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My excitement had been for the opportunity to see the smaller migrant birds that may be making their way through Southwest Florida.
The first visit to the preserve was somewhat of a disappointment.
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I spent an hour at the marker just east from the Wood Duck viewing deck.
It was there that I was observing a Red-shouldered Hawk high up across the water when another RSH came from behind making a lot of noise.
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It spooked what I believe were Blue-winged Teal from the deck area which flew into view briefly before hidden behind the large cypress.
My slightest movement to attempt to get a photograph of them led to them flying away and I did not see them again.
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There were several overflights of small groups of ducks during that time.
There were possibly two or more species of duck as their calls were quite different including dainty and guttural.
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My second visit to Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve this week led to a better understanding of what I may have seen.
The evening before again offered a weather event that brought a lot of rain and cooler weather to the area.
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I was again optimistic that a fallout might make for some interesting wildlife observation.
It was my great fortune to have unfold a number of waves of warbler action that I consider the most exhilarating of my small bird observation that dwarfs what I have seen at NAS Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.
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I was enjoying the difficulty of documenting the birds that were overwhelming and was grateful for little traffic on the boardwalk.
I was grappling to document the birds successfully with a need to move the position of the legs of the tripod frequently to allow for observations high and low.
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The birds were quick moving with review of them on the computer resulting in hopes that I will have another chance to document them better.
This was an ideal opportunity to observe a birding event with high quality binoculars at the least.
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It was a treat to speak briefly with a volunteer at Six Mile named Andy who told me he only takes a couple of days off from one of his duties of removing trash from the water along the boardwalk which he described as job security to other visitors passing by.
Andy had initially asked me if I had seen Wood Duck at the preserve he told me he had seen at about 8:30am possibly on the day of my uncertainty of what I'd observed earlier in the week.
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He made a point of noting that he was impressed in seeing five of the ducks as the greatest number he'd seen before.
Andy made a point of the need to tread lightly at the approach to Otter Pond where he had seen the ducks when I shortly thereafter met Teena that described Six Mile Cypress Slough as a beautiful place.
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Teena told me that she plans to walk the boardwalk every day since its discovery the previous day.
I recommend you try to arrive before she does with her presence possibly disturbing wildlife at Wood Duck and Otter Ponds that you otherwise might not see.
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The bird song heard was extraordinary.
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