Outside Of The Box

The following is commentary that accompanies an image posted at Birdphotographers.net . . .

The Sandwich Tern above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

It's intriguing to be back to BPN after joining the site 15 months ago. I'm perplexed by all the bells and whistles as I was the first time I explored the site. I'll hopefully get over it with additional time allowed.

This place appears to offer a great opportunity to advance in photography technique beyond trial and error.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

I've become fascinated with the photography of birds and their identification. My greatest struggle is with the shorebirds that look too much alike even after observing them for several seasons now.

A 2009 Christmas gift was a book PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDE TO THE SHOREBIRDS OF THE WORLD.

The Laughing Gull above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

I'm especially intrigued with it stating on the back cover "How do you tell the difference between a Western Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper at 100 yards?"

Well, there are regrettably other species that are much more indistinguishable at nine yards for novice bird enthusiasts as I include myself.

The Forster's Tern above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

I find great enjoyment in carrying a camera around. Sometimes the stuff attached to it can be a curse especially when walking with a view of the Gulf of Mexico or its nearby waters through sugar sand or muddy environs.

I haven't overcome the discomfort of potential threat of the gators in the area. I make every effort to avoid them and stingrays in the summer months.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

I've most recently observed and reflected on the proximity of dolphins in the water with me that could cause possible harm to the gear capturing images of them.

These are recent personal thoughts while I was reading Artie's blog where it offered a link to a wildlife enthusiast that met a gruesome end with a bear in the wild.

The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

His most recent personal musing on how dangerous it was to capture a good shot of a bird on a jettie should really be appreciated for one's passion in doing what he and others consider easy to do. I'd be prepared to lose the gear in a heartbeat if my life were in jeopardy.

Well, back to the reason you are reading this, I captured an image of birds with light that I especially like and offer it in this forum for criticism. The title of the shot is derived from the immediate thought I had in its colors. The reds should preferably be at the bottom of the image, but what the heck, it's the best I could do at the moment.

The Laughing Gull above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

I pushed the ISO higher comfortably than I have in the past with what I consider acceptable results.

The editing education available here in the forums is especially welcome although I'm currently a minimalist.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

My record at pbase may have you convinced otherwise.

Had to do a copy and paste of the shot. The other option is a mystery to me.

Little Estero Lagoon V

A fifth trip to Little Estero Lagoon was not a disappointment on Thursday.

The Bottlenose Dolphin above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

I arrived before sunrise with the tide reaching its low 30 minutes later when the water would continue to rise although not reach a peak all day. A single tide in a day is a rare occurrence.

The lagoon was absent of the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron for the first time in all my visits. The Belted Kingfisher, Mottled Duck and Killdeer were immediately observed, however.

The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area after getting bumped by a Bottlenose Dolphin in December 2009.

I was compelled to make my way to the beach with no other action in the lagoon. I walked around the lagoon although I could have easily walked through it.

Initially, waves on the Gulf of Mexico were absent. I wouldn't encounter them with concern until later in the morning when I waded out in an attempt to get better light.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

Brown Pelicans made frequent passes by me from the north.

I met some interesting travelers as usual. One of them had told me of the observation of the Long-billed Curlew and Black-necked Stilt the day before. They were not seen on my most recent visit.

The Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

I observed the Ruddy Turnstone consuming mollusc attached to vegetation along the shore line. Typically the behavior of the species would involve it merely flipping shells, sea grass, or small twigs on the beach. Setting up in position for the shots was a very risky endeavor.

The Sandwich and Forster's Terns were actively feeding all morning. I made a great effort to take images of them as they just broke the water's surface. They are much too small and fast for me to track effectively.

The Sandwich Tern above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

I'm still struggling to do the same with the much larger Brown Pelican.

It was at this point that I waded about 30 feet into the Gulf to get the sun behind me. As the wind picked up a little, the swells were not predictable. I was compelled to lift the photo gear out of the water a couple of times to avoid damage to it.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

As I made my way further south along the beach, the numbers of birds and activity increased.

