Harns Marsh Preserve Summer Activity

The water level at Harns Marsh Preserve during a 19 July visit was very high, but did not deter a large number of waders from finding the habitat suitable.

The Purple Gallinule above (image 1) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

Bud Tom Obrock and I made a drive over to the preserve in Lehigh Acres which also hosted a very good number of Purple Gallinule and Gray-headed Swamphen. A few Least Bittern were active as well. Tom noted that the water was moving opposite its normal direction.

The Mottled Duck above (image 2) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The immature Little Blue Heron above (image 3) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The juvenile Common Gallinule above (image 4) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The Great Egret with prey above (image 5) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The immature Snowy Egret above (image 6) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The Mottled Duck above (image 7) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The juvenile Tricolored Heron above (image 8) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The most abundant wader on hand was Tricolored Heron which seemed to favor a very small footprint in the marsh. As the morning progressed, the primarily juveniles representing the species took off to the west one by one. There was also a dominant Great Egret that drove off several of its kind.

The juvenile Tricolored Heron above (image 9) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The Little Blue Heron above (image 10) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The Great Egret above (image 11) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The Great Egret above (image 12) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The Great Egret above (image 13) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The Great Egret above (image 14) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The Great Egret above (image 15) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

Snail Kite, which is one of the signature species of Harns Marsh Preserve, was not seen during the visit. Tom attributes this in his blog to the high water level. If there were any Apple Snail casings on the vegetation, they were not seen.

The Great Egret with Tricolored Heron above (image 16) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The juvenile Tricolored Heron above (image 17) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The Tricolored Heron above (image 18) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The Sandhill Crane above (image 19) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The Boat-tailed Grackle above (image 20) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The Red-headed Woodpecker above (image 21) was photographed near Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The Red-headed Woodpecker above (image 22) was photographed near Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

It was also a treat to get back to the Wellington Red-headed Woodpecker site where a pair of Florida Northern Bobwhite were observed walking across the road. There were possibly two more bobwhite on hand as indicated by their calls. The woodpecker colony had at least one active juvenile.

The Blue Jay above (image 23) was photographed near Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

The Blue Jay above (image 24) was photographed near Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

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The Red-headed Woodpecker above (image 25) was photographed near Harns Marsh Preserve in July 2016.

Sanibel Gardens Preserve

On 12 June 2016, wildlife blogger France Paulsen observed a Fork-tailed Flycatcher at Sanibel Gardens Preserve just north of the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Bailey Tract on Sanibel Island.

The Anhinga above (image 1) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

Fork-tailed Flycatcher is a rare Code 3 vagrant in the ABA area. The species' breeding range is in Central and South America. The Fork-tailed Flycatcher at Sanibel Gardens Preserve proved to be a one day wonder which is generally the case for sightings of this species in the United States.

The Mottled Duck above (image 2) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

The Northern Cardinal above (image 3) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

The Pileated Woodpecker above (image 4) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

The Pileated Woodpecker above (image 5) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

The Pileated Woodpecker above (image 6) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

The Pileated Woodpecker above (image 7) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

The Great Egret above (image 8) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

The juvenile Fish Crow above (image 9) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

The Fish Crow with juvenile above (image 10) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

The Fish Crow with juvenile above (image 11) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

The White Ibis above (image 12) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

The juvenile Little Blue Heron with Snowy Egret above (image 13) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

While it has been my intention to explore the 265 acre Sanibel Gardens Preserve extensively, my first visit on 13 June was primarily with hopes of finding the flycatcher. I made my observations primarily at the cell phone tower where France had reported the vagrant the previous day. I stayed until thunder could be heard.

The Tricolored Heron above (image 14) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

The Magnificent Frigatebird above (image 15) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

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The Swallow-tailed Kite above (image 16) was photographed at Sanibel Gardens Preserve in June 2016.

Siesta Key Beach In Late Winter

Recognized as one of the best beaches in the world (#16 in a 2013 poll) Siesta Key Beach has undergone a $21 million renovation of its parking lot, landscaping, and concession facility with the addition of other amenities.

