STA5 Revisited

I had made an afternoon visit to Estero Lagoon earlier in the week with hopes to capture the Green flash in the setting sun.

The Willet above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in March 2011.

No luck with that although I had an enjoyable time nonetheless.

There were no birds in the north lagoon upon my arrival which might be expected under the circumstances.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in March 2011.

A good number of shore and wading birds worked the surf as shelling by humans was observed.

The lores of one Snowy Egret in particular had a brilliant dark pink that can be seen during the breeding season.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in March 2011.

What I believe to be the same pair of Reddish Egret seen a few months ago were present with one of the birds sporting its leucism.

A few Willet meandered by followed by a few Ruddy Turnstone.

The Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in March 2011.

In addition, a solitary Osprey and a Royal Tern had control of the sky above.

A Brown Pelican arrived in the last light of the day and dove in the water in search of prey.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in March 2011.

After photographing the setting sun, a solitary Roseate Spoonbill was seen actively feeding in the lagoon.

An 18 inch red snake (possibly Red Rat Snake) was seen in the mangroves in the last light of the day.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in March 2011.

Due to my inability to appropriately plan a visit to STA5, I made a last minute email to Margaret England to advise her of my interest in joining the first Big "O" birding tour of STA5 on the morning of March 23rd.

Upon my arrival a few minutes after sunrise, I was surprised that there were no vehicles at the entrance gate.

The sunset above was photographed at Estero Lagoon in March 2011.

A South Florida Water Management District employee entered STA5 as I waited in anticipation of seeing Margaret greet her visitors to the Stormwater Treatment Area as was the case in February.

As the minutes ticked by I sensed something was wrong.

The Snail Kite juvenile above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.

With Snail Kite active in the northeast corner of Cell 1A, I walked to water control structure G-343A which allowed me site of my vehicle and any incoming cars.

The water level in Cell 1B appeared lower to me than I thought I had seen it last month.

The Purple Gallinule above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.

If this was indeed the case, it was only a matter of inches and possibly impacting the number of birds which were half those within this cell seen previously.

A water control structure to the east of the entrance to STA5 appeared to have water pumped into Cell 1B near maximum flow.

The scene above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.

Some bird species certainly favor ideal conditions for them to be present in an area.

This was brought to my attention by Tom Obrock in my first observation of Black-necked Stilt at the Exit 131 Rest Stop on Interstate 75 in late July of 2010.

The Snail Kite juvenile above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.

Although I observed a handful of the stilts at STA5 in February, it was a treat to see them again this past week.

Shortly after I settled down to observe and photograph the scene, a SFWMD helicopter was apparently making a survey of the area and flushed the stilts from behind tall grasses to my southwest.

The Caspian Tern above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.

I had not seen one of these "official" helicopters since an overflight at Bunche Beach Preserve about a year ago.

I was able to count 11 (one is out of frame in the image enclosed) of the birds in the flock before they flew out of view and would not return.

The aircraft above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.

In addition to the stilts, as many as 25 Fulvous Whistling-Ducks were seen in flight and was likely my first sighting of the species.

After the helicopter left the scene, the ducks returned either individually or in small groups.

The Green Heron above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.

I had never observed so many Green Herons as on this occasion which made low flybys on a frequent basis.

It was a treat to see the male and female Snail Kite with a juvenile while for some reason the male Snail Kite is not seen predictably at Harns Marsh Preserve among the many females of the species there.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.

Many of the other regular species expected to be seen in the area were present in my few hours of observation at the STA5 water control structure.

Later in the morning I was surprised to see a small caravan of cars approach from what appeared their first lap along the levies.

The Anhinga above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.

It was at that point that I knew I wish I were able to have committed to this trip much sooner.

I was impressed to hear that this group of observers had arrived at 6:00am "for sunrise" although it didn't actually occur until about 90 minutes later.

The Fulvous Whistling-Duck above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.

Sunny conditions predicted for the day were were not seen in the morning with heavy fog and low cloud cover through mid morning.

After the fog burned off the clouds that remained diffused the available light making the long distance photography somewhat of a challenge for focus tracking and sharp images especially considering the necessary heavy crops of the images taken.

The Limpkin above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.

Although it was my expectation to again explore STA5 on this visit, I'm glad that things happened as they did which gave me the opportunity to have a better understanding of bird behavior in a relatively confined area over a longer period of time at this venue.

I'm looking forward to a return to STA5 next winter.

The Green Heron above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.

Interesting wildlife news this past week was the report of the sighting of the oldest free flying bird known that is a survivor of the most devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami to strike Japan since records have been kept.

The Laysan albatross seen is believed to be in excess of 60 years of age and was observed supervising its chick within Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge after the disaster.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.

The albatross was banded in 1956 with the designation triple O seven as seen in the most recent photograph of the bird.

A great story about the bird and facts about the species may be read here.

The Blue-winged Teal above was photographed at STA5 in March 2011.

