Florida Gulf Coast Creations

Tag: Water

  • 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.

  • Reddish Egret at Fort De Soto

    Reddish Egret at Fort De Soto

    For the past 9 days, our daughter and granddaughter have been visiting us from Japan. Of course, anyone who comes here wants to go to the beach so last week we took a trip to Fort De Soto Park in St. Petersburg. They have a huge beach that is good for shelling. While the ladies were walking the shore searching for shells, I wandered over by one of the large tidal pools to watch a reddish egret fish for its breakfast.

    In the United States, the reddish egret is typically only found along the shores of the Gulf of America. They are not a common bird but we often see several at Fort De Soto Park. In fact, the park has become a destination for birders and photographers looking for a reddish egret.

    They are very entertaining when they begin hunting for food. They work the shallow waters of the tidal pools where small fish get trapped by the receding waters. The egrets will run through the water, often with their wings raised like a cape to herd the fish into areas that are easier for them to grab.

    Reddish Egret Striking Water For Fish
    Reddish Egret Striking the Water for a Small Fish

    For more information about reddish egrets, follow the links below.

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

  • Little Winter Wonders

    Little Winter Wonders

    One of my favorite birds is the green-winged teal. They are beautiful small ducks that migrate here every winter. While green-winged teal are a common species, they can be difficult to find because they prefer smaller shallow ponds with plenty of cover. Last year we were dealing with the high water left over from hurricane Ian which created numerous areas for them to inhabit that were inaccessible for us. So, we had virtually no good photo opportunities all season.

    Green Winged Teal Preening In Morning
    Green-winged Teal Preening in the Morning

    But this year we found a park near St. Petersburg where a modest flock has taken up residence for the winter months with a group of blue-winged teal. Thankfully, they have been close enough to shore for some good pictures. The duckweed that they enjoy seems plentiful so hopefully they will stick around for a few more weeks.

    Follow the links for more information on these pretty little ducks.

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

  • Bahia Beach Preserve

    Bahia Beach Preserve

    One of our favorite spots for bird photography is a little place in Hillsborough County, FL called Bahia Beach Preserve. It sits on the east side of Tampa Bay only ¾ of a mile from the bay and just ¼ of a mile from the Little Manatee River. Because of its proximity to the bay, it can be a magnet for water birds.

    Bahia Beach Preserve has provided some amazing photo opportunities for waterfowl in the past. We’ve usually visited the preserve during the winter months after the migratory birds have arrived. But we decided to give it a try after reading some promising reports from local birders. It did not disappoint. We made two trips over the past 10 days.

    One of the birds we were hoping to see was an American Avocet. Their general range is across the western US, but some do travel closely along the far southern coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico during the winter.

    American Avocet Resting In Shallow Calm Water
    American Avocet Resting ion Shallow Calm Water

    Avocets have long necks and legs. Their black and white markings are striking when they fly. Avocets are mostly white, but their head, neck, and upper chest turn a brownish-peach color during breeding season. Their long, thin, black bills turn up at its tip. The bill is really the only way to distinguish the males from the females. The bill of the female is more upturned at the tip while the bill of the male is slightly longer. They like to feed in shallow waters like small ponds or pools along tidal mud flats. Avocets swing their bills from side to side through the water to stir up prey. They eat mostly aquatic insects and small shrimp.

    American Avocet Taking Flight
    American Avocet Taking Flight

    In addition to the Avocets, we also found many other water birds such as egrets and herons. As a bonus, we also came across several colorful roseate spoonbills.

    Roseate Spoonbill Trio Feeding In Quiet Water
    Roseate Spoonbill Trio Feeding in Quiet Water

    Follow the link below for more information on Bahia Beach Preserve.

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

  • North Port

    North Port

    While we get ready for the start of the fall migration, we like to find some new spots to check out. Recently, at the suggestion of one of our birding friends, we took a trip to Deer Prairie Creek Preserve South in North Port, FL. The park sits along the shores of the Myakka River at a point before the river widens and joins the Peace River and flows into Charlotte Harbor by the Gulf of America.