The Herring Gull above (image 1) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

Siesta Key Beach is also host to sand sculpting events with the Siesta Key Crystal Classic International Sand Sculpting Festival taking place from 11-15 November 2016. This event utilizing near pure cool to the touch quartz sand precedes the 30th Annual American Sand Sculpting Championship at Fort Myers Beach from 18-27 November 2016.

The Royal Tern above (image 2) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Forster's Tern above (image 3) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Royal Tern above (image 4) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Red-breasted Merganser above (image 5) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Great Egret above (image 6) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Snowy Egret above (image 7) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 8) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Brown Pelican with prey above (image 9) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Brown Pelican above (image 10) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

A visit was made to Siesta Key Beach on 8 March with the company of wildlife photographer Frank Constantin visiting from Quebec. We arrived before sunrise and approached the beach from Access #5 under overcast conditions. There were a handful of beach combers along the inundated flats which regrettably between them caused the birds on hand to take flight before good observations could be made.

The Reddish Egret above (image 11) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Brown Pelican above (image 12) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Brown Pelican above (image 13) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Brown Pelican with Snowy Egret above (image 14) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Reddish Egret above (image 15) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Reddish Egret above (image 16) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 17) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 18) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 19) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

Among the first birds observed and first photographed was a Herring Gull making a flyby into the southeasterly wind. I wasn't aware of the unusual characteristic of the gull in real time, but discovered the red coloration while reviewing the photo on the computer. I contacted Michael Brothers, Director of the Marine Science Center at Ponce Inlet, about the oddity. He advised me that he believed the gull likely got into some paint or dye (see image #1) at a landfill.

The Great Egret above (image 20) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Royal Tern above (image 21) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 22) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Royal Tern above (image 23) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Great Egret above (image 24) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Great Egret above (image 25) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Mottled Duck above (image 26) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 27) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 28) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The cloud cover began to dissipate shortly after sunrise. Frank had gone to take a closer look at the wading birds congregating at the tidal pool where Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Little Blue Herons (all immature), Double-crested Cormorants, Red-breasted Mergansers, Brown Pelicans, and a Reddish Egret had arrived and were actively feeding in the shallow water.

The Ring-billed Gull with prey above (image 29) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The scene above (image 30) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The scene above (image 31) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 32) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Great Egret above (image 33) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The juvenile Little Blue Heron above (image 34) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Red-breasted Merganser above (image 35) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Red-breasted Merganser above (image 36) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Red-breasted Merganser above (image 37) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

Other species would fly over the tidal pool as the morning progressed while a pair of Ring-billed Gulls engaged in an interesting behavior within the pool. A short while later, a solitary Mottled Duck came in for a water landing. A Royal Tern was present with a metal federal band clearly seen through its photo. Less than thirty feet in front of us a Great Egret mating dance occurred. The event was much too close to photograph, but amazing to observe.

The juvenile Little Blue Heron above (image 38) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Least Sandpiper above (image 39) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Osprey above (image 40) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The juvenile Little Blue Heron above (image 41) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Fish Crow above (image 42) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Wilson's Plover above (image 43) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Great Egret above (image 44) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Great Egret above (image 45) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Great Egret above (image 46) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

If you choose to visit this beautiful venue, be aware that the mud makes for extremely slippery conditions in places. I have found conditions to be considerably different from one visit to the next involving a change in the flats due to tidal forces or from a change in the water level in the tidal pool (lowest on this visit).

The Fish Crow above (image 47) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Forster's Tern above (image 48) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

So far my few visits to Siesta Key Beach have been sunrise visits. With an opportunity and energy I think it would be productive birding to walk along the beach closer to the residential buildings where vegetation offers refuge to local and migrant species throughout the day. Certainly an activity to be considered in cooler months of the year.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 49) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

The Laughing Gull above (image 50) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.

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The Black Skimmer above (image 51) was photographed at Siesta Key Beach in March 2016.