In Memory Of Margaret Thatcher

“We want a society where people are free to make choices, to make mistakes, to be generous and compassionate. This is what we mean by a moral society; not a society where the state is responsible for everything, and no one is responsible for the state.” -- Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013)


The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.

In an era of peacetime tumult preceding the fall of what became known as the Evil Empire (USSR), British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher would be a staunch ally of the United States, and then President Ronald Reagan to oversee a remarkable period of economic prosperity.


The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Great Egret above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Caspian Tern above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Great Egret above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.

At this time I recall a euphoric feeling that the world was at peace and all problems solved. This feeling lasted about two days before I was certain such a thing could not happen considering the history I then knew of the world.


The Pied-billed Grebe above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Osprey above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.

The Great Egret above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Osprey above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.

The selected images presented in this article were captured at Six Mile Cypress Lake on 11 February, 18 February, and 4 March 2013 to conclude observations made at those times here in the blog. What is certainly fitting for the regard I have for Baroness Thatcher is the life and vibrancy exhibited for her country foremost with conviction and vibrancy.


The Great Egret above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The immature Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.

What was seen in the wild as a fitting tribute to Margaret Thatcher for her determination and beauty was readily observed. A particular highlight in my waning winter visits made to Six Mile Cypress Lake included an out of the blue observation of a pair of Wood Duck.


The immature Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Anhinga above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Tricolored Heron with Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Tricolored Heron with Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Tricolored Heron with Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Wood Duck above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.

The Wood Duck above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Wood Duck above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The White Ibis above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.

I had previously made a similar sighting of a Wood Duck pair in flight at a much greater distance at Harns Marsh Preserve. It was my great fortune to additionally observe a close flyby of an adult Bald Eagle in good light.


The Glossy Ibis above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Great Egret above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Glossy Ibis above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Green Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in February 2013.


The Great Egret above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Great Egret above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The White Ibis above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Glossy Ibis above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.

On a later occasion I was unprepared for a similar close flyby of immature eagle which would have been the closest yet personally captured of an immature specimen. The observation was nonetheless incredibly stunning to see besting an observation at Bunche Beach Preserve.


The Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Mottled Duck above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The American Coot above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Common Gallinule above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.



The Common Gallinule above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Common Gallinule above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The American Coot above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Great Egret above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Wood Stork above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.

Species of bird more commonly observed in the summer months have yet to be personally seen at Six Mile. These species have been reported across the state for weeks now. A final report from Michael Brothers is anticipated on the unprecedented reports of Razorbill in Florida in 2012.


The Great Egret above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Pied-billed Grebe above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Common Gallinule above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.

The birds of Six Mile Cypress Lake are regarded highly for their majesty and diversity. As noted at an earlier time, there is occasion when species are heard at this venue yet remain unseen. This has yet to be the case this year.


The Great Egret above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013

It may be the cock that crows, but it is the hen that lays the eggs. -- Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013)


The Common Gallinule above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.

Owls Not Required In Cape Coral

There are a backlog of Florida wildlife images I have been capturing not presented at this website, at least in part, that is getting out of control.


The Eurasian Wigeon above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.

The lion's share of images I am referring to were captured at Six Mile Cypress Lake that were meant to be a final chapter many weeks ago. Those images will have to wait at least another week. I have the opportunity to continue forward with the new or move backward. My intent is to move forward with a reference to the past not yet too distant.


The Eurasian Wigeon above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.


The Eurasian Wigeon above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.


The Mallard hybrid with Pekin Duck above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.

I am excited to present to you observations made of Eurasian Wigeon on 21 March 2013 that was first brought to my attention by Vince McGrath (see a way to contact Vince in the sidebar of the blog). Tom Obrock was on the scene shortly thereafter, well before Dr. Jose had arrived for his observation, notifying me of the wigeon's continued presence. Tom advised me that he supposed I could enter the water after my inquiry of doing so.


The Eurasian Wigeon with Mottled Duck above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.


The Eurasian Wigeon above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.


The Mottled Duck above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.

That had me confident that there was not an alligator around to contend with. Upon arrival to Del Prado Linear Park where Vince had seen the wigeon much earlier in the day, Dr. Jose Padilla was walking around the pond as I got my first glimpse of the bird. With the windows of the car down to hopefully hear the wigeon call as Vince noted the wigeon very vocal during his observation, there was silence.


The immature White Ibis above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.


The Eurasian Wigeon above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.


The Eurasian Wigeon with Mottled Duck above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.

I would be challenged to describe the excitement in observing a life bird for the first time, not to mention an uncommon one, if you are not an enthusiast. The wigeon stood out distinctly different from all other birds I had previously seen, even from its great distance. Not having driven on this road off of Del Prado Boulevard before, I drove into the neighborhood to turn around and park behind Jose's car.


The Pekin Duck above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.


The Mallard hybrid above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.


The Eurasian Wigeon above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.

Mere minutes after my initial observation of the wigeon, Jose had told me that he flushed the bird and advised me of the direction it had gone. Not too long after Dr. Jose left, the Eurasian Wigeon was observed again. This time the bird was seen in flight as it made its way across the sky with several Mottled Duck. The birds made a few passes around the pond and landed in it as gracefully as can be expected.


The Mottled Duck above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.


The Mallard hybrid with Mottled Duck above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.


The Mallard hybrid above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.

After settling down to my preferred stationary position a kid approached on a bicycle. Since I was hogging up his sidewalk path, I let him know that I was observing a rare bird. He asked me if it was the one with the blue bill. Surprised by his observation skills, I told him yes. He advised me that there were two additional birds with blue bills like it that he had seen at Del Prado Linear Park in the previous few months which he noted he had told his parents about.


The Eurasian Wigeon above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.


The Eurasian Wigeon with Mottled Duck above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.


The Eurasian Wigeon with Mottled Duck above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.

I made the mistake you should not by initially failing to ensure proper camera settings for the conditions. The unnecessarily closed aperture setting used for the first wigeon flight shots was what was previously used favorably at the beach. I also had the camera set at 250 ISO which caused most of the shots of the wigeon to be unacceptable as the shutter speed was too slow causing a blur as I attempted to follow the quickly moving bird.


The Eurasian Wigeon above was photographed at Del Prado Linear Park in March 2013.


The Anhinga above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.

Also personally seen was contention between a Mallard Duck hybrid and two of the Mottled Duck. The larger Mallard had the upper hand when the Mottled Duck got too close to his female Pekin Duck. It was my great fortune to observe the Eurasian Wigeon for a couple of hours before deciding to catch up with Canadian visitors Frank Constantin and Stéphane Denis at Six Mile Cypress Lake.


The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.

Additional images presented in this article were taken at Six Mile Cypress Lake on the day I observed the wigeon. It was unusually quiet at Six Mile which I fear may have disappointed Frank and Stéphane. Frank did advise me that he saw Black-necked Stilt at the Lake upon his arrival, however. I have yet to see the stilt this season. The waders that make a flight west over the Lake near sunset were seen in significantly fewer numbers than typically observed in the winter months.


The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Green Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.


The Pied-billed Grebe above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.

I revisited the Del Prado Linear Park pond on 25 March, but failed to see the wigeon again. Since my initial observation of the wigeon, the species has been reported intermittently by others at Del Prado Linear Park and at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge north of Vero Beach. A rare bird indeed.


The Tricolored Heron with Cattle Egret and Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Lake in March 2013.