The Pillars At Little Estero Lagoon: Pt. II

The water was comfortably cool at the Little Estero Lagoon "pillars" as Frank Constantin would coin their name.

The Osprey with prey above (image 1) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

Meeting up with Frank, Suzanne Lanthier and Réal Jauvin was a special treat. The breeze was favorable for flight of the birds, but there seemed to be a near curse in the cormorants looking out into the Gulf of Mexico instead of at the camera. Drat.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 2) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The scene above (image 3) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

Réal Jauvin above (image 4) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Osprey above (image 5) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 6) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

I didn't know that one of the Royal Terns observed was banded when viewing it in real time, but when processing its picture for inclusion in Part I of this three part article it stuck out like a sore thumb.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 7) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

Frank Constantin above (image 8) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Snowy Egret above (image 9) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Snowy Egret above (image 10) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Bald Eagle harassing Osprey above (image 11) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The band on the tern was a federal one, so little could be learned from it with the metal ring so small and colorless. You are encouraged to report banded birds at the links in the sidebar of the blog.

The Bald Eagle harassing Osprey above (image 12) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Bald Eagle harassing Osprey above (image 13) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Bald Eagle harassing Osprey above (image 14) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Bald Eagle harassing Osprey above (image 15) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Bald Eagle harassing Osprey above (image 16) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

One of the highlights of the morning was the aerial battle between the Bald Eagle and Osprey. From the first observation of them, it required a mere twenty seconds for the eagle to steal the fish from the Osprey.

The Bald Eagle harassing Osprey above (image 17) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Bald Eagle with prey above (image 18) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Bald Eagle with prey above (image 19) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Snowy Egret above (image 20) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Snowy Egret above (image 21) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

There were at least a pair of Bottlenose Dolphin at very close range that appeared to be feeding successfully. Based on my previous experience, I didn't waste much time attempting to get photographs of them due to the near impossibility.

The Snowy Egret above (image 22) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Snowy Egret above (image 22) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 23) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 24) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The scene above (image 25) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

Though a very difficult decision, Little Estero Lagoon remains a very close contender for my favorite wildlife venue a mere one notch behind Bunche Beach Preserve.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 26) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 27) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The scene above (image 28) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The wildlife species observed were relatively few on the morning of 14 March, but their overall numbers were very good with a lot of action. The birds were leery to use the pillars for a short while due to the very close proximity of the fishermen.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 29) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 30) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2015.

Please also see The Pillars at Little Estero Lagoon: Pt. I
Please also see The Pillars at Little Estero Lagoon: Pt. III