Too Many Birds At Ding Darling NWR

The title of this post is made in jest while it's somewhat accurate with regard to my perceptions for bird photography at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge of late.

The Great Egret with White Ibis above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

Of course, an early morning visit to the refuge at a low tide is the ideal time to be here for wildlife observation.

At that time, the rising sun will be for the most part behind you as you make your way along Wildlife Drive.

The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

To clarify earlier comments made related to the importance of the tidal conditions, it is best to arrive at Ding Darling four to five hours after a low tide at Matanzas Pass timing a visit as close to sunrise as possible.

The time of an ideal low tide will vary depending on the time of year of your visit.

The Ring-billed Gull above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

Biting sand gnats can be a nuisance at the Refuge as I've observed in virtually all of my visits, so you may want to have an insect repellent with DEET available.

Please note that if viewing the exif data for any of the photographs taken this week that I failed to change the time ahead an hour in my camera.

The White Pelican above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

I've observed the tide to change this many hours after the low at Water Control Structure 2 with predictability.

My last three visits to the Refuge have been particularly overwhelming in the wildlife seen.

The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

This smacks in the face of commentary I've been told or read that there has been a reduction in wildlife observations made in recent years across the state of Florida.

I've given some thought to this perception and what the explanation for it may be.

The White Pelican above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

I have been diligently observing wildlife in southwest Florida for about four years with 12 favorite venues that I visit as regularly as possible.

These southwest Florida venues include Ding Darling, Bunche Beach, Estero Lagoon, Lovers Key, Harns Marsh, Lakes Park, Corkscrew Swamp, Six Mile Cypress, Venice Rookery, Eagle Lakes, Tigertail, and Babcock Webb in no particular order.

The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

So what might be the cause for such a negative perception of a wildlife decline?

I can think of a few things that may have different degrees of relevance.

The Great Egret above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

Foremost is perhaps the unprecedented back to back hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005 when hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne in '04 and Dennis, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma in '05 undoubtedly devastated countless nesting colonies.

Hurricane Charley is particularly noted as having changed the ecology and topography of Ding Darling NWR.

The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

Hurricane activity in Florida has fortunately been subdued in more recent years giving wildlife the opportunity to recover with more favorable conditions.

Abnormally cold weather the last two winters has possibly impacted birds favorably in Florida with the '09-'10 fish kill when wading birds gorged themselves earlier than they typically do when water levels are at there lowest before the start of the rainy season.

The Great Egret above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

A comment overheard by a volunteer at Ding Darling noted however that rainfall, whether plentiful or not, has not been a cause of the failure of Wood Stork nesting colonies at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary the last couple of years to the extent that cold weather has been.

Wood Stork have been seen in the Fort Myers area with frequency this winter (though not this past week), particularly at Ding Darling NWR and Harns Marsh Preserve.

The Pied-billed Grebe above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

In addition to the above speculated uncontrollable forces, I've made observations that have negative impacts from moment to moment.

Most recently was an observation of a few young kids at Estero Lagoon that were running into a flock of resting birds near the surf.

The playful activity above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in February 2011.

This event reminded me of kids doing the same on the flats at Lovers Key State Park at New Pass with much greater numbers of birds impacted a few years ago.

The lack of parental supervision is disappointingly seen with positive efforts made at Ding Darling noted recently as a bus load of kids passing by were heard educated about the wildlife they could see.

The Pied-billed Grebe above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

The education about wildlife has been made in the form of questions like, "What do you see?"

On occasion I've also observed pets that are allowed to run unrestrained by their owners with the dogs as expected attempting to play with wildlife which reacts as you might expect.

The White Ibis above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

I'm not sure the impact of exotic pet release or hunting, but these factors may have notable impact for observations of wildlife as well.

Florida has allowed the hunting of snakes in the Everglades this past year.

The Belted Kingfisher above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

I've encountered an abundance of wildlife during my visits to the venues mentioned in this post with very rare exception.

Ding Darling NWR was my sole focus this week devoting much time along Wildlife Drive at my favored observation point at WCS2 with numerous observations made that were no less than extraordinary.

The Little Blue Heron juvenile above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

As was normal in the moon's cycle, the favored low tides had been getting higher and later in the morning each day.

I believe this was the cause of fewer birds seen overall on each successive visit to the refuge while the most recent visit I found to be the most memorable.

The Pied-billed Grebe above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

A Swallow-tailed Kite was seen for the first time this season as it gracefully circled above.

Toward the west near mid-morning I thought I observed smoke rising into the sky, but it was thousands of Tree Swallows upon closer inspection.

The Swallow-tailed Kite above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

There were many opportunities to observe feeding behavior, overflights of birds, and the mere daily routine of the interesting avian creatures.

