Warblers At Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

A pair of visits were made to Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve this first week of November 2010.

The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in November 2010.

My excitement had been for the opportunity to see the smaller migrant birds that may be making their way through Southwest Florida.

The first visit to the preserve was somewhat of a disappointment.

The Green Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in November 2010.

I spent an hour at the marker just east from the Wood Duck viewing deck.

It was there that I was observing a Red-shouldered Hawk high up across the water when another RSH came from behind making a lot of noise.

The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in November 2010.

It spooked what I believe were Blue-winged Teal from the deck area which flew into view briefly before hidden behind the large cypress.

My slightest movement to attempt to get a photograph of them led to them flying away and I did not see them again.

The Mourning Dove above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in November 2010.

There were several overflights of small groups of ducks during that time.

There were possibly two or more species of duck as their calls were quite different including dainty and guttural.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in November 2010.

My second visit to Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve this week led to a better understanding of what I may have seen.

The evening before again offered a weather event that brought a lot of rain and cooler weather to the area.

The Anhinga above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in November 2010.

I was again optimistic that a fallout might make for some interesting wildlife observation.

It was my great fortune to have unfold a number of waves of warbler action that I consider the most exhilarating of my small bird observation that dwarfs what I have seen at NAS Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in November 2010.

I was enjoying the difficulty of documenting the birds that were overwhelming and was grateful for little traffic on the boardwalk.

I was grappling to document the birds successfully with a need to move the position of the legs of the tripod frequently to allow for observations high and low.

The Yellow-throated Warbler above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in November 2010.

The birds were quick moving with review of them on the computer resulting in hopes that I will have another chance to document them better.

This was an ideal opportunity to observe a birding event with high quality binoculars at the least.

The Black-and-white Warbler above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in November 2010.

It was a treat to speak briefly with a volunteer at Six Mile named Andy who told me he only takes a couple of days off from one of his duties of removing trash from the water along the boardwalk which he described as job security to other visitors passing by.

Andy had initially asked me if I had seen Wood Duck at the preserve he told me he had seen at about 8:30am possibly on the day of my uncertainty of what I'd observed earlier in the week.

The Tufted Titmouse above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in November 2010.

He made a point of noting that he was impressed in seeing five of the ducks as the greatest number he'd seen before.

Andy made a point of the need to tread lightly at the approach to Otter Pond where he had seen the ducks when I shortly thereafter met Teena that described Six Mile Cypress Slough as a beautiful place.

The Tufted Titmouse above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in November 2010.

Teena told me that she plans to walk the boardwalk every day since its discovery the previous day.

I recommend you try to arrive before she does with her presence possibly disturbing wildlife at Wood Duck and Otter Ponds that you otherwise might not see.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in November 2010.

The bird song heard was extraordinary.