The Limpkin above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.Frank has been visiting from Montreal, QC, where he noted a mild winter is taking place.
It's hard to believe that Florida was the only state within the United States not to have snow on its grounds this week, but true.
The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.Frank and I met up at Harns Marsh Preserve on a morning this week that would unfold with the unexpected.
The sky was a bit overcast with high clouds to the east while early morning light was captured with its deep oranges in the marsh with great fortune.
The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.While we chatted, a once in a lifetime opportunity unfolded with the approach of an American Bittern in flight.
I was able to track the bird, but the lens failed to focus as I was using other than a single focal point.
The Great Egret above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.Frank got the bird after it landed in a pose that is often seen in imagery of the species.
Shortly thereafter, a fellow visitor of the preserve named Jim Gibbons arrived to chat briefly before continuing on with a walk further into the offerings of the great wildlife venue.
The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.Jim noted that he was visiting from New Hampshire while also commenting that he's been birding for about two years and has visited STA5 several times.
Jim told the story of observing an Ahinga at STA5 with two other enthusiasts at his side while each had a different interpretation of how the bird met its demise before their eyes.
The Blue-winged Teal above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.With the near start of baseball spring training, Jim is in town to do work for the Boston Red Sox as a security person of sorts I gathered.
I believe I made my first personal sighting of Lesser Scaup while Gayle Sheets notified me this week that my mid-November 2010 sighting of Redhead was added as the 144th bird species accounted for at Harns Marsh Preserve.
The Lesser Scaup above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.Another unexpected surprise at Harns Marsh Preserve were representatives of the United States Geological Survey that made an investigation of the preserve via airboat.
It seemed awkward for the men to make their apparent studies while flushing many bird species well ahead of them.
The scene above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.At the time of this writing, there is no reference to Harns Marsh Preserve at the USGS website.
I met up with Frank at Jason Verdow Memorial Park in Cape Coral later in the day to attempt to observe and photograph Monk Parakeets that I would see for the first time.
The Ring-necked Duck above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.Fellow local wildlife observer Tom Obrock has written of his sightings of this species numerous times yet I'm unsure where his favorite spot to view them is.
It was at the recommendation of work mate Rick Leuzinger to visit the park that Frank and I did.
The Osprey above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.When I told Rick that I saw a price of $300 for a Monk Parakeet on the internet, he jokingly told me, "Oh yeah, all you need is a really big net and you can make tons of money off them."
Regrettably the Monk Parakeet, or Quaker as Rick refers to them, is considered an invasive species.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.The parakeets observed this week were readily seen in flight and nesting in the light towers at the park while the most notable characteristic were their vocal calls.
Another work mate named Margie Congregane who never shies away from talking about her Windjammer Resort and Beach Club vacations in Lauderdale By The Sea told me this week of a recently installed Beach Cam at the resort.
The Osprey above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.Margie interestingly commented about a man from Winnepeg, Canada, who was watching the webcam and observed a Brown Pelican in distress.
Margie told me that the man alerted Windjammer management who immediately responded to save the pelican with Windjammer now referring to the Canadian as the “Pelican Man.”
The White Ibis above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.It is now that I'm compelled to explain the title of this post as the coffee is brewing with hopes of getting my musings to you on schedule.
Normally I will immediately transfer images from the camera to the computer upon the return from a wildlife excursion, but in this case went through the multiple steps to erase the images in the camera and accidentally deleted them before the transfer.
The White Pelican above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.I was sure not to delete the images in the camera as the erasure of them was in progress.
Frank and I made one last attempt for good wildlife photography this week following through on his recommendation to visit Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge after his great success there the day before.
The Brown Pelican above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.Frank's images that he showed me on his camera's monitor were remarkable and yet certainly an injustice to what he will have at his pbase site once he gets home and processes his work.
I arrived at the refuge later than I told Frank I would be there allowing him the chance to make the trip along Wildlife Drive and pull up behind me near the entrance.
The Willet above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.The tide was lower than I have seen it at Ding Darling before which I think indicates excellent management of the refuge.
The birds were very prolific in variety and numbers, more so in fact than I've seen at this place before.
The Mottled Duck above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.I recently heard first hand the recommendation by renowned wildlife photographer Artie Morris to use a single focus point.
This advice relies on many factors including the camera you're using and the distance of your subject while I've found using a wider array of focus points more successful for me with the 1D Mark III (except when I'm tracking an inbound bittern).
The Osprey above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.I was actually much more concerned with the proper exposure of the difficult to photograph white birds at Ding Darling while the series of shots of the Osprey gathering nesting material may have greatly benefited from the single focus point.
The majority of time at DDNWR was spent adjacent to the north entrance of Indigo Trail.
The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.It was at this spot that a very affable fellow introduced himself as John David.
John David told me that he was at the venue to take photographs for a story being written about the refuge for "the paper."
The Reddish Egret juvenile above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.He asked me a couple of questions while astutely remaining for some time to observe the remarkable wildlife before us.
The highlight of my experience this particular day was observing the Osprey that was diligently collecting nesting material.
The Wood Stork above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.The Belted Kingfisher that Frank has affectionately called the little bastard was occasionally present but failed to offer a really good photo op.
Frank and I mutually agreed on a more appropriate name for the species in reference to the challenge of getting a really nice image of it.
The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.
While I continue to shoot in JPEG, Frank and I were discussing that as one of the causes of less than favorable images while my typical use of the 1.4X teleconverter, and heavy crops were noted as attributable as well.
As I've used both Canon and Nikon photo gear, I express apologies for generically using terminology that refers to the same thing for the two brands while subconsciously favoring Nikon.
The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.It was difficult to confirm John David's credentials and for which paper he works for, so am especially glad that he allowed me to take his photograph for the record.
For John David Emmett, staff photographer for the Fort Myers News Press, is an image of him below to accompany his name.
John David Emmett above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.The lingering effects of near frostbite of my fingers was felt until the end of the day.
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