Natural History At Harns Marsh Preserve

Since my discovery of the nest of Black-necked Stilt last week at Harns Marsh Preserve I've been especially compelled to return and investigate.

The American White Pelican juvenile above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

Much enjoyment has been had in observing the behavior of five Black-necked Stilt that are active in the area of the nest.

Time allowed for two trips to the preserve this week with the first under overcast conditions which made for more difficult photography of the birds than usual.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

One of the memorable things about my first visit at Harns Marsh this week was the aroma of the weeds which have not yet been mowed down this year.

I was able to determine that there are four eggs in the stilt nest in the marsh which is typical for the species.

The Common Moorhen above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

David Sibley's Guide to Bird Life and Behavior offers a brief by Wayne R. Petersen which notes the incubation period of stilts at 19-26 days.

Since I don't know the day(s) the eggs were laid, the precise window of opportunity of a few days to document the hatching of the eggs remains uncertain.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

It's my intent however to document this natural history event if I am able.

An additional behavioral action of the stilt seen, though not noted by Petersen, is how the birds will shake their legs free of mud in their approach to the nest.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

While numerous species of wading birds and American White Pelicans (believed to all be juveniles) flew overhead, the birds were not in as great numbers as seen last week.

Black-crowned Night-Herons were completely absent while I was chided by Tom Obrock in my failure to see Sandhill Crane at the marsh which were not observed visually until the most recent visit to the marsh.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

On my way back to the car, I met Stan Damon who told me he was at Harns Marsh to conduct bird counts for the Lee County Bird Patrol.

These numbers will be used by the county in part to determine losses once real estate activity kicks into gear again.

The Black-necked Stilt (false brooding technique) above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

Stan also told be of his observation of a Roseate Spoonbill and Limpkin having a scuffle on a previous visit to the marsh and mentioned his recent pelagic trip across the Gulf Stream off the Florida east coast to observe migratory species.

Tom had made a trip to the marsh the same day as my first visit of the week and reported 39 species of bird seen though he noted he "dumped" on the sighting of Black-bellied Whistling-Duck.

Stan Damon above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

This species was seen on my first visit of the week after Bob Blanchard's reported sighting and photography of the ducks earlier.

I believe the species was added to the checklist for Harns Marsh Preserve the day before.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

I observed four of the ducks and managed to produce some really horrible images of them.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is a very rare visitor to Florida's west coast while commonly seen on the Atlantic side of the Florida peninsula.

The Mottled Duck above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

My latter visit this week to Harns Marsh was more enjoyable with much better light due to the lack of clouds in the early morning.

There was somewhat of a concern upon my arrival as a couple dozen Black Vultures stood guard at the entrance to the parking area.

The Mottled Duck juvenile above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

My immediate thought was the damage these beasts are reported to do to vehicles at Everglades National Park.

Fortunately this bunch hasn't reached the stage of destructive behavior in the least.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

As is the norm, there were a lot of birds in flight overhead and I experimented with photography of white and darker birds against a very bright background mainly unsuccessfully.

Red-winged Blackbird were again commonly seen while the Black-necked Stilt offered some very interesting behavioral action.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

Petersen's descriptions of stilt behavior has been seen first hand with the broken wing technique used frequently by Black-necked Stilt at the marsh.

One of the stilt observed also engaged in false brooding behavior at times.

The Red-winged Blackbird above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

A behavior I found most rewarding was the changing of the guard, so to speak, as the adult stilts took turns incubating the eggs in the nest.

Black-necked Stilts as well as American Avocets are among relatively few shorebirds whose sex is easily determined by sight.

The Little Blue Heron (1st Spring) above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

In the case of Black-necked Stilt, the female has a brownish back while the male has a glossy black back.

I failed to note which of the stilt was on the nest upon my arrival, but observed at one point the female relieve the male from incubation duties.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

A short while later the female left the nest briefly for no apparent reason.

It was interesting to learn that Black-necked Stilt upon hatching may leave the nest within hours to begin feeding on their own to garner from their parents merely the knowledge of threats around them.

The Snowy Egret with Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

Of the five stilt I've been observing, I question whether three of them are from the previous year's brood with this unlikely as the stilt is considered seasonally monogamous.

A trio of juvenile Mottled Duck perhaps only a couple of days old walked by the stilt nest ahead of a mature Mottled Duck which apparently were not considered a threat to the stilt.

