KASET OKREK

Bunche Beach Preserve III

Well, I was compelled to get an exact number of times I've visited this premier birding venue known as Bunche Beach Preserve.

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

I had to revisit a number of computer photo files that I had merely classified by date to be able to say that I made my 28th to the preserve 27 JAN 2010.

This most recent was an afternoon visit, so I made a glance to the West from the parking area to confirm anything unusual and saw that the lion's share of the birds were congregated about a half mile to the East.

The Ring-billed Gull above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2010.

It was an easy decision to head toward the East channel that allows waters of San Carlos Bay that in part enter and leave the estuary. I never made it that far.

The sun at this time of year in the winter months is still relatively low on the horizon which allows for favorable light for photography at any time of day here with good weather.

The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2010.

I personally prefer to visit the preserve at low tide. Fellow blogger, Tom Obrock, whom I've yet to meet has noted in his blog that he prefers to visit the preserve at high tide.

This week's visit was near a high tide which allowed for the observation of many species of bird in a much more concentrated area as Tom notes as a benefit.

The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2010.

There were 15 species observed with the addition of a special one that I had not seen in over a year since at Little Estero Lagoon about a mile to the South.

It was quite extraordinary to see the Long-billed Curlew fly in to the area with plumage that was unique from the other birds seen.

The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2010.

The curlew seemed out of place to me as there was not another of its kind in the group of birds that possibly numbered 150 or more in three primary groups. This was a lower than normal sighting of birds overall as there were relatively few Black Skimmers.

While I attempted to continue to keep sight of the entire scene, the curlew was of course the highlight of the trip.

The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2010.

The bird was mobile and rarely still. I was able to capture some interesting feeding behavior as a Willet undoubtedly caused some stress to the curlew while harassing it.

The Willet seemed unusually aggressive. I'm not sure if it was merely after some scraps or possibly was capable of taking the food from the curlew. Further observation will hopefully offer a better understanding.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2010.

As the curlew made its way through the concentration of birds, it was at odds with gulls that apparently staked their claim to small pieces of real estate on a couple of occasions.

The sun went down without a cloud in the sky. It allowed me to be temporarily blinded in attempt to get a sunset shot.

The sunset above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2010.

The construction of facilities continues to proceed slowly. Roof trusses are finally on the building in the new parking area.

Bunche Beach Preserve was as exciting on this last visit as the first.

Feature: Venice Rookery

Within the wildlife and birding mecca of Southwest Florida is an unassuming island that could unquestionably be described as an oasis.

The Glossy Ibis above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

This place is located at Audubon Venice Area Rookery in the metropolitan area of Venice, Florida.

I arrived at the rookery for the first time about 45 minutes before sunrise about mid January 2010. This was fortuitous as I was able to observe what most visitors to the rookery perhaps do not.

The Great Egret above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

In the near pitch darkness it was evident from the parking area immediately adjacent to the rookery that there was life on the island. The contrast of the pure white feathers of the Great Egret in particular resting in the foliage was striking and memorable.

Many dozens of these birds as well as several other species took flight to the East well before the sun's rays would cast their glow on the diminutive island.

The Great Egret above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

The birds that remained included a relatively small handful of Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Glossy Ibis, and Anhinga that seemingly had staked their claim to nests on the island.

As time passed and a dozen or so fellow avian enthusiasts would come and go, I was able to observe some interesting wildlife behavior and see a couple of species of bird that I had not photographed in Florida before.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

A list of 17 bird species seen on my visit to the rookery is highlighted by clicking here. The seemingly omnipresent Laughing Gull was mistakenly omitted in my list.

Of the two bird species not observed before in my effort to document the near 500 that either live in or migrate through Florida were the American Robin (not photographed) and the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck flew in a group of up to 14 over the rookery on four occasions. It was a great test of my ability to document them with photographs. I knew that special compensation had to be made in the camera's settings to avoid underexposure of the images.

While all of this was going on, I was extremely fortunate to observe a pair of Great Blue Heron mating. The male was able to accomplish this after his third arrival to his mate with nest building material.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

Other interesting behavior was observed in a male Anhinga that was diligently breaking the berry laden branches of his perch and offering them to his mate who was somewhat hidden from my view.

The brilliant green lore of the male Great Egret was a welcome sign of the exciting months ahead. Virtually every male bird within its species will make a noticeable change in its appearance to entice its potential mate.

