Bunche Beach East

Until this past week, it had been a very long while since I visited the east channel that cuts its way from San Carlos Bay into the estuary at Bunche Beach Preserve.

The Reddish Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

I was well aware that my early morning visit, when I had the chance this week, would be at a very high tide which would make passing the channel impossible on foot as I was.

Even at a very low tide, the east channel is nearly chest deep in places if you choose to cross it, though gets shallower the further you go out into the bay.

The Willet above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The approach to the channel was met with very still air and little bird activity.

The biting insects were at their worst after exiting the car a mile back and not bad compared to how they can be after sunset under certain conditions at the preserve.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The water of San Carlos Bay was closer to the grass along the dune than I ever recall seeing it before.

Once at the channel, a Reddish Egret was seen in the company of a Willet feeding close to shore as the tide peaked when I took my first shots with the water three feet above mean sea level.

The Cattle Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

I had been forewarned by a weather forecast on the radio that this would be the hottest day of the 2010 summer.

There had been many other days already that were more uncomfortable due to higher humidity conditions while my morning through early afternoon visit to the preserve was comparably very pleasant.

The Snowy Egret with Reddish Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

A goal was to ensure that the shots I would take were level, without a need to rotate any shots in post processing, which was made possible by a bubble level in my tripod.

I initially made a great effort with this in mind by kicking the sand along the shore to a depth of a few inches where I was able to set one of the tripod's legs where it allowed me as low to the ground as possible without having to hold the camera.

The White Ibis above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The water of the bay actually felt surprisingly cool as I entered it while planting myself down where I remained within a small radius for the next four and a half hours.

Photographs of birds, if they're not in flight typically, I find most appealing in an image from a low perspective while as close to their height as possible.

The Little Blue Heron juvenile above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

At about the time I saw evidence of clouds around 9:00am was when a strong and welcome breeze picked up from the east.

With the sun at my back, I simply waited for the action to happen.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

I have to admit that I would not have considered making this trip under the conditions of such a high tide if there wasn't the possibility of seeing the Black-necked Stilt for the first time.

Tom Obrock had told me that the species had been seen at the preserve about a month ago while he has noted seeing it more recently at the I-75 rest stop near the Fort Myers airport.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The stilt regrettably remains elusive to me after my most recent visit to Bunche Beach Preserve.

I did, however, see some surprisingly enjoyable action that I would never have expected.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The conditions turned out to offer some of the most enjoyable and prolific wildlife observation I had yet to encounter in one day.

Shortly after a few wading species passed overhead, I decided to change my strategy and primarily focus my efforts on photographing birds in flight which I continue to struggle with successfully.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

I adjusted the camera's settings many dozens of times to compensate for the different species and the perspectives I had of them.

It was a treat of course to see species I hadn't observed in a long while and to photograph juveniles which should be expected this time of year.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

This visit to the preserve was an opportunity for me to acquire a much better appreciation for the differences in shorebirds and improved identification of them.

Sandpipers, plovers and terns were abundant as the tide waned and the bay's flats were exposed offering the birds a resting and feeding opportunity.

The Great Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

My first few shots of the day were taken into the light.

I don't like shooting under those conditions as the results are often unreliable for an appealing image unless compensation is made diligently in the camera's settings or through flash which I chose not to use.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

In this most recent visit to Bunche Beach Preserve, I made my typical adjustments I do with the camera's exposure bias which was determined by the subjects that I thought warranted it.

The lower settings were used for the most part when I was photographing the Snowy Egret and other species seen in the surf with significant white in their appearance.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The higher settings were used when I was photographing many birds in flight in the bright sky.

I've never trusted the camera to take an image with automatic settings and most often choose to make any inferior images with full accountability to myself.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

There were a few disputes of territory between a pair of Snowy Egrets and a pair of Tricolored Herons which occupied some of my observation time.

At one point I was surprised by a juvenile Snowy Egret having apparent dominance over an adult.

The "Great Getaway" above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The Tricolored Heron juvenile was harassed by its elder when the younger bird got too close.

It was interesting to see the successful feeding by the birds with the Snowy Egret in particular making numerous stabs into the water which brought two fish at a time.

