Swallow-tailed Kite

This past summer I saw this beautiful bird twice. I was caught off-guard by the shape and size of it. It is one of the most graceful birds that I have seen.  I hope you get to see one too.

Birds of Fort Island, Crystal River, Fl

Bird-watching with a 2 year old can be challenging. We had a great time and I added 5 new entries to my Life list. My son enjoyed it thoroughly until it was time to head home an hour and a half later. He did not want to leave the beach. All he wanted to do is throw sand into the ocean, and walk in the water knee-high with his shoes on.

I tried to get him to chase the black ringed gulls who was populating the beach, and that got him out of the water, but when I stopped to take a close up picture of the gulls that was sitting on the roof of a building, my son started to play in the sand. At least it was dry sand this time. I had to drag him away. He stopped screaming by the time we were back in the van.

We saw a belted Kingfisher (that actually caught a fish), a Northern Cardinal, Brown Pelican, American Crows, Sanderlings, Black ringed Gulls, and Black Skimmers. The Black skimmers reminded me of seeing the African Skimmers skimming the waters of the Nile, below Murchison Falls, in Uganda. These Black skimmers must have skimmed earlier that day, cause they just sat there on the white sand.