Sometimes They Just Come to Visit Me.

Now just because I don't feed the birds doesn't mean that they don't come to visit me. Quite the contrary, I do in fact get birds that visit me. At first it was just a pair of Eurasian Collared Doves. I say just but this pair taught me something and gave me hours of enjoyment. I also mourned their loss when the hawks found their nests and their babies. I watched them trying to protect the little ones through a hurricane only to abandon the nest after the storm. Not sure if it was because of the storm or if something else got to the eggs that time.

There were other birds around the usually suspects, mocker, Blue Jays and Cardinals and soon I had a couple of visiting sapsuckers and in season I found the Norfolk Island Pine loaded with Palm Warblers.

One of the biggest thrills was watching a Kestrel at the top of the Norfolk Island Pine. He soon became a daily occurrence and I was lost when he disappeared. But when the seasons changed he was back in the pine tree again. That is until Wilma too it down and the Condo in

turn had all the large trees cut down in fear of future storm damage. But that’s another story and I need to get back to my birds. Even now I see the Kestrel occasionally sometimes on the roof of the condo and sometime in a tree top when I am out for a walk in the neighborhood.

I get all excited when a bird comes to visit me for the first time. I try to get picture but I don’t always succeed especially if the bird is a warbler. Those little guys don’t sit still for nothing. I have had several warblers visit the little tree outside my porch and a few interesting butterflies and bugs too.

One of the best visits came when I was on my way to work. I was walking along the catwalk making my way to the elevator when I saw this hawk at the pool. Now the question was do I go back to the apartment and get the camera or do I just go to work knowing he will be gone when I get back. Well folks sometime you just got to take a chance and I did. Got the camera and got a few shots and I tried getting closer by going down the stairs and as I was on the second floor landing taking pictures something caught my eye and I turned to look and there was a second one in the palm tree. Well I go a couple of shots of him before he flew down to join the other one. Then I got shots of the two of them. They let me get pretty close and I was a happy camper. Just couldn’t wait to tell the folks at birding about this adventure.

Some time the visitors are moths or butterflies or dragonflies or lizards. One never knows what will be waiting for her just outside her condo.