Okay, I will admit it … I like watching Loggerhead Shrikes (and their Up North cousin, the Northern Shrike). These little songbirds have an attitude, and think they are a full fledge raptor. They even sometimes impale their prey on barbed wire. Uff Dah!

In case you missed it, my previous post … Loggerhead Shrikes Love! However over the past two days I have had some great shrike watching … first at Estero Bay State Preserve, and then at West Harns Marsh. Even though I had drizzle / cloudy conditions, the shrike couple performed for me this morning. Enjoy! Home to Northern Minnesota tomorrow morning.

Estero Bay Loggerhead Shrike: I actually saw this shrike fly over and land extremely close to where I was standing, on the other side of a palm tree. I knew I dare not move, but there was a small gap in through the palms which allowed me to watch the bird hunt.

West Harns Marsh

Loggerhead Shrike … The Movie! (video link for blog email subscribers)

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!