The Wood Stork with White Ibis above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

Tom had advised me this week of his observation of the Black-necked Stilt aggressively defending its nest against the significantly larger Sandhill Crane which was observed by him to approach too closely to the stilt nest.

A Snowy Egret was permitted a very close walk by the nest as observed on my latter visit to the marsh this week as it fed successfully in the shallow water.

The White Ibis juvenile above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

The stilt are tolerant of Common Moorhen near the stilt nest as well.

A very long distance sighting of Least Bittern was made and photographed on my latter visit to the marsh confirmed by Vince Lucas.

The Black-necked Stilt (broken wing technique) above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

A future visit to Harns Marsh will hopefully allow for the recovery of the inner sole of my velcro strap sneaker worn for water photography lost this week.

I knew the sneakers, which need to be replaced about every few months, were on their last leg and pushed their usefulness one trip too many.

The Least Bittern above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

As I emerged from the marsh, Sandhill Crane with juveniles were finally observed this season evidently well fed considering the photos Tom had taken a couple of weeks earlier.

I merely waited for the birds to walk by me for close observation of them.

The Sandhill Crane above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

The official start of the Florida rainy season next week is likely to be very disruptive to the marsh and its inhabitants to renew the next cycle of life again.

The bulldozer has continued to have pieces of it removed on seemingly each successive visit to the marsh.

The dismembered bulldozer above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.

Feature: Fort De Soto Park - Part III

My third day's visit to Fort De Soto Park was preceded by those that passed much more quickly than I would have liked.

The wildlife photographers with Ruddy Turnstone above were photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

I had informed Fort Myers wildlife observer Tom Obrock whom would meet up with me this last day that I was sure to be well preoccupied prior to his arrival which I was.

There is so much to see and investigate within the park that even after the this day there was regrettably so much left unexplored.

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

I had waited for Tom in the area of the Bay Pier while there was no migratory bird action as expected.

While Tom was making sunrise pit stops at his preferred locations at the entrance to the park I called him via cell phone to advise him that I was moving on to the lagoon.

The Ruddy Turnstone female above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

Upon my arrival there, the Long-billed Curlew was absent although had seen it the morning before.

In fact the birds within the lagoon itself were virtually absent so I walked over the dune to the beach to find a much improved situation.

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

There were dozens of Black Skimmers, Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, Snowy Egrets, and a few passes of Dunlin which were sporting the advanced stage of their breeding plumage.

While the skimmers were at this point loafing, a pair of Royal Tern were engaging in the passing of food.

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

Sandwich Tern were actively mating in the heavy crowd of aves as other species of bird paid them no mind while what appeared last year's progeny seemed unaware they were fully fledged in these moments.

A Herring Gull of disputable age was distant and had something in its beak about ten feet off shore.

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

I immediately picked up the gear and ran as quickly as I could to get within photographic range of the bird and have the sun behind me.

In the end, I had stopped short where the bird unfortunately remained ahead of me.

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

I was able to see that the gull had found a Cockle Clam in the surf of relatively still water in the Gulf of Mexico compared to the high waves the evening before.

The clam can be found around San Carlos Bay in large numbers during a very low tide in the winter months.

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

The Herring Gull was able to grasp the clam in its beak and amazingly carry it to a height of about 25 feet and dropped it to break the shell which it did.

The clam was then quickly consumed as a pair of Ruddy Turnstone came within a few feet of the gull waiting patiently for any scraps left behind.

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

Shortly after this observation Tom had caught up with me.

He noted that he had gone to the northernmost lagoon where he likely didn't see much as the tide would have been very high there.

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

I didn't clarify to him that I would be at the south lagoon adjacent to the concession building where the change in water level is less noticeable.

We stayed at the lagoon for a short while before Tom recommended that we explore other areas.

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

He led the way to the Tierra Verde Duck Pond just outside of the park which I failed to stop at previously.

There was waterfowl there that was surprisingly not engaged in a northerly migration.

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

There were about two dozen ducks within 150 feet of our observation point that were dispersed further away as I settled into the pond as cautiously as possible.

Tom had warned me that I wouldn't go very far and he was right.

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

I only went as far as I dared as the water dropped off deeper than I could place the tripod with the possibility of an alligator approaching unseen.

Tom had the better perspective of the birds here while I was mesmerized, even with my limited perspective, by the ducks that have been a weakness in my bird observation and photography outside of STA5 and Harns Marsh Preserve.