The Laughing Gull above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

It was on this trip that I made an observation, with the most confidence I've yet to have, of the Western Sandpiper.

I continue to struggle with the identification of these birds with subtle differences in their appearance.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

I consider the highlight of the trip my sighting of the Bald Eagle which I observed at the preserve for the first time.

A fellow visitor of the preserve told me of a visit he made to Bowman's Beach on Sanibel Island in June of this year.

The Least Tern juvenile above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

He commented on his observation of Snowy Plover juveniles that ran into his shadow to escape the heat of the sun.

I also heard this week from American Birding Association member, Hemant Kishan, who told me of his "spectacular" observations last month at Estero Lagoon which included the sighting of a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron "hunting plover chicks as if they were crustaceans."

The Western Sandpiper above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

Thanks for that report, Hemant.

I also had an interesting visitor to my Pbase site that commented on images cryptically over a half dozen images which when strung together read . . . IN SEARCH OF PEACE AND LOVE, I AM EXPANDED TO PROTECT MY WORLD. PLEASE COME AND JOIN WITH ME, LET US TOUCH THE SKY & REACH THE HIGH. FLY BEYOND THE BONDAGE, FOR FOOD TO MY SOIL MOTHER, I MUST RETURN TO YOUR PLACID BREAST.

The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

Although I missed photographing a flyover of a juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron as I wasn't prepared for it, I fortunately observed another of the species on the roadside while leaving the preserve which made up for the earlier loss.

I certainly won't consider a high tide visit to Bunche Beach Preserve any less than very favorable again.

The Osprey above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

And I have to add that I'm very much looking forward to frequent trips to Bowman's Beach during the 2011 breeding season.

The inclination of Bowman's Beach appears very favorable for great light during morning or afternoon visits as is Bunche Beach.

The Black-crowned Night-Heron juvenile above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

READ MORE - Bunche Beach East

Go Fly A Kite At Harns Marsh

While I was very tempted to take up Fabs Forns' "Project July: Interaction" Sticky at Birdphotographers.net, with a goal of photographing birds and their offspring this week, I decided instead to return inland to Harns Marsh Preserve knowing it unlikely to see fledgling birds.

The Limpkin above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

If you have yet to visit BPN, I strongly encourage you to do so.

There is some extraordinary and world class wildlife photography there with a great community of members and educational opportunities.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

I have lately been getting an earful of the fledgling activity of the Common and Boat-tailed Grackles at my front door as there are a few nests in the Sabal Palms unfortunately without an ability to photograph them.

The adult birds have been observed bringing insects to the young and removing their droppings from the nest.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

I haven't been able to get out of my mind the comment made to me by American Birding Association member, Hemant Kishan, who told me of his disappointment of his experience at Harns Marsh Preserve in April of this year.

Upon each of my visits there, I've considered the wildlife experience very rewarding.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

This week I arrived at the preserve and saw two Limpkins and a Snail Kite before I parked the car.

In my few hours observing the activity at the preserve this week, I didn't see as many smaller birds as I have in the past, but certainly to be expected in mid-summer.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

The vocal calls of birds at the preserve were abundant while a few were even recognizable.

I like to think that I'm getting better at my ability to bird by ear.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

I just wish that the shore and wading birds weren't so typically silent in my observations of them as I need repetition for identification.

The intent of my visit to Harns Marsh Preserve this week was to observe and photograph the Snail Kite which can be expected to be seen at any time of year.

The Little Blue Heron (1st year) above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

On this latest visit, I walked south to the treeline and waited for the action to come to me while taking a mere few shots at the parking area.

I have been expecting the kites to become more prevalent as snails become so as well.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

Egg casings of the snails were observed in abundance to later this summer and fall benefit the kites and other bird species.

On a previous visit to Harns Marsh, I've observed the Limpkin to favor the snails as the bird species worked the shoreline.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

Although I wasn't counting, there were at last at least five unique sightings of the Snail Kite.

I was able to observe both sexes of the kite which are very distinctive from one another and what appeared to be a 1st year juvenile as well.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

It would be quite a thrill to observe the White-tailed and Mississippi Kites at this venue which have yet to be documented, while the range of these species makes it a possibility with the greatest of fortune.

