Harns Marsh Preserve: Summer Solstice 2011

I received contact from American Birding Association member Hemant Kishan making rounds of the area this past week and recommended we visit Harns Marsh Preserve.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

We arrived very early which was helpful to walk to an area that I had found productive for bird observation in the recent past while taking advantage of first sunlight of the day for photography.

On the way, Hemant made it obvious that he was staying well versed on recent sightings at the marsh referencing Purple Gallinule which I have yet to see at Harns Marsh.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

This species was one of Bob Blanchard's great interests this past month that he told me about on a couple of occasions.

While I had hoped he would post an image of the gallinule on his facebook page, he hasn't done so as of this writing.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

Bob has recently commented on a subject that I often see written about.

In a nutshell, as an opinion of mine, never delete an image you've taken.

The 1st spring Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

You'll never know when you may want to reference it again or perhaps make it appealing to view as editing software capabilities improve or even change your style of presentation, say with a particular crop.

As Hemant and I made our walk approaching the turn in the road north of the parking area at the marsh he pointed out to me a Killdeer juvenile with a pair of mature birds of the species.

The 1st spring Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

Killdeer were abundant in virtually all areas of the marsh while juvenile Red-winged Blackbird were at one point inadvertently flushed from the tall grasses.

Hemant pointed out to me the oddity of Limkin in that it has no direct relative in the aves kingdom.

The 1st spring Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

Our walk into the marsh itself showed evidence of the initial rains of the wet season that will hopefully be very abundant in the months ahead while the water level at the marsh was again significantly lower.

I noted iridescence on the surface of water near the marsh's edge which is explained at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary as the result of tree seeds that release their oils.

The 1st spring Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

This may be the case at Harns Marsh although its primary design is to filter impurities from stormwaters and control their flow.

Two Black-necked Stilts were seen in the vicinity of the nest observed earlier in the month where five of the birds were typically seen at that time, while fewer of the birds were seen at the other nesting site further into the marsh as well.

The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

No evidence of juvenile stilts were seen while Hemant remained very patient as I would have stayed at this location through most of the morning waiting for the wildlife to make its appearance.

I recommended that we explore further toward the point I had last reached.

The Limpkin above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

Hemant's great humor was evident when he noted "crop circles," or the all terrain vehicle "donuts," which were again observed.

Elsewhere in the marsh it was obvious where the USGS airboat had traveled earlier this year which flattened the grasses making them easier to walk through.

The Limpkin above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

Hopes of seeing the American White Pelican, that might have stayed at the marsh if the water level had remained just a little higher with a food source not already consumed, were lost in the late morning.

Prior to that, a walk was possible due to the marsh's very dry conditions directly to the western edge where a 1st Spring Little Blue Heron and Red-shouldered Hawk were observed.

The Limpkin above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

The water level looked quite high to the west of the road while walking south.

I'll speculate that this might be a relatively undisturbed area of the marsh as was seen before the idea of controlling storm waters in the area many years ago.

The Roseate Spoonbill juvenile above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

Advancing further led to the thought that the short-cut back to the lake had to be taken as the grasses last walked through at the southern edge of the preserve were very high at that time and might be especially unsafe on this trip with mowing not having taken place in a long while.

Hemant told me of his recent observations at Magee Marsh where he had the opportunity to photograph a plethora of migrating warblers while his time spent at Canada's Point Pelee National Park was also mentioned with his observation of Black Terns.

The Bald Eagle with Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

His flight images of the terns among hundreds of others are remarkable and should be appreciated.

The walk approaching the lake led to a sighting of flycatcher which I couldn't identify for sure.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

A Limpkin was seen soaking wet near the parking area as a female Snail Kite flew from perhaps the tree I had last heard it a month ago.

After the return to the parking area, Hemant was game to make another walk along the marsh toward the southeast area that has been the most productive for wildlife observation that I've experienced.

The Red-winged Blackbird above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

We again entered the marsh after Hemant observed a Bald Eagle land on the Cypress tree.

An effort was made to photograph the Black-necked Stilt with little tolerance for the raptor so close to its breeding area.

The Scarlet Skimmer above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

Although the stilt attempted to have the eagle move on from its perch by strafing it numerous times, the eagle hardly ever budged.

While Hemant chose to leave after a few hours, the best was yet to come as a rarely seen Green Heron made a flyby over the marsh.

Hemant Kishan above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

Its identity was not immediately certain photographed from such a long distance, but its undulating flight pattern was unmistakable compared to birds of its size.

Though I didn't see the heron again even after identifying the approximate spot it had landed and was walked by on the way out of the marsh, another surprise was to be had.

The Black-necked Stilt with Bald Eagle above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

I couldn't resist stopping to pause at and view the area I had spent so much time with hopes of observing the hatching of Black-necked Stilt before the pillage of the eggs.

A splash of water in close proximity of that former nest and a large dark body seen in a fleeting instant I thought was a gator taking down a wading bird.

The aircraft above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

Closer inspection would reveal the action to be a pair of River Otters.

It seemed on odd place to observe these creatures which I had only observed south of the parking area in deeper water last year.

The River Otter above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

This behavior would have resulted in a remarkable video of the otters in action.

The smaller otter which I considered a juvenile was ravenous in its consumption of its meal while I remained several hundred feet away.

The River Otter above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

At one point the otter swam within 30 feet of me which was a little alarming not sure if it would turn around which it fortunately did.

I found some unexpected deep water observing the mammals and the inner sole of my shoe which I recovered as was hoped after losing it on a previous visit.

The River Otter above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

The birds were overall regrettably not seen in the great numbers they were a few weeks ago.

I didn't give forethought in telling Hemant that I might see him at the beach late in the day with the afternoon thunderstorms now much too unpredictable to risk life and limb.

The River Otter above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in June 2011.

I had the surprise of seeing an unknown species of snake, a little less than a few feet long and black in color, along the marsh's edge which was too close to photograph before it slithered into the grass out of view.