The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.A check of the tide tables before my trip to the Preserve had the flats well exposed as expected. Birds were absent from view with a scan of both directions along the shoreline. Not to worry as I was looking at three miles of beach with the unaided eye. Of course I knew those conditions would change after making countless trips here over a number of years.
The Mottled Duck above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Wilson's Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Mottled Duck above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Semipalmated Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Semipalmated Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The White Ibis with juvenile above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.I immediately noticed heavy machinery at the East Channel which is likely being used to improve the channel for boat traffic. I was tempted to walk that way just to see the activity that had taken place. That would remain for another day as I chose to head to the West Channel considering the favorable wind for flight shots of the birds.
The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The immature White Ibis above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Snowy Egret with immature White Ibis above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.In recent years I have not made frequent trips to Bunche in the month of May while focusing my attention on other venues. It is an excellent time to be here as shorebirds are sporting varying degrees of breeding plumage. Many of the birds will continue a journey north while some will remain in Florida to produce their next generation.
The Wilson's Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Least Sandpiper above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The immature White Ibis above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Spotted Sandpiper above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.In addition to Bunche Beach Preserve, visits should be considered and made to other extraordinary beach venues at Little Estero Lagoon and Tigertail Beach Lagoon (see maps in the sidebar of the blog) if you are lucky enough to be in the Fort Myers area. At Bunche none of the waders observed were sporting striking breeding plumage unfortunately.
The Spotted Sandpiper above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Spotted Sandpiper above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The White Ibis above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.It was unusual that all the Snowy Egret observed were mature as indicated by pure black legs. Immature Snowy Egret have yellow on the back of their legs. There were large numbers of shorebirds observed after the tide had turned with their congregation in groups among mixed species which is likely a defense against predators.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Great Egret with Dunlin above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Snowy Egret with White Ibis above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Roseate Spoonbill with White Ibis above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.The daylight faded too quickly as it always does. I pushed the ISO equivalent of the camera beyond what I normally do to keep the shutter speed higher in the lower light conditions near sunset. The last image presented in this article was captured at 1/50th of a second. I was lucky to have the cooperative sandpiper stay still for that split second to capture it in time.
The Dunlin above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Dunlin above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Dunlin above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The White Ibis above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.Although I had two seconds to observe a Black-crowned Night-Heron as it flew nearly directly at me, I failed to acquire focus on it until it landed. For the most part, heavy crops of images have been made which should be apparent. I made observations from a few stationary positions in the mud or water allowing the wildlife to come to me.
The Dunlin above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Great Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Dunlin above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.The Least Tern has eluded me for observation this season so far. The species is certainly at Little Estero Lagoon by now. They are likely few in breeding pairs at Lovers Key State Park as the terns seem to disfavor the limited real estate to nest upon with significant beach erosion there in recent years. Great numbers of Least Tern are certainly at Tigertail Beach Lagoon.
The Dunlin above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Dunlin above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.There was a very noisy scuffle between a pair of Laughing Gull that likely involved a piece of food acquired from another species of bird though was too far for me to get a shot. There were no banded birds observed this day. Bunche Beach Preserve remains an excellent venue to make wildlife observations at any time of year. There remains so much to see with not enough time.
The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
The Least Sandpiper above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in May 2013.
So many beautiful photos I hardly know where to begin. I guess you could say you had me at the first plover shot! Stunning series.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos as usual. I look fwd to your weekly updates. I visited Bunche Beach on my recent trip to Florida so some happy memories. Keep up the good work. Martin, London. UK. Www.blowmonkeybirding.blogspot.com
ReplyDelete