Fall 2009 Florida Birding Migration Action I

In the days ahead, I hope to make the best of Florida birding. An opportunity for some R&R and to see what may be at the tail end of the height of the 2009 Fall migration action along the Great Florida Birding Trail.

The Reddish Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in November 2008.

A last minute look at the weather forecast has me realize that I need to reverse my planned itinerary to avoid the precipitation from a storm front working its way toward the Eastern seaboard of the United States.

I realize that some of the best birding is involved in the storm fronts, but I'm unsure of how to take best advantage of them. I would prefer to stay within dry conditions as best I can.

The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in November 2009.

Perhaps at some point in the future I will have the opportunity to make very good study of this phenomenon.

In the meantime, it will be through some basic understanding of what I've experienced thus far, that further enjoyment of the wildlife around us that often goes unnoticed by most will be better understood and appreciated.

The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in November 2008.

My journey into the West Region of the birding trail in early 2009, beyond the comforts of home, has me recall a layover I made at a hotel which I ended up staying at due to the accommodation made in the reduction in the price of the room by inquiring of the hotel's affiliation with the Great Florida Birding Trail.

I don't think there actually is one with that particular chain, but there was a significant reduction in the price of the room when I made the inquiry. This approach will be used again when in need of rest not knowing where I'll be at the end of a day.

The Semipalmated Plover above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in November 2008.

I will be making my first use of a recently acquired GPS assistant Garmin nüvi. This brand was recommended to me by Tim Rucci, while I chose to purchase a model with minimal features that this manufacturer currently offers.

My hope is that this device will be extremely useful while traveling a very large area with the greater potential to otherwise get lost and waste valuable observation time.

The Green Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in November 2008.

I was disappointed that the device was not able to search my destination of a Florida State Park, admittedly far from my starting point.

After getting better acclimated with how the device works, it seems that once I get within a closer range of the chosen city, I will have the opportunity to select a park of interest as investigated through the "camera" icon on the monitor.

My expectation is to have observations made in the days ahead weighted more heavily toward coastal observations than those further inland.

In any event, I expect to have an exciting and memorable time.

Lunch time at Circle B Bar Reserve

Spoonbill got a big one!

Ibis caught a fish.


This ibis took his catch up into a tree.

Another ibis eating.

My visit this past weekend to the Circle B Bar Reserve was a bird eating festival. I saw one ibis eat 3 fish in a row. How can they fit all of that in their tiny bodies? There were counts of over 1000 each of ibis, storks and egrets. Not sure how long they will stay there. I've heard that last winter white pelicans were living in the lake there so I can't wait to see if they come back again this year. I also saw a group of glossy ibis out in a field but they were pretty far away to get decent pictures. I plan to get back there in the next couple of weeks to look for the eagles.

A magical place

Pond full of storks.

Marsh full of egrets. The trees in the back were also full of birds.


Stork tree. A natural decorated Christmas tree. (Sorry, already thinking about the holidays.)

Big alligator sleeping in the same pond as the storks.

Big spiders were everywhere.

I recently discovered a new place for wildlife thanks to my flickr contacts. The Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland. It was so easy to get to from Tampa, just off the Polk Parkway. It's an old cattle ranch with a big lake. Lots of walking trails, ponds, nice nature center and lots of animals. It felt like what Florida would feel like 50 years ago. I got there around 9am Saturday morning and there weren't a lot of people there. I think as the weather cools off it will get more crowded. The ponds or marshes were full of little fish which meant there were tons of birds eating right in front of me. There were so many different types of birds all together. (More bird pictures later). The alligators were huge. I saw at least 7. I can't wait to get back there in next couple of weeks, especially to see the eagles. I heard there were 3 nests on the property although I didn't see any eagles while I was there.

A day of woodpeckers

I spotted this Red-headed Woodpecker down the street from the house yesterday. This is only the third time I have ever seen this bird from the yard. The bird was far away and very skittish. It was also raining when I took these bad pictures.



On a sad note, while taking these pictures, I found a dead male Red-bellied Woodpecker laying on the ground under a utility pole. It looked to have been electrocuted.

Getting ready for bed.

I stopped by the beach on the Courtney Campbell causeway on the Clearwater side one night last week to see what shorebirds where hanging around. It was almost sundown and there were lots of different shorebirds all hanging around together getting ready for bed. They were preening, swimming and getting a last few bites in. Some were already trying to sleep. Lots of willets, sanderlings, plovers and lesser yellowlegs among them. They seemed to be staying away from the gulls and terns on the beach.

