In my previous post I wrote about my search for the Reddish Egret. This morning while awaiting sunrise, I decided it would be fun to see if I could find some additional Reddish Egrets. Like many birding excursions, things took an unexpected but fun twist. eBird sightings revealed that “red” had been seen in some local ponds at the Estero Bay Preserve State Park. Better yet, this park was less than a 20 minute drive from my AirBnB.

You guessed it, I quickly drove over and much to my delight discovered Estero Bay was a park which was 100% undeveloped, and had some hiking trails that let through sparse deciduous hardwoods to salt water marshes and ponds … once again like the prior morning this park / nature preserve was 100% my own … nary another person. This was not a developed park, but a wildlife preserve.

Very quickly I discovered raptors very much liked the habitat which had great hunting perches. After hiking to the first pond, I became distracted with Loggerhead Shrikes. Apparently down here in South Florida it is courting time for shrikes. These songbirds with an attitude (Loggerhead Shrikes … Cornell Link). The female Loggerheads would sit atop various perches while their prospective mates would deliver food! Super fun to watch and document.

Loggerhead Shrike #1

Loggerhead Shrikes #2 and #3.

There was still one egret to find down here in south Florida. After seeing lots of herons and egrets, one species was eluding me … the Reddish Egret. Cornell describes this bird in this manner: “In the stately and dignified world of herons, Reddish Egrets are the swashbuckling cousins. These big, cinnamon and steely gray birds put on a show as they forage in shallow saltwater. They race back and forth, open and shut their wings, stir up sediment with their feet, and even swoop low over the water in flight—all in pursuit of small fish”. (Cornell link)

My search focused upon the shorebird heaven in the Fort Myers area, Bunche Beach. If you visit this beach, arrive about an hour after low tide when the incoming waters bring food to the shorebirds, egrets and herons. Two afternoons ago I found a Reddish Egret near the outflow of the small creek that is 1/2 mile down the shore to the NW from the parking. Unfortunately the egret was always between me and the sun … a silhouette. Yesterday morning I returned shortly after sunrise to Bunche Beach in the hopes “red” would be hunting for breakfast near the same creek outflow. Jackpot, but this time the sun was low  and behind me … the golden hour!

Before I show the Reddish Egret images, here are some parking lot photos! I was birding the beach for 90 minutes, and apparently the morning low of 41F kept everyone away except this MInnesotan. I was the only person present … no morning beachcombers or birders! Here are two photographs of my rental car … the only vehicle present.

Most of my photographs were taken as I watched to Reddish Egret fish right next to a White Ibis. These two wading birds have different food desires, and foraging methods. It was obvious the Egret was watching to see what the Ibis might scare up!

Three days ago I did not even know that Nanday Parakeets existed. I had previously posted that I drove over to the Pelican Baseball Fields … not in search of Burrowing Owls but Monk Parakeets (Birding Florida’s Undesirables). In my research prior to my Pelican Baseball Trip birding extravaganza, I discovered eBird reports mentioned a few Nanday Parakeets. This led me to wonder … what is this bird?! I quickly did eBird species searches for south Florida and discovered Nanday Parakeets were quite possible to find in the Fort Myers area (also known as a Black-Hooded Parakeet).

Over the next two days I drove the Fort Myers area and took hikes at parks where I sometimes saw the Nanday Parakeets at a distance. I was never able to get truly close. Thankfully at a Fort Myers city park I met some local birders while walking the Billy Creek Preserve (a delightful park for birding). When I told them I was on a Nanday Parakeet Quest, they said drive north to Celery Fields near Sarasota. This area is actually and old clery farm which was purchased by the local Audubon society. It has amazing number of Nanday Parakeets.

This morning, Sunday, I woke up early as always (5:15 am). I was trying to decide where to bird this fine morning. I decided to look at eBird reports for Celery Fields and Nanday Parakeets. Some reports had over 400 of of these parakeets at Celery Fields. I decided … why not drive north to Sarasota? Remember, Florida traffic is horrible, but I decided on Sunday morning traffic should be way less at 6:45 am (it was less on I-75).

Jackpot! I saw hundreds of Nanday Parakeets! The Audubon Society has feeders which attract these birds to easily observable spots first thing in the morning. Should you decide to make the trip plan on getting there early. I arrived by 8:15 am. By 9:30 there was nary a Nanday Parakeet around, but prior … hundreds and hundreds till the morning feed was finished.

I had to deal with heavy fog when I first arrived, but I have learned through years of bird photography that fog and rain 0ften brings out deep colors in bird plumage. It is only in the later two or three photos that I started to have brighter conditions as the fog started to burn off.

The Nanday Parakeets of Celery Fields!