Perfect weather and tide conditions
These past two weekends in south Florida have been beautiful with mild to moderate winds, few clouds to none, and lower temperatures. This is the time of
year we look forward to the most. On both weekends, we paddled on Chokoloskee Bay in Everglades National Park to take advantage of the excellent tides.
For photographing on Chokoloskee Bay, having low tide in the morning (6 to 8 am) is perfect with an incoming tide the remainder of the morning. This would be
the case on November 10th. The following Saturday was not optimal, but it was still ideal with an outgoing tide all morning starting around 6 am. This meant
that by the time I got on the water around 7:30, many of the oyster beds would already be exposed. It is at the low tide when I see the most birds for
photographing.
In addition to the tide conditions was the change in temperature. On November 17th, we began our paddling day at about 58 degrees, quite chilly and requiring
a couple layers of clothes. I wore a long sleeve Coolmax t-shirt under my nylon fishing shirt and wore my Marmot rain jacket over that. By 9 am, the jacket
came off and I was comfortable the rest of the morning. There was some wind, about 10-15 knots which made the air refreshing. There were very few clouds
both mornings, but by noon, the sky began to fill up with the usual cluster of cumulis humilis clouds. These small round clouds with a nice blue sky as a
backdrop are a typical scene in the winter months in south Florida. Their formation in the early afternoon is an indication of warming temperatures as the day
wears on, with no significant disturbance going on with the weather. In other words, the summer storms are over!
The white pelicans are back!
On November 10th, we were on the water by 7 am, shortly after daybreak. From Chokoloskee Island Resort put-in, I skirted around the island staying close to
the shore looking for brown pelicans or other water birds in the area. As I continued south toward the “roseate spoonbill island”, I noticed white figures clustered
in the area of the oyster beds. There wasn’t the large white wall of white pelicans that I have seen before last December, but there definitely were several birds
hanging out in a small area. I paddled in that direction, staying east of the birds about 500 feet. As soon as I was in good light position, I started to slowly
paddle in the direction of the birds. By now, I could see that a couple dozen white pelicans, a few brown pelicans and a couple dozen cormorants were huddled
on the oyster island. This was going to be a great day!
At this time the sun was brilliant in the sky with no cloud cover. I set up my exposure (aperture priority) at f8, kept the ISO at 320 so that I could get a fast
shutter speed, and stopped down 2/3 for white birds. I got within 150 ft and as usual found that my stake-out pole was useless in this oyster bed. It was
shallow enough though that I could stick a foot out and plant it firmly on the ground. The wind was coming from the north and was working up the water so
that I had to brace myself firmly to minimize movement. I would try something different today as well. I had been complaining about having to hold the heavy
camera and lens for several minutes at a time without being able to rest my elbows on my knees. I thought of bringing a foam rubber block or something that I
could set on my lap to rest my elbows. I had an old blow-up pillow I bought for camping and never used because it was too dang uncomfortable. I decided to
give it a try. It seemed to work quite well and it came in handy for this situation where I could sit still for a long time photographing the white pelicans with my
arms comfortably supported. At some point, I will set up a monopod (or possibly my tripod) in my boat. In the meantime, I have to improvise.
The birds were a bit wary of me, especially the cormorants. One or two pelicans would fly off, circle around and either come back or land somewhere near by
in the water. Eventually, they all came back to the island while I stayed put. I did manage to creep a bit closer, but I would say outside of 100 feet. There
were boats whizzing by in the near by channel leading to Rabbit or Chokoloskee passes and one in particular seemed to spook the birds. Several of them flew
off to a nearby oyster bar. Others flew off and landed in the water some distance away and some flew away to where I was not sure. I had several minutes
of shooting the birds while they felt comfortable staying on their little island. They were resting and one or two would stay vigilant and kept their eyes on me
and other intruders. It was interesting to see the large white pelicans with the smaller brown pelicans. I’ve always been impressed with the size and wing span
of the brown pelicans, but next to the whites, they are tiny. White pelicans can have wing spans of 9 feet and when standing next to a brown pelican, they are
easily twice the size.
I was able to capture some of the birds in flight and caught one coming into the group for a landing. I was also able to capture a cluster of them in the water,
with their head positions synchronized, showing off their beautiful orange beaks and white feathers. Against the blue water, these birds are eye candy. At one
point, several birds took off, including the brownies and the cormorants and I captured a couple shots with a white, a brown and a cormorant taking off together.
These past two weekends in south Florida have been beautiful with mild to moderate winds, few clouds to none, and lower temperatures. This is the time of
year we look forward to the most. On both weekends, we paddled on Chokoloskee Bay in Everglades National Park to take advantage of the excellent tides.
For photographing on Chokoloskee Bay, having low tide in the morning (6 to 8 am) is perfect with an incoming tide the remainder of the morning. This would be
the case on November 10th. The following Saturday was not optimal, but it was still ideal with an outgoing tide all morning starting around 6 am. This meant
that by the time I got on the water around 7:30, many of the oyster beds would already be exposed. It is at the low tide when I see the most birds for
photographing.
In addition to the tide conditions was the change in temperature. On November 17th, we began our paddling day at about 58 degrees, quite chilly and requiring
a couple layers of clothes. I wore a long sleeve Coolmax t-shirt under my nylon fishing shirt and wore my Marmot rain jacket over that. By 9 am, the jacket
came off and I was comfortable the rest of the morning. There was some wind, about 10-15 knots which made the air refreshing. There were very few clouds
both mornings, but by noon, the sky began to fill up with the usual cluster of cumulis humilis clouds. These small round clouds with a nice blue sky as a
backdrop are a typical scene in the winter months in south Florida. Their formation in the early afternoon is an indication of warming temperatures as the day
wears on, with no significant disturbance going on with the weather. In other words, the summer storms are over!