It always amazes me how they can balance on one leg while they are sleeping. You would think they would just plop down on beach to sleep.

Ding Darling Days 2009

Ding Darling Days National Wildlife Refuge Week 2009, which ends tomorrow, completely went under the radar as I've been winging my wildlife ventures to the last minute of late.

The group of wildlife enthusiasts, participating in Ding Darling Days 2009 above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2009.

This year's event may have again gone unnoticed if I didn't encounter the troupe of enthusiasts at Bunche Beach Preserve that approached thirty strong.

I had to comment to the group that I was disappointed I didn't know of their activity. It was my loss by not reading the local papers and staying abreast of current events.

The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2009.

I started this morning by visiting the Sanibel Lighthouse and its surrounding area. I had hoped to see some hawks as recently reported by Florida birding enthusiast, Tom Obrock. Such was not the case.

It was interesting to observe that there are birds living in the pinnacle of the lighthouse. I didn't recognize them from the distance I saw them, but believe I got a shot that will allow possible identification. There was some green iridescence on the shoulder of one of the birds poking its head out of its domicile.

The sun bather above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2009.

There may be an incredible record of the inhabitants of the "bird house" which could be a significant history of the 125 year old light house surviving weather damage, particularly from lightning strikes.

I walked the beach and boardwalks around the lighthouse to the small fishing pier on the North side of the point. There were about a dozen Snowy Egrets in a group there. It was the largest concentration of the species I've seen.

The White Ibis above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2009.

The beach at Sanibel Lighthouse is noted on a sign there to be among the top three locations in the world for shelling. The sign noting this fact was in great disrepair.

The highlight of my journey around the lighthouse was very shortly after I had made my way back to the parking area and was meandering my way through different access points to the beach.

The Reddish Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2009.

I had nearly missed some incredibly great action of what was at first a few Laughing Gulls in flight. There were two pursuing the one with a fish in its beak. Within a moment, there were upwards of ten involved in the frenzy.

The fish had been dropped on a couple of occasions and perhaps retrieved by a less dominant bird of the species on each occasion. I was never able to observe the outcome of the meal as the birds ultimately went out of range. The event was much fun to attempt to photograph.

The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Sanibel Lighthouse in October 2009.

Back at Bunche Beach, I wasn't given a warm reception by one of the leaders of the group (I was told there were several by one of the participants) when I was told it was a scheduled event. I got the message that I couldn't participate and was more than happy to move on.

The birding at Bunche Beach each was extraordinary as usual. While I didn't see a number of regulars of the venue, I quite possibly saw many more to make up for it.

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

The smaller shore birds are the ones that I need to study. It was a thrill see a number of different species that I will likely remain challenged by in identifying.

The Reddish Egret was present at Bunche Beach today. My recollection is that I hadn't seen it on at least my last two trips there.

The Reddish Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2009.

The Reddish Egret is an incredibly fun bird to watch as are the Little Blue Heron and Snowy Egret (common here) which are extremely animated in their feeding habits.

In my observation of the Reddish Egret today, it was able to capture the pinfish. I'm not sure of the fish that egret was chasing through the water on two other occasions which was quite amazing to watch as the fish was extremely mobile in its launch over the water and in one of those instances got away.

The Reddish Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2009.

I had the opportunity to take a few pictures of travelers around San Carlos Bay today. While a couple of photographers identified themselves from Germany, it was a treat to meet fellow photographer and local pbaser, Jeff Doden.

Construction of the facilities at Bunche Beach is progressing slowly.

What not to do at the zoo.

I was at Lowry Park zoo recently and saw this funny thing that was going on. Or at least everyone thought it was funny but it's probably a bad thing to do. The zoo has food dispensers for you to buy food to feed the fish in the pond at the bear exhibit. There's always a ton of ibis hanging around the boardwalk there and in the bear exhibit. I always think they are going to walk up to the bear and take his food away. This lady was trying to buy some fish food for her daughter to throw in the pond and an ibis was attacking her for the food before she could even get it out. He was being very aggressive. Of course everyone around was laughing thinking it was so cute. With help from a friend she was able to get the food out of the dispenser and instead of shooing the bird away she proceeded to feed it. Soon there were several birds getting a handout. I'm sure it's not good to feed these wild birds and now they have become aggressive towards anyone walking near the dispensers. Soon the zoo will need to put up a sign not to feed the wildlife because people won't get it on their own.

