A Fish Heist At Carlos Pointe: Pt. I

It was surreal to drive along Estero Boulevard and Fort Myers Beach on the morning after the Independence Day holiday.

The sunrise above (image 1) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

It appeared I was one of few up and about save a few pedestrians in the predawn hour about while on my way to Carlos Pointe. Bud Tom Obrock had told me of the Black Skimmer fuzzballs that were abundant there a few days earlier.

The fisherman above (image 2) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The fishermen above (image 3) were photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Roseate Spoonbill above (image 4) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Least Tern above (image 5) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Snowy Plover incubating eggs above (image 6) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer chick above (image 7) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The birds were active over Big Carlos Pass as were the fishermen shortly before sunrise. Certainly nothing unusual about that. After parking I was eager to cross the bridge and see the action at Carlos Pointe up close.

The Black Skimmer chick above (image 8) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with chick above (image 9) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer chick above (image 10) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer above (image 11) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with prey above (image 12) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with prey above (image 13) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

A dozen or so Roseate Spoonbills immediately caught my attention at the pool. The purpose of the circus flags that are hung over the water there are a mystery. I should have asked one of the wildlife volunteers that were seen this day who is responsible for them.

The Black Skimmer with prey above (image 14) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with prey above (image 15) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with prey above (image 16) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with prey above (image 17) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with prey above (image 18) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with prey and chick above (image 19) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The next thing of interest as I walked north were the owl decoys. My thought was that they were to deter other predator birds that would readily consume the chicks and juveniles that are abundant at this venue this time of year.

The Black Skimmer with chick and Laughing Gull above (image 20) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with Laughing Gull above (image 21) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with prey above (image 22) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with prey above (image 23) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with chick above (image 24) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with Laughing Gull above (image 25) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

Well, my attention was next focused on the Black Skimmer colony. It was here that I would settle down and observe. Although I was tempted on a few occasions to get closer to the wildlife, it was rewarding enough to watch the action from the point where its was impossible to identify the decoys without very close scrutiny.

The Laughing Gull above (image 26) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with chick above (image 27) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with chick above (image 28) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with chick above (image 29) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer with chick above (image 30) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Snowy Plover above (image 31) was photographed at Carlos Point in July 2015.

There was a very modest breeze this particular morning which made the flight of the birds unpredictable though I managed to occasionally stay with them. There was a recurring auto focus opportunity. This venue had previously been of interest to me for observation of a Red-necked Phalarope.

The Brown Pelican above (image 32) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Common Ground Dove above (image 33) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The juvenile Little Blue Heron above (image 34) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

The Black Skimmer above (image 35) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

A small flock of Laughing Gulls were assessing the situation.

The Black Skimmer above (image 36) was photographed at Carlos Pointe in July 2015.

Please also see A Fish Heist At Carlos Point: Pt. II

Birds, Bees, And Rabbits At Little Estero Lagoon: Pt. III

Southwest Florida in late spring through the summer months affords a great opportunity to observe wildlife at the beaches in a slightly cooler environment than that inland.

The juvenile Least Tern above (image 1) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

One of the more enjoyable observations made at Little Estero Lagoon, just south of Fort Myers Beach, was of a juvenile Least Tern flying from north to south slightly off the shoreline as it made numerous dives to investigate anything on the water's surface.

The juvenile Least Tern above (image 2) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The juvenile Least Tern above (image 3) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The juvenile Least Tern above (image 4) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The juvenile Least Tern above (image 5) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The juvenile Least Tern above (image 6) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Black Skimmer above (image 7) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Royal Tern above (image 8) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Great Egret above (image 9) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

It was also interesting to note that all the plover and tern juveniles and chicks appeared to have had their fill of fish within 90 minutes of sunrise thanks to the relentless work of the adults.

The Great Egret above (image 10) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Brown Pelican above (image 11) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Great Blue Heron above (image 12) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Willet above (image 13) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Ruddy Turnstone above (image 14) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Black Skimmer above (image 15) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Snowy Egret above (image 16) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Wilson's Plover above (image 17) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

A large number of Black Skimmers were also observed traveling south toward Carlos Point. These birds may have been loafing at Bunche Beach Preserve overnight where they may remain until an inexplicable blastoff or disturbance.

The Mourning Dove above (image 18) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Least Tern above (image 19) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Osprey above (image 20) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 21) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Black Skimmer above (image 22) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Reddish Egret above (image 23) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Osprey above (image 24) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Osprey above (image 25) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

With a little luck I was in the right place at the right time to observe interaction between a small group of Ospreys that were congregated at the north lagoon adjacent to the Wyndham Hotel.

The Osprey above (image 26) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Osprey above (image 27) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The 1st spring Little Blue Heron above (image 27) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Purple Martin above (image 28) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The Purple Martin above (image 29) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

The European Starling above (image 30) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

In the few short hours of my visit to Little Estero Lagoon nearly 1700 images were captured for this three part series.

The European Starling above (image 31) was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon Critical Wildlife Wildlife Area in June 2015.

Please also see Birds, Bees, And Rabbits At Little Estero Lagoon: Pt. I
Please also see Birds, Bees, And Rabbits At Little Estero Lagoon: Pt. II