Well it’s really great to be back on the water in sunny downtown Matlacha at Gulf Coast Kayak. We just came from up north and it sure was cold, as I am sure most of you know. We really have it good here in Southwest Florida, otherwise you would not be here either.

That said I have to tell you this place is for the birds. Yes, I said, “the birds.” Now that’s not a bad thing, I mean it in a good way. I can’t begin to tell you all the different kinds of birds we saw last time out in the ‘yak on the back bay. Just the shore birds could fill a birder’s field guide. Then all the different kinds of herons — great blue, little blue (not the same bird), the little green backs, and we can’t leave out the one we see the most, the yellow crowned night heron, (who when he is immature is brown with yellow spots).

Then the pelicans. I say, “then the pelicans,” because the brown pelicans are nesting in the old yellow night herons nest. It’s somewhat funny to see this large pelican fly over to a little nest of sticks in the Australian pines, and lightly touch down.

We also saw a few white pelicans with their large orange beak in a rather small flock, about 50 or so. Most times we see them in flocks of about 200 or so, in the north end of the pass.

The egrets had a good showing also, a few great white, and some snowy.

We try to get back into the mangrove tunnels when the tide and water is high enough, which is not easy with the winter water. There we find some of the birds you probably won’t see on a normal days paddle — rosette spooned bills, the other pink bird. This bird is a treat to see and even more so if you luck out and find their roosting area with a flock of 50 or so. It doesn’t happen all the time, which is what makes it so special.

When we are going up to the mangroves we sometimes see a comarant dive off a branch into the water, and see him a few minuets later in the water up ahead, or an anhinga with a small fish on the end of his beak trying to wiggle it into his mouth. It then flips it into air and catches it.

When we get in to the areas were not to many paddlers go, we have found large stick nest about 10 feet across. This is the home of the great American bald eagle. He has a white head and a white tail and orange feet and beak. I am often times asked, “Mel why are the eagles so small in Southwest Florida?” Do you know? That’s right, the bird they are seeing is not an eagle it’s an osprey. The little cousin. Sure he is a fish hawk like the eagle but he is two-thirds smaller. In addition, his nest is much smaller, but still made of twigs and grass.

A few weeks ago when we were coming back from our daily paddle we saw a young eagle building a large nest just south of the Sandy Hook Restaurant. He had worked about two weeks on it and it was looking good. We never saw a mate to help him with this large task. However, we did see something strange happen over the next few days. Four to five osprey were chasing the young eagle. The eagle would try to leave his nest, and the next thing we say was the osprey dive down and swoop over the eagles head like they were trying to peck at him or grab him with there feet. Well as best I can figure is the eagle may have gotten to the osprey nest and ate one of the young. The osprey that was chasing him did so for the next few days. We had not been back for a couple of days due to cold and just bad weather. However, when we did get a chance to pass the nest again there was no eagle in site. The osprey had taken over the nest. It looks strange to see just one female osprey in this large nest and the male only a few yards away on another tree keeping watch. When we approach the island the female starts to chirp away and the male takes flight over our head, as to say keep away. Which we do, we back up and keep a sharp look with our binoculars. You can see so much more if you don’t get to close to the birds, give them there space, this is there home, and we want to keep them here, for others tosee. Try to think of your self as a Calusa Indian who has not eaten in a few days, do we want to scare the birds away and never see them again? No, we want to be able to come back another day and find the rest of the flock. So tread lightly, and remember this place, the Back Bay is for the birds.

Get in the yak and come paddle in paradise. We will be looking for you on the water.