13th Annual Sanibel Lighthouse Hawk Watch

The Sanibel Lighthouse Hawk Watch with Vince McGrath has been an anticipated event for a number of years prior to leaving the state of Florida for what you might not believe a move of mine to the great white north.

The Osprey above (image 1) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

As crazy as it may sound I have become acclimated to observing birds again in a northern clime where I would have to travel many miles in Florida to see these species, if at all.

The Northern Rough-winged Swallow above (image 2) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The American Kestrel above (image 3) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

Vince's Hawk Watch was a few days later this year than last with weather conditions that appeared favorable for observations. The wind was from the northeast as I recall with it ideally from the northwest to funnel the raptors over Sanibel.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk above (image 4) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk above (image 5) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

A Merlin was an early raptor seen during the 16 Oct 2016 Hawk Watch. It was much too quick for me to photograph as it flew from the west and over San Carlos Bay. Swallows were present as well throughout the morning, but did not appear to outnumber those seen last year.

The juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker above (image 6) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The American Kestrel above (image 7) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

While the 2016 Hawk Watch was in conflict with the Ding Darling Nation Wildlife Refuge's annual Ding Darling Days, there was still good participation at the hawk event where I met with friends and acquaintances for hopefully not the last time.

The American Kestrel above (image 8) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The dog above (image 9) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

A highlight for most at the Lighthouse was the observation of an immature Red-headed Woodpecker. Vince noted this species' presence on nearby Cape Coral with it a very rare sighting on Sanibel.

The Peregrine Falcon above (image 10) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The Peregrine Falcon above (image 11) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The appearance of a Sharp-shinned Hawk, with the male of the species typically the smallest hawk seen in the United States, was the highlight for me while observing and photographing the species for the first time.

The Cliff Swallow above (image 12) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The Chimney Swift above (image 13) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

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The Gopher Tortoise above (image 14) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

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.

Bald Eagles Reunite

A mere snapshot of time in observation of Bald Eagles that inhabit the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam (SWFEC) Site in North Fort Myers, Florida, has offered an extraordinary tale in the lives of four Bald Eagles.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) with Pileated Woodpecker above (image 1) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The latest observations took place from 6-10 October, 2015, with selected images presented here from sunrise visits at the nest site on those days. One of the eagles named Ozzie had passed away a week earlier with necropsy results still not released.

The Bald Eagle (Slim) above (image 2) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Slim) above (image 3) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Slim) above (image 4) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Slim) above (image 5) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Slim) above (image 6) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Slim) above (image 7) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 8) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The European Starling above (image 9) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

Prior to the reappearance of Ozzie after an absence of six months, his longtime mate Harriet had taken interest in an eagle ultimately named M15 which appeared more than willing to be a surrogate father toward the end of the 2014-2015 nesting season.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 10) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 11) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 12) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 13) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 14) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Northern Mockingbird above (image 15) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Loggerhead Shrike with prey above (image 16) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Slim) above (image 17) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

There were certainly some including myself that thought M15 had met his end with interaction with Ozzie. However, after a two week absence M15 made an unexpected reappearance on 8 October. The fourth eagle in this story was named Slim.

The juvenile Northern Harrier above (image 18) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Slim) above (image 19) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 20) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 21) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 22) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 23) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 24) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (M15) above (image 25) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

With the return of M15, Slim has been completely absent. Slim was the eagle that had replaced M15 almost immediately after he disappeared from the scene. This was an especially interesting time when Harriet would show reluctance in accepting a new mate for the apparent third time.

The Bald Eagle (M15) above (image 26) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Pileated Woodpecker above (image 27) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Pileated Woodpecker above (image 28) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (M15) above (image 29) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (M15) above (image 30) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Cattle Egret above (image 31) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Anhinga above (image 32) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker above (image 33) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

There were a good compliment of hawks that made appearances primarily through flybys, even offering a landing in the nest tree by a Red-tailed Hawk on one occasion. It will not be until the hatching of eaglets that major contention between bird species gets underway.

The Bald Eagle (M15 with Harriet) above (image 34) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (M15 with Harriet) above (image 35) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (M15) above (image 36) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Turkey Vulture above (image 37) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Black Vulture above (image 38) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 39) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 40) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Great Blue Heron above (image 41) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

My observations of the Bald Eagles at the SWFEC site from 22 August 2015 through 10 October 2015 offered many different species of birds seen. 43 species were personally photographed including the Bald Eagle.

The Red-tailed Hawk above (image 42) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Red-tailed Hawk above (image 43) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Red-tailed Hawk above (image 44) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Red-tailed Hawk above (image 45) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Red-tailed Hawk above (image 46) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (M15) above (image 47) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Wood Stork above (image 48) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (M15) above (image 49) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

As of the time of this publication, Harriet and M15 have reunited with M15's two week absence a forgotten memory. While these majestic birds carry on with their lives, I ponder where Slim may be.

The Bald Eagle (Harriet) above (image 50) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Northern Harrier above (image 51) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The immature Bald Eagle above (image 52) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The immature Bald Eagle above (image 53) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (M15) above (image 54) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Bald Eagle (M15) above (image 55) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The feral Muscovy Duck above (image 56) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Great Blue Heron above (image 57) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

The Great Blue Heron above (image 58) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.

Additional information about the four eagles and more through prior observations may be found here.

The Great Blue Heron above (image 59) was photographed at the Pritchett Eagle Cam Site in October 2015.