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.

"Delete Images. Are You Sure?"

It has again been enjoyable photographing wildlife with Frank Constantin when I've been able.

The Limpkin above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.

Frank has been visiting from Montreal, QC, where he noted a mild winter is taking place.

It's hard to believe that Florida was the only state within the United States not to have snow on its grounds this week, but true.

The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.

Frank and I met up at Harns Marsh Preserve on a morning this week that would unfold with the unexpected.

The sky was a bit overcast with high clouds to the east while early morning light was captured with its deep oranges in the marsh with great fortune.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.

While we chatted, a once in a lifetime opportunity unfolded with the approach of an American Bittern in flight.

I was able to track the bird, but the lens failed to focus as I was using other than a single focal point.

The Great Egret above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.

Frank got the bird after it landed in a pose that is often seen in imagery of the species.

Shortly thereafter, a fellow visitor of the preserve named Jim Gibbons arrived to chat briefly before continuing on with a walk further into the offerings of the great wildlife venue.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.

Jim noted that he was visiting from New Hampshire while also commenting that he's been birding for about two years and has visited STA5 several times.

Jim told the story of observing an Ahinga at STA5 with two other enthusiasts at his side while each had a different interpretation of how the bird met its demise before their eyes.

The Blue-winged Teal above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.

With the near start of baseball spring training, Jim is in town to do work for the Boston Red Sox as a security person of sorts I gathered.

I believe I made my first personal sighting of Lesser Scaup while Gayle Sheets notified me this week that my mid-November 2010 sighting of Redhead was added as the 144th bird species accounted for at Harns Marsh Preserve.

The Lesser Scaup above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.

Another unexpected surprise at Harns Marsh Preserve were representatives of the United States Geological Survey that made an investigation of the preserve via airboat.

It seemed awkward for the men to make their apparent studies while flushing many bird species well ahead of them.

The scene above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.

At the time of this writing, there is no reference to Harns Marsh Preserve at the USGS website.

I met up with Frank at Jason Verdow Memorial Park in Cape Coral later in the day to attempt to observe and photograph Monk Parakeets that I would see for the first time.

The Ring-necked Duck above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.

Fellow local wildlife observer Tom Obrock has written of his sightings of this species numerous times yet I'm unsure where his favorite spot to view them is.

It was at the recommendation of work mate Rick Leuzinger to visit the park that Frank and I did.

The Osprey above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.

When I told Rick that I saw a price of $300 for a Monk Parakeet on the internet, he jokingly told me, "Oh yeah, all you need is a really big net and you can make tons of money off them."

Regrettably the Monk Parakeet, or Quaker as Rick refers to them, is considered an invasive species.

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

The parakeets observed this week were readily seen in flight and nesting in the light towers at the park while the most notable characteristic were their vocal calls.

Another work mate named Margie Congregane who never shies away from talking about her Windjammer Resort and Beach Club vacations in Lauderdale By The Sea told me this week of a recently installed Beach Cam at the resort.

The Osprey above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.

Margie interestingly commented about a man from Winnepeg, Canada, who was watching the webcam and observed a Brown Pelican in distress.

Margie told me that the man alerted Windjammer management who immediately responded to save the pelican with Windjammer now referring to the Canadian as the “Pelican Man.”

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

It is now that I'm compelled to explain the title of this post as the coffee is brewing with hopes of getting my musings to you on schedule.

Normally I will immediately transfer images from the camera to the computer upon the return from a wildlife excursion, but in this case went through the multiple steps to erase the images in the camera and accidentally deleted them before the transfer.

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

I was sure not to delete the images in the camera as the erasure of them was in progress.

Frank and I made one last attempt for good wildlife photography this week following through on his recommendation to visit Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge after his great success there the day before.

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

Frank's images that he showed me on his camera's monitor were remarkable and yet certainly an injustice to what he will have at his pbase site once he gets home and processes his work.

I arrived at the refuge later than I told Frank I would be there allowing him the chance to make the trip along Wildlife Drive and pull up behind me near the entrance.

