The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in September 2010.I've made relatively few visits to this park due to its popularity with pedestrians and bicycle riders in great numbers that typically arrive an hour or so after sunrise.
Two visits were made to Lakes Park this week with enjoyable experiences on both occasions.
The Common Gallinule juvenile above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in September 2010.158 acres of freshwater at depths in excess of 20 feet (the benefit of quarry mining in the 1960's) and 279 acres that constitute the park overall allows areas for exploration where you could easily spend hours that pass too quickly.
To wrap up the 2010 summer season I chose to study what might be happening at Lakes Park after making an effort to observe Scarlet Ibis that I was fortunate to see at this place during the breeding season.
The Osprey above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in September 2010.In no way was the bird action anywhere near as prolific as during the months of April through July when countless wading birds can be seen as they congregate in the park's rookery which I regrettably found off limits while kayaking Lakes Park's waters in early summer.
The first visit to Lakes Park this week led to my observation of an Osprey that was initially perched on a light post upon my arrival to the park.
The Anhinga above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in September 2010.The bird ultimately led to some of my favorite images I've taken of the species.
Osprey can be observed in greatest numbers at virtually any time of year at Lovers Key State Park to the south.
The Anhinga above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in September 2010.One of my most memorable wildlife observations to date occurred this week at Lakes Park while I had the camera honed on a Tricolored Heron.
The heron had just begun to preen itself when a background out of focus view of an Anhinga offered an impaled fish brought ashore for an extremely surreal experience.
The Blue Jay above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in September 2010.The species of bird in greatest numbers with no more than a dozen seen in a day included Anhinga, Little Blue Heron juveniles, Great Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, Snowy Egret, and Boat-tailed Grackle.
Other sightings I found enjoyable included juvenile Common Moorhen, Green Heron, Blue Jay, Northern Mockingbird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Loggerhead Shrike, White Ibis, Double-crested Cormorant, Laughing Gull, and Eurasian-collared Dove.
The Loggerhead Shrike above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in September 2010.The hopes of seeing large numbers of migrating warblers was certainly premature.
Oh wow, these are all beautiful! Sounds like an amazing place to see some great birds...
ReplyDeletebob--wow, a wonderful collection of birds! I really like what you have done! And, thanks for commenting on my Astrophotography blog! John
ReplyDeleteTerrific shots. I just got my first Blue-gray Gnatcatcher this September. The Anhinga with fish is a great shot, too.
ReplyDelete