Seductive Scarlet

Not too long ago (three years), I caught the birding bug which has evolved into an interest in observation and capturing imagery of avian wildlife in Florida where I live.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in April 2010.

I had first heard of a bird known as the Scarlet Ibis over a year ago which I believe I first saw at the website of fellow pbaser Bob Duckwall who has photographed it.

This bird species is not indigenous to the southwest Florida area, but considered an escapee from a zoo or private collection of birds after one of the hurricanes that has ravaged the southeastern United States over the years.

The Willet above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in April 2010.

According to Wikipedia, the species may also have been intentionally introduced to the area beyond its hybridization with the White Ibis in 1962.

"Scarlet," as I believe it to be affectionately known in my immediate area has been elusive to me although there is the very remote chance that it may have been seen last year at Lovers Key State Park as a bird I thought very unusual and possibly photographed by Alena King.

The Yellow-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in April 2010.

With today my best opportunity to search for the Scarlet Ibis this past week, I made a journey to Estero Lagoon with hopes of catching sight of it at least.

The bird species was photographed at the lagoon on 10 February 2010 by BPN contributor Mike Landwehr of Waukee, Iowa.

The Northern Cardinal above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in April 2010.

On my way to Estero Lagoon which I believed to be an area the bird might be seen again, I drove behind the Church of the Ascension which offered a great opportunity for wildlife viewing.

This was the place that my acquaintance, Linda Grasp, at Harns Marsh Preserve offered through her contact John Dougherty of Morrisville, NY.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in April 2010.

I was not completely sure of this location as Linda had noted John's observations of the Scarlet Ibis well beyond the mainland of Fort Myers on Sanibel Island if not closer to Captiva Island.

My observations this week as I made my way to Estero Lagoon after viewing 11 White Ibis including two juveniles were muted by just a relaxing long overdue trip to the beach.

The White Ibis above was photographed near Little Estero Lagoon in April 2010.

I thought I had read weeks ago that the Estero Lagoon area had set up its bird nesting boundaries to protect its nesting birds including terns and plovers, but I saw no evidence of that as yet.

I don't know exactly where those prohibitions might be as I have not observed them in the past.

The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in April 2010.

As I normally do, I park at the accommodating shopping plaza just south of the Holiday Inn at the beach and walk to the lagoon area from there.

Most recently I walked north beyond the perimeter of the lagoon with the sound of music and DJ at the tiki hut.

The wildlife photographer above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in April 2010.

As I headed south I caught sight of the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron that I had not seen in a long while so I paused to experiment with my flash in photographing it.

This particular bird allowed be to get within the limits of my focusing range of it as it was very subdued.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in April 2010.

In this immediate area I was able to capture the Northern Cardinal and listen to its call from the mangroves it was well hidden in.

Slowly making my way further beyond the lagoon, I was captivated by a trey of Snowy Egret that were feeding in the surf of the Gulf of Mexico with one of the birds apparently injured in some way as it had a limp in its movement.

The wildlife photographer above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in April 2010.

Before I left this particular part of the beach, there were observations made of Willet, though not sure what type as Tom Obrock has recently noted.

Rounding the bend I encountered a family group that I would learn was also Iowan where I was asked to capture an image of the family with their camera (birding was not their thing, but is NASCAR and photography of it).

The family above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in April 2010.

Just before meeting these people, I observed an American Oystercatcher which was unmistakable in its flight south along the beach.

I wasn't able to catch up to it, but saw the other regulars that I had hoped to see that are missed when not having visited the beach in a long while.

The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in March 2009.

While primarily interested in photography of birds, there were a few photographers that were interestingly shooting directly into the light although it was subdued with heavy cloud cover.

I was compelled to photograph them as well with expectations to meet them all, but there wasn't the time and focused on the wildlife subjects at hand, one photographer simply inexplicably disappeared.

The Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in April 2010.

I was able to speak briefly with Alain visiting from France whom I recommended find the Burrowing Owls in Cape Coral which are especially photogenic this time of year.

Although the Scarlet Ibis was not observed this week, I will continue to search for this elusive and seductive creature.

The sunset above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in April 2010.

John Dougherty recommends the sighting of the Scarlet Ibis this time of year at Lakes Park.

Little Estero Lagoon V

A fifth trip to Little Estero Lagoon was not a disappointment on Thursday.

The Bottlenose Dolphin above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

I arrived before sunrise with the tide reaching its low 30 minutes later when the water would continue to rise although not reach a peak all day. A single tide in a day is a rare occurrence.

The lagoon was absent of the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron for the first time in all my visits. The Belted Kingfisher, Mottled Duck and Killdeer were immediately observed, however.

The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area after getting bumped by a Bottlenose Dolphin in December 2009.

I was compelled to make my way to the beach with no other action in the lagoon. I walked around the lagoon although I could have easily walked through it.

Initially, waves on the Gulf of Mexico were absent. I wouldn't encounter them with concern until later in the morning when I waded out in an attempt to get better light.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

Brown Pelicans made frequent passes by me from the north.

I met some interesting travelers as usual. One of them had told me of the observation of the Long-billed Curlew and Black-necked Stilt the day before. They were not seen on my most recent visit.

The Ruddy Turnstone above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

I observed the Ruddy Turnstone consuming mollusc attached to vegetation along the shore line. Typically the behavior of the species would involve it merely flipping shells, sea grass, or small twigs on the beach. Setting up in position for the shots was a very risky endeavor.

The Sandwich and Forster's Terns were actively feeding all morning. I made a great effort to take images of them as they just broke the water's surface. They are much too small and fast for me to track effectively.

The Sandwich Tern above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

I'm still struggling to do the same with the much larger Brown Pelican.

It was at this point that I waded about 30 feet into the Gulf to get the sun behind me. As the wind picked up a little, the swells were not predictable. I was compelled to lift the photo gear out of the water a couple of times to avoid damage to it.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

As I made my way further south along the beach, the numbers of birds and activity increased.

At one point I observed a large group of Pelicans at rest. What I thought was a call from one of them I've concluded to have been from a Double-crested Cormorant among them noted in a photograph of them later.

The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

I had immediately thought of the Limpkin or at least Harnes Marsh Preserve with the call seemingly appropriate for a jungle like environment.

Both the pelican and cormorant are considered to be silent outside of their nesting areas.

The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

The southern lagoon I found to be much too muddy to walk in after an initial attempt. I wasn't willing to lose my shoes in an effort to get a better perspective on an early Little Blue Heron juvenile.

The experience of the day was much more impressive than can be described here.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area in December 2009.

A future trip to Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Area is assured.