outdoor photography

American Oystercatcher The first time I saw one of these birds I thought I was going a little crazy.  I mean, it's hard to see how there's a need for a bird to look like this.  But I'm really glad they do.  I visited Fort De Soto last weekend, and you're almost guaranteed to see them at North Beach there, and on Saturday I saw 6--four at North Beach and two at the boat ramp.  The birds at the boat ramp were far more cooperative, so that's where these photos came from. American Oystercatcher Unfortunately, these birds were standing on solid concrete.  That was almost enough for me to skip photographing them. However, I normally crouch down as low as I can, and I thought if I did, I might be able to minimize the how man-made the ground looked. There was some debris near the birds as well, and I thought that might add to a more natural feel. American Oystercatcher One of these birds has an eye issue. It looks to have a blown out eye. I don't know to...

Black-legged Kittiwake I had plans to find a Seaside Sparrow this morning, but those were foiled by the weather.  The morning was foggy, rainy, and windy where I was going to look.  So I had a last minute change of plans.  I drove down to the Skyway Fishing Pier and found the Black-legged Kittiwake that has been seen there--a lifer for me. Black-legged Kittiwake Then I went to Fort De Soto, which is only about 25 minutes away.  I love this place.  On the way I saw a Nanday Parakeet, and once in the park, it was fun to see a mixed flock of gulls and shorebirds, and also this Red-breasted Merganser. Also seen here were Royal, Forster's and Sandwich Terns, a couple American Oystercatchers, and many Willets and Marbled Godwits. Red-breasted Merganser Marbled Godwit Willet Forster's Tern American Oystercatcher Then I found a Long-billed Curlew actively feeding on crabs. I think I remember reading that one was seen here, but I'd forgotten...

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Well, I must say it's been a pretty good year. I made my goal for the year, and then some.  I wanted to see 250 birds in the State of Florida, and I found 259, and I also found 272 total this year (including visits to TX, MD and VA).  I also have discovered the fun of keeping track of county lists.  I've decided to keep track of three counties near where I live, and hear are my totals for this year: Seminole (170 species), Orange (174 species) and Brevard (170 species). Nelson's Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow I also added 76 life birds to my list, thanks in part to the ABA allowing me to count the Nanday Parakeet. I've included a list of them below in the order that I found them.  The list I'm including below comes straight from eBird, so you may notice a Budgerigar listed, even though I don't believe it's ABA countable. Species Location State Date White-winged Scoter Blackwater National...

American Oystercatcher The American Oystercatcher has easily become one of my favorite shorebirds.  I think it's the brilliant red bill and eyes that set them apart for me.  I found a pair at Fort De Soto a couple weeks ago.  They didn't mind me one bit.  They foraged, I clicked, and it was a good morning.  The lighting was pretty much ideal for these photos.  I used very little exposure compensation, perhaps +1/3 stop.  I knelt down to thee ground to take these, which is the reason why the water in the background is blurry. American Oystercatcher American Oystercatcher American Oystercatcher

American Oystercatcher I took an hour before work this morning to visit Ft. De Soto again. I heard from a friend that North Beach was a good section to check out.  He was right.  I only had a little bit of time, but I was able to see 3 American Oystercatchers, 2 Reddish Egrets (including one white morph), about 5 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Belted Kingfishers, and an assortment of Gulls and Terns.  On the way back to the car, I stumbled upon a group of trees filled with warblers: Prairie, Pine, Yellow-throated, Black & white, Palm, and Yellow-rumped.  A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker flew into the tree for a while as well. American Oystercatcher Reddish Egret Reddish Egret White Morph (look how clear the water is!) Brown Pelican After this I went to the fort to see if I could find the Lark Sparrow that people have been seeing there.  There was a group of people there, and there two scopes out, so I figured I was going to be in luck.  Sur...