outdoor photography

Vermilion Flycatcher A few days ago, a Vermilion Flycatcher was found along the Little Big Econ River, very close to where it meets with the St. Johns River. This morning I decided to walk the Kilbee Tract of the Little Big Econ WMA to see if I could find it. It was a pretty easy walk to get to the spot.  This particular individual is a female, and I have no photos of females. This bird was also my first for Seminole County. It's such a fantastic bird. Vermilion Flycatcher After finding the flycatcher I decided to walk the shore of the Little Big Econ to look at the St. Johns. Unfortunately, there's a fence prohibiting you from doing that. However, just walking the grassy and muddy areas next to the Econ was pretty wonderful. There were 23 Black-bellied Plovers, 4 Long-billed Dowitchers and an assortment of both species of yellowlegs.  Other highlights were about 30 American Pipits and a "Krider's" Red-tailed Hawk. Vermilion Flycatcher You can see ...

Vermilion Flycatcher What a fantastic morning at Orlando Wetlands Park!  The area was just filled with birds.  Of course, top on my list was seeing a Vermilion Flycatcher. It was right where has been--in the cypress trees in cell #17.  But the area was also filled with other birds.  Lots of Blue-winged Teal and Green-winged Teal, as well as a Gadwall, a few Northern Shovelers and American Wigeon.  There were also at least 40 Roseate Spoonbills, and I suspect many more. I didn't attempt to count them, but a friend of mine counted over 100 in the afternoon. There were also at least 45 American White Pelicans that flew over the park.  Perhaps the biggest surprise was seeing over 120 Long-billed Dowitchers, with a few Dunlin mixed in with them.  And in reality, the photograph below shows closer to 150 I believe. There were many wading birds there, including on American Bittern and 2 Least Bitterns (heard only), and a couple Purple Gallinules. In all we...

Belted Kingfisher This morning I went to Orlando Wetlands Park.  I was hoping to see the Vermilion Flycatchers that were seen there this past November, and I found both without much difficulty.  They're such a beautiful red I can't miss them even with my red-green colorblindness. They were pretty far a way, but since they're such pretty birds I decided to show you a photo from the same location last year when one was much closer. Vultures were pretty photogenic this morning, especially a couple Black Vultures picking on the remains of a turtle.  And a Belted Kingfisher decided to land on a perch very close to me, then immediately saw me and took off; thankfully I got this photo as she was leaving.  Other highlights were a Red-shouldered Hawk and Limpkins Vermilion Flycatcher (Feb 2013) Vermilion Flycatcher (Feb 2012) Black Vultures Turkey Vulture Red-shouldered Hawk Two Limpkins

Vermilion Flycatcher Vermilion Flycatchers are the prettiest flycatchers I've ever seen.  That red color truly sets them apart.  They don't typically belong in Florida, but one spent the winter at Orlando Wetlands Park last year, and it returned this year as well.  Orlando Wetlands Park is now closed for the winter, so hopefully it will stick around until it opens again in February. Vermilion Flycatcher Vermilion Flycatcher Vermilion Flycatcher Vermilion Flycatcher

Vermilion Flycatcher I went to Orlando Wetlands Park this morning, hoping to get some better shots of the Vermilion Flycatcher.  I went first to the northwest corner of #17, and met a couple people after the same bird.  Shortly after arriving, we saw one there.  It put on a real show for us, but it rarely came close enough for photographs.  After a while, someone told us that the other flycatcher was seen farther east, so we all went there.  Sure enough, it was feeding in the Cypress trees, and there's a little path where we could shoot looking west, so the lighting was much better there.  I stayed here until about 10am, and I got much better photographs here.  But then I decided to go back, and when I walked past the first flycatcher, he came very close to me and landed in the pine trees on the north side of the path.  I was able to move so that the sun was behind me and shoot many pictures of this wonderful flycatcher.  I was completely...

Vermilion Flycatcher I've heard that people have been seeing a Vermilion Flycatcher at Orlando Wetlands Park since it opened again on Feb. 1st.  Orlando Wetlands Park is my favorite place for photography, and I've been itching to go there since they opened.  This evening I had  a teaching engagement in Titusville (yes, I missed most of the game), and so I left early so that I could take about an hour and a half to find the Vermilion Flycatcher.  I made a beeline for the location where it's been seen, so I'm sure I missed many other species of birds, but soon after arriving at the nortwest corner of cell #17, I found one.  He was very far away on one of the Cypress trees.  I watched him for about 20 minutes or so, and at one point he flew over my head and  landed in a pine tree on the north side of the path.   Vermilion Flycatcher Photographically speaking, the lighting wasn't great, but I did the best I could. I had to overexpose by ab...