A trip to Festival Park in Cape Coral, Florida, was made on 5 May when I should have been at Captiva Island with family to view the sunset.
The Common Nighthawk above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
Miscommunication in a rendezvous point and objective led to an image bonanza for me that includes my first observation of Common Nighthawk at Festival Park in this report. I believe there were three distinct birds of the species seen with one of them landing on a wire. It was my good fortune to have Karen show me the sunset from Captiva which made me feel much better.
The Eastern Meadowlark above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Eastern Meadowlark above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Eastern Meadowlark above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Common Nighthawk above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Common Nighthawk above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
Though I have lost count as to how many visits I have made to Festival Park for wildlife observation and photography, the park will always remain indelible for visits including those with
Chris Baker,
Frank Constantin,
Hemant Kishan,
Artie Morris,
Tom Obrock, and
Adams Serra in particular.
The Common Nighthawk above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Common Nighthawk above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Common Nighthawk above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Common Nighthawk above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Common Nighthawk above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
Tom had given me the impression with a previous report from Festival Park that the Florida Scrub-Jay might have been displaced, but a small group of three jays were at the western fringe of the unassuming park where they should be expected this week.
The Common Nighthawk above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Mourning Dove above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Common Nighthawk above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
While the nighthawks overwhelmed me on this visit with their interesting flight noise, the most common birds seen by their numbers were meadowlark and shrike with the latter on the wires.
The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
It was unfortunate to not see owls of any kind on this trip to Festival Park with immature Burrowing Owls prolific nearer the Caloosahatchee River this time of year.
The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in May 2014.
How delightful to see such great pics of the Common Nighthawk! Those Florida Scrub Jays have a lot of character! It's been a long time since I've seen either species.
ReplyDeleteThis park is certainly not enjoyed to its full potential, Karen.
DeleteBob -- great shots of the Nighthawk; I've only seen them in Fall migration in SWFL. Great to see that the scrubjays have not been displaced!
ReplyDeleteThere was a very intriguing sound made by the diving nighthawks, Hemant. I had been reluctant to mention that without someone to corroborate the experience which I hope you can. Yes, the scrub jays were a delight to see as well.
DeleteBob - I've been getting ready for my trip down to your area to photograph birds. Festival Park sound like a great place to put on my itinerary as well. However, I've been trying to find it on the maps and can't. Maybe it's called something else? The Cape Coral Parks and Recreation web site lists lots of parks in the area but nothing called "Festival Park" unless I'm just being dense and can't see it. (I'm good at that..but don't tell anyone! LOL) Looking forward to my visit down there! Thanks...
ReplyDeleterich734bv@gmail.com if you'd rather not put directions/addresses here on the blog.
If you look in the sidebar of my blog, Rich, you will find a link to a map I have created for Festival Park. This is a venue I would recommend you ideally spend several hours at near sunrise or sunset.
DeleteOh my gosh - how did I not see that before! I'm so embarrassed. I thought I had looked through your blog before. Geesh! Thanks Bob! It doesn't look like I'm going to have a lot of time to relax this weekend! Too many places to go and too many birds to see! hehe
DeleteA visit to Babcock/ Webb WMA this morning was extremely rewarding. You might consider a trip there as well. Sunrise is ideal at this venue. Stay on Oil Well Grade to conserve time and maximize potential observations. Be very diligent to bird by ear here. My visit lasted a record seven hours to one venue on one occasion that I recall (sunrise to about 1400). For safety, be aware that this venue has authorized hunting at times. Pay $3.00 per person at the entrance (as of May 2014).
DeleteA natureza na sua melhor apresentação. Importante conservar e aqui está uma formula para as multiplicar, fotografar!
ReplyDeleteExcelente fotografia. Abraço
Thank you for your interest, Manuel.
DeleteI am involved in aerial photography and I am here for searching about wild photography. I really enjoyed reading this post. Thanks for sharing.
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