outdoor photography

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...

Cooper's Hawk This morning I took a little walk around the Econ River Wilderness Area.  My biggest hope was to find a chickadee.  No luck there, but it was still a pretty fun morning.  Most of the normal birds were there, and both a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and a Tufted Titmouse were willing to pose for photos.  The best find of the morning, though, was a Cooper's Hawk. This is only the second Cooper's Hawk I've seen in the park, and I believe it gave me my first presentable photos of the species in Seminole County.  Most my Cooper's Hawk photos that I've kept have been taken at Mead Gardens in Orange Co. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Tufted Titmouse

Tersa Sphinx Moth It was a pretty fun morning at Central Winds.  We found only eleven warbler species (the best being 2 Magnolia Warblers), but there were lots of them there, especially American Redstarts.  We also were treated to some great views of two Summer Tanagers, a late Great-crested Flycatcher missing most of its tail, and an early Eastern Phoebe.  I'm not sure I've ever seen both of these flycatchers on the same day in the fall.  A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher showed off its breakfast, and we found two moths mating, which I believe are Tersa Sphinx Moths. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Magnolia Warbler Summer Tanager Eastern Phoebe Great-crested Flycatcher with only one tail feather

Wood Duck There was a sure sign that Spring is returning to Central Florida this morning at Mead Gardens--the lovely sound of Northern Parula singing in the Live Oak trees.  It's a very welcome sound, and I found about 5 this morning, though none posed for photographs.  A pair of Wood Ducks, however, were just begging to get their pictures taken.  They were sitting on a tree branch which hangs over the water (one of their favorite places to perch), and I couldn't help but fire off a ton of shots of one of my favorite ducks. Wood Duck Wood Duck The Northern Parula were accompanied by Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (they sure know how to strike a pose!), Ruby-crowned Kinglets, American Goldfinch, Palm Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a nice Black-and-white Warbler. Gray Catbirds and Carolina Wrens also frequently made their presence known. I also found about three Hermit Thrushes, which is always a treat. Blue Gray Gnatcatcher Gray Catbird But the hig...

Carolina Chickadee Early this morning I went to the Geneva Wilderness Area, since I was going to be working Oviedo.  I spent a little time there, and as usual, I had a blast. I've had a terrible time photographing Carolina Chickadees. First, they have to be still enough in the open to get a photo. Second, they have to give you a pretty, clean back ground, and third you want to be able to see the eye. The third part is a real challenge because of their black caps--those little eyes want to disappear into their caps so you can't pick them out. I don't use a flash, so I have to wait for them to turn their heads just right to get "catch light" in the eye. This morning I photographed a couple Chickadees with the eye visible. I'd still like a better background, but I'll take what I can get. Carolina Chickadee This morning I also found Brown-headed Nuthatches, many Palm Warblers, a few Yellow-rumped Warblers, one Pine Warbler, one Yellow-throated ...

Leucistic Blue-gray Gnatcatcher This afternoon on my way home I dropped by Central Winds to find the place flooded with Palm Warblers and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers.  But this one threw me for a loop, since it's not the colors it's supposed to be.  Leucism is a condition where animals have reduced pigmentation, which in birds means their feathers are white.  Sometimes birds may be partially leucistic--where only some of their feathers are white or where all of their feathers are lighter than they ought to be.  But this one seems to be pretty much all white. If you aren't familiar with the way these birds ought to look, I've included a photo of a normal Blue-gray Gnatcatcher below. Leucistic Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Normal Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Zebra Swallowtail Yesterday I went with a friend to Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge--an Island just north of the Bay Bridge in Chesapeake Bay.  We went to find bird species, and we found many, but we were more surprised and delighted by all the butterflies, moths and other insects we saw on the refuge. Zebra Swallowtail Hummingbird Moth Silver Spotted Skipper Wasp That's not to say that we didn't see some fine birds as well.  In particular, I enjoyed photographing the Least Terns that were on the island. Least Tern Least Tern Other highlights were seeing many Blue Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings and Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers. Blue Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

Blue-Gray Gnatcather Gnatcatchers don't like to stay put. That's the fun and challenge of photographing them. The other day I found one foraging on a tree. I love watching them act like flycatchers, and some times they can almost stay still when flying like a hummingbird. It doesn't happen very often that I can freeze the motion of these birds in flight, but I had some success when at Central Winds Park. I also liked the colorful background behind the bird. Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Today I walked around a local lake and found about 5 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers.  They were quite active, but on occasion they'd perch in a spot with a nice background, and I got to try my hand at shooting small, active birds with my new 50D.  Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are one of my favorite species of birds. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Tricolored Heron Yesterday morning I went to Central Winds Park. I spent a few minutes there.  It was a relatively slow morning, but I did see a Red-shouldered Hawk enforcing the "don't feed the alligators" policy, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher also posed for a photograph. Red-shouldered Hawk Blue-gray Gnatcatcher That evening I drove down to Jay Blanchard Park so my son could play Ultimate Frisbee.  As I arrived, I noticed six Swallow-tailed Kites roosting in a tree just north of the park.  One flew to the tree with a frog in its talons. Swallow-tailed Kites Swallow-tailed Kite

Prairie Warbler A fellow birder reported seeing a Blackpoll Warbler at Mead Gardens this morning. I was unable to do any birding this morning, but when I read that I decided to visit in the afternoon. I spent almost two hours there, and I had a pretty good time.  I saw five warbler species there, the most I've seen anywhere in the last couple weeks. I saw a Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, Prairie Warbler, Amerian Redstart and a Magnolia Warbler. I also saw a male Blue Grosbeak.  Unfortunately, I didn't get presentable photos of the Blue Grosbeak or the Magnolia Warbler. Longwing Skipper Carolina Wren Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher Here's a list of species I saw this evening: Wood Duck 2 Anhinga 1 Great Blue Heron 1 Great Egret 1 White Ibis 3 Black Vulture X Turkey Vulture X Osprey 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Mourning Dove 3 Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Downy Woodpecker 3 Northern Flicker 2 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Great Crested Flycatcher ...