Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Minnesota & Florida: Large Shorebirds

We took a daylong birding outing down the Whitewater Valley to the Mississippi River.  The Whitewater is a modest sized river noted for it's trout fishing and scenic vistas.  It was mid-September and too early for much waterfowl migration  but the shorebirds were gathering soon to be heading south.
We hiked with Lily across a dike in the refuge noting some large white birds to our left. Looking across another pool to our right we saw even more...
I was pretty sure they weren't whoopers or pelicans but wondered if I could get closer for my little point and shoot camera.
Sure enough a Great White Egret. I talked to this bird and he said they were getting together here to soon head off to the Gulf Coast. I replied we were "snowbirds" too and perhaps might run into them in Florida!
Sure enough there were lots of shorebirds in Florida. Uncountable sloughs, ponds, bayous, coastal backwaters and canals will do that. Another unusual thing we noted was that some of them seemed almost tame. Our
friend from Minnesota, for example.
 
And then its started to get confusing....
 White Ibis
Snowy Egret
Woodstorks
Cattle Egrets golfing.
And so as the sun sets on our little comparison of some large shorebirds in Minnesota and Florida we give a slight edge to the later having more shore and year around birds to gawk at. 
 
Some Minnesota snowbirders (Rosie, Mrs. T. and Gary) enjoying their winter migration to the Sunshine State.
 
 

18 comments:

  1. It's so much fun to watch the birds during migration times... Love seeing the ibis. the reflections of the Snowy Egret, and of course the Great White Egret. Glad you had a conversation with him --and maybe you all can meet and have dinner when you get to FL.... ha ha

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  2. There are still birds going through here. Most have packed up and left but there are still some to come. Lots of ducks and geese still have to go through.

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  3. It's so sad to see them go...

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  4. I think birds are amazing and love to see the way they flock together to migrate, or rather I did like to see them when I lived in different area. Sometimes I see them flying overhead but that's rare.

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  5. So, you're down there already?

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  6. Nice! Talking to the birds these days, TB? Glad to know you will meet up down south. I love that last picture of those people soaking up the sunshine. :-)

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  7. The pelicans and egrets are fishing together around here. I would like to follow them south.

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  8. Interesting post Sr T.

    OK, so you weren't kidding about that compass plant.

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  9. Are you sure that's the same bird ... or just a wandering relative. Since you can talk to them I would guess you would want verification !

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  10. Interesting that you and the birds enjoy the exact same diverse climes. I am a huge fan of the Cattle Egrets. I loved to watch them in pastures following the herds, often riding the backs of Brahmas. We locals use to call them Cow Birds which was totally wrong but seemed to fit.

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  11. You are an early bird snowbird if you are already in Florida. Wonderful birds! We enjoy all the same big white ones here in South Carolina.

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  12. What amazing sights you saw. Wow, just wow. I would love to see these beautiful birds. We don't have such creatures in my neck of the woods. You did a nice job with identification and your photography is fabulous.

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  13. Wow! Absolutely amazing. What a great day trip.

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  14. Enjoy the fall weather in Florida. What a peaceful place to linger.

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  15. Hi Troutbirder, Neat photos! I enjoyed your conversation with the Great White Egret ... nice work there! And that last photo ... the snowbirds will have me smiling all day. I enjoy that level of activity! Have a great weekend ahead!

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  16. I enjoyed your comparison of the large shorebirds of Minnesota and Florida. Perhaps you'll meet your Minnesota friend down in the Sunshine state.

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  17. Fun post. :-) I love the photos.

    Hey, to answer your question about Woodman's, it is employee owned, so that is fun.
    What we love is the selection of Wisconsin products ... cheese, craft beer, brats, and more. All Wisconsin made! And homemade!! I love that!! They also have a fantastic international market.
    Have a great week!!

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  18. I envy you the time in Florida after the snow flies! Shore birds...I suppose Gulls are considered shore birds and we never had them in this area until the Potato processing plant opened. Now they are all over town and fields near town and they stay all winter.
    I enjoyed all your photos:)

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