We started out our first full day together in Crystal River with a quick airboat ride out in the bay with Eva. Alex spotted a thermal of birds that included a swallow-tailed kite, bald eagle, wood storks, and turkey vultures. Out in the bay we added saltmarsh sparrow and greater yellowlegs to the trip list.
It seems like almost every few miles on a Florida highway, you can see this scene; black vultures fighting with eachother over a roadkill. Near the airport in Crystal River, we found these vultures fighting over a dead raccoon. They were so preoccupied with fighting, a single black vulture ate a good portion of the carcass before they even realized it. They weren't messing around, and were throwing kicks at eachothers throats, eyes, and mouths.
black vulture scuffle
Next we took Alex to Ft. Island Gulf Beach. All of the typical birds were there, in addition to a few royal terns that I saw there on the 4th that were banded. This was Alex's first time here, so we spent a long time here.
royal terns
Alex photographing skimmers
black skimmer resting
royal tern bathing
ruddy turnstone flyinh
juvenile white ibis eating crab
juvenile white ibis eating crayfish (at nearby birding trail)
We ended the day with 103 birds.
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