All caught up on processing images for the wildlife blog this week with mere days left to capture something new, I had considered a trip to Fort De Soto Park on 26 March with heavy winds in the aftermath of a storm front that passed through the previous day.
The banded Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The search for migratory warblers would have to wait saving five hours of drive time as I chose to make a visit to
Bunche Beach Preserve which continues as my favorite wildlife venue.
The Royal Tern above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
Upon my arrival to the preserve I made a brief consideration of a long overdue walk to the east but chose the west where more birds always gather at a preferred low tide.
The Willet above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Ring-billed Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Ring-billed Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The actual low tide of -.02 had occurred a few hours before sunrise, so the shorebirds were already being herded closer to the beach with the flats inundated upon my arrival. The gull making the best of its survival with its legs constrained by fishing line was enlightening.
The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Laughing Gull with Ring-billed Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
Although I had made a trip to the western fringe of Bunche Beach
(the Great Calusa Trail Blueway Marker 50) about three months ago in search of the unusually located Common Eider, more than four months have passed since my previous visit to the preserve's west channel which is closer to the middle of its beachfront.
The Laughing Gull with Ring-billed Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Ring-billed Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The weather offered very windy conditions from the north, a temperature in the mid fifties Fahrenheit, and clouds that occasionally obscured the rising sun more than not.
The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Western Sandpiper above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Western Sandpiper above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
It wasn't long before the fingers became numb reminding me of my trip to observe
the Snowy Owl in Jacksonville to appreciate its mere second record in the state of Florida earlier in the year.
The Willet above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Least Sandpiper above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Willet above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
While three records have commonly been reported of the Florida Snowy Owl event, I still have not heard of or have seen a date that is reported for the unknown, so two records remain.
The Semipalmated Plover above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
At Bunche, the conditions were unexpectedly uncomfortable in this tropical environment at the fringe of subtropical while a mere handful of hardiness zones to the north have offered a brutal winter.
The Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The conditions were not as warm as I would like with a diligent effort on my part to avoid getting wet while taking a high angle five foot approach to observations.
The Great Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The juvenile Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The juvenile Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The juvenile Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
There had been reports earlier in the week of increasing number of American Avocet with upward of nine observed by
Suzanne Lanthier and
Réal Jauvin visiting from Québec, Canada.
The juvenile Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Reddish Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Reddish Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
I would look diligently for the avocets which are always rewarding to see while recalling my first observation of the species years ago like it was
yesterday.
The Reddish Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Reddish Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Willet above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Little Blue Heron with Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The birds were too overwhelming in their numbers and action with more than 1100 images captured in a few hours making it impossible to make a complete report this week.
The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The juvenile Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The juvenile Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
With fifty images included here which I hope offers a teaser of Bunche Beach Preserve, part II will follow next week as I ponder the return of avocets and warblers.
The juvenile Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
The juvenile Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in March 2014.