Am I being to harsh?

Philippe Park birds

"What is he looking at?" (Great Blue Heron)


Night heron creeping around the mangroves.


Reddish egret out in the bay.

It was a windy morning for this guy.

This weekend was very windy and a bit cool for this area. I stopped by the Safety Harbor fishing pier and Philippe Park. It was the first time I had been there when there was not a single person fishing. Mostly because the tide was so low the water stopped halfway out to the end of the pier. There were a lot of shorebirds running around. I was able to get a few shots of a reddish egret standing around in the water. It's the first picture I have gotten of this bird in his red/bluish grey color. They are fairly rare to see. Fort Desoto has a white morph of this bird that lives at the north beach marsh. I stopped by Philippe Park before heading home hoping to see the eagles that I had heard where back for the winter. No site of the eagles again. I did find a great blue heron and a night heron in the mangroves by the bridge. Not many other birds around.

Eagles and Opsreys

Oprey getting ready to take off.

The whole world is a toilet.


Eagle from far away.

I had read that a lot of the eagles were back in town so I set out Saturday morning to see if I could spot some. Or at least one. I found one at Honeymoon Island. She (the ranger thought it was the female) was sitting near the nest at end of the Osprey trail there. They still have that portion of the trail blocked off so you can't get too close. This was taken with my 500mm lens and extremely cropped. Hopefully the eagles will be successful again this season and have babies. The trail was full of ospreys as usual.

Random Thoughts IV

The proof that global warming exists, as southwest Florida has had a very warm and humid summer this past season, seems awkward as so many other areas of the country have been experiencing record cold temperatures. This global warming mantra seems to be waning in favor of the addition of climate change to the lexicon of eco activists.

The racoon above was photographed at National Audubon Society Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in October 2009.

A comment I heard from a mid westerner this week was that they'd arrived in town a little too early. I feigned empathy. The gulf water temperature was reported at a very comfortable 85 degrees today.

It was surreal to travel through the Fort Myers Beach area since my last memorable visit at the height of last year's tourist season as the traffic seemed relatively non existent. Commuting time will double in another month or so as the so called snow birds return.

The White Ibis above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Sanctuary in October 2009.

I made a long overdue trip to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary this week for the first time in a long while. It was good to see Phil and Mike again. The wildlife action at the swamp was surprisingly subdued. After my four hour visit making rounds through the different ecosystems several times, I left the venue without seeing several species that were noted on the sighting board.

While the water level is much higher than I remember seeing at the swamp previously this time of year, the 2009 precipitation thus far has come in a little short of that water needed for the sheeting effect that will otherwise attract so much more diversity along the boardwalk.

The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in September 2008.

It was interesting to learn that the Sandhill Crane is being fed by a neighbor of the sanctuary. It explains why the birds are heard in such great numbers so early in the morning there.

My friend, Sue, whom has visited Harns Marsh Preserve significantly more than me, has advised me that there are indeed gators at the preserve. Wading in the water with the birds there should be avoided. I wish I knew this fact earlier.

The White Ibis above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2009.

While I type these words, I hear the rain fall from the cold front working its way through the area. It should not be expected to significantly accommodate the needs of the swamp that would benefit from a tropical storm or hurricane which did not materialize this season.

More importantly, heavy rains would significantly minimize the encroachment of salt water into the Floridan aquifer which includes parts of Georgia and South Carolina.

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

I thought for sure that the rainy season was over, so this is considered a very welcome reprieve.

While Tim Rucci should be back from Ireland, Alena is on her way to Indonesia.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2009.

I'm very much looking forward to reporting to you from Florida in the coming months.

Rainy day wildlife

Night heron in the trees.


Great egret preening.

Spoonbill looking for food.

Black neck stilts and an oystercatcher looking out the window.

American crocodile yawning.

I finally have a day off and it's pouring outside. Where do you go to practice taking pictures of birds when it's raining? The Florida Aquarium. Yes, they have fish but fish are boring. They just swim around in circles. The aquarium has a wide variety of birds in the wetlands exhibit. You can get pretty close to them as they seem to be tame and use to all the noise and people around them. They just keep eating or preening.