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More Fun from the Least Tern Colony

Posted Saturday, August 21, 2021Saturday, July 3, 2021 Jess YarnellPosted in Fort De Soto

I returned to the Least Tern colony in mid-June to visit my little babies. How time flies! One of the babies that I photographed on my last visit was already fledged. He fledged at 15 days, which is a few days faster than normal. The habitat at this colony is perfect for Least Terns! They banded the baby and dubbed him Tribble. Here he is sporting his new jewelry…

Banded Least Tern "Tribble" — Banded Least Tern “Tribble”

It was another morning to lie on my stomach and stay still so that I didn’t disturb these birds. These pictures were all taken with the 2x teleconverter on my 600mm lens. It let me see deep into the colony, where other tiny babies were being fed.

Life in a tern colony is tough. The predators are everywhere – the gulls, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron, and the ghost crabs. Way off in the distance, I saw terns throwing their wings up repeatedly, and I knew they were fending off a predator. This one successfully chased off a ghost crab.

Then sometimes the babies venture off into the territory of another family, and the adults get aggressive. I saw this adult repeatedly flying in and attacking this baby. Eventually the baby returned to his mom.

I loved it when the birds flew in right in front of me. This bird was still in full courtship mode. He brought in a fish and presented it to a female, who wasn’t interested in his advances. It’s hard work finding a mate!

The terns weren’t the only birds who charmed my camera that morning. A Snowy Plover chick was running around the beach. He was almost 3 weeks old at that point, so he surprised me when he burrowed under Mom for a quick snuggle. Maybe he was using her for a shade umbrella!

A Wilson’s Plover chick foraged near me too. He was close to fledging. His neck is all black because his feathers haven’t quite finished filling in there yet.

Wilson's Plover Baby — Wilson’s Plover Baby

It was such a privilege to hang out with these little guys. I returned to the car completely covered in sand with a huge grin on my face!

Mid-June Visit to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive

Posted Thursday, August 19, 2021Saturday, July 3, 2021 Jess Yarnell1 CommentPosted in Lake Apopka

I returned to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive in mid-June, this time in my car. I saw all the usual summer suspects. Let’s meet some of them…

This pair of Downy Woodpeckers was hanging out on the power lines near the Crazy U. The bird on the left is a male (red on back of head), and the bird on the right is a juvenile (red on top of head). The juvie was begging for food, and he eventually chased Dad into the bushes below.

I checked on my Purple Gallinule families. The adults were foraging like usual at the edge of the water. The little black baby was a little bigger than my last visit, and he danced energetically while begging for breakfast.

The Black-necked Stilts are growing quickly! This baby is a few weeks older than the newborn that I photographed at a different nest. He foraged quite independently – I didn’t even see his parents.

I can’t go to LAWD without photographing Least Bitterns. It never gets old. I’ve been on a mission to get a good flight shot of these beautiful birds. This summer has been really good for Least Bitterns.

Along Laughlin, I came across a White-winged Dove. It’s been a while since I’ve seen one at LAWD up close. This one was looking for nesting material. He tugged and tugged at the dead twigs in this bush. He finally detached a twig, then dropped it! Gathering nesting material is hard work.

My last photo of the morning was of a Ring-necked Duck at the Laughlin pull-off. Red-necked Ducks are a good find in Florida in mid-June. A couple of coots were out there too (summer residents, but in low numbers). In the hot summer sun, these birds reminded me of the fun we’ll have in a few months when the winter birds start to return!

Surprise Encounter with a Whimbrel

Posted Tuesday, August 17, 2021Saturday, July 3, 2021 Jess Yarnell2 CommentsPosted in Fort De Soto

After I visited with the wading birds on my last visit to Fort De Soto, I headed down the beach in search of other birds. I wasn’t expecting to find a Whimbrel walking towards me!

A pair of photographers scared the bird towards me, so I crouched low and focused as fast as I could. I quickly lost my soft blue background as the bird headed to higher ground on the beach. I had never been this close to a Whimbrel before. Who knew that he had bluish-gray legs?

The bird stood in some beach grasses and began to preen. A plane flew overhead and he stopped to peer up, wondering what the commotion was all about. Then he resumed his preening. Look at that long beak! It’s shaped to help him hunt.

I know a pair of Whimbrels was resident at Fort De Soto this winter, so hopefully it won’t be long before I see one again.