At one point I observed a large group of Pelicans at rest. What I thought was a call from one of them I've concluded to have been from a Double-crested Cormorant among them noted in a photograph of them later.

The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

I had immediately thought of the Limpkin or at least Harnes Marsh Preserve with the call seemingly appropriate for a jungle like environment.

Both the pelican and cormorant are considered to be silent outside of their nesting areas.

The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

The southern lagoon I found to be much too muddy to walk in after an initial attempt. I wasn't willing to lose my shoes in an effort to get a better perspective on an early Little Blue Heron juvenile.

The experience of the day was much more impressive than can be described here.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

A future trip to Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Area is assured.

It's A Small World After All

The birding was extraordinary at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach again late this afternoon.

The Willet above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

It was great that I met Frank from Montreal whom I had photographed at Little Estero Lagoon nearly a year ago. Doden's visit here as well has me believe that the preserve is no longer the unknown venue it has been.

After surveying the scene from the parking area, there was not a bird to be seen to the west, but heavy concentrations of them to the east. I made a trek toward the east channel as I had perhaps not in ten months.

The White Ibis above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

There were four large groups of birds seen. The groups were dominant in numbers overall by the Black Skimmer. There also were large groups of Willet and Sanderling. The other expected shore birds were for the most part seen.

My expectations of the visit to the beach were again to improve my quality of BIFs, or birds in flight. There was a lot of opportunity to do that under near perfect conditions.

The Laughing Gull above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

The sun was nearly set as Frank appeared to have given up on the birding opportunity shooting with the D300. I was able to coax him to stay. It was then I realized who he was.

I told him every change in my camera settings in the final 15 minutes we had to photograph the action that became especially alive under very low light conditions. Perhaps we can compare the images of our equivalent brands of gear sometime.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

Minutes after sunset, I was shooting at 5000 ISO as I let Frank know. He didn't speak positively of his experience with high ISO with the D300 he's been using this past year noting excessive noise, but I let him know that he had given up on the shooting opportunity way too early.

The last species observed was the Great Blue Heron that flew in under extremely low light and was impossible to photograph at that time.

Bunche Beach Revisited II

With the confluence of a day off from work and what appeared to be a possibly great day for photography and birding, I made my way to a favored Gulf of Mexico venue known as Bunche Beach Preserve at San Carlos Bay in Fort Myers, Florida on Tuesday of this past week.

The Brown Pelican and Sandwich Tern above were photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

On the early morning drive to this stunning venue for such endeavors, the air was still and laden with a heavy fog. The temperature upon arriving at the preserve was 73 degrees Fahrenheit.

The sun had already been up for nearly an hour as I parked the car and began my preferred walk west from the parking area.

The Sandwich Tern above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

There was bird activity immediately observed as is not always the case at the preserve. It was a very good sign that the day would be special.

In addition to the wildlife, the fog was offering an opportunity for some interesting photographs where the horizon was muted.

The Sandwich Tern above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

The birding turned out to be more rewarding than I was anticipating although there were a few regulars of the preserve that I didn't see.

There was, however, my first sighting of the Merlin. This bird species is extraordinary in its flying skills. It reminded me of the Peregrine Falcon.

The Merlin above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

I caught first sight of the bird out of the corner of my eye as it made a very low overflight and scattered all of the shorebirds I was observing. I watched the Merlin nearly disappear out of sight in what appeared an instant. This is an extremely fast predator.

It was my great fortune to photograph it perched along the shoreline before I left the preserve. This had allowed me to hit the books and identify the species with certainty upon my return home.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

The Brown Pelican was without question the species in greatest numbers observed. It was very interesting to watch upwards of 50 of them as they followed schools of fish in the bay at a close range I had not experienced before.

It's needless to advise you, if you have been keeping up with my reports, that I was in the water. I was quite surprised at how cold the water felt since my last visit to the bay a few months earlier. It required some time to adjust to comfortably.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

Within an hour of entering the water, I was stunned by the presence of at least a pair of Bottlenose Dolphins passing by at a rage I would place at less than 60 feet. The depth of the water was very shallow at two feet. Certainly not a deterrence to them in what was likely a feeding frenzy as it was for the pelicans.

