Christmas Morning At Harns Marsh Preserve

It was a very foggy and chilly morning at Harns Marsh Preserve on Christmas Day 2010.

The sunrise above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in December 2010.

That didn't deter me from an attempt to have a very rewarding time observing the wildlife which I did.

The first active flight observed was that of Roseate Spoonbill from the area where Limpkin are sometimes seen while always heard.

The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in December 2010.

The vultures were seen across the lake on the ground perhaps in their attempt to stay warmer while they're typically observed in the trees at first light.

A juvenile Great Blue Heron was very docile seemingly waiting for the sun to warm its bones.

The Great Blue Heron juvenile above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in December 2010.

Limpkin were observed in flight more so than I had observed at Harns Marsh before.

This species has a tendency to stay very low to the ground even while in flight.

The Cattle Egret above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in December 2010.

Snail Kite were active in their search of Apple Snails shortly before the fog burned off.

Osprey were again observed hunting successfully for their prey.

The Glossy Ibis above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in December 2010.

What would become a remarkable observation for me was an inbound flight of a solitary Sandhill Crane that landed directly in front of me from the north.

As I observed this bird in amazement, two more cranes were walking toward me along the marsh's frontage road and emerged from the fog a short while later.

The Snadhill Crane above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in December 2010.

Before the Sandhill Cranes arrived, a small flock of Cattle Egret appeared to become active from their slumber.

It was at this time that I was chiding myself for failing to bring the flash and Better Beamer.

The Snadhill Crane above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in December 2010.

Always have them at the ready in case they're needed if you have them.

It was a special occasion to meet Hemant Kishan again at the preserve.

Hemant Kishan above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in December 2010.

Hemant, a prolific American Birding Association contributor, was intently observing an American Bittern that he sighted at relatively close range.

He was kind enough to point my camera in the direction of the bird at one point as the bird was so well camouflaged in the reeds.

The American Bittern above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in December 2010.

Hemant mentioned his interest in Celery Fields which he believes best visited in September.

It was interesting to observe a scuffle between a pair of Anhinga while the Tree Swallows seemed to be in lesser numbers than usual.

The Anhinga with Pied-billed Grebe above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in December 2010.

The same pair of Great Egret observed a couple of weeks earlier offered their same repose in nearly the exact same spot I had last seen them.

Since my visit to Harns Marsh Preserve this week, I have read that the Crested Caracara is often seen in flight in the presence of vultures.

The Limpkin above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in December 2010.

When I visit the preserve again, my first objective will be to scan the trees where the vultures are typically resting before they fly off to take advantage of the thermals in the absence of wind.

Bunche Beach East

Until this past week, it had been a very long while since I visited the east channel that cuts its way from San Carlos Bay into the estuary at Bunche Beach Preserve.

The Reddish Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

I was well aware that my early morning visit, when I had the chance this week, would be at a very high tide which would make passing the channel impossible on foot as I was.

Even at a very low tide, the east channel is nearly chest deep in places if you choose to cross it, though gets shallower the further you go out into the bay.

The Willet above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The approach to the channel was met with very still air and little bird activity.

The biting insects were at their worst after exiting the car a mile back and not bad compared to how they can be after sunset under certain conditions at the preserve.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The water of San Carlos Bay was closer to the grass along the dune than I ever recall seeing it before.

Once at the channel, a Reddish Egret was seen in the company of a Willet feeding close to shore as the tide peaked when I took my first shots with the water three feet above mean sea level.

The Cattle Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

I had been forewarned by a weather forecast on the radio that this would be the hottest day of the 2010 summer.

There had been many other days already that were more uncomfortable due to higher humidity conditions while my morning through early afternoon visit to the preserve was comparably very pleasant.

The Snowy Egret with Reddish Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

A goal was to ensure that the shots I would take were level, without a need to rotate any shots in post processing, which was made possible by a bubble level in my tripod.

I initially made a great effort with this in mind by kicking the sand along the shore to a depth of a few inches where I was able to set one of the tripod's legs where it allowed me as low to the ground as possible without having to hold the camera.

The White Ibis above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The water of the bay actually felt surprisingly cool as I entered it while planting myself down where I remained within a small radius for the next four and a half hours.

Photographs of birds, if they're not in flight typically, I find most appealing in an image from a low perspective while as close to their height as possible.

