It Was The . . . Of Times

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." -- Charles John Huffam Dickens, English novelist (1812 - 1870)

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

The unfathomable worst of times from the British Petroleum ecological disaster remains uncertain before the coastal states bordering the Gulf of Mexico as oil is spread over and under a large expanse of the massive body of water.

Solutions to the unfolding epic disaster with the difficulty in capping an oil well gushing its bounty a mile below the water's surface has amazingly been met with opposition from environmentalist organizations at seemingly every turn.

The Mottled Duck above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

While listening to George Noory on Coast to Coast radio this past week I was entertained with the mention of the conspiracy theory involving international intrigue in the sinking of the oil drilling platform in the northwest portion of the gulf when a couple of days later it was mentioned in conventional news that there was a natural gas build-up in the well that typically causes problems for the safety of drilling rigs and their personnel.

As of this writing, the state of Louisiana has been most adversely impacted with oil on 100 miles its coastline while President Obama's recent commentary has been to "plug the damn hole," with that specific effort ongoing.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

A chilly May in California has been countered by a warm Florida with welcome conditions locally here after such a long cold winter.

Most recently I have spent much time at Lakes Regional Park in Fort Myers, Florida, capturing wildlife imagery that will hopefully continue unabated at favored coastal venues.

The Great Egret above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

This is the first season I have taken the opportunity to spend extensive time at Lakes Park with the purpose of wildlife observation and photography specifically with hopes of observing the introduced and/or escaped Scarlet Ibis.

Earlier this year there was an extraordinary drop in the temperature for an extended period causing a fish kill in many of Florida's lakes including that at Lakes Park.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

The numerous birds present at the time were not able to stave off reports of the stench of the overabundance of the food source while I never experienced the sensory discomfort even during a visit to Lakes Park when fish littered the surface of the park's man-made lake.

The morning of 26 May 2010 at Lakes Park seemed favorable for viewing of the final return of space shuttle Atlantis as a high altitude east/west contrail was observed immediately upon arrival at the park.

The Red-winged Blackbird chasing an American Crow above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

I thought the shuttle might have such a vapor trail if it were to fly miles overhead which would make it easy to spot.

A helicopter made a seemingly security flight over the area, but the only evidence of Atlantis was made a few minutes before its landing at Cape Canaveral with the claps of the sonic boom heard.

The Green Heron above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

The bird activity at Lakes Park has been rewarding while I've had the opportunity to continue to practice capturing flight shots of the larger and less frequently smaller species of birds that will readily be seen in the area through the summer.

My most recent sighting of the Killdeer was reminiscent of my April sighting of the Least Sandpiper at Lakes Park, both seemingly out of place on "the beach" adjacent to the south concession area with both birds seemingly exhibiting nesting or merely resting behavior.

The Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

Both of these species are much more commonly seen at the gulf beaches and coastal bay shores.

This past week allowed my meeting of wildlife enthusiasts that I have seen with frequency at Lakes Park including Georgia and Kevin.

The Killdeer above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

Georgia had commented to me that she was a participant in the recent Lee County birdpatrol count of birds while canoeing within the northern portion of Lakes Park on Wednesday and had not seen the Scarlet Ibis which I have been diligently seeking to take a better photograph of after two prior sightings at this venue.

Kevin, whom volunteers for local birding clubs, had earlier told me that there was the possibility that the activity of the birdpatrol might flush some birds our way though there was no out of the ordinary observation made.

Kevinn Fung above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

I had told him of the reading I had made earlier at the blog of Rich Leighton where a child astoundingly throws stones into the area of birds at rest where the kid is noted as saying to his observer that it helps his dad take a better photograph.

In anticipation of a sighting of the Scarlet Ibis this week, there was also the normal observation of the traditional birds of the area.

The Anhinga above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

With great fortune I was able to observe the Scarlet Ibis for the first time since May 1st.

The bird regrettably was seen from a much greater distance than I would have liked as it appeared to be flying toward the area of Estero Lagoon.

The Scarlet Ibis above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

What has made the sighting more exciting for me is that a Lakes Park employee told me this past week that he has only observed the Scarlet Ibis five times in the past four years although he conceded that he doesn't look for it.

It is known that the Scarlet Ibis when it breeds with the White Ibis will likely produce pink offspring (due to dominant genes).

The Scarlet Ibis hybrid with White Ibis above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

I believe I made the observation of a descendant of a Scarlet Ibis hybrid that may have bred with the White Ibis as the particular ibis seen had distinctive pink feathers on its back and neck.

Without question the most common bird species at Lakes Park is the White Ibis.

The Swallow-tailed Kite above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

Other species of bird I observed and photographed this past week will ultimately be viewable in my pbase photo gallery highlighting Lakes Park as well as in species specific galleries.

This is a must see venue if you are ever in the area.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

I saw for the first time this past week a vehicle parked at the Summerlin Road trailhead entrance to Lakes Park which offers easy access to a different wildlife experience within the venue.

Be warned that the Lakes Park access on Summerlin Road is at a potentially very busy intersection with seemingly dangerous parking accommodations.