Florida Gulf Coast Creations

Tag: Birds In Flight

  • Rare Fork-Tailed Flycatcher

    Rare Fork-Tailed Flycatcher

    Birdwatching is often about patience and timing, and sometimes it rewards you with unforgettable moments. During a recent visit to Bahia Beach Nature Preserve in Ruskin, Florida, we experienced such a moment when we encountered a fork-tailed flycatcher. This rare vagrant to North America dazzled with its graceful flight and striking appearance, making it a highlight of the birding journey.

    The Fork-Tailed Flycatcher: A Snapshot of Elegance
    The fork-tailed flycatcher is a slender bird known for its strikingly long, deeply forked tail that gives the species its name. Its plumage contrasts beautifully, with a jet-black cap, gray back, and pristine white underparts. Measuring 14 to 15 inches in length, the tail alone accounts for much of its size, making the bird’s silhouette unmistakable in the field.

    Fork Tailed Flycatcher Perched On End Of Stick
    Fork-tailed Flycatcher Perched on the End of a Stick

    Native to Central and South America, the fork-tailed flycatcher thrives in open habitats such as savannas, grasslands, and marshy areas, often near water. While it primarily resides in its southern range, some populations migrate seasonally, and a few individuals occasionally venture as far north as the southern United States. Such sightings are rare, making my encounter in Ruskin even more special.

    A Day to Remember
    We arrived in the early afternoon on a cool and sunny day. As we strolled through the preserve’s pathways, we quickly noticed a group of photographers and birders and knew that was where the flycatcher would be. Perched elegantly on a branch above the water, scanning the skies for prey, was the unmistakable fork-tailed flycatcher. Its elongated tail feathers fluttered lightly in the breeze, and its watchful gaze seemed almost regal.

    We positioned ourselves to get the sun to our backs and set up our cameras. I was initially shooting with my Canon R5 equipped with an 800mm lens. As I adjusted my settings, the bird took off, showcasing its acrobatic flight skills as it darted after an insect. The agility of its movements and the beauty of its silhouette against the afternoon light were mesmerizing. After several attempts, I captured a series of shots as the bird landed again, briefly resting on a nearby perch.

    Fork Tailed Flycatcher Balances On Small Twig
    Fork-tailed Flycatcher Balances on a Small Twig

    Photographing this bird was no easy feat. Its constant movement and the interplay of light through the bushes tested my skills and patience. I decided to go back to the car and switch to my Canon R6 camera which has a feature called Raw Burst Mode which captures images for a brief half second before actually snapping the shot. This feature is enormously helpful to capture the flight of a bird like the flycatcher that takes flies off frequently. Changing cameras was well worth it.

    Fork Tailed Flycatcher Takes Off To Chase Bug
    Fork-tailed Flycatcher Takes Off to Chase a Bug

    The Beauty of Vagrancy
    In North America, the fork-tailed flycatcher is considered a rare vagrant. Factors such as weather patterns, food availability, or navigational errors may push these birds far beyond their usual range. Such unexpected journeys make sightings like mine at Bahia Beach Nature Preserve even more remarkable. This bird stayed for less than two weeks before moving on. It serves as a reminder of the dynamic and often unpredictable nature of bird migration.

    A Call to Explore
    The fork-tailed flycatcher’s appearance in Ruskin is a testament to the richness of Florida’s ecosystems and the surprises they hold for those willing to look. Whether you’re a seasoned birder or just beginning your journey into the world of avian wonders, places like Bahia Beach Nature Preserve offer the chance to witness moments that stay with you forever.

    For me, the fork-tailed flycatcher will always symbolize the thrill of discovery and the rewards of persistence in nature. I hope my story inspires others to pick up their binoculars, step into the wild, and embrace the unexpected.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, please visit the galleries listed.