On a couple of occasions, the Snail Kite flew so close to me that I wasn't able to keep the bird in the viewfinder of the camera.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

The alligator I observed on my last visit to the preserve was not seen.

Although the Limpkin could be heard at one point or another from every direction, it was especially active when a Snail Kite flew low over its breeding colony far to the north from where I was.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

When the kite was feeding up close at one point, I was able to observe that it is very selective in the part of the snail that it eats.

After the snail is pulled from its shell, the darker parts of it are discarded by the kite before the off-white snail itself is consumed in small bits.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

I noted that the sign at the parking area with its certain prohibitions at the preserve was missing.

One of the rules I recall were that no boats were permitted in the water.

The Mottled Duck above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

With the sign gone, it seemed appropriate to see a boat, with fishing enthusiasts, in the water for the first time.

Fellow wildlife enthusiast, Tom Obrock, occasionally reports about his experiences at this venue as well.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2010.

Needless to say, it was another enjoyable wildlife experience at Harns Marsh Preserve.

I hope Hemant gives it another chance to impress him.

READ MORE - Go Fly A Kite At Harns Marsh

Aunt Nettie

The weather was inclement on my days off from work which made for a challenge to get some fresh wildlife photography included in this post.

The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

It wasn't until hours ago that it all came together for a message you will hopefully appreciate.

The sky finally cleared on Friday and offered some of the best light I remember from experiences I've had the last couple of years during the rainy season in southwest Florida.

The fellow visitors above were photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

Weather conditions were ideal with little chance of rain with a low tide a couple of hours before sunset at Matanzas Pass.

Therefore I chose to visit Bunche Beach to see what kind of wildlife action was happening there.

The Willet above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

Just before I left for the venue, I sent an email to Tom Obrock reminding him of the low tide at the preserve.

I was pleased to see that he had made the effort to travel there to observe the wildlife as well.

The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

He told me of future plans he has to visit Idaho where he will undoubtedly report in his blog some exciting observations.

After parking the car in the late afternoon, I headed toward the west channel with relatively light winds at the time and more birds seen that direction.

The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The tide at the beach was about as low as it gets in the summer months and offered an interesting scene where numerous sand bars are beginning to form into the bay perpendicular from the beach.

They will allow great opportunity for birds to rest, feed, and be observable in the future.

The Western Sandpiper above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

If the wind was strong from the west, I think I would have made my way to the east channel as I've had success with photographing wildlife under those conditions in the past.

Under such conditions I think I would have also been concerned about the possibility of methane in the air due to the British Petroleum gusher feeding oil to the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

It seems unfathomable to me the potential adverse impact to this venue from the BP disaster.

With the west channel much shallower than that to the east, it attracts much more fishermen.

The White Ibis above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

Today was no exception as there were a lot of patrons to the preserve that were throwing cast nets for bait certainly with plans to fish elsewhere as they didn't have poles with them.

Their activity caused most of the birds I was observing to exit the area on a few occasions as the men made their way back and forth along the channel.

The fisherman above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

As usual, when I plant myself down for viewing of the birds at Bunche Beach in the west channel, it was a little unnerving as small fish, crabs, and plant debris made contact with me in the water that is very murky.

I had the opportunity to experience a tide change and the resulting stillness of the water that seemingly lasts only seconds.

The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

An unusually cloudless sky to the west at the time of sunset had me completely focused on the birds in great light more so than the opportunity to capture the setting sun.

I walked much further west than expected after both Tom and another visitor to the preserve had told me of the black-crowned herons observed beyond where I was.

The Sanderling above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The view of the preserve and San Carlos Bay from a scenic point of view was stunning under such great weather conditions.

With the loss of my Aunt Nettie this past month, I've decided to name my long lens in remembrance of her.

The Semipalmated Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

Fellow Pbaser, Susan Rovera, made a comment at my Bunche Beach Preserve gallery recently expressing the thought, "You get the most from your (70-)300mm zoom."

Just before my latest trip to the preserve this past week, I made settings on the 5DM2 as recommended by Artie Morris for the 1DM3 as best was possible with what can be done with the former camera.

Tom Obrock above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The most radical change made was setting the "picture style" to Neutral.

