Feature: Fort De Soto Park - Part II

Never make assumptions.

The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

I'm compelled to include that advice as I think of the words of wisdom given by Felix in the vintage TV show, "The Odd Couple," and my assumption made during my trip to visit Fort De Soto Park.

I had checked into the Hampton Inn on Highway 19 in St. Petersburg which is conveniently located near the park.

The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

A predawn arrival at Fort De Soto on day two of my three day visit was my plan and therefore was not going to trust the clock on the nightstand to wake me with its alarm.

Since there might be a power failure, I called what I thought was the front desk to request a 5:00am wake up call, but got an automated system instead and made the request.

The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

The next morning led to no wake up call, but the alarm clock fortunately went off.

Unfortunately the clock was set 75 minutes behind real time which I hadn't noticed earlier having evidently not been adjusted for the change in daylight savings time.

The photographer above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

At this point I could see approaching daylight through the window while able to keep my cool.

Upon arrival at Fort De Soto Park on day two, I first stopped at the Primitive Camping Area.

The Long-billed Curlew with Laughing Gull above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

There were a couple of cars there already, so I was thinking for sure I was late for the birding action.

As I walked under the majestic oaks of the northeastern corner of Madelaine Key I was surprised to see kids lounging about.

The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

With the camping activity there, I was allowed to pass through as I noted my authorization to visit the camp at the administrative building the day before.

There were no birds seen or heard other than along Pinellas Bayway South and over Tampa Bay which had me hurry to my next destination.

The Long-billed Curlew with Black Skimmer above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

Reports of 2011 Spring migratory bird activity at Fort De Soto Park were investigated the week before my arrival at the park and it continued to look pretty grim for sightings as was especially evidenced by my previous day's visit.

Heading further into the park from the Primitive Camp I stopped at the Bay Pier which has ample parking for those that have an interest in taking the ferry to Egmont Key State Park which also has the distinction of being a National Wildlife Refuge.

The well traveled wildlife observer above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

The Bay Pier parking area is also close to the grove of Mulberry trees (a walk along the beach to the east) which ripen in April and have historically been a magnet for migrating birds.

It's noted in the park's website that nearly all of the regularly occurring migratory species have been seen at this location over the years.

The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

There was no such activity on this day near the renowned "must stop" location.

However, I coincidentally met Joy, from Temple Terrace, near the park ranger's residence whom was one of the ladies I had observed the day before photographing American Oystercatcher at North Beach.

The Long-billed Curlew with Black Skimmer above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

Joy told me that she had rented a house in the area for a month to observe the migrant passerine action at Fort De Soto Park which she's found the least productive in the last few years.

As we discussed the possibility that the birds had passed us by this 2011 season, another observer and photographer of the park's wildlife named Paul Cooper visiting from Merritt Island engaged us after his trip further down the beach.

The Willet above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

Paul's report was equally as disappointing while a trip to the lagoons at North Beach ensued to observe the shore and wading birds that are otherwise prolific at Fort De Soto Park.

On my way to the lagoons, I stopped very briefly at the beach southeast of the Open Field to observe Red-winged Blackbird, a solitary Great Egret, and a lot of mosquitoes that were not deterred by very breezy conditions.

The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

It was more than two hours after sunrise by the time I reached the lagoon adjacent to the food concession building.

A welcome visit it was as a Long-billed Curlew was posing for the wildlife photographers already on the scene.

The woodwork above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

There were Black Skimmers among the curlew resulting in my having to change my position a couple of times to allow the best view of the much less common species.

The feeding behavior of the curlew was of my greatest interest with additional shots taken of the species attempting to get an unusual shot of the bird.

The Red-breasted Merganser above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

It was about an hour into observation of the uncommonly seen bird when I got a message from the camera that its memory card was full.

This was not expected as I hadn't had this problem in years and spent the next fifteen minutes attempting to switch the camera over to the CF card.

The Red-breasted Merganser above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

I immediately considered calling Tim Rucci for advice as I have in the past for resolution to technical concerns.

As I knew he was feeling under the weather, I chose to use the cellphone to find a solution to my problem with futility before discovering that I didn't have the CF card in the camera.

The Prairie Warbler above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

Off to Best Buy I went acquiring another SD card as they didn't have the CF card I would have preferred.

I returned to Fort De Soto Park in the late afternoon and drove through the St. Christopher Key Campground with sightings of gulls, Common Ground Doves, blackbirds, Northern Cardinals, and an unidentified duck flyover.

