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.
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.
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 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 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.
Springtime in Cape Coral, FL means one thing …. burrowing owls. Nesting season is almost finished and most of the new owls have grown as large as their parents. They can fly and are learning to hunt. The family units are still intact so it’s fun to see several together outside their burrows.
Four Burrowing Owls Outside Their Nest
The city of Cape Coral does a great job protecting the owls. They even have a Burrowing Owl Festival. Cape Coral has the largest population of burrowing owls in Florida and many people visit just to see the owls. It’s easy to get within 30 or 40 feet of them for some great photo opportunities. The owls are used to people, so they are tolerant. And photographers are very respectful of these little treasures.
On this day, we saw almost 40 owls, which is a very big number. It was a positive sign that, despite a lot of new construction, the owls seem to still be thriving. The mannerisms of burrowing owls are so different from other owls. Typically, great horned owls, barred owls, and screech owls will sit very still in trees. Their movements are usually slow and smooth. Burrowing owls are like bobbleheads. Their heads are constantly moving as they stay on alert. The most feared predator of burrowing owls is a hawk so you will see them often looking up. It also makes catching a photo of them staring directly at the camera a challenge. Burrowing owls are beautiful little birds that are smaller than a crow. They are only found in Florida east of the Great Plains.
The link below provides more information specific to the Cape Coral owls.
Now that the summer is upon us and the weather is getting hot, a favorite location for us to visit is Highlands Hammock State Park just outside Sebring. Like many other parks in Florida, it has a diversified habitat. The park transitions from a dry, primitive area with scrub oaks and pine trees to a deep woodland swamp with huge cypress trees. In between is an area called the hammock which is covered with large hardwood trees.
Our favorites are the primitive and swamp areas. On this occasion, we didn’t make it to the swamp because there was so much activity in the primitive area. Highlands Hammock is known for having a population of Florida scrub jays, which are endangered. We were fortunate to find the jays. This time of year, the red-headed woodpeckers, northern flickers, and eastern towhees return to nest. We often see great horned owls, bobwhite quail, eastern bluebirds, American kestrels, and other woodpeckers.
You can learn more about Highlands Hammock at the link below.
Just outside of Gainesville in the town of Micanopy, FL lies Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. It is one of the largest parks in the state with almost 23,000 acres. It is designated as a National Natural Landmark. The preserve is known for snail kites, which is why we traveled there. There are also herds of bison and wild horses in the park, but we didn’t see them because high waters prevented us from reaching certain areas.
We did, however, see several very large alligators. Since it was mating season, the males were bellowing all over the marsh. It’s an intimidating noise that sounds a lot like a lion roaring. At one point we thought we would witness a showdown between two very large gators but when they finally faced off, the smaller of the two hustled away into the grass.
Large Male Alligator Bellowing in a Marsh
But our trip was to see the snail kites and they did not disappoint. We counted a total of nine. It’s uncommon to see more than two or three so it was a great day. The only place in the US where Snail kites are found is Florida. They are considered endangered because of habitat loss. The main staple of their diet is the apple snail which are the size of a medium apple. They have a hooked bill which helps them dig the meat out of the large shells. Years ago, their main habitat was in the Everglades. But steady loss of the wetlands has forced them further north in search of more shallow lakes and marshes with apple snails.
Female Snail Kite Perched on a Dead Limb
The links below contain more information about Paynes Prairie State Park.
The Celery Fields nature preserve in Sarasota is another top destination for birders and photographers on the gulf coast of Florida. It’s also a popular place for runners and walkers with a series of trails.
From the 1920s to around 1995, the fields were used for growing celery crops which is how the area got its name. The Celery Fields is also on the Great Florida Birding Trail.
What makes the Celery Fields so popular is the wide range of bird species. We generally see several birds of prey, wading birds, songbirds and during the winter months, many ducks. The preserve is managed by the Audubon society, and they maintain feeders which are frequently visited by nanday parakeets, red-winged blackbirds, and other songbirds.
Bluebird Male Sitting in a Small Pine Tree
The past two years, a yellow-headed blackbird has appeared at the feeders, and he stayed there for the entire winter.
The link below provides more information about the Celery Fields.
