It was a beautiful off-Friday morning today at the Circle B Bar Reserve. I arrived before dawn and walked out to the Wading Bird Way trail for sunrise. I wasn’t really hoping for any bird in particular – it just felt so good to be there! As I walked out, I thought about the recent posting about a Snail Kite sighting in the area. I thought, “nah, I’ll never see it.” I enjoyed my sunrise opportunities, the various birds that flew overhead (Least Bittern and Caspian Terns were nice surprises, and a pair of Belted Kingfishers kept me entertained.) The morning was breezy and cool. At a glance it seemed as if there were not a lot of birds, but as I stood there watching, I realized that the sky was full of birds in flight. I tried to catch one of the many Limpkins in flight (they always flew behind me, into the backlight of the sun). Then as I turned to leave, there was the Snail Kite sitting not too far from the trail. What a fun way to end the morning! My picture isn’t great (seems like lifer shots never are!) but that’s just incentive to go back… :)

Find my birding list from today on eBird.