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

I perceived this opportunity to photograph the migratory ducks as certainly my last considering it so late in the season.

With patience that I was hoping Tom had foremost, the ducks began to come closer allowing much better views of their stunning details.

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

By far the most appealing duck seen was the Ruddy Duck with its brightly colored blue bill best seen during the breeding season.

It certainly stood out among the several other species of duck that were quite active during my observation of them.

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

Tom has elevated my appreciation for detail within the scaup while Sibley's rendering of sleeping ducks will hopefully allow me to distinguish the birds with ease in the future.

From the Tierra Verde Duck Pond we chose to return to Fort De Soto Park with the East Beach Turnaround my recommendation as a first stop.

The Herring Gull with Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

Tom led the way and stopped to point out a species he called Nanday (from the Latin name) Parakeet which I know as Black-hooded Parakeet.

A second bird of the species would fly over the road ahead of us while a brilliantly colored Northern Cardinal male perched in the same tree the other parakeet was in a moment before.

The Redhead with scaup above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

A fellow wildlife observer stopped at this point as well to observe the parakeet accommodatingly close to the road.

She and Tom discussed attributes of the Ohio area while I was confused by the comment made about white socks.

The waterfowl above were photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

I think I should have known what that meant having in part Polish lineage, but I didn't.

Unnoticed in the field with a review of the Black-hooded Parakeet images on the computer, it was realized that this particular bird was banded as seen when it was scratching its face.

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

The arrival at the East Beach Turnaround didn't offer the same diversity of birds seen earlier, but the merganser was still around.

Present was a good sized troop representing the Manatee County Audubon Society seemingly having a really good time.

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

It was too bad that we were not granted a view of the migratory bird species Tom had reported the year before within the park.

From the turnaround, Tom and I headed toward the North Beach Lagoon with him again in the lead.

The Black-hooded Parakeet above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

We got separated in the traffic and I made my way through the North Beach Grove to observe no bird action when Tom called me to advise of his sighting of Whimbrel at the south lagoon that had just played tag with the Long-billed Curlew.

When I arrived a few minutes later, Tom was at the northern part of the lagoon as I scanned the area to sight the rare Whimbrel.

Wildlife observer, Tom Obrock, multi-tasking in the field above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

I had told Tom that I needed to get closer to the bird seen so infrequently.

After making an effort to stay well ahead of the bird, crossing the lagoon that was much deeper than I expected it to be, the Whimbrel kept walking toward me.

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

At what I would guess was 75 feet from it as I was planting the tripod for a level photograph, the Whimbrel it took flight before I could be assured of a successful shot of it.

The bird very surprisingly flew around me instead of directly away as I would have expected and landed again ahead of me.

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

The bird allowed me to photograph it in one last moment with an American Oystercatcher in its company.

The Whimbrel then flew over the dunes and to the north out of view and would unfortunately not return.

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

Tom's Long-billed Curlew was then observed on the scene and I would spend the next fifteen minutes capturing photographs of the species before the unexpected happened.

I've given much regard to the longevity of the camera battery life of the Nikon and Canon cameras I have used.

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

With my trip to Fort De Soto Park expected to be photographing wildlife for many hours beyond the norm, the demand on the battery was too much for the circumstances.

I had fired in excess of 3000 shots before I had the appreciation for never leaving the camera's battery charger at home.

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

While I could have readily spent more hours in the lagoon, the rewards of the park remind me of the hope of a future visit.

Tom would lead the way to another venue that would offer Black-necked Stilt that I have had very limited opportunity in observing before.

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

Among an impressive diversity of birds along Cockroach Bay Road southwest of Ruskin and south of Cockroach Bay Preserve State Park it was interesting to observe the planting of marsh grasses with an intent to undoubtedly improve the water quality.

Tom was very generous in allowing me to use his binoculars to view the wildlife several times which offered quite an improved experience of merely viewing it with the camera.

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

Little Manatee River State Park is also nearby which appears to be a must see venue.

Wildlife photographer Paul Cooper explained why he was unseen on my final day at Fort De Soto devoting his time to kayaking the park's waters which sounds like a great wildlife blog report if he gets around to it.

Wildlife photographer Paul Cooper above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.

A visit to the Tampa Bay area and especially Fort De Soto Park for wildlife observation should not be missed.

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