Warning: Avoid Deleting Your Images

I had a little problem this past weekend when I mistakenly deleted a lot of my images on the computer when I was attempting to transfer them to an external hard drive.

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

I advise you to be sure not to make the same mistake noted in this rare "random" post. If you have a similar mishap, be sure not to add any additional files to the computer unless absolutely necessary as it may result in over-writing image files that will then be impossible to recover. It was with my good fortune that I thought the problem through expecting that there had to be a solution to my dilemma. Using a few choice search words in my browser, Google came up with a link to a company known as Recuva.com/ After downloading Recuva's free software program I was able to salvage about 95% of the deleted images which I transferred directly to the external hard drive. Of the about 50,300 images recovered, most of which I haven't had a chance to look at closely yet, a handful are presented here with a great sense of relief.


The Long-billed Curlew with Willet above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.


The Snowy Egret (with a desperate need on my part to learn how to add "canvas" or better yet improve my panning technique) above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in May 2011.


The Red-breasted Merganser above was photographed at Fort De Soto Park in April 2011.


The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in March 2011.

Festival Park, Harns Marsh And Bunche Beach

This week offered the excellent company of wildlife observer and photographer Frank Constantin visiting from Quebec as we toured Festival Park, Harns Marsh Preserve, and Bunche Beach Preserve.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.

We made one trip each to Harns and Bunche, and a morning and afternoon trip to Festival Park. The first trip to Festival Park offered a view of the Great Horned Owl off the nest. At least one other family of Florida Scrub-Jays has arrived there with upwards of a dozen of the birds now seemingly squabbling for space and status. A very fresh Burrowing Owl burrow was found while observing one of the owls with sand covering its body from recent digging. Eastern Meadowlark were numerous on the ground and wires. An overflight of Sandhill Crane at Festival Park was precursory. The trip to Harns was with the hope of seeing juvenile Sandhill Crane after observing an egg on a nest last month. After a long search we found them. A Red-shouldered Hawk appeared as remarkably tame as I have observed at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Only a few Snail Kite were observed. Frank and I made our trek to Bunche Beach Preserve late in the week with a Long-billed Curlew the first bird observed. It was a nice surprise to see Tom Obrock returning from the west channel. Tom noted his observation of Horned Grebe and Red-breasted Merganser in the bay. Frank and I missed on Tom's birds, but as we were headed back to our cars a pair of Red-breasted Merganser flew by us from the east. Back to the west channel we went after earlier observing Osprey, Brown Pelican, and shorebirds there. The afternoon trip to Festival Park was interesting where I conclude a neighbor of the park has a food source available for the scrub-jays. The Great Horned Owl was not seen though the Burrowing Owl was active with its burrow staked off in short order and just in time for the 2012 Burrowing Owl Festival.


The Eastern Meadowlark above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.


The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.


The Limpkin above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


Frank above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Sandhill Crane above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Sandhill Crane above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Sandhill Crane above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Sandhill Crane above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Sandhill Crane juvenile above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2012.


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


The Willet above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2012.


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


The Ruddy Turnstone with Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2012.


The Magnificent Frigatebird above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2012.


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


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


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


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.

Florida Scrub-Jays And The Master

This past week offered some of the most fun I have had observing and photographing birds.

The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.

A mild climate has been the norm in southwest Florida for the most part this winter of 2012. It was with great misfortune that a cold front passed through at such an inopportune time dropping temperatures to very uncomfortable lows. Master wildlife photographer Arthur Morris was in the area at this time conducting his annual southwest Florida Instructional Photo Tour. Birding bud Tom Obrock had made a trip to Harns Marsh where he counted a very large number of Snail Kite. The ambient temperature at a venue such as Harns further inland can be much lower than at the beaches in the winter months and I fear Tom encountered such an event. I've photographed frost on the feathers of birds at Harns, so I can imagine his discomfort. Tom noted his thought that the strong northeasterly wind at the time of his visit to Harns kept the kites low allowing observation of the better numbers of the species. Workmate Brad Epple brought to my attention the thought that invasive Burmese Python snakes in the Florida Everglades have been responsible for an increased observation of falcons and vultures in the Fort Myers area with the bird's food source diminished in the interior southern peninsula of Florida. Future posts will appear as you see it now. Be sure to press on an image to view the slideshow best for viewing the pics. My images seen at Pbase going forward will offer additional thoughts about observations made. While I experimented with rear focus, I am not yet a fan of the technique and the new camera appears to have a need for a significant dose of micro adjustment.


The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.


The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in February 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in February 2012.


The Great Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in February 2012.


The Wood Stork above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in February 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in February 2012.


The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.


The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.


The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.

Fort Myers Area Birds Of Prey: Early 2011

This week's blog is again not the regular update I wish to convey with "current events" typically the norm. Images seen below are a revisit of observations made in the first few months of 2011. It will hopefully be a long while before I give a mid 2011 report. In any event, I hope you find interest here. Press on an image below for a slideshow that offers a better appreciation of the wildlife seen.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.


The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in January 2011.


The Osprey above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in January 2011.


The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in January 2011.


The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in January 2011.


The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.


The Bald Eagle with Osprey above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.


The Northern Harrier juvenile above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.


The Snail Kite above was photographed at Devil's Garden in February 2011.


The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Devil's Garden in February 2011.


The Swallow-tailed Kite with jumbo jet making a landing approach above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2011.


The Snail Kite above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.


The Snail Kite above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.