outdoor photography

Brown-headed Nuthatch Wekiwa Springs State Park I first visited the park shortly after moving  here so our family could go swimming at the springs. At the time, I had no idea at the time that this would become one of my favorite birding locations in Orange County. Now when I visit this park, I feel like I'm seeing Central Florida as it once was, and that keeps me coming back for more. Wekiwa Springs State Park Trails and Kayaking There are over 13 miles of trails, and the western portion has some great trails for birding.  The western portion of the park has some great trails in Pine flatwoods and even some scrub habitat.  For this, I like to park at the Sand Lake parking lot and walk west and south towards the campgrounds. There are some wonderful place along these trails for some nice pine flatwood species. The eastern portion gives you access to the Wekiva River, which is one of the two “National Wild & Scenic Rivers” in Florida.  During the ...

Golden-winged Skimmer There's a wonderful little trail within the Little Big Econ State Forest. It's called the Jones East Trailhead on Snowhill Rd.  It's a wonderful little area worth more exploration.  I've only been here three times, but I've enjoyed it every time.  The area is a mixture of pine flatwoods with a hardwood hammock and bay swamp near the river.  There is lots of open space, especially near the parking area, so you'll be out in the sun a fair amount.  A trail map of the area can be seen here [ map ]. Here is a link to field reports from this location. Tarflower Trails There are several trails to explore, and while the area might seem small, the trails connect to other areas of the forest. You could walk all the way to the Barr St. trailhead off of SR-426 if you chose. Due west of the trailhead you can find a nice creek. If you walk northwest, you can make it to the Econ River. Below I've attached a map of one of my visits.  Duri...

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Wekiva River I just completed my fourth June Challenge.  For those of you who are not familiar, June Challenge is a friendly competition here in Florida.  The gist is this: pick a county in Florida and find as many bird species in that county in Florida during the month of June--they must be seen (heard only doesn't count).  My totals have risen every year: 2012     81 (80/1) Species 2013     96 (95/1) Species 2014     105 (104/1) Species 2015     114 (112/2) Species The main number is the total species followed by the ABA countable and ABA uncountable species in parentheses. Greater Yellowlegs and Black-necked Stilt St. Johns River Short-billed Dowitchers St. Johns River Semipalmated Sandpiper St. Johns River When I began my June Challenge this year, I seriously questioned whether it was going to be possible to beat my 2014 total, but in the beginning of this year I found a g...

Eastern Towhee On Saturday I visited Hal Scott Preserve to look for Red-cockaded and Hairy Woodpeckers.  I found both, but too early in the morning for photos.  Later in the morning Eastern Towhees and Bachman's Sparrows decided to put on a show.  They are such pretty birds I couldn't help but stop and take a few portraits. Bachman's Sparrow  

Yesterday I spent the morning walking the trails of the Lower Wekiva River Preserve. I spent more time there than I have before, so I walked a lot farther.  Normally I walk to Marker F (the yellow star in the middle of the above frame) and then return.  But since I had more time I decided to walk farther.  I continued walking northeast until I ended up at a hardwood canopy. The trail got very wet, so I turned around.  Back home I found some new features on Google Maps that allow you to make maps and embed them in blogs, so I thought I'd give it a try. I drew the trails I normally walk and then put markers down for some of the sightings.  You can also embed photos in the markers.  So I thought I'd give it a try to see if it may be beneficial. I like this, but it may be more work to do than I want to do.  But we'll see. Maybe I'll do it for some of my favorite trails. Swallow-tailed Kite I was hoping to find a Red-headed Woodpecker; I heard one,...

Red-cockaded Woodpecker Well, third time's a charm it seems. Today I made my third visit to Hal Scott Preserve (I went twice in the summer of 2013 and then today).  This is the one park I know of where Red-cockaded Woodpeckers can be found in Orange County, but until today I haven't been able to find them here.  I've seen lots of trees with white rings around them (indicating that at some point in time there has been a nest in the tree), but never any sight or sound of them.  Until today, when I took a different route and got lucky I suppose.  I found a pair of them together.  One of them was pretty perturbed with a Downy Woodpecker.  The Downy just seem like it had to be working the same tree with it, but every once in a while the Red-cockaded Woodpecker would chase off the Downy.  It was pretty fun to watch.  I just stood in one spot, and the woodpeckers were so interested in each other they didn't seem to mind me at all. Red-cockaded Wo...

Halloween Pennant I had high hopes this morning.  Back in January I'd seen at least 5 Red-headed Woodpeckers in this park, and I was hoping some would stick around to breed.  I had also learned that recently there was a controlled burn, so I was hoping this might attract some new species, like Hairy Woodpeckers.  However, I struck out on both counts. I still think Red-headed Woodpeckers may be around; it's a very big park with lots of places for them to nest, so perhaps if I try a few different routes I may find one. But the one cavity they excavated has been taken over by Great Crested Flycatchers. I found only the normal species that I usually find here. Bachman's Sparrow   I visited the area where there was a Bachman's Sparrow nest last year, and found them again not too far away from where there had nested a year ago. And I did have fun watching a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher with a tasty meal.  But I suppose the biggest highlight was seeing a few Hallo...

Lincoln's Sparrow Canal St, Feb 2013 I didn't intend to attempt a Seminole Co. big year this year.  I intended to do at least a little birding every day, and since I have a little time before work, I tended to stick to Seminole Co. on most work days, with an occasional venture into Orange County to visit Mead Gardens or Wekiwa Springs.  On the weekends, I wanted to chase birds within about an hour's drive of my home.  But as finances became tight and time became limited, I found myself concentrating more and more on Semnole County. Eventually I decided to see if I could hit 200 in the year, and then once I did, I just had to keep going. Philadelphia Vireo Central Winds Park, Oct 2013 I believe my county is under-birded compared to neighboring counties (Orange, Lake, Brevard, Volusia). Seminole Co is small and filled with suburbs. It's inland so there's no coastline, and there's surprisingly few places to look for shorebirds.  But something about that...

Lower Wekiva River Preserve The Lower Wekiva River Preserve is located just east of the Wekiva River and north of rte 46 in Sanford FL. There are two parking areas, one on rte 46 and the other on Wekiva Park Dr at Katie's Landing. Katie's Landing is nicer, has restrooms, and gets to to my favorite parts of the park faster, but you're supposed to pay $3 in an envelope slot there. Trails There are over 18 miles of trails [ trail map ] through some wonderful pine forests. I discovered this park in May, but it's becoming one of my favorite places to visit. From Katie's Landing you cross the street, and you'll see a sign for the trail head. There are paper maps there. I always get one because the trail blazes are often absent. Intersections of the trails are lettered on the map and on posts along the trail. I usually meander northeast for about half the time I have available to me, and then I meander back a different way. I enjoy walking up to G and then down ...