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

The tide was lower than I have seen it at Ding Darling before which I think indicates excellent management of the refuge.

The birds were very prolific in variety and numbers, more so in fact than I've seen at this place before.

The Mottled Duck above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.

I recently heard first hand the recommendation by renowned wildlife photographer Artie Morris to use a single focus point.

This advice relies on many factors including the camera you're using and the distance of your subject while I've found using a wider array of focus points more successful for me with the 1D Mark III (except when I'm tracking an inbound bittern).

The Osprey above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.

I was actually much more concerned with the proper exposure of the difficult to photograph white birds at Ding Darling while the series of shots of the Osprey gathering nesting material may have greatly benefited from the single focus point.

The majority of time at DDNWR was spent adjacent to the north entrance of Indigo Trail.

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

It was at this spot that a very affable fellow introduced himself as John David.

John David told me that he was at the venue to take photographs for a story being written about the refuge for "the paper."

The Reddish Egret juvenile above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.

He asked me a couple of questions while astutely remaining for some time to observe the remarkable wildlife before us.

The highlight of my experience this particular day was observing the Osprey that was diligently collecting nesting material.

The Wood Stork above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.

The Belted Kingfisher that Frank has affectionately called the little bastard was occasionally present but failed to offer a really good photo op.

Frank and I mutually agreed on a more appropriate name for the species in reference to the challenge of getting a really nice image of it.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.

While I continue to shoot in JPEG, Frank and I were discussing that as one of the causes of less than favorable images while my typical use of the 1.4X teleconverter, and heavy crops were noted as attributable as well.

As I've used both Canon and Nikon photo gear, I express apologies for generically using terminology that refers to the same thing for the two brands while subconsciously favoring Nikon.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.

It was difficult to confirm John David's credentials and for which paper he works for, so am especially glad that he allowed me to take his photograph for the record.

For John David Emmett, staff photographer for the Fort Myers News Press, is an image of him below to accompany his name.

John David Emmett above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.

The lingering effects of near frostbite of my fingers was felt until the end of the day.

Bunche Beach East

Until this past week, it had been a very long while since I visited the east channel that cuts its way from San Carlos Bay into the estuary at Bunche Beach Preserve.

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

I was well aware that my early morning visit, when I had the chance this week, would be at a very high tide which would make passing the channel impossible on foot as I was.

Even at a very low tide, the east channel is nearly chest deep in places if you choose to cross it, though gets shallower the further you go out into the bay.

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

The approach to the channel was met with very still air and little bird activity.

The biting insects were at their worst after exiting the car a mile back and not bad compared to how they can be after sunset under certain conditions at the preserve.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The water of San Carlos Bay was closer to the grass along the dune than I ever recall seeing it before.

Once at the channel, a Reddish Egret was seen in the company of a Willet feeding close to shore as the tide peaked when I took my first shots with the water three feet above mean sea level.

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

I had been forewarned by a weather forecast on the radio that this would be the hottest day of the 2010 summer.

There had been many other days already that were more uncomfortable due to higher humidity conditions while my morning through early afternoon visit to the preserve was comparably very pleasant.

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

A goal was to ensure that the shots I would take were level, without a need to rotate any shots in post processing, which was made possible by a bubble level in my tripod.

I initially made a great effort with this in mind by kicking the sand along the shore to a depth of a few inches where I was able to set one of the tripod's legs where it allowed me as low to the ground as possible without having to hold the camera.

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

The water of the bay actually felt surprisingly cool as I entered it while planting myself down where I remained within a small radius for the next four and a half hours.

Photographs of birds, if they're not in flight typically, I find most appealing in an image from a low perspective while as close to their height as possible.

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

At about the time I saw evidence of clouds around 9:00am was when a strong and welcome breeze picked up from the east.

With the sun at my back, I simply waited for the action to happen.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

I have to admit that I would not have considered making this trip under the conditions of such a high tide if there wasn't the possibility of seeing the Black-necked Stilt for the first time.