The white pelicans are back!
On November 10th, we were on the water by 7 am, shortly after daybreak. From Chokoloskee Island Resort put-in, I skirted around the island staying close to
the shore looking for brown pelicans or other water birds in the area. As I continued south toward the “roseate spoonbill island”, I noticed white figures clustered
in the area of the oyster beds. There wasn’t the large white wall of white pelicans that I have seen before last December, but there definitely were several birds
hanging out in a small area. I paddled in that direction, staying east of the birds about 500 feet. As soon as I was in good light position, I started to slowly
paddle in the direction of the birds. By now, I could see that a couple dozen white pelicans, a few brown pelicans and a couple dozen cormorants were huddled
on the oyster island. This was going to be a great day!
At this time the sun was brilliant in the sky with no cloud cover. I set up my exposure (aperture priority) at f8, kept the ISO at 320 so that I could get a fast
shutter speed, and stopped down 2/3 for white birds. I got within 150 ft and as usual found that my stake-out pole was useless in this oyster bed. It was
shallow enough though that I could stick a foot out and plant it firmly on the ground. The wind was coming from the north and was working up the water so
that I had to brace myself firmly to minimize movement. I would try something different today as well. I had been complaining about having to hold the heavy
camera and lens for several minutes at a time without being able to rest my elbows on my knees. I thought of bringing a foam rubber block or something that I
could set on my lap to rest my elbows. I had an old blow-up pillow I bought for camping and never used because it was too dang uncomfortable. I decided to
give it a try. It seemed to work quite well and it came in handy for this situation where I could sit still for a long time photographing the white pelicans with my
arms comfortably supported. At some point, I will set up a monopod (or possibly my tripod) in my boat. In the meantime, I have to improvise.
The birds were a bit wary of me, especially the cormorants. One or two pelicans would fly off, circle around and either come back or land somewhere near by
in the water. Eventually, they all came back to the island while I stayed put. I did manage to creep a bit closer, but I would say outside of 100 feet. There
were boats whizzing by in the near by channel leading to Rabbit or Chokoloskee passes and one in particular seemed to spook the birds. Several of them flew
off to a nearby oyster bar. Others flew off and landed in the water some distance away and some flew away to where I was not sure. I had several minutes
of shooting the birds while they felt comfortable staying on their little island. They were resting and one or two would stay vigilant and kept their eyes on me
and other intruders. It was interesting to see the large white pelicans with the smaller brown pelicans. I’ve always been impressed with the size and wing span
of the brown pelicans, but next to the whites, they are tiny. White pelicans can have wing spans of 9 feet and when standing next to a brown pelican, they are
easily twice the size.
I was able to capture some of the birds in flight and caught one coming into the group for a landing. I was also able to capture a cluster of them in the water,
with their head positions synchronized, showing off their beautiful orange beaks and white feathers. Against the blue water, these birds are eye candy. At one
point, several birds took off, including the brownies and the cormorants and I captured a couple shots with a white, a brown and a cormorant taking off together.
| Photo Journal November 10 and 17, 2007 Chokoloskee Bay In the Ten Thousand Islands, and The East River in Fakahatchee Preserve |
Raccoons
By now, all the pelicans had moved on to another territory. I was able to continue photographing them here and there, but decided that I had met my quota for
white pelican photographs and frankly, there is a point where I feel I have encroached too much on these animals and should let them be. I found a yellow
crown nightheron feeding on an oyster bar and hung out with it for awhile. We had intended on heading out to the gulf today and would take Chokoloskee pass
to get there. After the nightheron, I headed into Chokoloskee pass and shortly thereafter, I rounded a corner and came across a large sand flat, clearly exposed
due to the low tide. Adjacent to it was a fairly large exposed oyster bed coming out of the mangroves. Lo and behold, a couple of scavenging raccoons were
busily raiding the oyster beds for food. They noticed me right away as a I slowly drifted into a shallow area about 50 feet away. As soon as I saw them, they
were in very nice lighting but when they noticed me, they slowly headed back to the shaded area of the mangroves and eventually into hiding. These guys
feed twice a day (at low tide) and I was interrupting their breakfast. When camping, they are a common sight on several of the islands.
I paddled away and headed back to where my paddling partner was fishing. After about 10 minutes or so of meandering around, I headed back to the raccoon
territory knowing that they would be back out on the oyster beds looking for food. One of them was back, so I approached very slowly and stayed put in the
shallow water. The animal noticed me of course and would periodically stop what it was doing and check me out to make sure I wasn’t presenting a problem.
The raccoon continued to feed while I tried to get some shots. I had a severe sidelight from my angle as he moved along the shaded mangrove shoreline. I
took some shots, but the lighting was very challenging. They are very good with their paws; and I watched this raccoon take a large clump of oyster shells and
turn it over and start digging. They are very resourceful animals. Although they have an endless supply of food, I feel sorry for them because fresh water is
hard to come by out here. This is why raccoons can be your worse nightmare when camping if you are not mindful and don’t keep your water safely secured
while camping.
Wading birds everywhere
I noticed several wading birds had begun to show up at the sand flat including a few ibises, willets, plovers and laughing gulls. We intended to keep paddling so
I left there and moved on. But, the outgoing tide was strong with the new moon and it would be a hard paddle back. Instead of going out to the gulf, we
meandered around the labyrinth of mangrove islands and eventually came back to the sand flat but from the other side. By now, several birds had congregated
there. There were about a dozen white ibises busily digging for food, one tricolor heron dancing around and catching bait fish, several little gray shore birds such
as willets and plovers, and several laughing gulls. Everyone was busily looking for food except the gulls. They were simply standing still, occasionally walking
away if my boat got a bit too close to them. I’m not sure what they were doing, but sometimes they would take off and fly around a bit and come back in. At
one point, an ibis must have gotten a bit too close and upset a few of the gulls that promptly scolded the ibis. I have a funny shot of this interaction that looks
like the gulls are ganging up on the annoyed ibis.
