Florida, Day 6

We had a leisurely breakfast on Wednesday. Jan and I walked along the beach to where there was a bridge over a narrow place in the lagoon. Along with the usual egret and little blue heron, I saw four white pelicans in the lagoon for the first time.

White pelicans in the lagoon

There was also a brown pelican hunting for breakfast…

Mmm--Sushi!

And then took off leaving an artistic splash behind it.

Artsy photo of pelican taking off

At the camera class at CROW the previous evening, the photographer gave us a tip that there were burrowing owls on Marco Island. I suspected it was a long shot since they, like all owls are nocturnal, and we were going to be looking for them in the middle of the afternoon.

After crossing the bridge to the island, we stopped at the tourist center to pick up a map of the island and ask were we might see owls. I was assigned to hop out and go in. The woman was very nice. “Oh, the owls are everywhere,” she assured me enthusiastically. “I just saw some the other day, and I was going to remember so I could tell people.”

She whipped out a pink highlighter and thought for a moment. “I can’t remember,” she said, “but there are always owls behind the Y.” She colored the Y on the map and drew a line over the street behind. There were also owls in her neighborhood, which she highlighted as well.

We were off. The entrance to the Y was closed for repaving, so we had to drive the wrong way through the parking lot just at the moment a local was leaving in the correct direction. Oh well. We didn’t see any owls at the roped-off burrows directly behind the Y. We wound around through the neighborhood and THERE THEY WERE! Jan and I got out of the car. I started taking pictures at the car and kept snapping as I slowly walked toward the pair and moved to where I could see the second owl better down in the burrow. So cute! All I wished to accomplish on this vacation was complete. I had seen burrowing owls. Next goal: someday I want to see burrowing owl chicks. How adorable must they be?

A pair of burrowing owls (according to Sibley, 9.5" tall, weight 5 oz)

After that excitement, we studied the map and found a park by a marina for lunch. Jan and I both saw something odd in the water. Jan was the first to realize it was a dolphin, but by that time, it had disappeared among the boats.

Late lunch at the marina

On our way home, we pulled off the side of the road by one of the bridges to check for birds. A flock of ibis were gathered in the shallow water.

Ibis congregating for the evening

Each night, roseate spoonbills had flown into the lagoon in front of our building to roost for the night. Vacation was coming to an end, and I had not gotten down to take pictures of them. Tonight was the night. As soon as one came down, I grabbed the camera and went to the elevator. The spoonbills come in at dusk, which was rather inconsiderate of them, as the light was not sufficient to get any really good pictures. But I have already posted many crappy pictures from this vacation. What’s a couple more?

The first roseate spoonbill coming in for the night

Two spoonbills in flight