Tom Obrock had told me that the species had been seen at the preserve about a month ago while he has noted seeing it more recently at the I-75 rest stop near the Fort Myers airport.

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

The stilt regrettably remains elusive to me after my most recent visit to Bunche Beach Preserve.

I did, however, see some surprisingly enjoyable action that I would never have expected.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The conditions turned out to offer some of the most enjoyable and prolific wildlife observation I had yet to encounter in one day.

Shortly after a few wading species passed overhead, I decided to change my strategy and primarily focus my efforts on photographing birds in flight which I continue to struggle with successfully.

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

I adjusted the camera's settings many dozens of times to compensate for the different species and the perspectives I had of them.

It was a treat of course to see species I hadn't observed in a long while and to photograph juveniles which should be expected this time of year.

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

This visit to the preserve was an opportunity for me to acquire a much better appreciation for the differences in shorebirds and improved identification of them.

Sandpipers, plovers and terns were abundant as the tide waned and the bay's flats were exposed offering the birds a resting and feeding opportunity.

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

My first few shots of the day were taken into the light.

I don't like shooting under those conditions as the results are often unreliable for an appealing image unless compensation is made diligently in the camera's settings or through flash which I chose not to use.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

In this most recent visit to Bunche Beach Preserve, I made my typical adjustments I do with the camera's exposure bias which was determined by the subjects that I thought warranted it.

The lower settings were used for the most part when I was photographing the Snowy Egret and other species seen in the surf with significant white in their appearance.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The higher settings were used when I was photographing many birds in flight in the bright sky.

I've never trusted the camera to take an image with automatic settings and most often choose to make any inferior images with full accountability to myself.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

There were a few disputes of territory between a pair of Snowy Egrets and a pair of Tricolored Herons which occupied some of my observation time.

At one point I was surprised by a juvenile Snowy Egret having apparent dominance over an adult.

The "Great Getaway" above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

The Tricolored Heron juvenile was harassed by its elder when the younger bird got too close.

It was interesting to see the successful feeding by the birds with the Snowy Egret in particular making numerous stabs into the water which brought two fish at a time.

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

It was on this trip that I made an observation, with the most confidence I've yet to have, of the Western Sandpiper.

I continue to struggle with the identification of these birds with subtle differences in their appearance.

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

I consider the highlight of the trip my sighting of the Bald Eagle which I observed at the preserve for the first time.

A fellow visitor of the preserve told me of a visit he made to Bowman's Beach on Sanibel Island in June of this year.

The Least Tern juvenile above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.

He commented on his observation of Snowy Plover juveniles that ran into his shadow to escape the heat of the sun.

I also heard this week from American Birding Association member, Hemant Kishan, who told me of his "spectacular" observations last month at Estero Lagoon which included the sighting of a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron "hunting plover chicks as if they were crustaceans."

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

Thanks for that report, Hemant.

I also had an interesting visitor to my Pbase site that commented on images cryptically over a half dozen images which when strung together read . . . IN SEARCH OF PEACE AND LOVE, I AM EXPANDED TO PROTECT MY WORLD. PLEASE COME AND JOIN WITH ME, LET US TOUCH THE SKY & REACH THE HIGH. FLY BEYOND THE BONDAGE, FOR FOOD TO MY SOIL MOTHER, I MUST RETURN TO YOUR PLACID BREAST.

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

Although I missed photographing a flyover of a juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron as I wasn't prepared for it, I fortunately observed another of the species on the roadside while leaving the preserve which made up for the earlier loss.

I certainly won't consider a high tide visit to Bunche Beach Preserve any less than very favorable again.

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

And I have to add that I'm very much looking forward to frequent trips to Bowman's Beach during the 2011 breeding season.

The inclination of Bowman's Beach appears very favorable for great light during morning or afternoon visits as is Bunche Beach.

The Black-crowned Night-Heron juvenile above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in July 2010.