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 …

I am back in Minnesota having traded 70F and blue skies for 20F and blah weather. However, I am planning for my initial Northland birding outings including “Super B..owl” Sunday. However, here is my Florida Finale including a trip to the Babcock Webb Wilderness. This wildlife area about 25 miles north of Fort Myers is really cool with two distinctive habitats … pine savannah and a lake/wetlands region. I drove over at the wrong time of day … mid afternoon, but immediately realized it is worth a repeat visit at sunrise on a future trip south.

Wally Gator hanging out in Six Mile Slough

Blue Heron in a Pine Tree

Awwwck … Belted Kingfished coughing up fish remains

Burrowing Owls at Sunrise (video link for email subscribers)