I found myself at that point looking around me in the very clear water for fish that may be swimming around me, but fortunately there were none.

The Bottlenose Dolphin above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

Discussing this experience with a few people after the fact, I got mixed opinions between avoiding and attracting the dolphins getting closer than that. I'm in the camp of keeping a greater distance.

Shortly after seeing the dolphins, the fog began to burn off and a breeze from the south picked up. I never made it past the west channel before the tide had made its inevitable return to higher ground.

The Bottlenose Dolphin above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

While I have often observed the Wood Stork overhead in the local area this past month, primarily closer to Interstate 75, my most exciting observation of it was as I was making a late afternoon trip to Bunche Beach Preserve the following day.

A stork was flying parallel to the highway approaching the preserve at my eye level along the rain water channel on the side of the road. And then, two Red-shouldered Hawks made a perpendicular flight across the highway very near the entrance to the preserve in what appeared to be courting behavior.

The Laughing Gull above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

Observing the bay at the preserve upon my arrival, the water level was evidently much higher at that point in the day as very little of the flats were exposed. It allowed for a large number of Black Skimmers to be very close to the shoreline not too far from the parking area.

Within the flock of skimmers, I also observed the Sandwich Tern, Forster's Tern, Laughing Gull, and a solitary 1st winter Ring-billed Gull which were concentrated very closely together.

The Black Skimmer with Marbled Godwit and Willet above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

I'm always captivated by the Ring-billed Gull in flight. It has a very distinctive appeal.

The lighting was exceptionally good with minimal clouds and the sun low to the horizon. There was also a favorable wind from the southeast or thereabouts allowing for some improved flight opportunities in the photography of the birds.

The Sandwich Tern above were photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

I was able to fire the shutter of the camera with abandon until a pair of fisherman and the rising water level had the birds again on the move to a much more distant range.

As a reminder, it's my recommendation that this venue normally be visited at the lowest tide possible.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

I'm beginning to see more photographers take advantage of this very special place. It's regrettable that they often do not have the patience required for birding.

There was evidence of snail's pace activity in the construction of the new facilities at Bunche Beach Preserve.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at San Carlos Bay: Bunche Beach Preserve in December 2009.

I regret I won't have the time to time to look at all the images taken this week closely, but am including a few here and in more subject specific photo galleries before I make what is my next anticipated trip to observe and document the often overlooked beauty of our surroundings.

Lovers Key State Park II

Until this past Wednesday I had not visited my favorite venue, Lovers Key State Park, in nearly six months. It was a tremendous thrill to experience the park and wildlife there once again.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

The temperature upon entering the park a few minutes after its opening was a very comfortable 73 degrees Fahrenheit. There was a wind from the south which I thought unusual for this time of year. Seemingly, the stronger winds will be northerly in the winter months.

The wind traveling up the beach created ideal conditions for photography on this day. It was considered a concern of destruction by park personnel, however.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

This interest was due to a storm front that was expected to pass through the area at an unusually high tide early Thursday morning. I think the storm arrived a little later than expected, so the beach erosion should not have been as bad as expected, but still a major loss nonetheless.

I did note a significant decline in the beach since my last visit. I was able to observe the destructive erosive forces of the wind and waves first hand at Lovers Key as I have many times in the past. The sand seemed to calve by waves as one might observe ice falling from a glacier.

The Osprey above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

Peggy told me that Lovers Key may not have beach renourishment for another couple of years. At that point in time, it might be expected that the pavillian will once again have the Gulf of Mexico waves washing under it.

This seems tragic to me as the significant effort that went into the planting of sea grasses will not result in them staving off the effects of erosion from the storms that will likely ravage the Gulf Coast later this season as the grasses don't seem to yet be especially well established.

The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

The tremendous breeding success of the Least Tern as experienced in 2007 will not likely happen at Lovers Key State Park again until the beach is replenished. The open sand that the species prefers is not completely gone, but the proximity of visitors along the coastline will be much too close for undisturbed nesting.

