outdoor photography

Boat-tailed Grackle The other day I was checking the ball fields at Central Winds Park to see if there might be any unusual birds there.  No surprises, but I did see this striking Boat-tailed Grackle. In this part of Florida we have quite a luxury because Boat-tailed Grackles have brown eyes here.  This makes them rather easy to separate from Common Grackles, which have yellow eyes.

Northern Parula I drove out to Marl Bed Flats this morning hoping to find shorebirds.  I found none--not even a Killdeer.  I did have a pretty good time though.  I saw a juvenile Purple Gallinule, Coopers Hawk and a Belted Kingfisher. There were also many of the normal blackbirds, grackles and wading birds. Boat-tailed Grackle Green Heron More of these hibiscus-like flowers are blooming here, and they look to me to be Saltmarsh Mallow, though I wasn't in a salt marsh. I wish I'd brought my diffuser for this photo. Saltmarsh Mallow? Dragonflies where also there in abundance. I photographed a beautiful male Four-spotted Pennant. Four-spotted Pennant As I was leaving, I found a butterfly I've never seen before. That didn't surprise me, since I'm pretty much a novice at identifying insects. I took a few photos with my point and shoot camera and then searched my Audubon Butterfly Guide and could not find this butterfly. The best I could find...

Black-bellied Whistling Duck This morning I dropped by Orlando Wetlands Park for about an hour before heading to work.  It was fun to see a Roseate Spoonbill and three American White Pelicans, though they did not want to pose in good light for me.  The most interesting find, though, was a Belted Kingfisher, which is unusual here this time of year. Belted Kingfisher Also fun to find was a young Sandhill Crane; it's nearly full grown and getting new feathers.  All the normal wading bird were there, and a Cattle Egret flew by in good light for a photo.  Snowy Egrets were flying low over the water picking fish out of the water.  At one point, it appeared to be running on top of the water. Sandhill Crane Cattle Egret Snowy Egret Boat-tailed Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Red-winged Blackbird I also found this Florida Green Watersnake, the first I've seen and photographed. Florida Green Watersnake

Limpkin I had very little time this morning, but I did drop by Overlook Park for about 15 minutes on my way to work.  Sometimes things just seem to work out even when you're in a hurry.  I walked out to the dock, and there floating in the water some distance away were several Bonaparte's Gulls.  I've never seen these gulls in my home county before.  Other birds then just landed on the dock for me to photograph, particularly a grackle and a Limpkin.  An Anhinga was spreading her wings close to the dock as well.  And when I walked back to the car, out of the corner of my eye I saw a heron strike the water.  I looked and then photographed a Great Blue Heron with a fish.  Fifteen minutes can be fun. Bonaparte's Gulls Boat-tailed Grackle Great Blue Heron Great Blue Heron

Red-shouldered Hawk Hawk harassment--it happens all the time.  A Red-shouldered Hawk sits perched in a branch minding its own business, doing no harm.  Then, for no apparent reason, a Red-winged Blackbird begins to pester the hawk until it finally decides to fly away.  But it doesn't end there; the blackbird follows the hawk to pester it as it flees. Red-shouldered Hawk Red-winged Blackbirds aren't the only culprits.  Blue Jays sometimes get in on the action as well. Red-shouldered Hawk and Blue Jay And then there's those grackles.  Sometimes they get into the action as well. Red-shouldered Hawk and Grackle Well I said that these birds harass hawks for no apparent reason.  The other day I was walking outside on a phone call, and I heard a bunch of commotion--there were Blue Jays in a tree going crazy.  I walked over to see the cause for the alarm, and there was a Red-shouldered Hawk perched over a nest.  I didn't see wha...