Oystercatchers At Little Estero Lagoon: Part II

On 29 June 2012, representatives of the Lee County Shorebird Partnership and members and volunteers of Southwest Florida Audubon were making clean-up and restoration efforts at the Critical Wildlife Area at Little Estero Lagoon in the wake of Tropical Storm Debby.


The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.

On that morning, Arthur Brock would make the observation of an unusual looking egg in a nest scape high on a dune that was soon after incubated by an American Oystercatcher. Environmental Sciences Coordinator at the Town of Fort Myers Beach, and University of Florida alumni and biologist, Keith Laakkonen, was supervising the work and would note this nesting as extraordinary. Brie Ochoa, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (and former Park Services Specialist at Lovers Key State Park which is immediately to the south of Little Estero Lagoon), has noted that four American Oystercatcher nests were observed with failure at Lovers Key in prior years. Brie has expressed her opinion that failure of the oystercatchers to produce offspring in the area is most attributable to the presence of people disturbing the nests unintentionally. The oystercatchers at Little Estero Lagoon have personally been observed to leave the nest to merely stretch their legs, though quickly return to their incubation duties under those circumstances. On one rare occasion observed, the bird on the nest left it to mingle with its mate a few dozen yards away. During one of my observations of the oystercatcher egg at the Lagoon this nesting season, I noted that the adult oystercatcher on the nest was easily agitated by biting ants and would leave the nest seemingly in frustration. My late afternoon observations made on 23 and 25 July 2012, from which the images included in this article were taken, offered neither of the adults off the nest for an extended period of time. The oystercatchers had played tag somewhat distant from the nest on a pair of occasions observed and were proven to be extremely diligent in their tending of the nest. On 1 August 2012, with the egg at six days beyond the normal incubation period for American Oystercatcher, I was advised by Bob Blanchard that the nest had been plundered.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Sanderling above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Willet above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Osprey above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Osprey above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Osprey above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The 1st summer Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Osprey above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Osprey above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The 1st summer Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Little Blue Heron (sometimes confused with Reddish Egret) above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Least Tern above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Sandwich Tern with Black Skimmer above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The wildlife enthusiasts above were photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in July 2012.

Please see Oystercatchers At Little Estero Lagoon: Part I.
Please see Oystercatchers At Little Estero Lagoon: Part III.
Please see Oystercatchers At Little Estero Lagoon: Part IV.

Lovers Key State Park II

Until this past Wednesday I had not visited my favorite venue, Lovers Key State Park, in nearly six months. It was a tremendous thrill to experience the park and wildlife there once again.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

The temperature upon entering the park a few minutes after its opening was a very comfortable 73 degrees Fahrenheit. There was a wind from the south which I thought unusual for this time of year. Seemingly, the stronger winds will be northerly in the winter months.

The wind traveling up the beach created ideal conditions for photography on this day. It was considered a concern of destruction by park personnel, however.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

This interest was due to a storm front that was expected to pass through the area at an unusually high tide early Thursday morning. I think the storm arrived a little later than expected, so the beach erosion should not have been as bad as expected, but still a major loss nonetheless.

I did note a significant decline in the beach since my last visit. I was able to observe the destructive erosive forces of the wind and waves first hand at Lovers Key as I have many times in the past. The sand seemed to calve by waves as one might observe ice falling from a glacier.

The Osprey above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

Peggy told me that Lovers Key may not have beach renourishment for another couple of years. At that point in time, it might be expected that the pavillian will once again have the Gulf of Mexico waves washing under it.

This seems tragic to me as the significant effort that went into the planting of sea grasses will not result in them staving off the effects of erosion from the storms that will likely ravage the Gulf Coast later this season as the grasses don't seem to yet be especially well established.

The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

The tremendous breeding success of the Least Tern as experienced in 2007 will not likely happen at Lovers Key State Park again until the beach is replenished. The open sand that the species prefers is not completely gone, but the proximity of visitors along the coastline will be much too close for undisturbed nesting.

