One of the fun things for me when retreating south for a reprieve from winter is to watch the many types of birds. Some of them are familiar since they migrate north for summer while others are unique as they stay in the south all year long. A bird that stood out for me was the Snowy Egret. This was the first time I’d ever seen one. The Great Egret is often spotted in Minnesota but, ironically, the Snowy Egret is not. It has some amazing plumage and not hesitant about displaying it. This is a smaller bird than it’s close relative the Great Egret but is just as striking in its pure white plumage. Both seem to have similar temperaments when competing for food. The Great Egret just has a longer reach.

A bird that I didn’t expect to see along the beaches of Clearwater, Florida, were parakeets. During one of the first mornings in this area, I heard a strange, but familiar sound. And then more birds chimed in with a similar sound. It wasn’t a call from a bird I was familiar with yet it seemed like I’d heard it before. Eventually I caught a glimpse of a flock moving from nearby palm trees that seemed to have a green coloration. Unfortunately these flew past without allowing me to really see them so I couldn’t identify them. Another day I saw this type of bird in palm trees overhead and was able to get a couple of pictures. They were Parakeets! Now it made sense. The sound was familiar because of pet stores selling them. I may not have heard these exact type of birds but similar enough making the calls familiar. They are a beautiful bird and fun to watch as they search for food among the palm leaves.

A bird that was fun to see was the Great Blue Heron. This is one I see in the North for summer nesting but was still enjoyable to be around in Florida during the winter. They seemed a lot more relaxed on these beaches allowing me to get closer than I would ever expect at home. What is the cause of this different behavior? I would venture to guess it’s a result of people feeding them as they fish. If the herons were fed in my area, I’m sure it would be easier to get closer to them also. Still fun to see them in great detail.

Shorebirds are another ocean staple. So much so that for the first couple of days I didn’t see them and began to wonder why? At the same time it was extremely windy and cold during the first part of my stay in Florida. Once the sun came out and the wind subsided, there they were running in and out of waves combing the beach for food. They are interesting to watch as they dart around the waves washing up on shore searching for any morsel fit for consumption. It’ll be a couple of months before I get to watch some of these birds return to the north once the weather becomes more suitable again and lakes lose their ice revealing a bounty of food.