The Reddish Egret above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

My sole owl sighting was an ornament on a building under construction at the campground's entrance.

I then traveled to the East Beach Turnaround to find a loafing Red-breasted Merganser that wasn't seen the day before.

The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

From there I headed to North Beach Grove which offered my first sighting of a Prairie Warbler.

It was otherwise very quite within the grove while only seeing egrets in the bay.

The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

With the sun approaching closer to the horizon, I again made my way to the north lagoon at North Beach visited the day before anticipating excellent low tide conditions.

A pair of photographers were immediately seen hunkered down observing a Reddish Egret in prime breeding color, so I was sure to make my way into the lagoon behind them so as not to cause any disturbance.

The wildlife photographer above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

I found my way into a tidal cut in the lagoon that allowed me a low viewing angle of the wildlife which I prefer.

A pair of American Oystercatcher made their way onto the scene minutes after I had commented to the fellow photographers that I had observed the species the day before.

The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

I was told that the oystercatcher is a regular at this place although it's definitely not a guaranteed to be seen species through my observations at different venues adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico in southwest Florida.

A juvenile White Ibis was very accommodating in offering its feeding behavior just before Paul Cooper arrived.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

Shortly thereafter we walked through the lagoon to the protected nesting site which appeared to me to have been improved ten fold from the day before.

Wilson's Plover was again seen with the help of another wildlife observer.

The wildlife observer above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

It was here that Marina Scarr introduced herself and her friend.

I knew of Marina's work presented at BirdPhotographers.net.

The White Ibis juvenile above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

As the sun set, Paul and I continued to photograph the shorebirds in the waning light of the day.

I had sent my Prairie Warbler image to Vince Lucas for confirmation of the species as I wanted an expert opinion to be sure of my conclusion of what I thought I'd seen.

The Wilson's Plover above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

A near perfect day it was with anticipation of meeting up with Fort Myers birding expert Tom Obrock on day three.

Feature: Fort De Soto Park Part I
Feature: Fort De Soto Park Part III

Feature: STA5

A visit to Stormwater Treatment Area 5, south of Clewiston, Florida, was finally made this past week after an interest in doing so for the past couple of years.

The Eastern Phoebe above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

As of this writing, access to STA5 for wildlife viewing remains limited to a typically once or twice a month scheduled tour made possible in part by the Hendry-Glades Audubon Society.

The annual Great Backyard Bird Count and Big “O” Birding Festival offer consecutive three and four day opportunities to visit STA5 in the months of February and March.

The Palm Warbler above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

STA5 is a man made wetland impoundment facility with its water cells a mile wide on the shortest side and two miles on the longest designed to primarily filter agricultural phosphorus from the groundwater before it flows into the Everglades ecosystem.

Eighteen miles of levees are driven on with great care allowing exploration within and around this 5120 acre wildlife mecca.

The Common Yellowthroat above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

The South Florida Water Management District has authority of STA5 and surrounding STAs with the SFWMD, under strict conditions, periodically permitting the hunting of alligators at the STAs as well as that of small game at STA5.

It is the hunting activity at STA5 which is perhaps responsible for the apparent skittish behavior of the wildlife that is not typical of Florida's birds and alligators as I've observed at other inland and coastal wildlife venues across the state.

The wildlife enthusiasts above were photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

Among my interests this week were the thousands of waterfowl seen at STA5 while in all a total of at least 75 species were reportedly seen by at least 83 observers in the immediate area.

Canadian wildlife photographer Frank Constantin had made a trip to STA5 a month earlier and forewarned me of the distance of the wildlife which he compared to that at Harns Marsh Preserve in Lehigh Acres.

The Blue-winged Teal above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

I thus acquired a 2X converter/extender for my camera's lens for the STA5 trip with the expectation that the wildlife would be much more distant than typically seen at other wildlife venues.

Frank's visit to STA5 was less than a few hours as he reported, while I chose to make a second trip along the levees allowing me in excess of nine hours of observation time inclusive of areas around the STA.

The Cattle Egret above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

Although my initial intent was to take full advantage of additional opportunity in visiting STA5 this month, I first opted to determine the effectiveness of using the 2X accessory before devoting more time to the documentation of my observations.

Even with the benefit of the 2X converter, it would prove necessary to crop virtually all of the images included in this report.

The Cattle Egret above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

STA5 is especially appreciated with a Spotting Scope that is often seen used by birding aficionados.

Spotting Scopes that I've been permitted to look through when offered the opportunity have always allowed for a remarkable view of a distant subject that cannot be appreciated anywhere near as equally as seen through the lens of a camera.