The University of Florida is recognized as one of the top public universities in the country. It’s also known for its highly successful athletic programs. But this year, UF also had the distinction of being home to a rare yellow cardinal.
Yellow Cardinal Resting in a Willow Tree
According to most data, there are an estimated 15 million cardinals in the eastern US. But there are only a reported 10-15 yellow cardinals in that group. So, finding a yellow cardinal is literally a one-in-a-million opportunity. This year one has been living in the natural area teaching lab off Natural Area Drive. People have been traveling from all parts of Florida to find this rare bird. Thanks to some help from others, we were fortunate to find him, but he was difficult to catch out in the open. He liked the willow shrubs and often stayed in the interior areas of the shrubs making photography very challenging.
We were also lucky enough to find a ruby-throated hummingbird nest with eggs. The female would fly off and return frequently.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Female Resting on Her Nest
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
As the “snowbird” season comes to an end in Florida, we wanted to try and photograph a few waterfowl species before they begin or continue their journeys north. One of the species that spends time here is the ruddy duck. We’ve photographed the attractive little ducks in the past, but we’re always on a mission to find that perfect shot. So, we headed to Lakeland where we have always found ruddy ducks in the past. We follow the recent sightings from birders on Cornell University’s website so we knew the ducks were still in the area from several reports. As luck would have it, they chose a different lake that day!
But all was not lost. This day turned out to be one of the best days we’ve ever had for wood ducks. We saw almost 30, and many were just perched and preening in the morning sun. Their colors are simply amazing. Other birds that settled on or around the lake that day included mallards, ring-necked ducks, mute swans, black swans, lesser scaup, and a large flock of white pelicans.
Wood Duck Male Resting on a Wall
The male pelicans were hilariously courting the females by cruising around the lake with their wings lifted over their backs.
White Pelican Male with a Wings Up Pose
Here is a link to Cornell’s website which is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in birds.
Again, this year, we had a pair of sandhill cranes nest right around the corner from our house. The eggs finally hatched and there are now 2 new crane “colts” enjoying the neighborhood. The cranes chose to build their nest by a pond that they used 2 years ago. Luckily it was in a spot that was easy to see and photograph. The images I shot were right after the first egg hatched. The colt was less than a day old. The second egg hatched the next day and within another couple of days the family had moved on.
Female Sandhill Crane Nudges Her New Chick
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
A few weeks ago, we took a long ride down by Lake Okeechobee to look for a couple of rare birds for our region. They had been sighted at a campground on the south end of Lake Okeechobee. On the ride over we spotted a bald eagle with opossum roadkill for breakfast, and we were able to get some good shots. Further along, there was a species of game bird that has adapted to the south Florida habitat and is now beginning to build a population. The bird is a red-legged partridge, and it is very colorful. Like grouse and quail, it likes the ground and would rather run than fly. We were fortunate to see several that popped out of the grass and ran along a dirt road.
Red-legged Partridge Walks Along the Edge of a Road
Our destination ended up being a bust. The two species we were hoping to find didn’t show. So, the 2-plus hour drive through citrus groves and sugar cane fields was salvaged by the eagle, the partridge and a tom turkey that was fanning for a harem of hens in a field. Sometimes the journey is better than the destination.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
We recently ventured out to nearby nature preserve which has a large stand of scrub oaks. In Florida, when you find sizable areas of scrub oaks, you may find Florida scrub jays. They are very sociable and curious and tend to travel in family groups. Scrub jays can be very approachable which makes them a fun species to photograph. Their bright blue and gray markings are beautiful. It’s always a treat to find them because there are so few around. They are only found in Florida. The Federal Endangered Species Act lists them as threatened.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
Florida is known for alligators. Many people think of the Everglades as the foremost destination for seeing alligators. But if you live in or are visiting the southwest part of the state, there is no need to travel any further than Sarasota County to see lots of large gators.
Large Group of Alligators Resting Along the Bank of a Pond
One amazing place is in a remote section of Myakka River State Park called the Deep Hole. The pond was supposedly created by a sink hole and is estimated to be over 100 feet deep. A special pass is required to visit the Deep Hole and only 30 passes are distributed every day.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