As I crossed the first bridge approaching the beach from the primary parking area, it was evident that tide conditions were low as predicted (-.8). As I crossed the second bridge, I observed a Great Egret, two Tricolored Herons, and a Snowy Egret to the right. There was an Osprey perched in a familiar tree.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

If I were not in a hurry to walk the mile to New Pass to the South with hopes of getting on the sandbar, or "flats," I would have spent some time observing them.

I noticed that the shortcut to the pavilion which the tram travels on had been paved since my last visit. This was a welcome sight as the dust was often thick when walking the roadway as vehicles passed.

The Magnificent Frigatebird above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

The walk to New Pass was uneventful with a few Double-crested Cormorants flying south along the beach while I also observed the Sanderling, Black-bellied Plover, Brown Pelican, Osprey, and Red-shouldered Hawk.

As I closely approached the pass, I was disappointed to see that the flats were under water (even during the unusually low tide at the time). I'll have to investigate on future visits to the park under what conditions they might again be walked upon and more importantly used as a resting spot for shore birds. An experience I've had on the sandbar in the past was extraordinary as noted here.

The Sandwich Tern above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

I suspect that the erosion of the beach is what created the sandbar, but the full force of nature appears to be taking it all away.

In any event, upon my arrival to the southernmost point of the park, I was content to just hunker down and observe the scene. The sky was clear offering good light.

The Royal Tern above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

The Brown Pelican was the predominant species seen. It was good to see the bright colors of the male again. I made an attempt to photograph the bill of any of the diving birds piercing the water in its search for sustenance. Such luck was not to be had on the trip. It was fun to observe the tactics of the species nonetheless.

Clouds were very quick to develop and passed overhead from the southeast. It was then a race against time in an attempt to get a few good pictures before it became completely overcast.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

It was my great fortune to again see the Magnificent Frigatebird that I had not observed at Lovers Key in nineteen months. My most recent observation of the species here was as it approached New Pass from deep within the gulf. Park Services Specialist, Brie Ochoa, has noted that the frigatebird is flying low at the park at this time as was my experience. Perhaps it should be noted that the frigatebird is flying relatively low.

The Snowy and Great Egrets were perched on an uprooted Australian Pine seemingly as I had left them at New Pass. The waves were too rough for them to cherry pick their food as I've observed them to do in the past.

The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

The Royal and Sandwich Terns, however, were great opportunists. Observing these species in their hunting tactics gave me a real appreciation for the ultimate patience required for a good wildlife action photography. It was tremendous fun making the attempt to capture their best behavior.

Once the clouds became more prevalent in obscuring the best light, I began my walk back to the parking area. I would have stayed where I was otherwise.

The Magnificent Frigatebird above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

About halfway back to the pavilion, I observed about fifteen Royal Terns flying south along the shoreline. It wasn't until an individual of the group, about twenty feet abreast from the others, approached closest to me, that I was able to observe that it was severely injured as I'd seen another of its kind in the past. This particular bird had a serious gaping wound on its left side. I'm at a loss to explain the the cause. The bird otherwise appeared perfectly healthy flying at great speed.

Further up the beach led to my greatest excitement of the day as I observed an Osprey approaching me at a couple hundred yards. With only seconds to react, I was optimistic of a shot that would be interesting as it was coming directly toward me. The bird's elevation was dropping as it approached.

The Osprey above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

As I got the tripod settled down, I was able to observe the Osprey in the viewfinder for a few seconds before it touched down snatching vegetation off the high tide line which it used in its nest building.

I observed an Osprey earlier in the week in a more urban setting carrying a small branch over the highway. This behavior mating behavior, I've noted to be as early as a month ago, by the documentation of another Florida pbase wildlife photographer.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

Brie has also noted that the resident alligators have been active. It's with great care that I make every effort not to see them at this park.

In all, I had the great fortune of observing 20 species of bird in an incredibly beautiful setting. There were a couple of others that I only heard, but can't identify with the need for better birding skills.

The Sanderling above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in December 2009.

I didn't get soaked on this visit to the park. I certainly missed a better part of the experience at Lovers Key.