  • Bahia Beach Nature Preserve

    Bahia Beach Nature Preserve

    This past Monday, my friend Art Nadelman and I made a visit to Bahia Beach Nature Preserve in Ruskin. The preserve is less than a mile from Tampa Bay and has become one of favorite winter spots for waterfowl. We often see many other species of water birds like herons, egrets, gulls and shorebirds. Occasionally we also see some beautiful roseate spoonbills. We don’t typically go to this spot during the summer because of mosquitoes. But we had another motivation for making the trip.

    Last fall Canon released a new zoom lens that received rave reviews in testing. Both of us ordered the lens back in November when it was first available to ship. It only took 6 months for us to get them. No need to comment here. We felt like this would be a great place to put the lens through a good test because the preserve is an easy walk and generally provides a lot of good photo opportunities, especially for birds in flight.

    Roseate Spoonbill Flares To Land
    Roseate Spoonbill Flares to Land

    The day turned out to be a blast. We arrived at sunrise to clear skies with lower humidity and a nice breeze. Better yet … no mosquitoes! The recent rains expanded the water areas and brought in a lot of birds. The hiking trail isn’t much more than a half mile long and it meanders along a large pond on the entire east side of the trail and two other ponds along the west side. We started off by walking to the very end of the path so we could position the sun behind our backs as we reversed and headed toward the park entrance.

    Reddish Egret Grabs Another Small Fish
    Reddish Egret Grabs Another Small Fish

    The birds were very active. We logged about 40 species, but the number of birds was impressive. I’ve written about reddish egrets in the past. Many photographers and birders head to Fort De Soto Park near St. Petersburg to see them. There are usually 1 or 2 fishing in the tidal pools. We rarely find them inland and, on this day, we had 4 feeding around us! There was also a flock of 19 spoonbills that didn’t seem to mind us being near them. Another of my favorite shorebirds is the black skimmer. It’s fun to watch them glide over the top of the water with their bottom beak skimming just under the surface for fish. There were close to 20 fishing in the ponds. We would normally only see those numbers on the coast but not inland. The waters were alive with birds. At times the shoreline seemed like a white mass with all the snowy egrets and great egrets. It was a feeding frenzy. There were numerous species of terns diving into the water for fish along with several types of gulls. It was amazing to see the activity.

    Sandwich Tern And Black Skimmer Join Feeding Frenzy
    Sandwich Tern and Black Skimmer Join the Feeding Frenzy

    In addition to the aerial displays, there were also other shorebirds. Black-necked stilts were everywhere. They’re funny-looking birds with their very long pink legs. As we finally got back near the park entrance, we came across a killdeer family that had 4 little fuzzy chicks running through the weeds. It was a fantastic morning.

    Killdeer Chick Stops For Moment
    Killdeer Chick Stops For a Moment

    If you’re wondering about the new lens, it performed beautifully. Both of us agreed, after reviewing hundreds of photos, that the lens is very impressive. I’m still not sure I can let Canon off the hook for the wait, but the results are exciting. We’ll see how it holds up in the long run.

    For more information about Bahia Beach Nature Preserve, follow the link below.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, please visit the galleries listed.

  • Cortez

    Cortez

    This week we took a little trip out to the village of Cortez, which is located on the shores of Sarasota Bay where it empties into the Gulf of America. Cortez is known for its commercial fishing fleets. There are still places to go to get fresh shrimp and several kinds of fish caught daily.

    But our visit wasn’t for seafood, it was to try and find a group of nesting Magnificent Frigatebirds. We got a tip that there were large numbers of them seen in Cortez. They are found along the coast in the southern United States, most commonly in Florida, and Mexico, and the Caribbean.

    Magnificent Frigatebirds are unique and peculiar. They are large seabirds that appear to be a mix of a few other species. They have the head and bill of a cormorant, the wings of a nighthawk and the split tail of a swallow-tailed kite. They are the only seabirds where the male and female look different. The males are all black and have a bright red pouch on the throat, which they can inflate like a balloon to attract females. The females are bigger than males and have a white chest. Juveniles have varying amounts of white on the head, chest, and belly. They start with a white head and belly and have a pale tan streak on their upper wings. They have the largest wing to body difference of any bird species. They tend to take flight later in the day when winds and thermals are greatest. As a result of their massive wingspan, they can drift on thermal winds for days while barely flapping their wings. Even though they have webbed feet, they rarely land on water because their feathers are not waterproof.

