Little Estero Lagoon Spring Nesting: Part II

For good reason Little Estero Lagoon comes in a close second as a favorite Southwest Florida wildlife venue behind Bunche Beach Preserve.

The Black Scoter above (image 1) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The birds were very accommodating as I continued my walk south toward Carlos Pointe and back. The Black Scoter was an especially nice find with their behavior "ridiculously tame" as world wildlife photographer Artie Morris would say.

The Black Scoter above (image 2) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Black Scoter above (image 3) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

As was normal the wildlife came to me. A particularly interesting observation was an Osprey that dropped from the sky to the pool at Carlos Point. I thought the bird would take a bath, but it appeared more concerned with another Osprey overhead and took flight inexplicably.

The Least Tern above (image 4) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Magnificent Frigatebird above (image 5) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Ruddy Turnstone above (image 6) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Least Tern above (image 7) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Least Tern above (image 8) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Least Tern above (image 9) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Ruddy Turnstone with Willet above (image 10) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Ruddy Turnstone above (image 11) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Ruddy Turnstone above (image 12) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Brown Pelican above (image 13) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Osprey above (image 14) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Osprey above (image 15) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Osprey above (image 16) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Osprey above (image 17) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Osprey above (image 18) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Osprey above (image 19) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Black-bellied Plover above (image 20) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Marbled Godwit above (image 21) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Marbled Godwit above (image 22) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Marbled Godwit above (image 23) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Marbled Godwit above (image 24) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Least Tern above (image 25) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Western Sandpiper above (image 26) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Least Sandpiper above (image 27) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Black Skimmer above (image 28) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Laughing Gull above (image 29) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Royal Tern above (image 30) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Black Scoter above (image 31) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Great Egret above (image 32) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Reddish Egret above (image 33) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Reddish Egret above (image 34) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Reddish Egret with prey above (image 35) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Reddish Egret with prey above (image 36) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Marl Pennant Dragonfly above (image 37) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The White Ibis above (image 38) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The scene above (image 39) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The American Oystercatcher above (image 40) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The American Oystercatcher above (image 41) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The American Oystercatcher above (image 42) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The American Oystercatcher with Willet above (image 43) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

Expected nesting bird species were present and in various stages of behavior. When observing the American Oystercatcher I was particularly intrigued by the protection of the nest. All species of bird loafing near it were flushed with the exception of Wilson's Plover.

The Anhinga above (image 44) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 45) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

Please be sure to be reminded about this weekly Southwest Florida Wildlife Blog with the email gadget located at the top of the page.

The European Starling with prey above (image 46) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

Please also see Little Estero Lagoon Spring Nesting: Part I

CREW Bird Rookery Swamp

Bird Rookery Swamp shares 60,000+ acres of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) with Flint Pen Strand, Corkscrew Marsh, Camp Keais Strand and the National Audubon Society's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

The Little Blue Heron above (image 1) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

CREW is in Lee and Collier Counties situated East of Interstate 75 and predominantly between Corkscrew Road and Immokalee Road. While the watershed has favorable habitat for the Florida Black Bear and Florida Panther, the Bird Rookery Swamp's 12 miles of trails with a relatively short boardwalk is not an ideal venue to walk a dog with hopes of seeing such endangered beasts as alligators are known to be prolific and intimidating at times.

The juvenile Little Blue Heron above (image 2) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

The Pied-billed Grebe above (image 3) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

I have been following in recent years the journal of Dick Brewer who very rarely misses a weekly trip to Bird Rookery Swamp. He also compiles a list of birds, butterflies, dragonflies, mammals as well as reptiles and amphibians he encounters on each of his visits to the swamp. Dick is a volunteer for the CREW Land and Water Trust. So on the cool morning of 22 March, Tom Obrock joined me on my first visit to Bird Rookery Swamp.

The Red-shouldered Hawk above (image 4) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

The Red-shouldered Hawk above (image 5) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

While I chose to end my walk at the 1.25 mile marker, Tom continued further on. It was hoped to see a lot of warbler activity on this day, however they were very limited and were heard more than seen. Perhaps due to the cool temperature and relatively short distance walked I did not see any alligators. A low overflight of a Roseate Spoonbill was a nice surprise. Back at the parking area Tom pointed out a Purple Martin which I hadn't seen in years while a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck was observed on the North side of Shady Hollow Boulevard.

The Red-shouldered Hawk above (image 6) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

The Blue Dasher Dragonfly above (image 7) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

Bird Rookery Swamp appeared to offer a lot of opportunities beyond birds. In fact there was the largest concentration of dragonflies I have yet seen at any one venue. There were many dozens of Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies observed with the females outnumbering the males by at least 5 to 1. My future visits to this venue will require the use of my bicycle to fully explore the trails of the Swamp. CREW's Cypress Dome Trails allows bicycle use as well.

The Anhinga above (image 8) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

The Anhinga above (image 9) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

Please be sure to be reminded about this weekly Southwest Florida Wildlife Blog with the email gadget located at the top of the page.

The Swallow-tailed Kite above (image 10) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.