The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.Among the venues, Little Estero Lagoon was visited on 20 March while Bunche was visited on 21 March; the first two days of Spring 2013. The latter venue is my favored, if not favorite wildlife venue. The other venue in the top three on my list is Tigertail Beach Lagoon in Marco Island much further to the south. Tides were favorable for the visits to the venues at these times producing large numbers and a good diversity of birds. The Mangrove Cuckoo observed at Bunche in early February remained elusive for a personal observation. Especially look for the cuckoo in the vegetation on the drive into the Preserve.
The Great Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Mottled Duck above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Great Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Great Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Least Sandpiper above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Least Sandpiper above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Willet above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.It was my good fortune to meet up with Frank Constantin visiting from Québec, and his friend Stéphane Denis from Montréal. Both of these photographers were using Nikon gear. While I have now known Frank for several years and consider him a great friend, it was my first time meeting Stéphane who specializes in panoramic photography with great work which may be viewed here. With the tides favorable at both venues, the morning visit at Little Estero Lagoon was met with for the most part overcast conditions.
The Osprey above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Piping Plover above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Piping Plover above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Willet above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Willet above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Willet with Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Willet above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.Although the favored golden light of sunrise was accommodating only very briefly as the sun peaked through the clouds, the subdued lighting allowed for photography later in the morning when the light might otherwise be considered too harsh for a pleasing image. There was a Snowy Egret observed that was extremely social reminding me of the Florida Scrub Jays at Festival Park. The mature egret as indicated by the lack of yellow coloration on the back of its legs had an inclination to land on Frank's camera gear after he stepped away from it briefly.
The Osprey above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Reddish Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Willet above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Willet above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Willet above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Snowy Egret on Frank's gear above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The flock of Sanderling above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The flock of Sanderling above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.The egret interestingly followed us a half mile up the beach. Also seen as a highlight for me was a resident Green Heron which I inadvertently flushed from its perch at 45 feet distance from the bird. Additionally there were Piping Plover with evidence of their striking breeding plumage. A solitary American Oystercatcher was observed with thought of hopes that the species breeds successfully at Little Estero Lagoon this summer after a failed attempt in 2012.
The flock of Sanderling above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The flock of Sanderling above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Sanderling above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2013.
The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The flock of Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Piping Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.At one point the resident Peregrine Falcon made a flyby which dispersed all the shorebirds on the beach. The predator appeared to head toward its preferred perch on one of the highrise condos. An Osprey was observed carrying seaweed to a nearby nest on a couple of occasions. Frank advised me of his remarkable observation of mating activity of Wilson's Plover on a later visit. Look for Frank's pics of the event at his Pbase site when he gets around to it. Better yet, he should have that series in a newly created wildlife blog.
The Piping Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Herring Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Herring Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Herring Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Ring-billed Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.The trip to Bunche Beach Preserve was a sunrise visit as well. Frank told me he wanted to go where the birds were after I asked him which channel he wanted to visit. After a scan east and west it was evident there was a lot of action at the west channel. The east channel is significantly more distant from the parking area, but has proven extremely productive. Remarkable observations possible at the east channel at Bunche may be viewed here.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Piping Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Dunlin above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Tricolored Heron with scuffling Little Blue Heronabove was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.While we made a trek west, Red-shouldered Hawk was immediately observed perched above the mangrove trees. This bird would follow us as we made our way toward the west channel. Not too distant was a Long-billed Curlew that has been present throughout the winter between Bunche and Bowditch Point immediately to the south across San Carlos Bay. While the flats were well exposed, the birds were prolific including a flock of Black Skimmers that were loafing on a sandbar well offshore.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Snowy Egret with Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Dunlin above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.The skimmers were accessible for closer study with a few large gulls among them. I thought California Gull might be among them, and reached out to Michael Brothers to find that was not the case. One of the more memorable observations was a Ruddy Turnstone that was feasting on jellyfish. The turnstone was displaying a yawn technique at one point to possibly rid itself of discomfort. By the way, when viewing a bird image of the sort, you should never assume it is calling as has been inaccurately commented about in the past.
The Western Sandpiper above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Least Sandpiper above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Western Sandpiper above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.In addition to a rarely seen White Morph Reddish Egret that quickly made its way west and was in no mood to be followed, Tricolored Heron and Snowy Egret chose to feed at extremely close range. Shorebirds of all sizes at Bunche are want to get within mere feet of you when you remain stationary. By far the most exciting observation on this day was a Black Skimmer with a fish in its beak on the fringe of its flock. I immediately notified Frank when I made the unusual observation.
Stéphane Denis above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
Francois Constantin above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Black Skimmer with fish above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Black Skimmer with Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The Ring-billed Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.We would both be challenged in capturing the action that unfolded as a Laughing Gull appeared from nowhere to steal a meal. The Black Skimmer was extremely deft in protecting its quarry in flight. As far as I could tell, the skimmer was able to keep its fish that was possibly an offering to another of its kind in an attempt to establish a bond. Bunche Beach Preserve and Little Estero Lagoon remain exceptional for wildlife observations and photography. About a dozen American White Pelican were observed circling over John Morris Road on our way out.
The White Morph Reddish Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The White Morph Reddish Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
The White Morph Reddish Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.While this was Stéphane's first visit to Florida as Frank had told me, Stéphane will certainly return in the future when he can as should you. My thanks to Robert Doiron for assistance in identifying the Western Sandpiper.
The White Morph Reddish Egret with Willet above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2013.
