We are back in Key West for a few days to do some early season birding.

Shelling at Sanibel on day 2 went from slow to spectacular as an onshore current started pushing cones, tulips, nutmegs and conchs onto the beach with almost every wave.  It was a challenge to pluck them off the beach before the next wave came crashing in to pull them back out again.

Some of the nicest finds...

Birding was so-so for the week.  The best birding spot at Fort Desoto was a no-go as the park is still dealing with damage from last fall's hurricanes.  So, we finished the first trip of the year with 86 species including the diminutive Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher.  This species rivals chickadees and nuthatches for its acrobatics.

We also ran into a swarm of Nanday Parakeets and Brown-headed Cowbirds crushing the feeders at the Celery Fields in Sarasota.

On Clearwater Beach we found a variety of gulls and terns relaxing before their nighttime feeding sorties including this small Forster's Tern.

I'm counting on Henry to help me push the YTD total well past 90 this week before we head to Port Orange on Friday.  Next week I will visit several Central Florida locations ahead of my trip to South Texas where I can help with the border wall while getting some birding done.

We 'eased' into the new year by hitting the beach at dawn for some "shelding" on a very foggy Sanibel Island.  Shelding... Shelling one minute.  Birding the next.  Both outcomes this morning were so-so.

From there, we headed to Cape Coral to locate the Bald Eagle nest where Monk Parakeets are building a nest of there own in the bottom of the eagle's nest.  Given the wide restricted area around the eagle's nest and, with the eagle sitting in an adjacent tree, the situation was more of a curiosity than a great photo opportunity.

The Burrowing Owls on Cape Coral never fail to answer the bell.  This one was guarding its burrow.

In Fort Myers, we stopped by a new location at Harns Marsh picking up several additional species including Snail Kite and Limpkin.  The colorful Gray-headed Swamp Hens were also present.

And, as a reminder to my good buddy Judson and everyone else...  Remember that objects in your rear view mirror are closer than they appear. This Little Blue Heron was hunting its lunch unaware that the alligator was hunting its lunch as well.

Yes, the alligator did strike.  Yes, the alligator missed.  The Little Blue Heron spent the next half hour telling anyone who would listen about its near-miss with the gator from the safety of its perch high in a tree.

In all, we tallied 53 species toward our goal of 500 for 2025.  Tomorrow, its off to the celery fields near Sarasota for more birding after what we hope will be a productive morning of shelding on Sanibel.

Happy New Year!   Can you believe this century is a quarter over?   I remember partying like it was 1999 in the '80's.   And, the farce that was Y2K when it actually was 1999.

With the new year at hand, the pursuit of 500 birds in a single year is about to kick off.  We're headed to Sanibel, Tampa and Miami this week.  We will be birding from Fort Lauderdale to Daytona the following week and I will be in South Texas later in January.  

Then comes the first major trip of the year as we are planning a northern loop that will take us from Charleston, SC to the outer banks where we hope to do a pelagic trip about 40 miles out on the Atlantic Ocean in search of seabirds that are rarely seen from land.  Then it's on to Barnegat in New Jersey and Algonquin Provincial Park north of Toronto. From there, we may head west to Minnesota or south depending on how we fare and to what extent we can tolerate the cold.

Toss in a few Key West locals and the January / February target bird list exceeds 250 species which would be a great start toward the goal of 500.

Also, by March, we'll be completing the back yard landscaping.  Or, rather paying for it to be completed.  My wallet is in better shape than my back.  I'm not sure if that is a plus or a minus.

Otherwise, it has been a rough and tumble holiday season with the man cubs keeping all of us busy almost every minute of the day.

'Tis the season to be jolly!

As such, I offer up a few looks at traditional winter birds.

The Northern Cardinal prepares for its next sortie to the bird feeder.

The Blue Jay has already been there.

The Black-capped and Boreal Chickadees are always busier than bees on clover.

While the Dark-eyed Juncos and White-throated Sparrows prefer foraging on the ground.

And the Hairy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers look for the suet feeders and the peanut butter.

The Grey or Canada Jay says, "I got me a suet cake, eh!"

Carolina Wrens are quickly on the scene when the feeders have been filled.

Evening and Pine Grosbeaks can go through a feeder full of sunflower seeds faster than Judson can grab his cell phone.

All while the White-breasted, Brown-headed, Red-breasted and Pygmy Nuthatches happily show off their acrobatic skills.

Sometimes you get a chance to see the Bohemian Waxwings eat berries until they are drunk.  That is, if you're willing to go to Minnesota in January to see them.  Brrrr.