As I crossed the first bridge approaching the beach from the primary parking area, it was evident that tide conditions were low as predicted (-.8). As I crossed the second bridge, I observed a Great Egret, two Tricolored Herons, and a Snowy Egret to the right. There was an Osprey perched in a familiar tree.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

If I were not in a hurry to walk the mile to New Pass to the South with hopes of getting on the sandbar, or "flats," I would have spent some time observing them.

I noticed that the shortcut to the pavilion which the tram travels on had been paved since my last visit. This was a welcome sight as the dust was often thick when walking the roadway as vehicles passed.

The Magnificent Frigatebird above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

The walk to New Pass was uneventful with a few Double-crested Cormorants flying south along the beach while I also observed the Sanderling, Black-bellied Plover, Brown Pelican, Osprey, and Red-shouldered Hawk.

As I closely approached the pass, I was disappointed to see that the flats were under water (even during the unusually low tide at the time). I'll have to investigate on future visits to the park under what conditions they might again be walked upon and more importantly used as a resting spot for shore birds. An experience I've had on the sandbar in the past was extraordinary as noted here.

The Sandwich Tern above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

I suspect that the erosion of the beach is what created the sandbar, but the full force of nature appears to be taking it all away.

In any event, upon my arrival to the southernmost point of the park, I was content to just hunker down and observe the scene. The sky was clear offering good light.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

The Brown Pelican was the predominant species seen. It was good to see the bright colors of the male again. I made an attempt to photograph the bill of any of the diving birds piercing the water in its search for sustenance. Such luck was not to be had on the trip. It was fun to observe the tactics of the species nonetheless.

Clouds were very quick to develop and passed overhead from the southeast. It was then a race against time in an attempt to get a few good pictures before it became completely overcast.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

It was my great fortune to again see the Magnificent Frigatebird that I had not observed at Lovers Key in nineteen months. My most recent observation of the species here was as it approached New Pass from deep within the gulf. Park Services Specialist, Brie Ochoa, has noted that the frigatebird is flying low at the park at this time as was my experience. Perhaps it should be noted that the frigatebird is flying relatively low.

The Snowy and Great Egrets were perched on an uprooted Australian Pine seemingly as I had left them at New Pass. The waves were too rough for them to cherry pick their food as I've observed them to do in the past.

The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

The Royal and Sandwich Terns, however, were great opportunists. Observing these species in their hunting tactics gave me a real appreciation for the ultimate patience required for a good wildlife action photography. It was tremendous fun making the attempt to capture their best behavior.

Once the clouds became more prevalent in obscuring the best light, I began my walk back to the parking area. I would have stayed where I was otherwise.

The Magnificent Frigatebird above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

About halfway back to the pavilion, I observed about fifteen Royal Terns flying south along the shoreline. It wasn't until an individual of the group, about twenty feet abreast from the others, approached closest to me, that I was able to observe that it was severely injured as I'd seen another of its kind in the past. This particular bird had a serious gaping wound on its left side. I'm at a loss to explain the the cause. The bird otherwise appeared perfectly healthy flying at great speed.

Further up the beach led to my greatest excitement of the day as I observed an Osprey approaching me at a couple hundred yards. With only seconds to react, I was optimistic of a shot that would be interesting as it was coming directly toward me. The bird's elevation was dropping as it approached.

The Osprey above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

As I got the tripod settled down, I was able to observe the Osprey in the viewfinder for a few seconds before it touched down snatching vegetation off the high tide line which it used in its nest building.

I observed an Osprey earlier in the week in a more urban setting carrying a small branch over the highway. This behavior mating behavior, I've noted to be as early as a month ago, by the documentation of another Florida pbase wildlife photographer.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

Brie has also noted that the resident alligators have been active. It's with great care that I make every effort not to see them at this park.

In all, I had the great fortune of observing 20 species of bird in an incredibly beautiful setting. There were a couple of others that I only heard, but can't identify with the need for better birding skills.

The Sanderling above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

I didn't get soaked on this visit to the park. I certainly missed a better part of the experience at Lovers Key.