I decided to check out the tricolor heron. This bird was wading closer to the mangroves and was mostly in shaded water. Eventually, it came out into the open
but not so close to me. I never saw this in a tricolor heron before but it would do a dance similar to the reddish egret, although not as dramatic with the wings.
It would spread out its wings as it quickly stepped around the water and then it would jab intently into the water almost always resulting in a 2-3 inch bait fish in
its bill. Fun to watch, but it was difficult to photograph. I have a hard time getting sharp images on these thin birds. I always try to focus right on the eye or as
close to it as possible, but these guys are very skinny and very agile and quick. So, while I managed one or two decent shots, they are not the spectacular
display I try to capture. When photographing a bird, one of my criteria for an above average shot is to catch the light and get excellent focus on the eye. If I
don’t have these elements (or at least the excellent focus), there is no amount of behavior or wing display that will make my photo above average. At least that
has been my personal experience. Over time, I’ve become more discerning of my photos. A benefit to that is I don’t subject my friends and family to as many
poor quality photos and I use less computer memory space.
By now, all the pelicans had moved on to another territory. I was able to continue photographing them here and there, but decided that I had met my quota for
white pelican photographs and frankly, there is a point where I feel I have encroached too much on these animals and should let them be. I found a yellow
crown nightheron feeding on an oyster bar and hung out with it for awhile. We had intended on heading out to the gulf today and would take Chokoloskee pass
to get there. After the nightheron, I headed into Chokoloskee pass and shortly thereafter, I rounded a corner and came across a large sand flat, clearly exposed
due to the low tide. Adjacent to it was a fairly large exposed oyster bed coming out of the mangroves. Lo and behold, a couple of scavenging raccoons were
busily raiding the oyster beds for food. They noticed me right away as a I slowly drifted into a shallow area about 50 feet away. As soon as I saw them, they
were in very nice lighting but when they noticed me, they slowly headed back to the shaded area of the mangroves and eventually into hiding. These guys
feed twice a day (at low tide) and I was interrupting their breakfast. When camping, they are a common sight on several of the islands.
I paddled away and headed back to where my paddling partner was fishing. After about 10 minutes or so of meandering around, I headed back to the raccoon
territory knowing that they would be back out on the oyster beds looking for food. One of them was back, so I approached very slowly and stayed put in the
shallow water. The animal noticed me of course and would periodically stop what it was doing and check me out to make sure I wasn’t presenting a problem.
The raccoon continued to feed while I tried to get some shots. I had a severe sidelight from my angle as he moved along the shaded mangrove shoreline. I
took some shots, but the lighting was very challenging. They are very good with their paws; and I watched this raccoon take a large clump of oyster shells and
turn it over and start digging. They are very resourceful animals. Although they have an endless supply of food, I feel sorry for them because fresh water is
hard to come by out here. This is why raccoons can be your worse nightmare when camping if you are not mindful and don’t keep your water safely secured
while camping.
Wading birds everywhere
I noticed several wading birds had begun to show up at the sand flat including a few ibises, willets, plovers and laughing gulls. We intended to keep paddling so
I left there and moved on. But, the outgoing tide was strong with the new moon and it would be a hard paddle back. Instead of going out to the gulf, we
meandered around the labyrinth of mangrove islands and eventually came back to the sand flat but from the other side. By now, several birds had congregated
there. There were about a dozen white ibises busily digging for food, one tricolor heron dancing around and catching bait fish, several little gray shore birds such
as willets and plovers, and several laughing gulls. Everyone was busily looking for food except the gulls. They were simply standing still, occasionally walking
away if my boat got a bit too close to them. I’m not sure what they were doing, but sometimes they would take off and fly around a bit and come back in. At
one point, an ibis must have gotten a bit too close and upset a few of the gulls that promptly scolded the ibis. I have a funny shot of this interaction that looks
like the gulls are ganging up on the annoyed ibis.
I decided to check out the tricolor heron. This bird was wading closer to the mangroves and was mostly in shaded water. Eventually, it came out into the open
but not so close to me. I never saw this in a tricolor heron before but it would do a dance similar to the reddish egret, although not as dramatic with the wings.
It would spread out its wings as it quickly stepped around the water and then it would jab intently into the water almost always resulting in a 2-3 inch bait fish in
its bill. Fun to watch, but it was difficult to photograph. I have a hard time getting sharp images on these thin birds. I always try to focus right on the eye or as
close to it as possible, but these guys are very skinny and very agile and quick. So, while I managed one or two decent shots, they are not the spectacular
display I try to capture. When photographing a bird, one of my criteria for an above average shot is to catch the light and get excellent focus on the eye. If I
don’t have these elements (or at least the excellent focus), there is no amount of behavior or wing display that will make my photo above average. At least that
has been my personal experience. Over time, I’ve become more discerning of my photos. A benefit to that is I don’t subject my friends and family to as many
poor quality photos and I use less computer memory space.
Click on thumbnails below to see larger photos
Ah, winter in south Florida is sweet
November 10th was a great day on the water, the white pelicans being a big bonus. In addition to seeing them up close, I noticed several flocks of them high
above circling around, heading to some other island in the 10,000 Islands. One flock got relatively close and I was able to get a couple dozen birds in the shot
and although they are small in the frame, one can tell that these are white pelicans from their large black and white wings.
