Southwest Florida Winter Wildlife: Part I

A road trip was made on 8 January 2014 to visit two extraordinary wildlife venues in Sarasota, Florida.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

Frank Constantin and I arrived at Celery Fields before dawn with very overcast and cold conditions. Tom Obrock was invited to make the trip, but was unable to join us. In the 75 minutes before it became bright enough to take photos, several large flocks of White Ibis, Cattle Egret and Glossy Ibis took flight from the marsh.

The banded Sandhill Crane above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Wood Stork above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Wood Stork above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Wood Stork above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Wood Stork above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Northern Harrier above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Northern Harrier above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

There was a fairly strong wind from the north which made the conditions even more uncomfortable. Our initial attention was focused on about a dozen Sandhill Crane that were feeding in a grassy field. Additional cranes could be heard calling from other areas of the venue. Frank pointed out that one of the cranes was banded. I have not gotten a reply to its report as of this writing.

The Northern Harrier above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Northern Harrier above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Northern Harrier above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Limpkin above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Limpkin above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

A lone Wood Stork seen at Celery Fields this day made a close pass of us from the east while circling in front us of seemingly to investigate. My first sighting of a mature male Northern Harrier was made from this observation point. I initially questioned what species the bird was. Female and immature Northern Harriers seen in the past were much darker, with juveniles sporting orange feathers.

The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Sandhill Crane above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Mallard hybrid above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Anhinga above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Mallard hybrid above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

While Frank chose to stay with the cranes, I attempted to get closer to the harrier where it was flying low to the ground a hundred yards to the east. From a still distant observation point I was able to determine that the harrier was possibly hunting Palm Warblers seen flying ahead of it. The harrier then flew back toward Frank where he got good views.

The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The immature Bald Eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

After the Northern Harrier flew out of sight to the north, I advised Frank that I was going to make observations from the gazebo overlooking the marsh where I anticipated good flight activity of other species. At one point a pair of Limpkin flew toward me and landed in the deep grass about thirty feet away. Their haunting calls were heard very briefly.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

Large flocks of Brown Pelican may be seen to feed together at Bunche Beach Preserve or other venues near Fort Myers Beach. The pelicans are often harassed by hoards of Laughing Gull attempting to steal their quarry. In a first personal observation of Brown Pelican behavior, one of the pelicans at Celery Fields made a diligent effort to steal a fish from a Double-crested Cormorant.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

Occasionally wildlife action surprises me offering a memory that will never be forgotten. Such was the case this particular morning when a Bald Eagle dropped down into the marsh disappearing from view. Within 30 seconds, a third or fourth year Bald Eagle came into view. In the same instant the adult eagle was observed rising from the marsh with an American Coot.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

A great chase of the adult eagle by the immature eagle ensued. The immature eagle was relentless in its pursuit of a meal. However, the adult Bald Eagle was intent in not giving up its quarry. From the first to last image where the two eagles are seen together in Part I of this article, six seconds had passed.

The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

Frank and I additionally traveled to Myakka River State Park (my first visit to this venue) while making yet another stop along the way. Next week's article will divulge which of the eagles consumed the coot.

The Bald Eagle with immature eagle above was photographed at Celery Fields in January 2014.

Addendum: The banded crane you observed (Left Leg "YWB"; Right Leg green bands with "Z" on the bottom) was banded as a 13 week old fledged colt on 7/29/2012, not far from the nest where it hatched out in Glacial Park Conservation Area in McHenry County, IL, at N42 25.855 W88 20.181. This individual is one of many cranes that have been banded in IL and WI as part of a study evaluating the effects of urbanization on survival and reproductive success. This bird was confirmed to have struck a power line early in the spring of 2012 but did not appear to have sustained any injuries when subsequently observed. However, I have not seen this individual since then. By chance, did you notice if the bird presented any injuries (e.g. a limp, etc.)? Regardless, thank you for passing along your sighting, it's good to hear that this bird is still alive and kickin' and your report provides valuable data on survival and where this bird has been wintering. -- Jeff Fox, JFOX6@illinois.edu

Please submit reports of your banded Sandhill Cranes and/or Whooping Cranes observed, here.

Please see: Southwest Florida Winter Wildlife: Article II