    We arrived at the park that morning right before a thunderstorm moved by. It was a typical summer day in Florida with the storms forming over the Gulf of America and coming onshore. The storms can often create some great photo opportunities like interesting cloud formations, lightning shots, and rainbows. This day we had some good cloud and rainbow shots.

    Thunderstorm Clouds Billowing Up
    Thunderstorm Clouds Billowing Up into the Sky
    Broken Rainbow Over Myakka River
    Broken Rainbow Over the Myakka River

    While little tributaries of the river flow through the park, most of it is flat prairie and scrub land along with pine forests. There are lots of trails that are easy to hike. It seemed like a great spot to find the elusive Florida Scrub Jay. But we were on a mission to find a Brown-headed Nuthatch. We had gotten reports of sightings of these little birds at the park and decided to try and find them. While eventually identifying one by its call, we only got a brief flash of the bird as it flew off. Unfortunately … no photos.

    While going on a nice long hike, there were a few occasions to capture some images of herons and egrets fishing.

    Young Little Blue Heron Grabbing Tadpole
    Immature Little Blue Heron Grabbing a Tadpole

    See the link below for more information on Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and the Brown-headed Nuthatch.

  • Mergansers

    Mergansers

    The past few years we have been fortunate to find several groups of hooded mergansers that picked this area as their winter home. They are small diving ducks that like to feed on little fish, snails, and water insects. When they find a good food source and get into a feeding frenzy, they will dive repeatedly until they are satisfied, or the food source disappears. They will surface only for a moment before diving again. During these periods, they can be a challenge to photograph.

    Male Hooded Merganser Surfaces After Dive
    Male Hooded Merganser Surfaces After Diving for Food

    Male mergansers like to show off. Their bright white crown feathers are striking when fanned. They will often do water dances for the females and chase other males to show dominance. Unfortunately, they don’t stay here for long. They’re among the first group of ducks to leave in the spring, often by the first of March. But while they’re here, they are enjoyable to watch.

    Hooded Merganser Male Rests On Pond In Sunlight
    Hooded Merganser Male Rests on a Pond in the Sun

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

  • Vermilion Flycatcher

    Vermilion Flycatcher

    Earlier this spring, my wife Pam and I got our cameras out and took a ride over by Orlando to find a rare bird that had been reported in the area. The bird is a Vermilion Flycatcher, and the males are beautiful. They are normally found in South America, Central America, Mexico, and the very southern part of the US. Those observed in Florida have likely migrated north for the winter. Most years there will only be a handful reported across all of Florida. This was a “lifer” bird for us.

    Vermillion Flycatcher Perched In Tree
    Vermillion Flycatcher Perched in a Tree

    Like other flycatchers, they are fun to watch feed as they take to the air from their perch to catch flying insects. They are quite acrobatic while on the chase.

    A couple of weeks later, I went back to the same spot with my good friend and fellow photographer, Art Nadelman, and the flycatcher was still there. This was also a “lifer” bird for Art! Once again, he cooperated for us to get some more pictures.

    For more information about these beautiful little birds, check out 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:

  • The Notorious Deep Hole

    The Notorious Deep Hole

    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 Bank Of Pond
    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.

  • Lake Morton Waterfowl

    Lake Morton Waterfowl

    Lakeland, FL is aptly named with over 30 lakes within the city limits. The best lake for photography always seems to be Lake Morton. It’s famous for its population of swans. But the main reason we like Lake Morton is for the wood ducks and several migrating ducks that visit every year. It’s a nice easy walk of about 1 mile to go completely around the lake. But it can take over an hour because of all the photo opportunities.

    Mallard Drake Peacefully Resting
    Mallard Drake Resting Peacefully with His Head Tucked Under His Wing

    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.

  • Reddish Egret

    Reddish Egret

    One bird that has become a favorite of photographers is a reddish egret. They are acrobatic feeders. There is one that people search for at Fort DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg. If you find a group of people in the tidal flats, you can generally figure that a reddish egret is the focus of their attention. They typically favor the pools along the beaches created by the receding tide where fish get trapped.

    Recently we found one that was fishing shallow inland waters. He was alongside a large flock of white pelicans.

    Reddish Egret Watching For Fish
    Reddish Egret Watching for Fish

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

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