Today, for me, marked the beginning of winter. Another tell-tale sign that it is south Florida’s winter season are the number of bird flocks spotted along the
Tamiami Trail on the drive from Miami to the Ten Thousand Islands. As the sun rises over Miami behind us as we head west on the trail, we see several flocks
of ibises and egrets flying above. Along the canal in the Big Cypress you’ll spot an egret, heron or woodstork at each glance and you’ll notice several bird
rookeries loaded with white birds along the way. About 2 miles or so from Everglades City exit is the Ochopee area, where the pineland and cypress swamps
open up into a wet prairie. It is here where the sunrise casts a golden hue on the grass and trees and where photographing birds can be very opportunistic.
Clyde Butcher has taken photographs of this area. If you continue further about 3 miles past Highway 29 you’ll see more open prairie scenes with lots of water
and wading birds. Coming back from the East River one afternoon, we spotted a dozen or so roseate spoonbills along with egrets and woodstorks feeding
around sunset time. As I make the 1 ½ hr drive here from Miami, witnessing all the birds along the way gives me optimism and hope for the survival of the
Everglades. Yes, winter in south Florida is the best time and place to be alive.
My return to the white pelicans
The following weekend was set aside for a 2-day paddle on Fisheating Creek. Unfortunately, while south Florida has been receiving above normal rain, central
Florida continued to experience a drought. This meant that Fisheating Creek, now at a critically low level below 1.5 ft would not be passable, even with a
canoe. Our weekend paddling on this beautiful creek would not come to be. Because we have an upcoming 3-day kayak trip over Thanksgiving holiday, we
decided a day paddle in Chokoloskee on November 17th would be the ticket, rather than organize another overnight camping trip. I was happy with my photos
from November 10th and now I was thrilled about going back to the white pelicans. I knew they would still be there and in greater numbers. I hoped to get
more close-up shots of the birds and imagined endless combinations of group pelican shots.
The cooler temperatures allowed us to stay on the water all day. We decided that after spending a morning on Chokoloskee Bay we would head over to the
East River and paddle a portion of it. It would be sort of a fact-finding mission for me and my paddling partner. We’ve been dying to get on the East River,
which flows from the Tamiami Trail and have tried to work it into a camping trip. So today would be unusual in that we would not be heading back to Miami
early. And to end the long day of paddling, we planned to pick up some stone crab before leaving Everglades City. Last year, there were no stone crabs due
to the previous year’s hurricanes. The crabbers lost most of their traps from the hurricanes and it took a year to get back what they lost. Finally, this season
the stone crabs are back and in Everglades City, you can purchase a pound for $12. If you purchase them in a restaurant anywhere else, you’ll pay double that
amount.
Today, we were on the water by 7:30 am from the marina side of Chokoloskee Island Resorts. The put-in is located on the east side of Chokoloskee Island
where you are a short distance from the Turner River. From the marina, I crossed the bay toward to the mouth of the Turner where there are several small
mangrove islands standing in water at high tide. I thought I would check out this area before heading around the island toward the white pelicans. On this side
of the island, the lighting is poor in the morning. The sun is rising over the mangrove canopies, which gives you a direct sunlight as you paddle toward the
Turner River. The mangroves cast a long shadow so that there is little opportunity for front lighting on any photo subject you might find around the mangroves
or oyster beds. I managed to find a couple ibises along the mangroves that were getting some good lighting on them. Before they spooked and flew off, I
managed a shot of a juvenile white ibis.
Other than a dolphin feeding near by in the shallows, there was not much activity going on here, and besides the lighting was not conducive for photographing.
I decided to head on over to the white pelicans. As I directed my boat toward the southern end of Chokoloskee Island, I could already see the white wall off in
the distance. It was obvious that the couple dozen I photographed last weekend had now multiplied several times. Today I had an advantage; I would be
approaching the pelicans from a more east by southeast direction, placing the sun directly behind me rather than from my side. The disadvantage today was
that it was not low tide; rather, it would be a few hours before I had the same conditions as last week. This meant that the water levels were higher and I had
no place to anchor near the pelicans. I would have to photograph from a moving boat. Not only that, the winds were already kicking up to 10-15 knots and
blowing from the northeast.
I took my time getting there, riding with the tide in the direction of the pelicans. After all, I had the entire day ahead of me. Before getting to the island, I made
a slight detour toward several pilings sticking out of the water near Rabbit Key pass. This row of pilings is relatively close to the shoreline of Chokoloskee Island,
and within a few hundred feet of Ted Smallwood’s store. On each piling top was a bird, a royal tern, a laughing gull, a cormorant or a brown pelican. As the
tide pushed me closer, I got lined up with the front light and perused the display of birds through my lens. I found the gulls and terns to be engaging and one in
particular was making a fuss about something. I enjoy photographing the royal terns, they are beautiful and they seem to not mind people as much as other
birds. They will pose quite nicely for you and with the blue sky as a background they show off their black tuff of head feathers and bright orange peak. They
actually do look royal.
November 10th was a great day on the water, the white pelicans being a big bonus. In addition to seeing them up close, I noticed several flocks of them high
above circling around, heading to some other island in the 10,000 Islands. One flock got relatively close and I was able to get a couple dozen birds in the shot
and although they are small in the frame, one can tell that these are white pelicans from their large black and white wings.
Today, for me, marked the beginning of winter. Another tell-tale sign that it is south Florida’s winter season are the number of bird flocks spotted along the
Tamiami Trail on the drive from Miami to the Ten Thousand Islands. As the sun rises over Miami behind us as we head west on the trail, we see several flocks
of ibises and egrets flying above. Along the canal in the Big Cypress you’ll spot an egret, heron or woodstork at each glance and you’ll notice several bird
rookeries loaded with white birds along the way. About 2 miles or so from Everglades City exit is the Ochopee area, where the pineland and cypress swamps
open up into a wet prairie. It is here where the sunrise casts a golden hue on the grass and trees and where photographing birds can be very opportunistic.
