The Chicken Or The Egg

As the 2011 Great Backyard Bird Count (February 18-21) is underway, I ponder the question why one would want to be a "birder."

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

A harder question answered is "what is a birder?"

If you've ever taken interest in the flight of a bird that may have crossed your path or winged creature that may have merely been within your view, you might consider yourself a birder.

The Mourning Dove above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

There are certainly birders with qualifications raging far and wide from filling a box with seed to traveling the world.

It's been my great pleasure to encounter birders in my travels whom have the ability to identify birds with a skill that seems to be acquired with many years of observation and faithful dedication.

The Blue-headed Vireo above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

It has taken me several years to reach the point in which I consider myself a novice birder devoting as much time to Southwest Florida wildlife observation as I can which typically averages seven hours a week.

I occasionally ponder the question asked of me by someone I've worked with if I would ever lose interest in photographing birds.

The Downy Woodpecker above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

As I immediately answered then, and as I feel today, definitely not.

There's simply too much unexpected opportunity with appreciation for the fact that these creatures are believed to be descendants of dinosaurs with a fossil indicating a winged creature lived 150 million years ago.

The Blue-headed Vireo above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

I have thus far documented 137 different species of bird in Florida, with a lifetime endeavor to merely observe as many of these beautiful creatures as I am able.

A greater personal endeavor is to study the behavior of birds.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

This week's effort was to continue my observation of a Bald Eagle's nest that has a solitary fledgling.

A contentious behavior between the adult eagles and Ospreys was again noted.

The Bald Eagle juvenile above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

The aerial dogfights between the species, if you will, are quite extraordinary and very difficult to document effectively through photography.

It was also particularly interesting to observe the eagle I call "862," as indicated by the metal band on its right leg.

The Bald Eagle with Osprey above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

I reported the identification of the bird to the United States Geological Survey for information on the bird's history, but have not received a reply after two weeks.

What was of particular interest to me about the eagle's behavior which lasted 12 minutes was the manner in which it apparently was attempting to cool itself down on the morning when the temperature was about 70 degrees in the shade.

The Yellow-throated Warbler above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

I have only seen similar behavior made by a Great Blue Heron on a couple of occasions and never before by the eagles.

This behavior should not be mistaken as similar by an Anhinga which stretches its wings in a similar manner to dry its feathers which lack waterproof characteristics of other birds.

The Roseate Spoonbill (note the middle bird's interest) above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

While observing the eagle's nest I again saw the Blue-headed Vireo which was favoring the seeds of a nearby Gumbo-limbo tree, with the bird both eating and regurgitating them.

Although this tree is known to be used for a great number of reasons including carousel horses, medicinal purposes, and Haitian musical drums, I pondered at the time while observing the vireo if the brightly colored seeds of the tree may have been cultivated by native American Indians as a resource for pigment in their paints.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

If you have the opportunity to offer a landscape addition in your yard where climate should be of concern, consider my favorite shrub known as Pineapple Guava (Acca sellowiana) which is incredibly fragrant while in bloom.

In the past, I have observed the Red-belied Woodpecker as another bird species that regurgitates seeds.

The Blue-headed Vireo above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

Other bird species easily captivated my attention as a Yellow-throated Warbler was observed for the first time in over four years, coincidentally within a few miles from where I observed it last.

I also had the opportunity to photograph the Downy Woodpecker in the company of the much more common Red-bellied.

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

The Downy Woodpecker is quite distinctive in the sound it makes which would allow its identification without seeing it.

Another rare observation was made with the sighting of an American Kestrel.

The Northern Mockingbird above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

When I first caught a glimpse of the bird as it flew overhead, while not immediately able to identify it, I knew that it was unusual with regard to its flight characteristics.

I learned some valuable lessons in camera settings that need to be used in the future to offer consistently improved images.

The Gulf Fritillary Butterfly above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

It was interesting to observe as well the carcass of a turtle that possibly had its shell penetrated by the Black Vulture in the tree directly above it.

Though I've only picked up and kept one shell from the beach in my travels, it was interesting this week to meet someone that told me I had to give up my Alphabet Cone if I found one.

The American Kestrel above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

I'll leave the reason why a mystery.

I was particularly intrigued with the workings of photo editing this week (which I attempt to keep to a minimum of crop and sharpening) as I attempted to remove a color cast in the Downy Woodpecker image included in this post where utilizing CS5, the opposite of what I thought should happen occurred.

The turtle carcass above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

Though I'm not sure what caused the color cast to begin with as it's not often produced in my images taken, the hue/contrast feature in CS5 minimized the effect by moving the slider darker after selecting the color I thought closest to that I wished to remove.

The fledgling eagle is progressing well.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.

The British Are Coming . . . To Harns Marsh Preserve

Belted Kingfisher in flight was the first species of bird seen in my initial follow up visit to Harns Marsh Preserve this past week.

The Belted Kingfisher above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

The kingfisher, near the end of my visit to the preserve, would offer its characteristic hunting technique for observation by hovering over the lake for a brief moment and then flew into the cypress stand.

The Snail Kite and Limpkin were viewed as expected with a surprise in seeing about a half dozen juvenile Limpkin well camouflaged in the reeds I often hear the Limpkin calling from.

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

Killdeer were frequently seen in the grass along the shoreline of the marsh and in flight as well.

It was hoped to see waterfowl that I have yet to have the opportunity to observe in my study of birds.

The Killdeer above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

Harns Marsh Preserve seems fitting to be an ideal place to do this although no previously unseen sightings were made this week.

