The second day of "Florida 2012" was pretty special. I tripped out to West Lake Park not really expecting to have the session that I enjoyed. Firstly the day had begun with a special sunrise, a golden glow that grew from the horizon out of a turquoise ocean, my attention was interrupted only by a small group of iconic Brown Pelicans that drifted by on the light balmy breeze from the direction of Miami Beach. Yes it was as good as that! Until you have experienced a Winter's morning on a South Florida beach you can't begin to imagine. The sun is warm without being hot, the sky is blue and cloudless and the air feels clean and pure. Th Morning Glory is as glorious as the name suggests and the prospect of reacquainting with the local exotics is more than tantalising. At the park you could be in a wilderness, at least for the first hour, that is before the dog walkers and fitness freaks take over. The flowering shrubs always impress me, everything seems more attractive in good light. Yesterday's Racoon was out foraging and vultures glided by and I caught sight of an un-named hawk. I was in to small warblers immediately in the shape of a Palm Warbler, the air was alive with the sound of other small tantalising calls and I gravitated in their direction. A female Yellow Bellied Sapsucker was doing her stuff on a Royal Palm trunk. This is a really interesting species. They feed by drilling holes in to tree trunks and the palms here in the park are peppered with holes. The wound "bleeds" sap and is then a food source, not just for the Sapsucker but also for Red Bellied Woodpeckers. The sweet sap also attracts insects and then other small birds come in the feed on them in turn. I kept seeing small birds in an uncultivated area behind the park, always a good area for birds and as I stood quietly there I managed pictures of the Prairie Warbler above. There was a Black and White Warbler, and a Blue Grey Gnatcatcher. Then a pair of Red Breasted Woodpeckers flew in to take advantage of the Sapsuckers labours. Then with the presence of an Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), it was quite a result.
Prairie Warbler

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Black and White Warbler .

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Blue-grey Gnatchater .

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Red-breasted Woodpecker-(female) .

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Red-breasted Woodpecker (male)

Just outside the the beachside appartment, when I came home for breakfast, a large flock of Red-masked Conures (Aratinga erythrogenys) was a in a tree.  They flew noisily from me.  These birds are well known here in South Florida where they have established themselves after escaping from captivity.