Clyde Butcher has taken photographs of this area. If you continue further about 3 miles past Highway 29 you’ll see more open prairie scenes with lots of water
and wading birds. Coming back from the East River one afternoon, we spotted a dozen or so roseate spoonbills along with egrets and woodstorks feeding
around sunset time. As I make the 1 ½ hr drive here from Miami, witnessing all the birds along the way gives me optimism and hope for the survival of the
Everglades. Yes, winter in south Florida is the best time and place to be alive.
My return to the white pelicans
The following weekend was set aside for a 2-day paddle on Fisheating Creek. Unfortunately, while south Florida has been receiving above normal rain, central
Florida continued to experience a drought. This meant that Fisheating Creek, now at a critically low level below 1.5 ft would not be passable, even with a
canoe. Our weekend paddling on this beautiful creek would not come to be. Because we have an upcoming 3-day kayak trip over Thanksgiving holiday, we
decided a day paddle in Chokoloskee on November 17th would be the ticket, rather than organize another overnight camping trip. I was happy with my photos
from November 10th and now I was thrilled about going back to the white pelicans. I knew they would still be there and in greater numbers. I hoped to get
more close-up shots of the birds and imagined endless combinations of group pelican shots.
The cooler temperatures allowed us to stay on the water all day. We decided that after spending a morning on Chokoloskee Bay we would head over to the
East River and paddle a portion of it. It would be sort of a fact-finding mission for me and my paddling partner. We’ve been dying to get on the East River,
which flows from the Tamiami Trail and have tried to work it into a camping trip. So today would be unusual in that we would not be heading back to Miami
early. And to end the long day of paddling, we planned to pick up some stone crab before leaving Everglades City. Last year, there were no stone crabs due
to the previous year’s hurricanes. The crabbers lost most of their traps from the hurricanes and it took a year to get back what they lost. Finally, this season
the stone crabs are back and in Everglades City, you can purchase a pound for $12. If you purchase them in a restaurant anywhere else, you’ll pay double that
amount.
Today, we were on the water by 7:30 am from the marina side of Chokoloskee Island Resorts. The put-in is located on the east side of Chokoloskee Island
where you are a short distance from the Turner River. From the marina, I crossed the bay toward to the mouth of the Turner where there are several small
mangrove islands standing in water at high tide. I thought I would check out this area before heading around the island toward the white pelicans. On this side
of the island, the lighting is poor in the morning. The sun is rising over the mangrove canopies, which gives you a direct sunlight as you paddle toward the
Turner River. The mangroves cast a long shadow so that there is little opportunity for front lighting on any photo subject you might find around the mangroves
or oyster beds. I managed to find a couple ibises along the mangroves that were getting some good lighting on them. Before they spooked and flew off, I
managed a shot of a juvenile white ibis.
Other than a dolphin feeding near by in the shallows, there was not much activity going on here, and besides the lighting was not conducive for photographing.
I decided to head on over to the white pelicans. As I directed my boat toward the southern end of Chokoloskee Island, I could already see the white wall off in
the distance. It was obvious that the couple dozen I photographed last weekend had now multiplied several times. Today I had an advantage; I would be
approaching the pelicans from a more east by southeast direction, placing the sun directly behind me rather than from my side. The disadvantage today was
that it was not low tide; rather, it would be a few hours before I had the same conditions as last week. This meant that the water levels were higher and I had
no place to anchor near the pelicans. I would have to photograph from a moving boat. Not only that, the winds were already kicking up to 10-15 knots and
blowing from the northeast.
I took my time getting there, riding with the tide in the direction of the pelicans. After all, I had the entire day ahead of me. Before getting to the island, I made
a slight detour toward several pilings sticking out of the water near Rabbit Key pass. This row of pilings is relatively close to the shoreline of Chokoloskee Island,
and within a few hundred feet of Ted Smallwood’s store. On each piling top was a bird, a royal tern, a laughing gull, a cormorant or a brown pelican. As the
tide pushed me closer, I got lined up with the front light and perused the display of birds through my lens. I found the gulls and terns to be engaging and one in
particular was making a fuss about something. I enjoy photographing the royal terns, they are beautiful and they seem to not mind people as much as other
birds. They will pose quite nicely for you and with the blue sky as a background they show off their black tuff of head feathers and bright orange peak. They
actually do look royal.
The first of a few “firsts”
I made my way over to the pelicans and got between them and the sun. The tide and wind both would push my boat along the length of the island, so I
started getting lined up for photos. Once in good position, I let the boat move parallel with the island as I scanned the dozens of birds that were resting within a
500-sq ft area. There were several willets and cormorants as well. Both of these birds are more skittish and it didn’t take much for the willets to fly away. The
cormorants simply moved over to the other side of the island, out of my sight. As soon as I started lining up for photos, I noticed 3 birds that looked different
from the rest. From a distance they looked like ducks with their dark feathers and red beaks. As I approached, I noticed that I had 3 oystercatchers in my
midst. Wow! This would be a first for me, in fact, I have never seen oyster catchers in the Everglades (I’ve seen them on the gulf coast farther north in
Florida). As I stayed a comfortable 100 ft or so away from the birds, the pelicans didn’t seem to mind me too much but the oyster catchers decided I was too
close for their comfort. They flew to a smaller oyster bed near by and it would not be long before I reached that area and could get set up to photograph them.
In the meantime, I took some pelican shots but decided that if I was going to get closer to them, I would need a lower tide. I decided to move on and later
come back.
