The weather has seemed downright weird to me this rainy season in southwest Florida which is not to imply that it has been any less than uncomfortably humid.
The rainy season has not been anywhere near as predictable as it is supposed to be in Florida.
And for the first time in nearly 11 years a storm system approached Florida which became Tropical Storm Hermine after it entered the Gulf of Mexico.
The Piping Plover above (image 1) was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in September 2016.
The Semipalmated Plover above (image 2) was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in September 2016.
The Sanderling above (image 3) was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in September 2016.
“Erwin” the Piping Plover above (image 4) was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in September 2016.
Tropical Storm Hermine began to further intensify as it was no longer over land and drew strength from warm waters. On the morning of my sunrise visit to Bunche Beach Preserve on 1 September, the conditions were overcast and windy.
“Erwin” the Piping Plover with Semipalmated Plover above (image 5) was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in September 2016.
The Piping Plover with prey above (image 6) was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in September 2016.
The Piping Plover with prey above (image 7) was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in September 2016.
I coincidentally met up with wildlife photographer Gail Campbell in the parking lot at the preserve before heading to the beach. We spoke briefly to catch up on things while observing that the low tide appeared high as the water had been driven into the bay by the storm.
The Short-billed Dowitcher above (image 8) was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in September 2016.
The Western Sandpiper above (image 9) was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in September 2016.
The Short-billed Dowitcher above (image 10) was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in September 2016.
It began to rain before deciding whether to head toward the east or west channel, fortunately only briefly. Gail and I decided to go to the east as there were more shorebirds visible in that direction.
The Wilson’s Plover above (image 11) was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in September 2016.
The Willet above (image 12) was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in September 2016.
It was also good to see “Erwin the Piping Plover” again who recently arrived from Nebraska’s breeding grounds. This will be Erwin’s sixth season overwintering at Bunche Beach Preserve. There was typical aggressive behavior observed between Piping Plover and Semipalmated Plover with the latter dominant.
The Piping Plover above (image 13) was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in September 2016.
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The Piping Plover above (image 14) was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in September 2016.
Bob Pelkey
This blog is updated every Friday (preferably) and randomly, primarily on the subject of wildlife observation in the state of Florida. This blog is in conjunction with my secondary photo site at http://www.pbase.com/jkrnm5/
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