At the start of the day, I had no set destination in mind.
The musician above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2010.
When too late to take advantage of early morning light for ideal photography and too cold and breezy to consider use of the kayak, I decided a trip to Lovers Key State Park was in order.
The traffic was stopped and bumper to bumper over a mile from the Matanzas bridge so I made a U-turn to avoid the worst of the tourist effect.
The musician above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2010.
Parking at Bunche Beach Preserve shortly thereafter proved equal evidence of the peak of the season.
Walking west from the parking area along San Carlos Bay proved that putting in the kayak earlier would have been disastrous as the wind was unseasonably strong again.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2010.
The approaching high tide required walking very close to shore as I've only had to do on a couple prior occasions.
Until I hunkered down at the entrance of the west channel, I had only observed the Laughing Gull which showed peak evidence of its mating colors.
The Wood Stork above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2010.
There were only a few Snowy Egrets at the channel in the water hunting with over flights of the gull, Osprey and Wood Stork.
With an intent to photograph the Burrowing Owl in late afternoon light, I headed back to the car.
The beach enthusiast above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2010.
A call from my brother Jim requesting shots of the Red Sox in spring training was fresh in my mind as I approached beach enthusiasts with gloves in hand.
They were welcomed as I had the opportunity to practice framing and timing the throw of a ball.
The beach enthusiast above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2010.
With a little spare time before the sun was low on the horizon, I stopped at Lakes Park with a hope to see the Roseate Spoonbill.
I was captivated by a small stand of cypress trees where I decided to settle down at and study passerines which preserved my energy.
The beach enthusiasts above were photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2010.
From this vantage point I noted the presence of a few smaller species and over flights of flocks of wading birds.
My visit to Cape Coral for Burrowing Owl observation turned out to be a little early which allowed me to drive around to see what action might be happening at different nests that had previously appeared inactive.
The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.
It was my great fortune to see the mating of owls around the Cape Coral Library which was an unexpectedly early occurrence as the sun was very close to setting.
With the event occurring so relatively early in good light, I was able to return to another nest that I had observed a pair of owls at.
The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.
My return to this nest still had only the female guarding its territory.
Before leaving the nest earlier, the male owl had flown out of sight with its return for the mating event which occurred very briefly and before the last of the day's light to record the event with benefit of flash.
The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in March 2010.
A perfect day it was overall.
The musician above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2010.When too late to take advantage of early morning light for ideal photography and too cold and breezy to consider use of the kayak, I decided a trip to Lovers Key State Park was in order.
The traffic was stopped and bumper to bumper over a mile from the Matanzas bridge so I made a U-turn to avoid the worst of the tourist effect.
The musician above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2010.Parking at Bunche Beach Preserve shortly thereafter proved equal evidence of the peak of the season.
Walking west from the parking area along San Carlos Bay proved that putting in the kayak earlier would have been disastrous as the wind was unseasonably strong again.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2010.The approaching high tide required walking very close to shore as I've only had to do on a couple prior occasions.
Until I hunkered down at the entrance of the west channel, I had only observed the Laughing Gull which showed peak evidence of its mating colors.
The Wood Stork above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2010.There were only a few Snowy Egrets at the channel in the water hunting with over flights of the gull, Osprey and Wood Stork.
With an intent to photograph the Burrowing Owl in late afternoon light, I headed back to the car.
The beach enthusiast above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2010.A call from my brother Jim requesting shots of the Red Sox in spring training was fresh in my mind as I approached beach enthusiasts with gloves in hand.
They were welcomed as I had the opportunity to practice framing and timing the throw of a ball.
The beach enthusiast above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2010.With a little spare time before the sun was low on the horizon, I stopped at Lakes Park with a hope to see the Roseate Spoonbill.
I was captivated by a small stand of cypress trees where I decided to settle down at and study passerines which preserved my energy.
The beach enthusiasts above were photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2010.From this vantage point I noted the presence of a few smaller species and over flights of flocks of wading birds.
My visit to Cape Coral for Burrowing Owl observation turned out to be a little early which allowed me to drive around to see what action might be happening at different nests that had previously appeared inactive.
The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.It was my great fortune to see the mating of owls around the Cape Coral Library which was an unexpectedly early occurrence as the sun was very close to setting.
With the event occurring so relatively early in good light, I was able to return to another nest that I had observed a pair of owls at.
The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.My return to this nest still had only the female guarding its territory.
Before leaving the nest earlier, the male owl had flown out of sight with its return for the mating event which occurred very briefly and before the last of the day's light to record the event with benefit of flash.
The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in March 2010.A perfect day it was overall.