Most recently I was using "landscape" thinking that it might provide some more sharpness and color in the wildlife images I take.

The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

I'll have to report later if I see a significant improvement in image quality.

One of the better results in changes the camera's settings apparently has improved the loss of quality while brightening dark shadows.

The Black-crowned Night-Heron juvenile above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

Closer to the wildlife is definitely better if you can manage it with great care.

READ MORE - Aunt Nettie

Cat And Mouse

Among a pair of efforts to observe wildlife this past week, an unplanned early morning trip to Harns Marsh Preserve was made.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2010.

I was thus able to accomplish my hope of visiting this fine venue at least monthly for two consecutive months now.

I was amazed by the apparent complete absence of wildlife at the preserve after setting up my gear and deleting the images on the camera's memory card from my last venture.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2010.

Doing that reminded me of an opinion I recently read where memory cards are so relatively inexpensive these days that images should remain on them for storage, but I don't think the cards are that inexpensive yet, especially if you're shooting RAW.

It was mere minutes after settling down that I observed a Snail Kite land on a perch across the water directly in front of me.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2010.

A moment later an Osprey flew in from the south and drove the kite from its perch which remained unoccupied for the next hour until the Osprey landed on it after appearing again seemingly out of nowhere.

There is rarely visual evidence of snails in the water at the preserve which the kites pluck from the water's surface while countless numbers of shells should be seen all along the preserve's water's edge in a couple of months based on my observations last year.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2010.

Since my visit to Harns Marsh Preserve last month, the grass along the shoreline had been cut and most of the litter was removed.

The clean-up effort was possibly done by a local Boy Scout troop as I had read was a preserve sponsor last year.

The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2010.

Within a short while of arriving at the preserve, the bird activity was prolific.

There was significantly more Snail Kite activity than observed last month while disappointingly less Limpkin activity visually.

The Osprey above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2010.

The Snail Kite that had been driven from its perch reappeared over the tree line and upon having a view of the Osprey preening itself on it, the kite meekly flew back out of view.

All the regulars for this time of year and area were seen while I was extremely fortunate to observe the Wild Turkey for the first time.

The Glossy Ibis above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2010.

It took some effort, due to the turkeys walking through taller grass and the long distance, to ultimately count what I think were ten in the flock which makes for a very large family of offspring.

A laggard juvenile in the group was as far as 35 feet back from the adult in the lead at one point.

The White Morph Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2010.

It was extremely exciting for me to add the Wild Turkey to my "lifer" list and was especially a treat to see the large family of Wild Turkey I did.

Earlier in the week I made a trip to the Cape Coral Library to see how the Burrowing Owl pair were fairing I had last observed six weeks earlier.

The Wild Turkey above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2010.

While I've seen the owls and their offspring at burrows I had been observing south of the library earlier this spring, the owls at the burrow adjacent to the library this past week appeared unsuccessful in rearing young as none were observed.

Mating activity of the owls this week due to the absence of juveniles wasn't observed as expected.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2010.

The absence of juveniles at this particular burrow is possibly due to weather conditions of an unusually cold winter and very prolific rainfall of late.

I was able to photograph the female carrying a sock to the burrow which is mating or nesting behavior.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in June 2010.

It's my plan to send the shot to National Geographic in response to their story in the July issue of the magazine to make a correlation between the behaviors of the Burrowing Owl and their featured "Birds That Decorate," the Bowerbird.

In the magazine's article, 17 of the 20 known species of this bird genera are noted where the male will build a lair of sorts out of twigs and sticks to attract a mate.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in June 2010.

At the front of the lair, the males will decorate the ground with natural and unnatural items they find including trash when available as they attempt to seduce a female to mate.

When successful, the female will lay eggs at another location.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in June 2010.

The female Burrowing Owl observed "decorating" the entrance to its burrow lends a degree of protection from predators to its young as I have observed and read, but wonder if there is any additional intent in its behavior, perhaps bonding with its mate.

The male was observed bringing the female an insect, but I couldn't photograph the event as I was unprepared for the low light conditions.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in June 2010.

The differences between the Burrowing Owl and Bowerbirds are significant, but it's interesting how similarly the two species behave, isn't it?

READ MORE - Cat And Mouse