The Little Blue Heron juvenile above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

At about the time I saw evidence of clouds around 9:00am was when a strong and welcome breeze picked up from the east.

With the sun at my back, I simply waited for the action to happen.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

I have to admit that I would not have considered making this trip under the conditions of such a high tide if there wasn't the possibility of seeing the Black-necked Stilt for the first time.

Tom Obrock had told me that the species had been seen at the preserve about a month ago while he has noted seeing it more recently at the I-75 rest stop near the Fort Myers airport.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The stilt regrettably remains elusive to me after my most recent visit to Bunche Beach Preserve.

I did, however, see some surprisingly enjoyable action that I would never have expected.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The conditions turned out to offer some of the most enjoyable and prolific wildlife observation I had yet to encounter in one day.

Shortly after a few wading species passed overhead, I decided to change my strategy and primarily focus my efforts on photographing birds in flight which I continue to struggle with successfully.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

I adjusted the camera's settings many dozens of times to compensate for the different species and the perspectives I had of them.

It was a treat of course to see species I hadn't observed in a long while and to photograph juveniles which should be expected this time of year.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

This visit to the preserve was an opportunity for me to acquire a much better appreciation for the differences in shorebirds and improved identification of them.

Sandpipers, plovers and terns were abundant as the tide waned and the bay's flats were exposed offering the birds a resting and feeding opportunity.

The Great Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

My first few shots of the day were taken into the light.

I don't like shooting under those conditions as the results are often unreliable for an appealing image unless compensation is made diligently in the camera's settings or through flash which I chose not to use.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

In this most recent visit to Bunche Beach Preserve, I made my typical adjustments I do with the camera's exposure bias which was determined by the subjects that I thought warranted it.

The lower settings were used for the most part when I was photographing the Snowy Egret and other species seen in the surf with significant white in their appearance.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The higher settings were used when I was photographing many birds in flight in the bright sky.

I've never trusted the camera to take an image with automatic settings and most often choose to make any inferior images with full accountability to myself.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

There were a few disputes of territory between a pair of Snowy Egrets and a pair of Tricolored Herons which occupied some of my observation time.

At one point I was surprised by a juvenile Snowy Egret having apparent dominance over an adult.

The "Great Getaway" above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The Tricolored Heron juvenile was harassed by its elder when the younger bird got too close.

It was interesting to see the successful feeding by the birds with the Snowy Egret in particular making numerous stabs into the water which brought two fish at a time.

The Laughing Gull above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

It was on this trip that I made an observation, with the most confidence I've yet to have, of the Western Sandpiper.

I continue to struggle with the identification of these birds with subtle differences in their appearance.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

I consider the highlight of the trip my sighting of the Bald Eagle which I observed at the preserve for the first time.

A fellow visitor of the preserve told me of a visit he made to Bowman's Beach on Sanibel Island in June of this year.

The Least Tern juvenile above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

He commented on his observation of Snowy Plover juveniles that ran into his shadow to escape the heat of the sun.

I also heard this week from American Birding Association member, Hemant Kishan, who told me of his "spectacular" observations last month at Estero Lagoon which included the sighting of a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron "hunting plover chicks as if they were crustaceans."

The Western Sandpiper above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

Thanks for that report, Hemant.

I also had an interesting visitor to my Pbase site that commented on images cryptically over a half dozen images which when strung together read . . . IN SEARCH OF PEACE AND LOVE, I AM EXPANDED TO PROTECT MY WORLD. PLEASE COME AND JOIN WITH ME, LET US TOUCH THE SKY & REACH THE HIGH. FLY BEYOND THE BONDAGE, FOR FOOD TO MY SOIL MOTHER, I MUST RETURN TO YOUR PLACID BREAST.

The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

Although I missed photographing a flyover of a juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron as I wasn't prepared for it, I fortunately observed another of the species on the roadside while leaving the preserve which made up for the earlier loss.

I certainly won't consider a high tide visit to Bunche Beach Preserve any less than very favorable again.

The Osprey above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

And I have to add that I'm very much looking forward to frequent trips to Bowman's Beach during the 2011 breeding season.

The inclination of Bowman's Beach appears very favorable for great light during morning or afternoon visits as is Bunche Beach.

The Black-crowned Night-Heron juvenile above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.