I finally made it down to Fort Desoto to see the smooth billed ani. This counts as a new bird for me.  I had seen the grooved billed ani at Boyd Hill Park back in 2011.  The smooth billed had spent a while at the park during the holidays but I wasn’t able to get down there until January. He wasn’t too hard to find. Just look for the group of people staring at it.

Above is the groove bill ani. They look exactly the same except for the bill.

This was only the 2nd time I had seen a lark sparrow. One was hanging out near the same spot as the ani. This one spent the morning feeding on the ground.

A kestrel high up in a tree.

This snowy egret has a shrimp. He was fishing along the shoreline next to the pier.

The pelican clan hanging out on the jetty.

Some small things on the beach. A mangrove taking root and a small fiddler crab.

Fort Desoto in mid-January.