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.

Feature: Venice Rookery

Within the wildlife and birding mecca of Southwest Florida is an unassuming island that could unquestionably be described as an oasis.

The Glossy Ibis above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

This place is located at Audubon Venice Area Rookery in the metropolitan area of Venice, Florida.

I arrived at the rookery for the first time about 45 minutes before sunrise about mid January 2010. This was fortuitous as I was able to observe what most visitors to the rookery perhaps do not.

The Great Egret above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

In the near pitch darkness it was evident from the parking area immediately adjacent to the rookery that there was life on the island. The contrast of the pure white feathers of the Great Egret in particular resting in the foliage was striking and memorable.

Many dozens of these birds as well as several other species took flight to the East well before the sun's rays would cast their glow on the diminutive island.

The Great Egret above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

The birds that remained included a relatively small handful of Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Glossy Ibis, and Anhinga that seemingly had staked their claim to nests on the island.

As time passed and a dozen or so fellow avian enthusiasts would come and go, I was able to observe some interesting wildlife behavior and see a couple of species of bird that I had not photographed in Florida before.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

A list of 17 bird species seen on my visit to the rookery is highlighted by clicking here. The seemingly omnipresent Laughing Gull was mistakenly omitted in my list.

Of the two bird species not observed before in my effort to document the near 500 that either live in or migrate through Florida were the American Robin (not photographed) and the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck flew in a group of up to 14 over the rookery on four occasions. It was a great test of my ability to document them with photographs. I knew that special compensation had to be made in the camera's settings to avoid underexposure of the images.

While all of this was going on, I was extremely fortunate to observe a pair of Great Blue Heron mating. The male was able to accomplish this after his third arrival to his mate with nest building material.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

Other interesting behavior was observed in a male Anhinga that was diligently breaking the berry laden branches of his perch and offering them to his mate who was somewhat hidden from my view.

The brilliant green lore of the male Great Egret was a welcome sign of the exciting months ahead. Virtually every male bird within its species will make a noticeable change in its appearance to entice its potential mate.

The Anhinga above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

The rookery is a must see venue if you are anywhere in the area or otherwise. While the wildlife is tantalizingly close, it's been well noted that longer lenses of 400mm to 600mm or more are helpful for photography as close as you may seem to the action. Don't forget your binoculars.

Find directions to the rookery by clicking here.