican Ballfields in Cape Coral. The parakeets wanted to say hello to all the Burrowing Owls! While the uninformed might believe the answer was really to find better seeds, I knew better!

Monk Parakeets Crossing the Road

Monk Parakeet Crossing the Road Video (video link for email subscribers)

Burrowing Owl Couple #1

Burrowing Owl Couple #1 Video A (you can actually hear the parakeets in the background!)(video link for email subscribers)

Burrowing Owl Couple #1 Video B (video link for email subscribers)

More pics of Burrowing Owl Couple #1

Burrowing Owl Couple #2 (outer eyelid is closed on one owl … protecting against sunlight and dust)

Burrowing Owl Bachelor

Monk Parakeets. These birds are from Argentina, but over years and years so many parakeets have escaped from captivity (think pets) there is now a large wild population in Florida, and even colonies in locations such as Chicago and Brooklyn.

One might wonder why I am posting early in the morning rather than birding. My plan today is to head over to the Ding Darling Wildlife Preserve on Sanibel Island and bike the wilderness drive. Normally the best birding is right at sunrise, but with shore and wading birds, low tide should be your target time of day. The retreating tide creates shallow tidal pools where small fish and other yummies are easier pickings for birds.

Yup, I have just started “Year #9” of this blog, and it has been a fun journey. Starting the year off are some rare birds. I am down in Florida for two weeks, and while on my bicycle ride this afternoon I found a bird which is increasingly rare in Florida, a Limpkin. This wading bird mainly eats only one kind of snail, and with all the development in Florida habitat which supports its needs is increasingly rare. Amazingly enough, even though I had only seen a Limpkin once before in my life (eight years ago), I actually recognized this bird. Given there were two Limpkins, not just one, and the fact that these birds do not migrate, I suspect I now know their territory. Finally, having a Super Zoom Bridge Camera (Canon SX-70) in my bike bag allowed me to document the experience.

Meanwhile up at home on Lake Superior, an extremely rare Ivory Gull has shown up. These gulls belong up in the Arctic, mainly near Greenland. The gull spends part of its day at Canal Park. Six years ago when an Ivory Gull showed up in Duluth, folks actually put out smoked salmon for two weeks as an offering for the bird in the hopes of keeping it in the area. Use these two web cams each morning to see if birders are gathering. Last time people flew in from all around the country to see the bird.

• Canal Park WebCam #1
• Canal Park WebCam #2

And my Limpkin photographs …