outdoor photography

Reddish Egret with American Avocets I had a pretty fun time at Merritt Island this morning. I saw a Horned Grebe at the causeway and then went to Blackpoint Dr.  There was a significant number of shorebirds there: lots of American Avocets, Dunlin and Least Sandpipers, quite a few Black-bellied Plovers, and a few distant dowitchers and Red Knots. There were far fewer species of ducks than is normal this time of year: Northern Shoveler, Blue-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, and four Red-breasted Mergansers. Black-bellied Plover On the south side of the main road (west of the turnoff to Blackpoint Dr), there was a large number of wading birds, shorebirds and pelicans.  At one point, a group of them flew, containing the most interesting species in the group.  If I've counted right, this photo shows 11 Marbled Godwits, 5 American Avocets, 3 Dunlin and 1 Willet, though there were more of each species in the water. American Avocet, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Dunlin The v...

American Redstart It was a beautiful morning, and I've been to Mead Gardens so many times lately that I decided to try someplace I hadn't been to in a while.  I went to Central Winds Park for about an hour before work.  It was a lovely morning.  The sheer number of birds there made it fun, even though the variety wasn't great.  Easily the biggest highlight of the morning was an American Redstart perched high in a tree. Red-bellied Woodpecker Snowy Egret There were several species of animals other than birds that I found interesting as well.  In particular, an American Alligator was swimming across the pond, and a Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly was fluttering around by the lake as well.  A clump of trumpet vine flowers also caught my attention as I was leaving. Trumpet Vine Spicebush Swallowtail American Alligator Here's a list of all the species I found this morning: Wood Stork 1 Anhinga 2 Great Egret 1 Snowy Egret 1 ...

Alligator Since moving to Florida, I've become very accustomed to alligators [ gallery ].  I see them everywhere.  Now I never go out specifically to photograph alligators, but when they pose for me, I often pause what I'm doing to photograph them.  They are fascinating creatures.  The best place I know of to see them is in the Orlando Wetlands Park .  Sometimes they gather together in one area of the birding loop of the park.  I've seen literally dozens of them gathered in one place catching fish.  Sometimes it becomes a kind of frenzy as they splash and thrash to catch the fish, and the herons and egrets have to move out of the way to avoid their teeth. Alligator When I'm there early or late, I often see them right on the paths.  Usually when I approach they jump to the water, but there's a few that don't budge.  I have either walk right by them (3-5 ft away) or turn around.  I choose to walk by them, and so far I still h...