    Frigatebird Male Flies By Right With Red Neck Pouch Inflated
    Magnificent Frigatebird Male Flies by to the Right with his Red Neck Pouch Inflated

    The Magnificent Frigatebird feeding and nesting habits are also unusual. They primarily eat small fish and squid, which they grab from the surface of the water without getting wet. They also eat plankton, crabs, jellyfish, and other items on the surface of the water. They can be a common sight around fishing boats, where they wait for scraps to skim off the surface of the water. Sometimes they will even eat hatchling turtles, young terns and other birds, and eggs. What makes their feeding habits unusual is the way they steal food from other birds. Sometimes Frigatebirds will harass other birds until they regurgitate recently captured food, and then swoop down to steal the meal before it hits the water. Like swallow-tailed kites, they will swoop down and drink from small freshwater ponds and lakes. We were hoping to capture some shots of them swooping to drink but they didn’t cooperate that morning.

    Large Flock Magnificent Frigatebirds Leaving Island
    Large Flock of Magnificent Frigatebirds Leave their Island to Soar

    However, we were successful in finding a nesting colony. Frigatebirds breed and roost in colonies, with nests often very close together. The female usually builds the nest with materials brought by the male. It’s typically just a simple flimsy platform of sticks. They typically build their nests in mangroves and in low trees and shrubs on islands. In our case, we found their colony on a small island covered with mangroves. What’s unusual about the breeding habits of Frigatebirds is the relationship between parents and their young. They care for their young for up to a year after hatching. This is the most extended parental care cycle in the avian world. Juveniles often don’t leave the nest for 6 months and females will continue to feed them until they are one year old. The parents never leave the nest unguarded until young are half-grown, as other members of colony will eat their eggs or young at an unattended nest. Because of the long breeding cycle, most females likely don’t breed every year.

    Frigatebird Male With Red Neck Pouch Flies With Juvenile
    Magnificent Frigatebird Male with Red Neck Pouch Flies with a Juvenile

    When the juveniles finally leave the nest, they practice stealing “food” from one another by playing games with sticks. They hold sticks in their mouths and chase each other. When one of them drops the stick, the other dives below to retrieve it. I’ve included some links to articles with more information about these interesting and strange birds.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Fort Myers

    Fort Myers

    One of our best destinations to look for the uncommon snail kite is a large marsh just outside of Fort Myers. The kites nest in the area and the waters around the marsh are full of enormous apple snails, which is the main diet of snail kites.

    This day was not the best for snail kites. But their relatives, the swallow-tailed kites, put on quite a show for us. We know that there is a significant roosting area for the swallow-tailed kites not far to the east of this marsh. We were fortunate that a large group of them chose to feed above us. They are amazing to watch as they circle and glide chasing bugs and frogs and lizards.

    Swallow Tailed Kite Glides By To The Right
    Swallow-tailed Kite Glides by to the Right

    We’ll head back later in the summer after the young kites have grown and their parents are actively hunting for food. There will also be more apple snails that have hatched providing a better food supply. Stay tuned.

    For more information about this endangered species, go to the link below.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Snail Kites

    Snail Kites

    This past week my friend and fellow photographer Art Nadelman and I ventured down to the Fort Myers area in search of snail kites. I’ve written about snail kites on a couple of occasions in the past. Most recently we had a great day photographing kites near Gainesville. But this week was the best yet for capturing images of these beautiful birds.

    Snail kites are on the Federal Endangered Species list. They are only found in certain areas of Florida in the US. Their diet consists primarily of large apple snails. It’s fascinating to watch them hunt for and grab the snails from the water. They go in feet first and pluck the snails out of the shallows then fly off to a nearby perch to pick the meat out of the shell. Apple snails are aptly named because they can grow to the size of a small apple. For reference, here is a photo of one in my hand.