The Anhinga above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

The rookery is a must see venue if you are anywhere in the area or otherwise. While the wildlife is tantalizingly close, it's been well noted that longer lenses of 400mm to 600mm or more are helpful for photography as close as you may seem to the action. Don't forget your binoculars.

Find directions to the rookery by clicking here.

Global Cooling at Lakes Park

Free time to experience SW Florida's wildlife has been extremely limited these past weeks.

The Great Egret with Snowy Egret above was photographed at Lakes Park in January 2010.

On the first occasion for observation and photography this year where there wasn't an overcast sky, the temperature was near freezing at dawn. For that reason I made the very easy decision to simply stay warm indoors.

Earlier this week, I had heard two reports that there were significant fish deaths in lakes and ponds across the state of Florida. One of the reports specifically mentioned Lakes Park which I was compelled to visit to see the bird activity the fish might have attracted.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Lakes Park in January 2010.

Although I was not able to arrive at Lakes Park until near sundown on Tuesday, I still brought the camera with hopes to document something interesting. The bird activity was more prevalent than in any of my handful of other visits to the park in the past couple of years.

It was my greatest hope to see the Scarlet Ibis which has been observed at the park on occasion. Images available of it can certainly never do it justice for its beauty.

The Snowy Egret with Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Lakes Park in January 2010.

Although I saw many hundreds of birds in very close proximity including ibis, heron, egret, stork, the Scarlet Ibis was again elusive.

The timing of my visit to Lakes Park was a mere day and a half after I had heard of the fish kill, but the evidence of the event was non existent as might be explained by the great abundance of birds at the park. The cleanup effort was complete.

The Wood Stork above was photographed at Lakes Park in January 2010.

I took photographs of the birds I did see, primarily attempting to capture them in flight, and unfortunately had little success as the lighting was quite poor and I was shooting at a relatively high ISO setting to keep the shutter speed up.

It was a tremendous amount of fun in the experience nonetheless.

Another report heard this past week was that the temperature of the Gulf of Mexico had reached the high of that in the Atlantic Ocean. Does that mean a disappearance of the Gulf Stream if not just temporarily?

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2009 Year In Review II

JULY

The air boat above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2009.

All four opportunities to get into the field led me to San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve. The adult male wading birds in particular were at the tail end of showing their breeding colors. All visits to the beach were made in mid afternoon to as late as sunset. I recall at least one occasion when the sand gnats were particularly bad. It was at these times that I had good opportunities to practice attempting to get a better photograph of BIFs (birds in flight). The Reddish Egret put on a great feeding show under less than ideal lighting conditions on the last visit of the month. At a low tide, I was very surprised to see an airboat make its way over the flats and into the West channel. Needless to say, it spooked virtually every bird from my immediate area.

AUGUST

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harnes Marsh Preserve in August 2009.

I again made numerous trips to Bunche Beach Preserve, three afternoon visits and two in the morning. All were productive for observation of prolific bird activity and photography. Harnes Marsh Preserve was visited for the first time late in the month. I made my first observations of the Snail Kite and Limpkin on this visit to Harnes Marsh. My visit to Bunche Beach on the 23rd offered a territorial battle between two Black-bellied Plovers that lasted a little over three minutes as detailed in the 20 shots I took of them.

SEPTEMBER

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Harnes Marsh Preserve in September 2009.

Four more trips to Harnes Marsh Preserve were made including one where I would walk around the preserve in its entirety. The experiences were greatly enjoyable even considering the warmer conditions. I observed the Sandhill Crane for the first time at the Northern edge of the preserve on the 18th.

OCTOBER

The Semipalmated Plover juvenile above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in October 2009.

With accommodating weather on a pair of days off from work, I was able to visit Little Estero Lagoon (Critical Wildlife Area) and then Sanibel Lighthouse and Bunche Beach Preserve later in the month. It was my hope to see raptor migration that was not to be this year. I coincidentally met up with a troop of wildlife enthusiasts at Bunche Beach that were participating in Ding Darling Days 2009. My visit to Bunche Beach was directly after I had gone from the lighthouse to DDNWR Wildlife Drive only to find them closed as they are to the general public every Friday. I knew that, but had forgotten.

NOVEMBER

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in November 2009.

It was at this time that I was reminded of one of four photo entries made to Audubon magazine earlier in the summer for their inaugural photo contest which I had forgotten about. I was contacted by Steve Freligh, affiliated with Nature's Best Photography, who notified me that I was considered as a finalist in the amateur category. I made a quick trip across a vast expanse of Florida early in the month while experiencing the East and Panhandle regions of the Great Florida Birding Trail. I passed through 12 "clusters" and 31 venues on the trip. A tremendous highlight was visiting the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Later in the month I made my sixth trip to Harnes Marsh Preserve where I would again document another species of bird I hadn't photographed before. I also observed here on this occasion what appeared to be a territorial battle between two Great Blue Herons where a drowning seemed assured.