I was able to photograph for the first time the double crest of a cormorant which is not an easy thing to do even considering how abundant this species is in the area.

The Tree Swallow with egret above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

An adult Snowy Egret was not tolerant of a juvenile that was within its territory.

A distinctive waterfowl observed flying with a pair of Mottled Duck would be identified as the rarely seen Northern Shoveler at the Refuge.

The Northern Shoveler above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

And perhaps the most exhilarating experience was an overflight of about a hundred Willet that strafed me at less than ten feet from behind.

The allure of Indigo Trail has been incredibly enticing, though yet to be explored.

The Willet above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

Too many birds at the refuge has been my concern for a photograph of the wildlife without a distraction in an image taken of a particular subject ideally engaging in behavioral action.

I'm not a fan of manipulating photographs beyond traditional means though desperately need to learn how to add canvas to an image which I hope to do in the near future.

The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

For returning visitors to my blog, I hope you find the new look appealing.

I'm grateful to Tim Rucci for his help with my Pbase style sheet while attempting to emulate it in this blog.

The Pied-billed Grebe above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of timing visits to venues nearby the Gulf of Mexico for the most part at a low or near low tide.

If you fail to do this, you may end up being disappointed.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2011.

Bunche Beach Booty

When I saw my work schedule this week with two rare days off in a row, I immediately checked tide tables when I had the chance.

The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

A trip to Bunche Beach Preserve, let alone a pair of them this week, I was certain were long overdue.

Low tides around sunrise were too much of a temptation to consider traveling elsewhere with the chance to observe the best of shorebird action in the area.

The Western Sandpiper with Great Blue Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

The low tides at Ding Darling NWR would be good closer to noon and considered the very early morning light better for bird photography this week at Bunche Beach Preserve.

Upon exiting the car on the first day at Bunche Beach, there were biting gnats which a fellow observer of the preserve questioned me about.

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

My recommendation beyond perseverance was deet and a long sleeved shirt which was my choice unnecessarily on day two.

There was a breeze from the east on both days with it much stronger on the second day when it would allow for photography of a nearly still Osprey flying over the west channel.

The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

The vegetation along the shoreline often offers a wind break that may have the air completely still with whitecaps visible in the bay.

I chose to head toward the west during both treks at the preserve which allows easy access across the channel that has become popular with watercraft of different sorts since the opening of the small boat launch dedicated earlier in the summer.

The fisherman above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

I met a fellow wildlife observer named Bird whom told me I would laugh after asking her name.

She told me of her sighting of 20 Roseate Spoonbill on the far side of the west channel that would be disturbed and take flight due to disturbance by the fisherman that passed us.

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

Both walks from the parking area were very leisurely and offered opportunity to settle down and observe the prolific wildlife.

I didn't see the American Avocet that Tom Obrock had reported earlier in the week nor the Bald Eagle which is a species I'd consider infrequently seen at Bunche Beach Preserve.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

Virtually every other species of bird one might expect to see at this time of year and more was encountered.

The highlight of day one was the sighting of a new species of bird which I was very fortunate to photograph as it flew in a small group to the east.

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

I believe the species to be Northern Shoveler after looking closely at the birds in the images taken and comparing them in my Sibley guide.

It was at this time that I pondered whether a camera with higher magnification or megapixel capacity would better serve a heavy crop to hone in on what was observed.

The Northern Shoveler above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

The smaller shorebirds birds remained my focus on day one and were interesting to watch and attempt to photograph in flight for the most part unsuccessfully.

It is these birds that I have had the greatest challenge in identifying in the infancy of my bird observations.

The Northern Shoveler above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

It's extremely important to be particularly attentive to the characteristics of the birds you're observing to readily identify them.

The size of the bird remains very important as does the shape of the beak and color of the legs in particular which helps to identify what you've observed.

The Semipalmated Plover above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

Be sure to remember these characteristics if you are not able to take a picture and are unsure of the species so you can later be confident in what you've seen.

It was tremendous fun to capture the birds through images which offer a documentation of what's happening at one of my favorite wildlife venues.

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

The birds are sometimes difficult for me to positively identify until I see them again on the computer monitor as the seasonal variation in a smaller bird's appearance with juveniles often in the mix occur this time of year.

Day two at Bunche Beach Preserve offered another very enjoyable morning that would end up tallying about 11 hours of observation time and 2222 images captured during my visits.

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

I'm still not taking advantage of continuous shooting which would potentially offer an exceptionally good shot of a bird in flight or other action.

This is not a feature I would consider highly when looking at a new camera purchase.

The Piping Plover above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

Photographing wildlife in JPEG still remains my preference with no regrets.

If I had shot my images in RAW format, I would be put in the situation of having to delete images taken to conserve computer memory which I don't like to do.

The Sanderling above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

You won't see many images here that are out of focus unless the effort is made to present something for documentation alone.