    Img 1015
    Apple snail

    We see snail kites occasionally throughout the year but rarely find more than a couple at a time. This week we found a larger group that included 3 males which is very unusual. The males are a beautiful blue-gray color with bright orange feet and bills and red eyes. Two of the males were banded.

    I’ve listed some links for more information on snail kites.

    A few more pictures from this journey are included below. For a larger selection of photos, go to these galleries:

  • Central Florida Kites

    Central Florida Kites

    Summertime in Florida is generally a quiet time for bird photos. Many of our winter visitors have gone north and won’t return until fall. But there are some species that migrate here for the summer to nest and raise their young. One of those is the beautiful swallow-tailed kite. They travel all the way from South America and stay here from March to August.

    Swallow Tailed Kite Banking To Right
    Swallow-tailed Kite Soaring to the Right

    My good friend and fellow photographer, Art Nadelman, and I, talked about our aspirations for this year and at the top of our list was to capture some good shots of kites. Since swallow-tailed kites spend most of their days in the air, our goal was to get them before they left their morning roosts. The challenge is finding those locations. Kites typically nest and roost in very remote areas near water which makes them inaccessible.

    As the breeding season winds down and the return flight back to South America approaches, the kites begin to congregate in large groups in just a few spots around the state. The numbers can reach as many as 1500 birds. The peak time for gathering is usually mid to late July. I’ve included a couple of links to read more about these amazing birds.

    This week we had the opportunity to achieve another goal. We went out with a guide that we learned about from a friend. The experience was incredible. We loaded up our gear on his boat before sunrise and headed out on a 4-mile journey through channels and floating water hyacinths to get back to the birds. When we rounded the last of what seemed like endless turns, there at the tops of the giant cypress trees were hundreds of the bright white kites. It was a “WOW” moment!

    Our guide worked with us to quietly maneuver the boat into great spots for us to get the best shots. We finally got our photos of swallow-tailed kites on perches. As the sun rose higher, the birds began to awaken and start preening for their day long flights. Eventually a few would test the breezes and search for the thermals that they would ride the rest of the day as they headed out to feed. Then more would take off and begin circling and rising – a process called “kettling” because it resembles stirring a kettle. Occasionally one or more birds would drop down and swoop across the water to get a drink or sometimes just to splash their feathers. This makes for a favorite shot for photographers. Unfortunately, we only had 2 “swoopers” that morning and my only shot was of a bird flying away.

    Swallow Tailed Kite Swooping For Drink
    Swallow-tailed Kite Swooping for a Drink

    By around 10-o-clock, the trees and skies were empty, and the birds had gone off to feed for the day. According to our guide, they usually start returning a couple of hours before sunset to settle in for the night. In between, they soar all day looking for bugs, lizards, frogs, or small snakes. In a few weeks, they’ll be on their way south again.

    I’ve attached some links for more information about these magnificent birds.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Wintering Waterfowl

    Wintering Waterfowl

    It started off being a rather quiet year for waterfowl. No matter where we went in December and early January, the numbers seemed down from years past. But the last couple of weeks have changed everything. Not only have the number of ducks improved, but we found a couple of species that we hadn’t seen in our travels. Most notably is the northern pintail. We located a small nature preserve near Tampa Bay that the ducks liked. In addition to the pintails, we found northern shovelers, widgeons, and plenty of teal, including my favorite, a green-winged teal. Hopefully they’ll stick around for a few more weeks.

    Northern Pintail Male Flying By
    Male Northern Pintail Flying By

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • More Scissor-tailed Flycatchers

    More Scissor-tailed Flycatchers

    Last week ended with a fantastic day photographing scissor-tailed flycatchers. These migrants travel all the way around the Gulf of America from Oklahoma and Texas to spend the winter here. They like open areas like farmland. We found them around the strawberry fields southeast of Tampa.

    They are beautiful birds that are fun to watch as they fly from perches to snag insects out the air. Their long-forked tails make them incredibly agile. They can twist and turn performing quite a show when chasing bugs.