I also failed to see the Redhead again this week, nor did I see or hear any Sandhill Cranes on my first visit although a pair were seen flying west to east directly overhead nearly immediately upon arrival on my second visit to the preserve two days later.

The Common Moorhen above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

Tree Swallows were in great abundance again and I couldn't resist the challenge of attempting to photograph them effectively with the long lens.

At the spot the swallows have favored most as noted earlier, I entered the water to get closer to the action and get lower to the ground.

The Wood Stork juvenile above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

The lens was about 18 inches above the water's surface for about a half hour worth of observation.

The water was of course uncomfortably cold with no obvious presence of the alligator I had seen a few months ago.

The Tree Swallow above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

The Tree Swallows were at one point congregating on a stand of tall grass which I took advantage of as best I could.

It was interesting to observe what appeared to be a concerted effort on the part of the birds to flatten the grass for a more comfortable perching opportunity over time.

The Tree Swallow above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

Flight shots remained extremely challenging of the Tree Swallows as the lens wanted to focus on the vegetation more than the birds.

I am aware that I can adjust the lens' focus distance range to minimize this problem, but opted not to experiment at the time.

The Tree Swallow above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

As I again contemplated a walk around the preserve, I was offered the opportunity for flight shots of the Snail Kite.

Further along my walk I caught sight of several Red-breasted Merganser.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

Shortly thereafter I would again have the chance to observe an Eastern Phoebe.

In its company was a Red-bellied Woodpecker working a stately pine in a small stand of trees.

The Red-breasted Merganser above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

A solitary Blue-gray Gnatcatcher remained shyly in the shadows.

Other movement within the tree stand would lead to a sighting of Pine Warbler.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

The more fortuitous second visit to Harns Marsh Preserve led to observation of feeding behavior of a Limpkin which was accommodatingly close to the shore line.

The bird had to go relatively deep for its quarry and came up with a meal.

The Palm Warbler above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

I'm not sure if the Limpkin senses prey with its feet or forages simply with its bill or a combination of both . . . yet.

The decision to attempt to capture the bird entirely in focus at close range unfortunately led to the slower shutter speed that defeated success at the critical moment with the Limkin's head in motion at the time of consuming its meal.

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

Minutes later it was a great pleasure to meet BPNer, Chris Baker, and his wife Rachael, visiting the area from the United Kingdom.

In a review of a few of the images of the Limkin's feeding behavior, I noted a particular image seemingly showing movement of the bird, Chris offered subtle criticism without saying a word pointing at my choice of an f/9 aperture setting of the lens noted on the camera's monitor.

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

Chris told me that he and Rachael were staying adjacent to Little Estero Lagoon.

He noted that Roseate Spoonbills were flying in about 45 minutes before sunset quite predictably at the lagoon.

Chris and Rachael Baker above were photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

Chris was evidently at Harns Marsh Preserve for some good Snail Kite and Limpkin action.

He was using Canon gear and noted that he typically uses all focus points in his photography successfully.

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

Chris mentioned observing a Limpkin at Corkscrew Swamp which I've yet to encounter at that venue.

He spoke of his Snail Kite observations at Joe Overstreet Landing and was disappointed with Venice Rookery before its recent manicuring.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

The kites at Harns Marsh Preserve were prolific, but tantalizingly out of range for stellar photography of the species.

I believe Chris was content with capturing three of the kites in a single shot.

The Great Egret above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

I'm looking forward to seeing the image at his newly created Pbase site where it can be determined additional details of the birds.

An overflight of Rock Dove was a treat for me last seen at the preserve in the spring while I've otherwise only observed these birds on highway light poles in the local area.

The Rock Dove above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

Glossy Ibis were very active and it what interesting to hear Chris note that he has yet to capture an image of the species he is overly pleased with as is the case for me.

As Rachael sported a pair of binoculars, she was keen to point out to us a Bald Eagle that got no closer than a quarter mile from our observation point in my estimation.

The Blue-winged Teal above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

Another avid birding couple joined us for a while as the action unfortunately began to quite down in the waning hours of the morning.

It was interesting to hear the birder, with nearly 700 species seen, describe a purpose of the untold possibilities that exist with future observation.

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

I was perplexed in attempting to identify his recommended resource referred to as TAM which was described as offering recent sighting alerts which he followed.

I think he meant to refer to TAS- or the Tropical Audubon Society which greatly benefits the east coast of south Florida.

The Blue-winged Teal above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

He was sporting an out of the box 80-400 Nikkor lens that he appeared very excited to make good use of.

At about this time, the unexpected happened with the approach of a shepherd mix at good speed.

The Green Heron above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

The dog was very inquisitive with a playful nature that didn't comprehend the command to sit.

Its owner would arrive about twenty minutes later with a plea that someone grab the dog's collar.

The Common Moorhen above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

He apologized for the dog's behavior noting that it knew it was in trouble.

On the drive home, I passed an American Kestrel flying parallel to me on the north side of the highway.

The unexpected above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

I pulled over to see that it had landed on a fence post well behind me.

As I got out of the car, a motorized dirt biker blazed by at his top speed which had caused the falcon to take flight into the field.

The American Kestrel above was photographed near Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

I drove the car back to attempt to see the extremely colorful predator again and was lucky to see it had landed on another fence post and observed it briefly in flight over the field.

This experience with the falcon was hurried and will think better of the opportunity in the future.

The American Kestrel above was photographed near Harns Marsh Preserve in November 2010.

If you encounter Chris and Rachael in your travels, you're in for some very enjoyable company.