Estero Lagoon Locals

Very windy conditions on the Florida Gulf Coast were again experienced this week as a storm front passed over the Florida Peninsula offering much needed rain though very little accumulated in the Fort Myers area.

The Reddish Egret above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in April 2011.

The weather was otherwise ideal for an afternoon visit to Estero Lagoon early in the week.

I found haven from the wind by settling in the water exiting the lagoon into the gulf near a clump of mangroves on the beach.

The Osprey above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in April 2011.

From this position I was able to study a surprisingly docile Reddish Egret that was often wary of the beach patrons passing by.

I was able to observe a number of White Ibis, a Snowy Egret, and a Mottled Duck work the lagoon.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in April 2011.

A very rarely seen Herring Gull made a close flyby over the lagoon as it headed south along the beach.

An Osprey made a landing behind a dune in the lagoon and appeared back into view carrying a stick for nest building.

The Herring Gull above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in April 2011.

This was a treat to observe as I thought this activity had peaked a couple of months ago.

While it's been evident that snow birds (tourists) have been returning home these past couple of weeks, there still was a lot of foot traffic at the lagoon.

The Magnificent Frigatebird above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in April 2011.

A pair of visitors from Miami photographed the Reddish Egret with me for a brief time.

The Roseate Spoonbill failed to arrive on the scene as I commented was a possibility.

The Miamian above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in April 2011.

After walking a few hundred yards to the south, I settled down to study a pair of Snowy Egret and the Reddish Egret that had flown in to take advantage of the incoming tide.

A Ruddy Turnstone flew onto the scene for a brief moment as the sun was close to setting.

The Reddish Egret above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in April 2011.

I chose to photograph the waders directly into the sun in the final hour of my stay at the lagoon for what I had hoped would offer some interesting images.

This proved to be a problem with the reflection of the sun in the water so bright that I needed to use manual focus as auto focus couldn't distinguish the birds from the surf.

The Michiganian above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in April 2011.

The beach goers near Estero Lagoon are often visiting from other parts of the country or the world.

It's always interesting to speak with them when the chance arises.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in April 2011.

The Uncommon At Bunche Beach Preserve

It is a rare occurrence when I am overly focused on a single species of wildlife in a week's time.

The Laughing Gull above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

Such is the case this week when I had the opportunity to get into the field at Bunche Beach Preserve for some Florida wildlife observation.

My hope had been to observe Bald Eagles beyond their range I've otherwise studied south of Fort Myers Beach of late.

The Reddish Egret above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

Upon arrival at the preserve, I made my typical walk west in anticipation of the eagles that are more often reported there than I've seen them.

The Bald Eagle would ultimately not be seen during the overcast conditions.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

After walking about a quarter mile passing many typical shore and wading birds expected to be seen, I caught site of bird in the bay that I didn't recognize.

The tide had turned shortly after sunrise when the wading birds appear to be most successful in capturing prey.

The Common Loon above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

The most entertaining bird species seen was Reddish Egret which is not always seen at the preserve.

It was the observation of the mystery bird I would later identify as Common Loon that preoccupied my attention.

The Common Loon above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

Once I made sighting of the bird, I would attempt to stay ahead of it as it drifted with the tide to the east.

The loon never made a significant attempt to avoid me other than drifting too far into the bay at one point.

The Common Loon above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

Since I was already waterlogged, I walked further into the bay to encourage the bird to head back to shore which it did.

This allowed me about an additional 15 minutes of observation time.

The Common Loon above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

The opportunity for stunning photography when the bird had prey in its beak on a couple of occasions was lost as I struggled to keep the camera level with it as low to the water's surface as I dared.

The wave action coming onto the beach was fortunately minimal.

The Common Loon above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

The Common Loon is considered an uncommon to rarely seen transient along the Gulf coast, so this sighting was especially exhilarating.

Pbase member and Texan Joe Fischer has noted that the loon is most spectacular in its breeding plumage which has been his great fortune to observe.

The Common Loon above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.

The loon tested my ability to document a rare sighting well as I would need to manually focus on the bird on occasion.

A drizzle and fierce wind from the west cut short the rare opportunity I had in photographing the species.

The Common Loon above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2011.