Weekend in the backyard - Skywatch Friday

Early in the night before dark I took this picture of the moon coming up over the palm tree in our front yard.

Orange blossoms on our tree. I wish I could can the smell and add it to the blog, like a "scratch and sniff here".  Our backyard smells so good right now.

Lots of mallards hanging around in the channel.  Soon we should start seeing baby ducks.

I see this little bird every month or so hanging around my neighbor's dock. It's always alone. I think it's a spotted sandpiper. I spotted it late Saturday afternoon and ran out to take a picture.

The hooded merganser that's been hanging around the channel was seen again this weekend. I wonder if it will migrate back up north. Should be leaving soon if it does.

This is my version of the super moon, taken on Saturday night. Every twenty years the moon rotates closest to the earth and was suppose to be brighter and bigger than normal.

For more skyscape photography from around the world, visit http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Near Perfect Tide With Kites

An avid fisherman told me a couple of years ago that winter tides are lower than those at other times of the year.

The sunrise above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2011.

I haven't been able to corroborate that any more than being in agreement through my own experience.

The tides that impact Bunche Beach should be considered relevant although I have had remarkable experiences under all conditions at this place.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2011.

After a glance at the tides about an hour before sunrise with an opportunity for wildlife observation, I was pleased to see that the low tide at Matanzas Pass was slightly pre-dawn and ripe for a long overdue visit to Bunche Beach Preserve.

Hemant Kishan had told me via email that he had observed Long-billed Curlew at Bunche Beach late last week.

Eva and Martha above were photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2011.

Since I've only observed this species of bird twice before, it was a great hope to see the curlew again.

Hemant had noted that he has seen a Far Eastern Curlew in China, a Eurasian Curlew in India, and the Long-billed Curlew in California, while his sighting of the latter was his first observation of the LBC in the state of Florida.

The crab trap above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2011.

I wasn't a mile down the road when I realized I had forgotten to bring the flash with me again, so I turned around to retrieve it.

The tide was lower at the beach than I had seen before allowing me to walk further into into San Carlos Bay than I have been before.

The Cockle Clam above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2011.

My initial perception of the morning was disappointment as I initially only saw a Great Blue Heron and what appeared to be White Ibis on the horizon.

A visitor with an out of state plate on his vehicle made an effort to capture fresh marine life with a shovel.

The harvester above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2011.

The heron was entertaining to watch as it went into a sleeping posture after preening itself several times.

As I reached the point in which I would settle down and observe the action, it became evident the birds I initially thought were ibis were actually White Pelican.

The Ring-billed Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2011.

Other White Pelicans were observed in high altitude flight while Brown Pelicans offered close flybys with strong evidence of breeding colors.

Though the seascape appeared desolate initially, it would prove to offer great diversity.

Genevive above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2011.

There were a number of fellow wildlife observers that were present throughout the morning.

It was interesting to see marine life in shells that were exposed as the water had retreated so far into the bay.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2011.

It was learned that the mollusks are called Cockle Clams while I also found that Sanibel Island is considered one of the top three shelling destinations in the world.

Black Skimmers were prolific at the preserve about an hour after my arrival.

The Spotted Sandpiper above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2011.

It would be very unusual not to see the species at Bunche Beach this time of year.

It was regrettable that I didn't see the Long-billed Curlew as hoped, but the visit to Bunche Beach Preserve was extremely rewarding nonetheless.

The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2011.

My second excursion of the week led me to Harns Marsh Preserve to meet up with Frank Constantin whom I coincidentally met while observing the curlew for the first time at Estero Lagoon two years earlier.

It was a remarkably clear morning with a light fog on the marsh which burned off within an hour after sunrise unlike preceding trips where the fog lasted for hours.

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

Frank had arrived at the preserve earlier than me and was in position to capture a stunning image of Cattle Egret in perfect light which he showed me on the viewfinder of his camera.

The few hours spent at the preserve with Frank passed too quickly.

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

The Snail Kite would tantalize with their presence for good photography.

A review of images taken has shown that at least one female kite at Harns Marsh is banded.

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

Contention between a pair of Snail Kites was observed at the time of a kite's capture of an Apple Snail.

It was interesting to observe as well the attack of a juvenile Bald Eagle by an Osprey.

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

Limpkin, the other species near assured to be seen at Harns Marsh were entertaining to observe as well.

Frank had told me that that he observed their feeding behavior for the first time.

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

A visitor to the preserve approached us at one point seemingly apologetic for his tardiness noting that he had an encounter with Florida State police.

A group of wildlife enthusiasts arrived well after first light whom I learned were visiting from Quebec as Frank explained to me with the visitors speaking in the French language.

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

Frank's conversation with one of the participants led to the understanding that they were each charged $2000 for food, lodging, and tours to wildlife venues for ten days.

There were a few in the group that had the sense to explore on their own making a good walk toward the area of the marsh where an unusual sighting of waterfowl might be observed.

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

I thought it odd that they were communicated to with whistles seemingly in an attempt to call them back.

Frank's stunning imagery where he is not afraid to push his ISO high may be seen at his pbase site here.

The Quebecans above were photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.

