October in Apalachicola

We've already had nights in the high 40-low 50 degree range. These changes trigger the movements of birds and fish, such as the increase in the number of wood storks in the last couple of weeks. I see very few during the summer, but now we are seeing them daily.

 

Our local herons and egrets are also more active, due to all the pogies and shrimp that are moving with the cooling waters.

The tarpon are also following the schools of pogies . It's not uncommon to see large schools of tarpon crashing into the migrating pogies.

The cooler weather also brings the southbound butterflies. The gulf fritillaries are coming through by the 1,000's and will soon be joined by large flights monarchs.

 If you've never visited the Panhandle in the fall, you're missing a wonderful experience. Fishing, photography or just sight seeing, now is the time.

What is it ?

Today was one of those days that make you wonder why you get up early even when you don't have to.......dark, fogy and chilly (this damn global warming is about to kill me!). Anyway I went over to check on the fledgling eagle, which with the weather as it was, was staying low in the nest.

I went to the Pig (Piggly Wiggly grocery store for the non-Apalachaites)and decided to swing by the Mill Pond and Scipio Creek to see if any critters were out and about. As I neared Scipio, I saw a good sized, white bird with it's head in the water. Neat...a white ibis

.......until his bill came out of the water. White Ibis have red bills, this was fresh on my mind because of the ibis I had photographed yesterday and this one was black. A wood stork, certainly not a common bird around Apalachicola. Actually they have been on the endangered list since 1984,although they are prospering in South America.

They have two modes of feeding;one consists of holding their open bill in the water and snapping it shut, trapping it's prey.

The other method is used where vegetation is more prevalent; consists of holding their bill open and using a shaking foot to chase food out of the weeds, as these pictures illustrate.

This stork appears to be a juvenile bird and was still later on in the day. Maybe It'll still be around tomorrow.