Feature: STA5

A visit to Stormwater Treatment Area 5, south of Clewiston, Florida, was finally made this past week after an interest in doing so for the past couple of years.

The Eastern Phoebe above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

As of this writing, access to STA5 for wildlife viewing remains limited to a typically once or twice a month scheduled tour made possible in part by the Hendry-Glades Audubon Society.

The annual Great Backyard Bird Count and Big “O” Birding Festival offer consecutive three and four day opportunities to visit STA5 in the months of February and March.

The Palm Warbler above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

STA5 is a man made wetland impoundment facility with its water cells a mile wide on the shortest side and two miles on the longest designed to primarily filter agricultural phosphorus from the groundwater before it flows into the Everglades ecosystem.

Eighteen miles of levees are driven on with great care allowing exploration within and around this 5120 acre wildlife mecca.

The Common Yellowthroat above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

The South Florida Water Management District has authority of STA5 and surrounding STAs with the SFWMD, under strict conditions, periodically permitting the hunting of alligators at the STAs as well as that of small game at STA5.

It is the hunting activity at STA5 which is perhaps responsible for the apparent skittish behavior of the wildlife that is not typical of Florida's birds and alligators as I've observed at other inland and coastal wildlife venues across the state.

The wildlife enthusiasts above were photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

Among my interests this week were the thousands of waterfowl seen at STA5 while in all a total of at least 75 species were reportedly seen by at least 83 observers in the immediate area.

Canadian wildlife photographer Frank Constantin had made a trip to STA5 a month earlier and forewarned me of the distance of the wildlife which he compared to that at Harns Marsh Preserve in Lehigh Acres.

The Blue-winged Teal above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

I thus acquired a 2X converter/extender for my camera's lens for the STA5 trip with the expectation that the wildlife would be much more distant than typically seen at other wildlife venues.

Frank's visit to STA5 was less than a few hours as he reported, while I chose to make a second trip along the levees allowing me in excess of nine hours of observation time inclusive of areas around the STA.

The Cattle Egret above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

Although my initial intent was to take full advantage of additional opportunity in visiting STA5 this month, I first opted to determine the effectiveness of using the 2X accessory before devoting more time to the documentation of my observations.

Even with the benefit of the 2X converter, it would prove necessary to crop virtually all of the images included in this report.

The Cattle Egret above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

STA5 is especially appreciated with a Spotting Scope that is often seen used by birding aficionados.

Spotting Scopes that I've been permitted to look through when offered the opportunity have always allowed for a remarkable view of a distant subject that cannot be appreciated anywhere near as equally as seen through the lens of a camera.

The Cattle Egret above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

A little research on these remarkable optical devices seems to show the manufacturer of Kowa products to be the leader in its field, with the TSN-883 spotting scope perhaps the best available as reviewed by Optics4birding.

It's my understanding that digiscopy offers much greater challenges in the photography of wildlife verses dare I say "traditional" digital photography.

The White Pelican above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

It was my anticipation to see some new species of bird at STA5 that I had yet to encounter at my preferred wildlife venues closer to the Gulf of Mexico frequently visited in Southwest Florida.

With great fortune, I was able to add Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Northern Harrier, Western Kingbird, and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher to my list of bird species photographed for the first time with abnormalities of previously seen species documented.

The Ring-necked Duck above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

I'm especially grateful to Margaret England who led me to the latter two species that were seen near the proposed entrance to STA5.

Margaret currently serves as President of the Hendry-Glades Audubon Chapter and is remarkably timely and helpful with all inquiries made of her via email.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

In addition to the waterfowl seen, I was captivated by a large flock of Cattle Egret where among them was an individual of the species that sported a rare aberrant plumage that I had never seen before.

With my attention focused at one point on an overflight of one of the abundant Northern Harriers (unsure of its identification at the time) that can be seen at STA5, a Great Blue Heron would make a catch of a very large catfish that initially appeared much too large for the bird to handle.

The Northern Harrier above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

Much thanks are extended to local birding expert Vincent Lucas as well whom assisted me in the positive identification of the raptor NOHA further described through the alpha banding code with it a female of the species.

Vince additionally offered insight of the Ring-necked Duck sporting a leucism in its primaries observed only on its right side.

The sugar harvest above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

The fires seen on the horizon I learned to coincide with the sugar harvest which rained ashes on STA5 throughout the day.

It was interesting to see the birds in the water seemingly oblivious to the alligators that were observed in great numbers.

The Savannah Sparrow above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

A Red-tailed Hawk was sighted for the first time since my interest in wildlife observation began, though I failed to photograph the stunningly beautiful raptor which took flight from a power line.

I consider the Canada Goose observed by others at STA5 the most interesting as it will require a revision of the species' range in David Sibley's Guide to Birds.

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.

The goose is only noted to reach barely below the Georgia/ Florida border during Winter months in Sibley's guide while STA5 regularly produces surprises.

STA5 is a must see venue when the chance arises.

The Anhinga above was photographed at STA5 in February 2011.