The oyster catchers caught on to me eventually and decided to fly away. While I was photographing them, I suddenly noticed two raptors started flying close
by. They seemed to be interacting with one another and although they flew within several feet of me, I was not in a position to get a photograph. I thought
they were osprey so I continued to watch them and got myself positioned to photograph them in case they came back closer. They didn’t come back but one
did perch in a tree off in the distance. Through my lens I got a better look at the bird and realized I was looking at a bald eagle. I have seen bald eagles in the
10,000 Islands but never on Chokoloksee Bay. This would also be a first! I started paddling closer to where the bird was perched, but it didn’t take long for it to
figure me out and it took off over the mangrove canopies. I was disappointed and thought I would not see them again today.
By now, the oyster catchers had disappeared and I decided to head north along the mangrove shoreline where there seemed to be some bird activity on the
oyster beds about ½ mile away. I proceeded in that direction as a motor boat was slowly making its way toward me in a perpendicular direction. I slowed
down to let it pass in front of me and it became obvious that the driver of the boat, along with 3 passengers did not know this area very well. The boat was
heading toward an area of Chokoloskee Bay that is impassable even with a canoe at low tide. The oyster beds were becoming more exposed and before long,
the bay would be off limits to large boats (except in the channel). The driver had a map and seemed to be looking for something, perhaps a pass. Eventually
they figured out they were heading in the wrong direction and turned around and got safely back in the channel. In the meantime, I was noticing the oyster
catchers off in the distance. I was able to approach them quite well and found a spot where I could get one foot on the ground and stay put. The three birds
calmly moved away from me but did not fly away. I inched my way closer and was able to get some good shots of these interesting looking birds. Eventually,
they lost their tolerance for me even from a comfortable distance of at least 50 feet, and flew off to another oyster bed. That was alright, I had my photos and
decided to turn around and head back over to the pelicans.
Throughout the morning I would check on the pelicans and the tide situation and then go meander somewhere near by. As I approached them a second time,
some motor boats in the nearby passes spooked some of the birds and they started flying off the island one by one. I thought for sure they would all take off at
once, but they didn’t. I was about a ¼ mile away from the island as several birds took off toward me. I was sitting between them and a distant island where
they seemed to heading. So I drifted and set up to photograph the pelicans as they flew past. Eventually, they stopped flying, and most of them still remained
on the island.
After awhile I decided to head over to the large sand flat where I photographed the ibises and tricolor heron last weekend. The tide was not as low as it was
last weekend when I was there, so there were no birds wading yet. I paddled around, spotting an occasional ibis in the mangroves, high flying birds overhead
and that was it. One thing that I noticed today was a great number of high-flying black vultures. They stayed quite high in the sky and seemed to be circling
around with no apparent direction or intent. At any given time during the morning I would spot two distinct groups of 30 to 40 vultures. I’m not sure what was
going on but later, my paddling partner told me she saw a vulture swoop down to the water like it was hunting. I have never seen such a thing and find that
most interesting. Black vultures, like white pelicans, migrate into south Florida for the winter. And because the cycle of life and death is always evident in the
wild, the vultures will have plenty of opportunity to feed throughout the winter months down here in the Everglades. I wonder what that vulture was after when
it swooped down, something dead no doubt.
I made my way over to the pelicans and got between them and the sun. The tide and wind both would push my boat along the length of the island, so I
started getting lined up for photos. Once in good position, I let the boat move parallel with the island as I scanned the dozens of birds that were resting within a
500-sq ft area. There were several willets and cormorants as well. Both of these birds are more skittish and it didn’t take much for the willets to fly away. The
cormorants simply moved over to the other side of the island, out of my sight. As soon as I started lining up for photos, I noticed 3 birds that looked different
from the rest. From a distance they looked like ducks with their dark feathers and red beaks. As I approached, I noticed that I had 3 oystercatchers in my
midst. Wow! This would be a first for me, in fact, I have never seen oyster catchers in the Everglades (I’ve seen them on the gulf coast farther north in
Florida). As I stayed a comfortable 100 ft or so away from the birds, the pelicans didn’t seem to mind me too much but the oyster catchers decided I was too
close for their comfort. They flew to a smaller oyster bed near by and it would not be long before I reached that area and could get set up to photograph them.
In the meantime, I took some pelican shots but decided that if I was going to get closer to them, I would need a lower tide. I decided to move on and later
come back.
The oyster catchers caught on to me eventually and decided to fly away. While I was photographing them, I suddenly noticed two raptors started flying close
by. They seemed to be interacting with one another and although they flew within several feet of me, I was not in a position to get a photograph. I thought
they were osprey so I continued to watch them and got myself positioned to photograph them in case they came back closer. They didn’t come back but one
did perch in a tree off in the distance. Through my lens I got a better look at the bird and realized I was looking at a bald eagle. I have seen bald eagles in the
10,000 Islands but never on Chokoloksee Bay. This would also be a first! I started paddling closer to where the bird was perched, but it didn’t take long for it to
figure me out and it took off over the mangrove canopies. I was disappointed and thought I would not see them again today.
By now, the oyster catchers had disappeared and I decided to head north along the mangrove shoreline where there seemed to be some bird activity on the
oyster beds about ½ mile away. I proceeded in that direction as a motor boat was slowly making its way toward me in a perpendicular direction. I slowed
down to let it pass in front of me and it became obvious that the driver of the boat, along with 3 passengers did not know this area very well. The boat was
heading toward an area of Chokoloskee Bay that is impassable even with a canoe at low tide. The oyster beds were becoming more exposed and before long,
the bay would be off limits to large boats (except in the channel). The driver had a map and seemed to be looking for something, perhaps a pass. Eventually
they figured out they were heading in the wrong direction and turned around and got safely back in the channel. In the meantime, I was noticing the oyster
catchers off in the distance. I was able to approach them quite well and found a spot where I could get one foot on the ground and stay put. The three birds
calmly moved away from me but did not fly away. I inched my way closer and was able to get some good shots of these interesting looking birds. Eventually,
they lost their tolerance for me even from a comfortable distance of at least 50 feet, and flew off to another oyster bed. That was alright, I had my photos and
decided to turn around and head back over to the pelicans.