    Over the past couple of years there have been numerous sightings even though they remain quite rare in this area.

    Scissor Tailed Flycatcher With Long Tail Sitting In Tree
    Scissor-tailed Flycatcher with a Long Tail Sitting in a Tree

    For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Active Owls

    Active Owls

    A few weeks ago, we headed out to look for owls. They are active now as the breeding season is underway. Our trip took us to the Sebring area and to Myakka River State Park in Sarasota County. We had success finding barred owls in both areas and also found a pair of great horned owls near Sebring. It was a fun day as the owls were very active which enabled us to get some rare flight pictures.

    Barred Owl Taking Off From Pine Tree
    Barred Owl Taking Off from a Pine Tree

    Our next photo shoot with the owls will surely include babies as many eggs have already hatched.

    For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Eagle Nesting Season is Underway

    Eagle Nesting Season is Underway

    The bald eagles are back, and nesting season has begun. Last week we headed to our favorite nest site and watched the eagles continue repairing and rebuilding their nest that blew down over the summer. When reports of the nest falling started rippling through the rumor mills, it was easy to wonder if the birds would abandon the site and move on to another location. If that happened, we would lose the best place photograph bald eagles in this area. But, thankfully, the eagles like the spot as much as we do!

    So, the rebuilding has begun, and the nest is growing larger every day. It’s amazing to watch each bird disappear and then return with large sticks or Spanish moss. They build the nest layer by layer until it’s deep enough to handle 2 full grown eaglets. The nest will be active until spring when the eaglets are old enough to leave the nest on their own.

    Bald Eagle Leaving Nest For Repair Materials
    Bald Eagle Leaving the Nest for Repair Materials

    Because this site is so accessible, it’s also very popular with photographers which means we get to reunite with friends we haven’t seen all summer.

    Fall is here …. finally. The northern birds are beginning to arrive, and migrators are starting to travel through the area. The next 6 months are prime time for wildlife photography in Florida.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Heading Toward Fall

    Heading Toward Fall

    Summer is beginning to wind down for many, including wildlife. It seems in Florida that summer is the time to catch up with things like editing and organizing photos and finishing projects that need to be done around the house. While summer is generally quieter for wildlife photography, there are species that we only see from March to August.

    The swallow-tail kite is a magnificent bird that migrates from South America in the spring to breed in Florida. Their diet consists mostly of insects although they also eat lizards and small snakes. They are about the same size as a red-tailed hawk but what makes them so spectacular is their flying skill. They can capture dragonflies out of the air. I was fortunate to witness one take a dragonfly off the tip of a bush in our back yard. I noticed movement in the air and when I looked, the kite had swooped down and picked off the dragonfly and slapped the top of the shrub with its tail just a few feet from where I was standing. Of course, my camera was INSIDE the house. Aargh!! Yet another missed opportunity. Sadly, they are leaving the area now ahead of hurricane season.

    Other birds that are non-migratory are often more visible during the summer months because of breeding activity. Sometimes we see odd behaviors and unusual sights like a bobwhite quail singing from a pine tree.

    Bobwhite Quail Singing In Pine Tree
    Bobwhite Quail Singing in a Pine Tree

    All species of birds of prey nest at different times of the year. Eagles start in late fall / early winter and are followed by owls and hawks that typically nest in early spring. In late spring the ospreys breed while summer is the time for kestrels, kites and caracaras.

    The good news is that we’re heading toward the best time of the year for birding in Florida. The fall migration is near. Many birds will be arriving for the winter while others will be stopping over on their way further south. From October through April, the state transforms into a sanctuary for so many different species.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Wood Storks

    Wood Storks

    I recently had the pleasure of capturing some fun birds in flight images with my neighbor and artist, Jerry Horine. We found an active area where wood storks were moving from their morning roosting spots. Storks are great targets because they tend to slowly glide a long way before landing. I also never realized how the edges of their wings had a green iridescence.

    A few pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

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