I'd like to wish everyone a very jolly Christmas and a happy New Year!  We're looking forward to our first Key West Christmas.  Last week we put up the Christmas tree one day and planted eight palm trees the next.  Whatever.  

Yesterday, Henry gave his unconditional stamp of approval to grandma's peanut butter fudge.  Owen is crawling under, around, over and through the Christmas tree.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!   And, yes, I have a picture of wild turkey.   Not a great picture.  I'm still waiting for the shot with a tom turkey and its tail completely fanned.

The man cubs both contracted hand, foot and mouth disease this past week.  So, it has been all yard work for the past several days as they recovered.  The palm trees start to arrive this week.  The blisters are already here.

Back to the birds, here are a few more Texas species from 2024 that I have not previously shared.

This Common Nighthawk was sleeping on a curb in the middle of a parking lot at the Sea Rim  State Park.  Cars were parking in spots to the left and the right and nighthawk didn't budge.

This Eastern Meadowlark stopped for a quick portrait.

Also at Sea Rim State Park, this Great-tailed Grackle was finding great success with its crabbing effort.

This Loggerhead Shrike was quite the poser.

And, then there is the Pectoral Sandpiper...

That is not to be confused with the Stilt Sandpiper...

Or, the Spotted Sandpiper.  Naturally, this one has almost no spots.

Or, even with the Greater Yellowlegs.

Birding ain't easy.  Happily, these Royal Terns will never be confused with sandpipers.

While the grackle was crabbing, this Snowy Egret was fishing.  Here, it managed to nab two fish on the same attempt.  No pole.  No lures.  No bobbers.  As Henry would say... Awesome.  Tada.  

And, let's hear it for the diminutive Least Grebe.  One of the homeliest birds around.  It's less than half the size of a Mallard Duck.

In case my good buddy Judson is following along... don't listen to the fake news.  Alabama can still lose another game and make the playoff.

We are back in Key West this evening after several productive days of shelling on Sanibel.  We ended up with enough plunder to fill two 5-gallon buckets on this outing.  This will help re-stock son Nick's SanibelShellsCo Etsy store where the orders keep rolling in.

The shell piles were enormous on one of the beaches so, it was part Easter egg hunt and part looking for needles in haystacks to find the good stuff.   Could have used a backhoe. 

On one of our outings, three separate people asked me what I was digging for.  Each time I replied, "Sea shells."  Two kept chatting.  One walked off.  So, I was 1 for 3.  Not great.  Not bad.  Happily, there were very few people on the beaches the past couple of days.  So, we enjoyed great shelling and great solitude.

After digging through piles of shells for several hours, you tend to work up an appetite.  So, we hit the local favorite, Doc Ford's daily for a late lunch/early supper.  The cobia fish and chips were too good to pass up.  As Don Jr. said the other day... Making America Healthy Again can wait one more day.

On the other hand, chasing after Henry and O.G. has caused me to drop about 10 pounds from my office days.  So, I think I'm already headed in the right direction.  And, Crystal keeps pumping me full of supplements and organic foods whenever she can.   

It is a bit depressing to see Sanibel in its current state.  Hurricane Ian from two years ago and the two hurricanes that touched the island this past fall have the area looking like a nuclear disaster occurred there.  It's similar to seeing areas out west that have been devastated by forest fires.  It will take a generation for things to get back to normal, assuming the island isn't in the path of more hurricanes in the coming years.

Happy days are here again as we spend a few days in Sanibel doing some power-shelling.

Henry has been in the patriotic spirit over the past couple of weeks.  He decided Cinderella's castle should have the American flag on it.  Good idea.  O.G. is crawling.  So, with both now being mobile, this baby-sitting thing has gone to the next level.

With the 2024 bird count likely finished at 467, here is an initial look back at some of the species observed during the year that did not make my original posts...  Starting with the trip to Arizona in May.

Cactus Wrens on a cactus.  Go figure.

Acorn Woodpecker on wood.  Again, go figure.

Bendire's Thrasher  (One of the 31 lifers I picked up on the trip)

I pulled up behind a paid birding tour van and asked one of the folks what they were looking for as there were several pairs of binoculars peering through a Federal government fence.  The answer was Bendire's Thrasher.  No luck.  But, as I was leaving the area, I stopped near the fence and listened.  I heard the thrasher, then watched as it landed on the road beside my vehicle.  It left after I got my photos but before the paid tour van came back through.  Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

I played hide-and-seek with Grace's Warblers all over Arizona before finding this poser.

And, a Lark Sparrow sporting intricate color patterns around its face.