Mergansers At Bunche Beach

I continued my efforts to find Horned Grebe at Bunche Beach Preserve this week.

The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

Tom Obrock has been very successful in the observation of Horned Grebe in San Carlos Bay this month.

Tom noted that the birds have been seen quite far off the beach although earlier observed them near the Sanibel Lighthouse at closer range.

The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

I made three trips to Bunche this week including one morning visit and two mid afternoon arrivals.

The sunrise trip led to my surprise of the number of wildlife photographers that would ultimately be on the scene.

The photographer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

It's good to see increased interest in the documentation of what may be seen at Bunche.

One photographer was dressed in a bright red jacket not recommended for a near approach of the wildlife.

The Cockle Clam above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

This photographer spooked the birds I was observing into flight as she approached well behind me.

It was my good fortune to observe three banded birds though I was only able to photograph two of them.

The Sanderling above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

A Sanderling and two Piping Plovers were observed banded this day.

I submitted images, one of each species to Alice Van Zoeren on the University of Minnesota Plover Team.

The Piping Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

Alice in typical fashion replied nearly immediately advising me that the Piping Plover was part of the Great Plains population.

The Piping Plover I missed was seen very briefly noting a red flag and bands with colors and placement on the bird's legs which I cannot recall.

The Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

Alice advised that this bird was also from the Great Plains while Cheri Gratto-Trevor noted the Piping Plover with the green flag seemed to indicate the bird affiliated with the Virginia Tech team whom I have not heard from as of this writing.

Alice recommended contacting Mark Sherfy, affiliated with the United States Geological Survey and very knowledgeable of red flagged plovers.

The Ring-billed Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

It was entertaining to observe the feeding behavior of these and other bird species often seen devoting the majority of their time seeking sustenance.

Leaving the Preserve this day I met a decades long local on his way to the west channel.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

He was carrying a tripod with a Nikon D7000 attached to a digiscope.

He noted that his smallest useable aperture setting with his setup is f/13, also commenting that the Florida light often presents an opportunity for successful images.

The Forster's Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

He told of his sighting of the Long-billed Curlew on New Year's Day when Tom had observed the species as well.

The curlew wasn't personally seen this week, while I was informed the bird was observed and unfortunately spooked by a photographer that approached too close during my morning visit.

The American White Pelican above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

The first afternoon visit to Bunche allowed good observations of the wildlife on the flats of the bay.

Again seen were a Reddish Egret and Little Blue Heron that remained in close proximity each other.

The scene with an out of focus Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

Marbled Godwit were again observed in a small flock seeming to favor their own ideal conditions (slightly deeper water) to feed in.

My favored observation this day was the sighting of three Red-breasted Merganser which I had not observed at Bunche Beach Preserve before as I recall.

The Marbled Godwit above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

The birds made their way into the bay over the west channel from a regrettably much greater distance than I would have liked.

The predictable flocks of inbound White Ibis near sunset were seen flying closer to the water's surface than observed before as they made their way to their roosts.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

My final visit to Bunche Beach Preserve was with anticipation of meeting up with Conrad Tan last seen at Harns Marsh Preserve about 14 months ago.

Flying in from California, Conrad called me in the morning to advise that he wouldn't be able to join me this day due to a delay.

The Sanderling above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

That was very unfortunate for him as I would observe the mergansers again in a group of nine.

Tom advised me that he had seen one of the mergansers, a loon and a Horned Grebe at Bunche the day before and had the boon of observing Fork-tailed Flycatcher and the rarely seen Purple Sandpiper closer to the Tampa area.

The Sanderling above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

In the culling of images captured for the blog this week I nearly overlooked an interesting behavior of Sanderling seen in the two images immediately above.

The behavior occurred during the early part of my morning visit to Bunche.

The Snowy Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

I wasn't sure what to make of what was happening in real time.

After looking at the images taken closely, I conclude that the Sanderling had an injury to one of its legs.

The Snowy Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

What I find especially intriguing is that the bird drew the attention from its kind with a degree of interest though extremely briefly.

The behavior was seen once before which has me questioning my conclusion.

The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

It would be greatly appreciated to hear from those more familiar with bird behavior to give some insight on what was actually going on in the moment.

Another interesting observation for me was the attempt by an Osprey to carry a fish away too large for its capability.

The Dunlin above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

A Great Blue Heron flew in quickly after the Osprey dropped the fish though was unable to find it.

The Osprey made a second unsuccessful attempt to carry the fish away while the heron never made an attempt to take the fish for itself which surprised me.

The Least Sandpiper above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

Prior to my last visit of the week to Bunche, stakes and tape appeared designating a small protected area most likely intended for the Snowy Plover and Piping that have been seen with regularity at the Preserve.

The Snowy Plover was amazingly tame and photogenic as in every previous encounter with the species this year.

The Red-breasted Merganser above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

If I were to approach with care, crawling slowly toward them, I'm quite sure the birds would allow me to get within ten feet or less of them.

Possibly a coincidence, the Snowy Plover seen made a very alert posture when a fellow visitor to the beach approached the nesting area wearing a red t-shirt about a hundred feet away.

The Reddish Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

I observed the plover for about a half hour with only a very brief glimpse of its eyes wide open.

The Snowy Plover had possibly been taking an opportunity to rest with it typically seen on the move staying very close to the shoreline with heavy foot traffic at Bunche this time of year the norm.

The Red-breasted Merganser above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

The plovers appear to have chosen a challenging place to potentially breed with daunting odds against it including the natural calamity of an unusually high tide.

The cordoned off area again appeared small to me with a recommendation that the area be extended significantly in length.

The Osprey above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

To encourage success in the raising of chicks, I would add driftwood and mangrove leaf litter for shade and cooler conditions in the protected area.

It is hoped that the Snowy Plover in particular, a Bunche Beach Preserve specialty, is seen in greater numbers in the months ahead.

The Osprey above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.

It would be a bonus to have successfully reared chicks banded to offer insight into the movement of the birds with the utmost hope that they would return.

The Horned Grebe continued to remain elusive to me though is expected to be seen in the future.

The Osprey above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in January 2012.