The greatest challenge I've been attempting to master is the control of light in an image with the camera's exposure bias setting.

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

Although I try to always have the light source behind me, if it's not or when capturing images under a variety of other circumstances outdoors, manipulation of the camera's settings before the shot is sometimes required and recommended.

A lot of trial and error through the adjustment of exposure bias between -2 and +2 has offered improved image quality under extreme situations.

The Piping Plover above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

I've got my share of thousands of significantly over and under exposed images.

I'm intrigued by photographers that don't manipulate the exposure bias, but significantly adjust their camera's white balance which often produces stunning results.

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

As I discovered some time ago, a simple camera setting change from aperture to shutter would help create a blur of a helicopter's blades (or bird's motion) which I failed to utilize as a helicopter operated by the South Florida Water Management District passed overhead.

I can't wait to study and potentially benefit from Artie Morris' Guide to Digital Basics ordered this week.

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

As I've mentioned in this blog before, I often will settle down in one spot and wait for the wildlife to come to me.

Such was the case at Bunche Beach this week where I made a handful of locations along the beach and in San Carlos Bay my observation points.

The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

On day two, one memorable spot was just east of the west channel about 175 yards from shore.

It was here that I had numerous shore birds walk by me closer than the camera's lens could focus.

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

It's quite exhilarating to have that happen with even the larger wading birds doing the same.

I'm curious to know if this happens elsewhere around the country in the wild.

The Little Blue Heron juvenile with White Ibis above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

A very rare sighting for me on day two was that of the Magnificent Frigatebird which was especially thrilling as the plumage of the bird was different than I've seen before.

The photographs of this bird had to be taken at a very high exposure bias to prevent the bird from appearing as silhouette.

The Magnificent Frigatebird juvenile above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

The best setting was something of a guess based on prior experience shooting under such circumstances.

While observing a large flock of Black Skimmers and predominantly Sandwich Terns still somewhat distant from me, I would observe them take flight a number of times remaining unsure as to what spooked them if anything at all.

The Wood Stork above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

During this time I was pleased to see very active local birder, Hawkeye (Vince McGrath), who was making his way through the bay and along the shoreline documenting his sightings.

I regrettably did not speak with him and was disappointed not to see Tom Obrock nor Wes Dirks who frequent the preserve as well.

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

I very much regret not attending Vince's 2010 Hawk Watch from Sanibel Lighthouse which occurred at an inopportune time for me.

As Vince was in the area, I had a thought which might be helpful in future observations.

The Belted Kingfisher above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

It's possible that an unusual or rare species might be in the presence of a few hundred or many many more relatively common birds.

What I've found intriguing is that when a large flock of birds take flight, such was the case with the skimmers, a handful of birds remain undisturbed.

Vince McGrath above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

This might be the event that helps to see the proverbial needle in the haystack.

With the skimmers leaving the birds behind that they did, I didn't see anything beyond the more commonplace, but noted how few and far between the Royal Terns were which I've seen in much greater numbers in Winter months at Lovers Key State Park.

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

I took a lot of photographs of the skimmers in flight which may ultimately reveal something unusual.

It was a treat to see a Royal Tern proudly fly by with its quarry with thought of a lone American Oystercatcher in the midst of the large mass of birds the day before.

The Marbled Godwit above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

I failed to observe how the Royal Tern captured its meal which would be a similar focus of study at a different spot I settled down at closer to the shoreline.

It was a little unnerving to have hundreds of Fiddler Crabs crawling around me, but they offered food for a Willet, a Black-bellied Plover, and a Wilson's Plover that I observed.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

In this same area the day before, I was able to observe the feeding behavior of a juvenile Little Blue Heron that was seen to be aggressive toward White Ibis in its company.

The heron would settle for the ibis' scraps as the White Ibis at one point acquired a large crab with possibly the less experienced of its kind following in tow looking for an easy meal.

The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

Another highlight of observations was an Osprey that would carry a small branch from the west channel's shore about 50 feet in the air and drop it for an unknown reason.

This represents signs of Osprey mating behavior with the next generation to appear in about 12-15 weeks.

The Turkey Vulture above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

An Osprey offered me an opportunity to see it feed on the ground (surrounded by water) which I considered very unusual, while it appeared the bird may have simply needed to get a better grip on its prey before flying to a branch on shore.

One can't help but visit Bunche Beach Preserve and feel immensely rewarded no matter the time of day or year.

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

Be sure to have a degree of patience at times and be prepared for a first encountered sighting!

I'm looking forward to a future visit when I will be settling down at a spot discovered at Bunche Beach Preserve with the likelihood of warbler action in the appropriate months.

The Wilson's Plover above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2010.

If anyone would like to know the place, just ask.

Be prepared to get your feet wet with flash highly recommended.

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