For the winter months, we switch from snow and cold to sunshine and palm trees. The locals call us Canadian Snowbirds, as we settle into our rental condo in Naples, Florida. We are located in the sub-tropical portion of Florida, which offers me lots of different birds to enjoy.
Eurasian Collared-Dove
In the morning, I wake up to the harsh cooing of the Eurasian Collared-Dove, which became established in Florida in the 1980s. Unfortunately, they bully and harass the gentle, native Mourning Doves. Also, I hear the strange whistles and squeaks of the Boat-tailed Grackle. There is a Northern Mockingbird (pictured above) outside our bedroom window, which has a more tuneful and varied repertoire. It perches on a light stand, which shows the whitewash from generations of mockers.
Mourning Dove
Then, there is the lawn ornament crowd. Virtually every day, we have a large flock of White Ibis feeding on the property. They use their long bills to probe for worms and insects. Also, we have Muscovy Ducks. These large, ugly, ungainly birds waddle around the property. They and the Mallards get evicted from the pool by the maintenance man.
Muscovy Duck and White Ibis
One of our more unusual visitors is a Great Egret, which has abandoned the nearby pond. (In our area, you are never far from water.) This bird prowls all the local gardens, peering in the bushes. It is looking for anoles, which are a small lizard. This bird must have learned that the anoles are easy-to-catch prey. Also, there is less hunting competition from other waders. Occasionally, a Green Heron will show up at the pond, hunting for small fish.
Green Heron
Patrolling the skies are Bald Eagles and Osprey. Occasionally, I see both the light and dark morphs of the Short-Tailed Hawk. Black and Turkey Vultures soar on the thermals overhead.
Red-bellied Woodpeckers are attracted to the palm tree outside our condo window. Migrating Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Yellow-rumped Warblers hide in the fronds of the palms. Northern Cardinals dart through the yard. They are already singing their courtship songs.
All this action makes me eager to visit my favourite local birding spots. I will share stories about these places in some of my upcoming winter posts from Florida.
Note: All pictures are by the Kinrys family.
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