A New Ding Darling Worth The Wildlife Drive: Pt. II

There was a very favorable low tide at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on my early February followup visit to the southwest Florida venue.

The Little Blue Heron above (image 1) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

If you have the slightest interest in the observation of avian wildlife in a near pristine environment, Ding Darling happens to be one of those places to find it.

The Willet above (image 2) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Willet above (image 3) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Snowy Egret above (image 4) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Little Blue Heron with Willet above (image 5) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Ring-billed Gull harassing Willet above (image 6) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Laughing Gull with Willet above (image 7) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

While late in the season to observe waterfowl, the refuge still offered entertainment of shore and wading birds that I never tire of. A Belted Kingfisher was active on both visits, but was too distant to photograph.

The Willet with Laughing Gull above (image 8) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Willet with Laughing Gull above (image 9) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Willet with Laughing Gull above (image 10) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Willet with Laughing Gull above (image 11) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Laughing Gull harassing Willet above (image 12) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Laughing Gull harassing Willet above (image 13) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

I intentionally chose not to study American White Pelican extensively as I wanted to see more of Wildlife Drive thinking I might not visit again soon, thus continuing on my way more hurriedly.

The Laughing Gull harassing Willet above (image 14) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Laughing Gull harassing Willet above (image 15) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Willet above (image 16) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Willet harassed by Ring-billed Gull above (image 17) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Laughing Gull above (image 18) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 19) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

A sweet spot of my travel along Ding Darling's Wildlife Drive on this visit was just before Water Control Structure 6. The tide was low and allowed a great congregation of shorebirds feeding on shrimp in the mud.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 20) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 21) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 22) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Laughing Gull harassing Willet above (image 23) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Little Blue Heron above (image 24) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Brown Pelican above (image 25) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

It was particularly interesting to observe the determination of Willets which were very successful in capturing their prey. In almost all cases the Willet's quarry was stolen by Laughing Gull or Ring-billed Gull, with even an effort made by Snowy Egret especially gifted in harassing White Ibis.

The Brown Pelican above (image 26) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Brown Pelican above (image 27) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Brown Pelican above (image 28) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Brown Pelican above (image 29) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Little Blue Heron above (image 30) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Laughing Gull above (image 31) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Snowy Egret itself was of course not allowed a reprieve from the attention of the gulls which appeared the most aggressive. The Ring-billed Gull was observed to be the most gifted in its harassment including that of the Laughing Gull.

The Willet above (image 32) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Wood Stork above (image 33) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Bald Eagle with prey above (image 34) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Bald Eagle with prey above (image 35) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The immature Little Blue Heron above (image 36) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Laughing Gull above (image 37) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

A Bald Eagle made a flyby from the north to south with an unidentified fish in its talons. Ozzie, another local Bald Eagle in the news, will be in rehabilitation with CROW for the next six weeks with an unexplained broken clavicle.

The Laughing Gull above (image 38) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Snowy Egret above (image 39) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Tricolored Heron above (image 40) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Snowy Egret harassing Willet above (image 41) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

The Laughing Gull above (image 42) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story while recommended visits to Ding Darling for the remainder of 2015 are noted in the comments in Part I of this article.

The Ring-billed Gull harassing Laughing Gull above (image 43) was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in February 2015.

Please also see A New Ding Darling Worth The Wildlife Drive: Pt. I
Please also see A New Ding Darling Worth The Wildlife Drive: Pt. III