The Cattle Egret above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

A little research on these remarkable optical devices seems to show the manufacturer of Kowa products to be the leader in its field, with the TSN-883 spotting scope perhaps the best available as reviewed by Optics4birding.

It's my understanding that digiscopy offers much greater challenges in the photography of wildlife verses dare I say "traditional" digital photography.

The White Pelican above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

It was my anticipation to see some new species of bird at STA5 that I had yet to encounter at my preferred wildlife venues closer to the Gulf of Mexico frequently visited in Southwest Florida.

With great fortune, I was able to add Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Northern Harrier, Western Kingbird, and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher to my list of bird species photographed for the first time with abnormalities of previously seen species documented.

The Ring-necked Duck above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

I'm especially grateful to Margaret England who led me to the latter two species that were seen near the proposed entrance to STA5.

Margaret currently serves as President of the Hendry-Glades Audubon Chapter and is remarkably timely and helpful with all inquiries made of her via email.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

In addition to the waterfowl seen, I was captivated by a large flock of Cattle Egret where among them was an individual of the species that sported a rare aberrant plumage that I had never seen before.

With my attention focused at one point on an overflight of one of the abundant Northern Harriers (unsure of its identification at the time) that can be seen at STA5, a Great Blue Heron would make a catch of a very large catfish that initially appeared much too large for the bird to handle.

The Northern Harrier above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

Much thanks are extended to local birding expert Vincent Lucas as well whom assisted me in the positive identification of the raptor NOHA further described through the alpha banding code with it a female of the species.

Vince additionally offered insight of the Ring-necked Duck sporting a leucism in its primaries observed only on its right side.

The sugar harvest above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

The fires seen on the horizon I learned to coincide with the sugar harvest which rained ashes on STA5 throughout the day.

It was interesting to see the birds in the water seemingly oblivious to the alligators that were observed in great numbers.

The Savannah Sparrow above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

A Red-tailed Hawk was sighted for the first time since my interest in wildlife observation began, though I failed to photograph the stunningly beautiful raptor which took flight from a power line.

I consider the Canada Goose observed by others at STA5 the most interesting as it will require a revision of the species' range in David Sibley's Guide to Birds.

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

The goose is only noted to reach barely below the Georgia/ Florida border during Winter months in Sibley's guide while STA5 regularly produces surprises.

STA5 is a must see venue when the chance arises.

The Anhinga above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

The Uncommon At Bunche Beach Preserve

It is a rare occurrence when I am overly focused on a single species of wildlife in a week's time.

The Laughing Gull above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

Such is the case this week when I had the opportunity to get into the field at Bunche Beach Preserve for some Florida wildlife observation.

My hope had been to observe Bald Eagles beyond their range I've otherwise studied south of Fort Myers Beach of late.

The Reddish Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

Upon arrival at the preserve, I made my typical walk west in anticipation of the eagles that are more often reported there than I've seen them.

The Bald Eagle would ultimately not be seen during the overcast conditions.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

After walking about a quarter mile passing many typical shore and wading birds expected to be seen, I caught site of bird in the bay that I didn't recognize.

The tide had turned shortly after sunrise when the wading birds appear to be most successful in capturing prey.

The Common Loon above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

The most entertaining bird species seen was Reddish Egret which is not always seen at the preserve.

It was the observation of the mystery bird I would later identify as Common Loon that preoccupied my attention.

The Common Loon above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

Once I made sighting of the bird, I would attempt to stay ahead of it as it drifted with the tide to the east.

The loon never made a significant attempt to avoid me other than drifting too far into the bay at one point.

The Common Loon above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

Since I was already waterlogged, I walked further into the bay to encourage the bird to head back to shore which it did.

This allowed me about an additional 15 minutes of observation time.

The Common Loon above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

The opportunity for stunning photography when the bird had prey in its beak on a couple of occasions was lost as I struggled to keep the camera level with it as low to the water's surface as I dared.

The wave action coming onto the beach was fortunately minimal.

The Common Loon above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

The Common Loon is considered an uncommon to rarely seen transient along the Gulf coast, so this sighting was especially exhilarating.

Pbase member and Texan Joe Fischer has noted that the loon is most spectacular in its breeding plumage which has been his great fortune to observe.

The Common Loon above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

The loon tested my ability to document a rare sighting well as I would need to manually focus on the bird on occasion.

A drizzle and fierce wind from the west cut short the rare opportunity I had in photographing the species.

The Common Loon above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.