Sandhill Cranes remained at a distance while the Crested Caracara failed to make another appearance.

A week from the dining room window

Last Wednesday night I came home from work and peaked out the dining room window. I was expecting to see the osprey sitting on my neighbor's sailboat mast but instead there was a green heron on the boat.

I think he saw me taking his picture. He stood up and posed.

Thursday night I came home to pouring rain. I peaked out the dining room window again and saw a blue heron standing on the boat. He didn't stay long.


Saturday morning I woke up and saw that the green heron was on the boat again.

Sunday afternoon I looked out and saw a big log floating in front of our dock. It had a small shorebird sitting on it. It was about to rain so I quickly ran outside to get a picture. It's a spotted sandpiper. We had one hanging around our neighbor's dock last summer for a few weeks. He stayed for a couple of hours and then the tide took the pole out of our channel and he floated out with it.

Reddish, White And Blue

There were a number of highlights in the visits to surf and turf wildlife venues this past week.

The Rock Dove above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in August 2010.

I made a trip to Harns Marsh Preserve where the experience was, well, extraordinary as best I would describe it.

My hope was to observe and photograph the Snail Kite foremost.

The Rock Dove above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in August 2010.

My first view of a floating snail shell in the water seemed so enticing for a predator of it, yet remained untouched in my observation.

Ultimately, a shot of the Snail Kite was not taken as the species wasn't accommodating as in the past, but it was observed into the rising sun behind me.

The Rock Dove above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in August 2010.

As I waited for the kites the enter the scene, I was given an auditory thrill with an overflight of a large number of birds that I didn't see coming.

Virtually every wading or shore bird that I typically observe makes no detectable noise in flight unless it's really close.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in August 2010.

What was most astounding beyond hearing the unusual was the large numbers of the birds seen in the flock.

I wasn't able to determine that the birds were doves until they, with my great fortune, made another pass.

The Spotted Sandpiper above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in August 2010.

And then I wasn't able to determine that they were Rock Doves until I looked at their images after uploading them to the computer.

After doing so, I reflected on my contact with Gayle Schmidt last year whom I advised of my sighting of the Rock Dove which was added to the bird list for Harns Marsh Preserve.

The Spotted Sandpiper above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in August 2010.

With a photograph of the entire flock in the frame, it revealed 122 birds after three counts, with a white, black, and variations of the species in the group.

Nearly minutes after this event, I had the great fortune to meet Bob Blanchard, a talented wildlife photographer, who advised me of his recent sighting of a Bald Eagle at Harns Marsh.

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

The Bald Eagle, America's national bird, made its way from the Cypress canopy early in the morning not too long after Bob moved on to conduct his business.

I believe that I read once that George Washington wanted the Wild Turkey to be the national bird, but that's another story.

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

The eagle circled overhead for several passes while continually gaining altitude, and then disappeared from view toward the northeast.

The Bald Eagle is a rare site within the wildlife venues I frequent in the area, though has been photographed at several favorite places which I recommend you visit when possible.

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

The wildlife action at Harns Marsh was also particularly exciting as a rarely seen Spotted Sandpiper made a few close flybys at the weir.

With little other action happening at Harns Marsh aside from the rare sightings of Belted Kingfisher and Pileated Woodpecker at this venue, I moved on to visit Bunche Beach Preserve later in the day.

The Whimbrel above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in August 2010.

Upon my arrival at Bunche Beach Preserve, I was surprised to see a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron skulking at the picnic benches at the end of John Morris Road and the bay which is an uncommon sight.

I can't recall if I've seen the species so easily accessible at Bunche Beach before, though the heron is much more likely to be seen in more secluded areas of the preserve.

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

My experience at Bunche Beach is that the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron is most often seen to the east from the parking area (in the morning) while the Black-crowned Night-Heron is seen to the west (in the evening).

During this week's visit to Bunche Beach, I was rewarded with great views of shore and wading birds including recent migrant arrivals with the light for photography ideal as the waning sun was approaching the horizon.

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

A remarkable observation experienced was a territorial dispute between Marbled Godwit and Long-billed Curlew where the godwit was seen to have dominance.

I couldn't help but be entertained by the successful feeding behavior of a solitary Reddish Egret which made quick work of its prey.

The Marbled Godwit with Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in August 2010.

I also observed a bird which I think might possibly be a juvenile Würdemann's Heron (intermediate morph of Great Blue Heron) as indicated by the gray on the neck of the bird.

As the sun set, I attempted to photograph for the most part unsuccessfully, many common species of bird as they made their way back from the gulf to the flats further inland.

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

The news of the containment of significant oil seeping into the Gulf of Mexico is welcome with no evidence of oil anywhere in the area.

With a remarkably clear summer sky in the late afternoon and early evening I'm making final edits to this post with it extremely difficult not to make a beeline to the beach for further observations.

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

I very much regret the unlikely event, due to time constraints, of coincidentally meeting up with wildlife photographer, Frank Constantin, visiting from Canada this week, as I have a couple of times in the past since first meeting him at Estero Lagoon.

Always be prepared for the unexpected and have great enjoyment of your observations of wildlife in southwest Florida and elsewhere.

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