Throughout the morning I would check on the pelicans and the tide situation and then go meander somewhere near by. As I approached them a second time,
some motor boats in the nearby passes spooked some of the birds and they started flying off the island one by one. I thought for sure they would all take off at
once, but they didn’t. I was about a ¼ mile away from the island as several birds took off toward me. I was sitting between them and a distant island where
they seemed to heading. So I drifted and set up to photograph the pelicans as they flew past. Eventually, they stopped flying, and most of them still remained
on the island.
After awhile I decided to head over to the large sand flat where I photographed the ibises and tricolor heron last weekend. The tide was not as low as it was
last weekend when I was there, so there were no birds wading yet. I paddled around, spotting an occasional ibis in the mangroves, high flying birds overhead
and that was it. One thing that I noticed today was a great number of high-flying black vultures. They stayed quite high in the sky and seemed to be circling
around with no apparent direction or intent. At any given time during the morning I would spot two distinct groups of 30 to 40 vultures. I’m not sure what was
going on but later, my paddling partner told me she saw a vulture swoop down to the water like it was hunting. I have never seen such a thing and find that
most interesting. Black vultures, like white pelicans, migrate into south Florida for the winter. And because the cycle of life and death is always evident in the
wild, the vultures will have plenty of opportunity to feed throughout the winter months down here in the Everglades. I wonder what that vulture was after when
it swooped down, something dead no doubt.
The second of a few “firsts”
By now, it was around 11 am or so and we wanted to get over to the East River. I headed back toward the bay and would make one last pass by the
pelicans. I was heading against the tide in Chokoloskee Pass and I was also heading in a northeasterly direction, directly into the wind. It was a tedious ½ mile
paddle back to the bay, but eventually I got there and continued toward the pelicans. By now, the sun was behind, so I could get some good photos of the
white birds. Also by now the numerous oyster beds in this area were more exposed, giving me few choices for routes as I headed toward Chokoloskee Island.
My attention on the white pelicans was averted when I noticed a couple large birds on a nearby oyster bed, near the pelicans. I looked through my lens to get a
closer look and to my surprise it was the two bald eagles I spotted earlier. Now I had two eagles at eye level! I proceeded closer to them between oyster beds
and in very shallow water. I had to get one foot out of the boat and “Flintstoned” my way closer to the birds. I noticed one of the eagles was eating while the
other stood vigilant a few feet away. From about 150 ft away I got a few shots and continued to get closer, but cautiously. They were on to me, the one with
the food moved over to the other side of their oyster island so that I could only see its head. I at least managed a few shots before it moved. It didn’t take long
but they both took off and landed on the pelican island. Another great opportunity, eagles and white pelicans in one photo! I turned and headed over that way.
This was a bit precarious as I was surrounded by oyster beds and finding a path to get my boat through was not easy. Before I could get close enough for
some good shots, the two birds had it with me and took off to some distant and safe place. Although it was not a perfect photo opportunity, this was my first
eagle encounter for serious photographing. Two new birds today, oyster catcher and eagle, not to mention the old stand bys, the white pelicans.
By now, it was around 11 am or so and we wanted to get over to the East River. I headed back toward the bay and would make one last pass by the
pelicans. I was heading against the tide in Chokoloskee Pass and I was also heading in a northeasterly direction, directly into the wind. It was a tedious ½ mile
paddle back to the bay, but eventually I got there and continued toward the pelicans. By now, the sun was behind, so I could get some good photos of the
white birds. Also by now the numerous oyster beds in this area were more exposed, giving me few choices for routes as I headed toward Chokoloskee Island.
My attention on the white pelicans was averted when I noticed a couple large birds on a nearby oyster bed, near the pelicans. I looked through my lens to get a
closer look and to my surprise it was the two bald eagles I spotted earlier. Now I had two eagles at eye level! I proceeded closer to them between oyster beds
and in very shallow water. I had to get one foot out of the boat and “Flintstoned” my way closer to the birds. I noticed one of the eagles was eating while the
other stood vigilant a few feet away. From about 150 ft away I got a few shots and continued to get closer, but cautiously. They were on to me, the one with
the food moved over to the other side of their oyster island so that I could only see its head. I at least managed a few shots before it moved. It didn’t take long
but they both took off and landed on the pelican island. Another great opportunity, eagles and white pelicans in one photo! I turned and headed over that way.
This was a bit precarious as I was surrounded by oyster beds and finding a path to get my boat through was not easy. Before I could get close enough for
some good shots, the two birds had it with me and took off to some distant and safe place. Although it was not a perfect photo opportunity, this was my first
eagle encounter for serious photographing. Two new birds today, oyster catcher and eagle, not to mention the old stand bys, the white pelicans.
A bonus trip to the East River
The day was not over yet. We got off the water at noon, loaded up and headed over to the East River. I had never been on this river, so this would be yet
another new experience today. The East River meets the Tamiami Trail approximately 5 miles west of Highway 29. It is part of the Fakahatchee Strand
Preserve, but the river does lead you into Fakahatchee Bay, which is in the Everglades National Park. The river is approximately 6 miles to the bay. Today we
would not have time to paddle the entire river. The river is actually a mangrove tunnel running into a series of small lakes. The put-in is on one of the small
lakes. The river is tidal and doing a trip on it should be planned accordingly when possible. Today we had an outgoing. We paddled about 2.5 miles, half of
which was through narrow mangrove tunnels.