DECEMBER

The Marbled Godwit above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

A trip to Lovers Key State Park was made after much too long a period of time. The erosion at the beach was extremely obvious and I was told that it may be a couple more years before replenishment. The wind was from the South with an opportunity to observe some great action at New Pass as usual. Three afternoon visits to Bunche Beach were made with one other in the morning. I also made a visit to Little Estero Lagoon. At the latter two venues, I had the experience of being in the water at close range to Bottlenose Dolphins. These experiences were a little unnerving as a result of not keeping an eye on them at all times. I was contacted by Audubon to advise me of publication of an image with honorable mention of a Little Blue Heron taken at Bunche Beach Preserve in November 2008.

2009 Year In Review I

JANUARY

The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2009.

The beginning of the year was an exceptionally exciting time as I was getting the feel for some newly acquired photography gear that would give me great pleasure and grief. I made a trip to San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve (SCBBBP) early in the month and one to Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve towards the end.

FEBRUARY

The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Picayune State Forest in February 2009.

A number of Great Florida Birding Trail sites were visited in this month including those in the area of the Florida Everglades while nearly getting lost in Picayune State Forest. I also made a trip to "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge where I observed the Common Merganser for the first time. I made a trip to the east coast where I visited Wakodahatchee Wetlands and Green Cay Wetlands and Nature Center (both venues highly recommended at this time of year). Shore and wading birds were observed in beautiful breeding condition at SCBBBP.

MARCH

The Northern Mockingbird with Bald Eagle and juvenile above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in March 2009.

I made six trips to Lovers Key State Park to observe the successful nesting of a pair of Bald Eagle fledglings. One of the most exciting sights I've made in all my birding was simply watching an Osprey aggressively defending its territory against an adult eagle. The aerobatics were stunning and never to be forgotten. My trips to National Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in the middle and towards the end of the month offered some extraordinary views from the boardwalk of the wading birds and alligators in very close proximity to each other in the dwindling waters of the "swamp." It was at this time I realized how essentially critical it is to be using flash with one's photography there. To end the month, I made a "day" trip to Key West visiting three clusters of the South Region of the Great Florida Birding Trail and six venues within them. I captured an image of a Palm Warbler at Crane Point Museum and Nature Center in Marathon that I would later enter in Audubon's inaugural photo contest.

APRIL

The Great Egret juvenile above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in April 2009.

I visited Lovers Key State Park, Lakes Park, SCBBBP, Bowditch Point, and Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area, at least once. Without doubt, the highlights were the visits to "Bird Island" at SCBBBP including one with fellow wildlife enthusiast and photographer, Alena King, whom had earlier told me of the prolific breeding activity at Bunche Beach Preserve. It was at this time that there was a shutter mechanism failure with my Canon 1dm3 camera coincidentally three months to the day after my first shots with it.

MAY

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Tigertail Beach in May 2009.

A follow up trip was made to "Bird Island" with Alena at the beginning of the month. The experience for me was extraordinary in the observation of hundreds of nests and the diversity of bird species using them. I used the Nikon D80 solely on these trips to the island with ease of carrying it and the accompanying 70-300mm lens on the Kayak. Also in the early part of the month I visited 16 venues within five clusters of the West Region of the Great Florida Birding Trail (slightly North of the Tampa Bay area and South). An image of a pair of Laughing Gull taken at Sand Key Park in Clearwater would be a second of four images submitted to Audubon. Three trip to Lovers Key State Park were made with hopes to observe the Least Tern breeding on the beach. Their numbers were dramatically lower than those seen in 2007. My first trip to Tigertail Beach was also made for the first time early in the month.

JUNE

The Reddish Egret above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in June 2009.

Early in the month, I made my second trip to Tigertail Beach that was cut short by a thunderstorm that began to unleash a maelstrom a mere hundred yards from the car. A final trip to Lovers Key State Park was made, not to happen again for six months. The nesting Least Tern activity at Lovers Key was regrettably minimal. Three additional trips were also made to Bunche Beach Preserve. While I've yet to visit Tigertail Beach in the winter months, I greatly favor Bunche Beach by far for its wildlife opportunities in comparing these two similar venues as I've experienced thus far.