(I apologize for these tardy, out-of-order postings... But, hey, I'm on vacation!)

The ABC Islands east of the arc of the Marco Island bridge feature rookeries that host thousands of magnificent frigatebirds. We had seen one of these distinctive angular black birds fly over Togertail Beach on the island, and a couple more as we cruised an overbuilt neighborhood looking for some of the remaining burrowing owl burrows (we found one lone burrow, fenced off in a vacant lot). But when we pulled off at a little boat launch area near the bridge, facing the nesting islands, we spotted a few more of these coastal beauties. And then, a lot more! Suddenly it seemed like dozens of frigatebirds were sailing overhead in the blue sky, eyeing the turquoise waters below, their long tails streaming behind them--a magnificent sight indeed.

Expecting nothing,
we're speechless when the sky fills
with avian kites.