Because it gets quite narrow through the mangroves, I recommend a straight-shaft canoe paddle vs a bent-shaft or kayak paddle. Even in a kayak, a canoe
paddle is more ideal through these types of rivers. I had my bent-shaft paddle and was not able to rudder around the tight corners. It was no big deal; we were
on a pleasure cruise anyway. Through the narrow tunnels I noticed several bromeliads (air plants) on the mangroves and buttonwood trees. They are not
blooming now, but I believe that they will be blooming before too long. It is worth a trip back here sometime this winter to capture some of these plants with
good sunlight coming through the mangrove canopy. I didn’t spot any birds or gators in the tunnels but there were “popping” snook everywhere. My fishing
partner caught 6 snook in one area. They make a very loud popping noise while stirring up the water, a bit alarming at first.
The third of a few “firsts”
I didn’t spot any close ups of birds except for one water bird that I came upon in one of the openings. I had to look it up in the bird book and when I did I found
that I had come across a pied-billed grebe. Another first! The bird was alone and it was surrounded by golden and green toned reflections offered by the
surrounding mangroves lit by the afternoon sun. The lighting was beautiful as the sun was already in its low afternoon phase and the pond was situated in an
open wet prairie. As I photographed the bird, it would occasionally disappear underwater and 10 seconds or so later would pop back up near by. I captured a
decent shot with the beautiful colors of the water.
As we paddled back, it was after 3 pm and the sunlight was becoming more golden. In the mangrove tunnels, this offers lots of beautiful reflections and brings
out the earth tones of the mangrove roots. I took several shots of mangrove reflections, but I find that it’s an experiment at best. Occasionally I capture a
reflection that is remarkable, but I admit, mangroves are not the easiest subject to photograph.
My telephoto lens in this situation was not ideal. With my A100, I had the 75-300mm zoom attached. I wished I had brought the wide angle lens instead. With
the nice sunlight and reflections, there were several opportunities for nice wide photos. I took a couple shots with that camera as I was coming out of one of the
dark tunnels into a well lit opening. When I come back to this river next month, I will bring the wide angle.
The day was not over yet. We got off the water at noon, loaded up and headed over to the East River. I had never been on this river, so this would be yet
another new experience today. The East River meets the Tamiami Trail approximately 5 miles west of Highway 29. It is part of the Fakahatchee Strand
Preserve, but the river does lead you into Fakahatchee Bay, which is in the Everglades National Park. The river is approximately 6 miles to the bay. Today we
would not have time to paddle the entire river. The river is actually a mangrove tunnel running into a series of small lakes. The put-in is on one of the small
lakes. The river is tidal and doing a trip on it should be planned accordingly when possible. Today we had an outgoing. We paddled about 2.5 miles, half of
which was through narrow mangrove tunnels.
Because it gets quite narrow through the mangroves, I recommend a straight-shaft canoe paddle vs a bent-shaft or kayak paddle. Even in a kayak, a canoe
paddle is more ideal through these types of rivers. I had my bent-shaft paddle and was not able to rudder around the tight corners. It was no big deal; we were
on a pleasure cruise anyway. Through the narrow tunnels I noticed several bromeliads (air plants) on the mangroves and buttonwood trees. They are not
blooming now, but I believe that they will be blooming before too long. It is worth a trip back here sometime this winter to capture some of these plants with
good sunlight coming through the mangrove canopy. I didn’t spot any birds or gators in the tunnels but there were “popping” snook everywhere. My fishing
partner caught 6 snook in one area. They make a very loud popping noise while stirring up the water, a bit alarming at first.
The third of a few “firsts”
I didn’t spot any close ups of birds except for one water bird that I came upon in one of the openings. I had to look it up in the bird book and when I did I found
that I had come across a pied-billed grebe. Another first! The bird was alone and it was surrounded by golden and green toned reflections offered by the
surrounding mangroves lit by the afternoon sun. The lighting was beautiful as the sun was already in its low afternoon phase and the pond was situated in an
open wet prairie. As I photographed the bird, it would occasionally disappear underwater and 10 seconds or so later would pop back up near by. I captured a
decent shot with the beautiful colors of the water.
As we paddled back, it was after 3 pm and the sunlight was becoming more golden. In the mangrove tunnels, this offers lots of beautiful reflections and brings
out the earth tones of the mangrove roots. I took several shots of mangrove reflections, but I find that it’s an experiment at best. Occasionally I capture a
reflection that is remarkable, but I admit, mangroves are not the easiest subject to photograph.
My telephoto lens in this situation was not ideal. With my A100, I had the 75-300mm zoom attached. I wished I had brought the wide angle lens instead. With
the nice sunlight and reflections, there were several opportunities for nice wide photos. I took a couple shots with that camera as I was coming out of one of the
dark tunnels into a well lit opening. When I come back to this river next month, I will bring the wide angle.
This was a perfect day of photographing on the water. From this one day, I can add 3 new birds to my list of birds photographed from my canoe or kayak. We
dream of these winter days all summer long and look forward to our camping adventures. Next weekend (Thanksgiving) holiday will be the first of many trips
planned in the Everglades and a few other places. On these trips, I will be in my kayak and will have new experiences with the SLR cameras this year. Stayed
tuned!
dream of these winter days all summer long and look forward to our camping adventures. Next weekend (Thanksgiving) holiday will be the first of many trips
planned in the Everglades and a few other places. On these trips, I will be in my kayak and will have new experiences with the SLR cameras this year. Stayed
tuned!
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