Birds, Beaches, And A Tropical Storm

As a weather system in the Gulf of Mexico became named Tropical Storm Debby, setting a record for the number of named tropical storms in the Atlantic basin before the end of June, I heard from Tom Obrock.


The Herring Gull above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.

Tom was at Bunche Beach counting Magnificent Frigatebirds in large numbers that I had never encountered before. He noted over thirty before advising me he was on his way south to check out the possibilities at Fort Myers Beach and Bowditch Point. I met up with Tom at the Sanibel Lighthouse after counting nineteen frigatebirds along the causeway. This compared to the two or at most three that I had previously seen at one time. There was little wildlife activity at the lighthouse as the waves and winds caused part of the road accessing the lighthouse by car to be washed away. We traveled from there to Bowman's Beach as the winds appeared even stronger from the south. With a game of flag football in progress in the calmer conditions offshore, we continued toward Captiva where we stopped at Blind Pass. It was here that I got my first sighting of Chimney Swifts. They were darting over the tree tops creating a great challenge in photographing them. A juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker was seen for the first time here. After a short while observing a Sandwich Tern work the Pass where the Gulf waters enter Pine Island Sound at high tide, we headed back to where Tom thought he had seen a Herring Gull along the causeway. The bird was still there at a short distance from Causeway Islands Park. It is unusual to see this species of gull in the area at this time of year. A remaining few frigatebirds were again observed riding the winds. Ospreys were present as a lone Roseate Spoonbill juvenile flew toward the east. After Tom had to move on, I devoted time to observation of a pair of Brown Pelicans that were actively feeding. A Mottled Duck was observed making its way over San Carlos Bay in the direction of the lighthouse. I then made a stop at Bunche Beach to observe a higher tide than I have ever observed there before. Expected heavy rains were fortunately absent this day, while a state of emergency would ultimately be declared by Florida's Governor this week. This season's nesting of Loggerhead Turtles along Florida's Gulf Coast was reported to have had significant losses.


The Herring Gull above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Magnificent Frigatebird above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Magnificent Frigatebird above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Magnificent Frigatebird above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Osprey above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Laughing Gull above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Chimney Swift above was photographed at Blind Pass in June 2012.


The Sandwich Tern above was photographed at Blind Pass in June 2012.


The Mourning Dove above was photographed at Blind Pass in June 2012.


The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Magnificent Frigatebird above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Osprey above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The scene above was photographed at the Sanibel Causeway in June 2012.


The scene above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in June 2012.


The scene above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in June 2012.


The scene above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in June 2012.


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


The Brown Pelican with Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in June 2012.


The Osprey, headed toward Bowditch Point, above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in June 2012.