The wildlife photographers with Ruddy Turnstone above were photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.I had informed Fort Myers wildlife observer Tom Obrock whom would meet up with me this last day that I was sure to be well preoccupied prior to his arrival which I was.
There is so much to see and investigate within the park that even after the this day there was regrettably so much left unexplored.
The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.I had waited for Tom in the area of the Bay Pier while there was no migratory bird action as expected.
While Tom was making sunrise pit stops at his preferred locations at the entrance to the park I called him via cell phone to advise him that I was moving on to the lagoon.
The Ruddy Turnstone female above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.Upon my arrival there, the Long-billed Curlew was absent although had seen it the morning before.
In fact the birds within the lagoon itself were virtually absent so I walked over the dune to the beach to find a much improved situation.
The Sandwich Tern above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.There were dozens of Black Skimmers, Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, Snowy Egrets, and a few passes of Dunlin which were sporting the advanced stage of their breeding plumage.
While the skimmers were at this point loafing, a pair of Royal Tern were engaging in the passing of food.
The wildlife photographer above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.Sandwich Tern were actively mating in the heavy crowd of aves as other species of bird paid them no mind while what appeared last year's progeny seemed unaware they were fully fledged in these moments.
A Herring Gull of disputable age was distant and had something in its beak about ten feet off shore.
The Sandwich Tern above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.I immediately picked up the gear and ran as quickly as I could to get within photographic range of the bird and have the sun behind me.
In the end, I had stopped short where the bird unfortunately remained ahead of me.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.I was able to see that the gull had found a Cockle Clam in the surf of relatively still water in the Gulf of Mexico compared to the high waves the evening before.
The clam can be found around San Carlos Bay in large numbers during a very low tide in the winter months.
The Royal Tern above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.The Herring Gull was able to grasp the clam in its beak and amazingly carry it to a height of about 25 feet and dropped it to break the shell which it did.
The clam was then quickly consumed as a pair of Ruddy Turnstone came within a few feet of the gull waiting patiently for any scraps left behind.
The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.Shortly after this observation Tom had caught up with me.
He noted that he had gone to the northernmost lagoon where he likely didn't see much as the tide would have been very high there.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.I didn't clarify to him that I would be at the south lagoon adjacent to the concession building where the change in water level is less noticeable.
We stayed at the lagoon for a short while before Tom recommended that we explore other areas.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.He led the way to the Tierra Verde Duck Pond just outside of the park which I failed to stop at previously.
There was waterfowl there that was surprisingly not engaged in a northerly migration.
The Royal Tern above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.There were about two dozen ducks within 150 feet of our observation point that were dispersed further away as I settled into the pond as cautiously as possible.
Tom had warned me that I wouldn't go very far and he was right.
The Red Knot above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.I only went as far as I dared as the water dropped off deeper than I could place the tripod with the possibility of an alligator approaching unseen.
Tom had the better perspective of the birds here while I was mesmerized, even with my limited perspective, by the ducks that have been a weakness in my bird observation and photography outside of STA5 and Harns Marsh Preserve.
The water enthusiast above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.I perceived this opportunity to photograph the migratory ducks as certainly my last considering it so late in the season.
With patience that I was hoping Tom had foremost, the ducks began to come closer allowing much better views of their stunning details.
The Sandwich Tern above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.By far the most appealing duck seen was the Ruddy Duck with its brightly colored blue bill best seen during the breeding season.
It certainly stood out among the several other species of duck that were quite active during my observation of them.
The Herring Gull above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.Tom has elevated my appreciation for detail within the scaup while Sibley's rendering of sleeping ducks will hopefully allow me to distinguish the birds with ease in the future.
From the Tierra Verde Duck Pond we chose to return to Fort De Soto Park with the East Beach Turnaround my recommendation as a first stop.
The Herring Gull with Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.Tom led the way and stopped to point out a species he called Nanday (from the Latin name) Parakeet which I know as Black-hooded Parakeet.
A second bird of the species would fly over the road ahead of us while a brilliantly colored Northern Cardinal male perched in the same tree the other parakeet was in a moment before.
The Redhead with scaup above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.A fellow wildlife observer stopped at this point as well to observe the parakeet accommodatingly close to the road.
She and Tom discussed attributes of the Ohio area while I was confused by the comment made about white socks.
The waterfowl above were photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.I think I should have known what that meant having in part Polish lineage, but I didn't.
Unnoticed in the field with a review of the Black-hooded Parakeet images on the computer, it was realized that this particular bird was banded as seen when it was scratching its face.
The Ruddy Duck above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.The arrival at the East Beach Turnaround didn't offer the same diversity of birds seen earlier, but the merganser was still around.
Present was a good sized troop representing the Manatee County Audubon Society seemingly having a really good time.
The Greater Scaup above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.It was too bad that we were not granted a view of the migratory bird species Tom had reported the year before within the park.
From the turnaround, Tom and I headed toward the North Beach Lagoon with him again in the lead.
The Black-hooded Parakeet above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.We got separated in the traffic and I made my way through the North Beach Grove to observe no bird action when Tom called me to advise of his sighting of Whimbrel at the south lagoon that had just played tag with the Long-billed Curlew.
When I arrived a few minutes later, Tom was at the northern part of the lagoon as I scanned the area to sight the rare Whimbrel.
Wildlife observer, Tom Obrock, multi-tasking in the field above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.I had told Tom that I needed to get closer to the bird seen so infrequently.
After making an effort to stay well ahead of the bird, crossing the lagoon that was much deeper than I expected it to be, the Whimbrel kept walking toward me.
The Whimbrel above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.At what I would guess was 75 feet from it as I was planting the tripod for a level photograph, the Whimbrel it took flight before I could be assured of a successful shot of it.
The bird very surprisingly flew around me instead of directly away as I would have expected and landed again ahead of me.
The Whimbrel above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.The bird allowed me to photograph it in one last moment with an American Oystercatcher in its company.
The Whimbrel then flew over the dunes and to the north out of view and would unfortunately not return.
The Whimbrel with American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.Tom's Long-billed Curlew was then observed on the scene and I would spend the next fifteen minutes capturing photographs of the species before the unexpected happened.
I've given much regard to the longevity of the camera battery life of the Nikon and Canon cameras I have used.
The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.With my trip to Fort De Soto Park expected to be photographing wildlife for many hours beyond the norm, the demand on the battery was too much for the circumstances.
I had fired in excess of 3000 shots before I had the appreciation for never leaving the camera's battery charger at home.
The Long-billed Curlew with Laughing Gull above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.While I could have readily spent more hours in the lagoon, the rewards of the park remind me of the hope of a future visit.
Tom would lead the way to another venue that would offer Black-necked Stilt that I have had very limited opportunity in observing before.
The Long-billed Curlew with Willet above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.Among an impressive diversity of birds along Cockroach Bay Road southwest of Ruskin and south of Cockroach Bay Preserve State Park it was interesting to observe the planting of marsh grasses with an intent to undoubtedly improve the water quality.
Tom was very generous in allowing me to use his binoculars to view the wildlife several times which offered quite an improved experience of merely viewing it with the camera.
The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.Little Manatee River State Park is also nearby which appears to be a must see venue.
Wildlife photographer Paul Cooper explained why he was unseen on my final day at Fort De Soto devoting his time to kayaking the park's waters which sounds like a great wildlife blog report if he gets around to it.
Wildlife photographer Paul Cooper above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.A visit to the Tampa Bay area and especially Fort De Soto Park for wildlife observation should not be missed.
Feature: Fort De Soto Park Part I
Feature: Fort De Soto Park Part II
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