outdoor photography

Northern Cardinal This morning I dropped by Mead Gardens.  We've had a mild spring, but today things got down right hot.  I was only there about an hour, and it was slow, but it was also enjoyable (in the shade).  I found a Northern Cardinal with nesting material, but it was the Great Crested Flycatchers that stole the show.  They were very active, sadly in the shady areas (but then again it was cooler there), but they were still fun to watch.  I photographed one with a Lubber Grasshopper in its mouth.  This surprised me, since my understanding is that these grasshoppers are toxic to birds.  Loggerhead Shrikes impale them and wait a while before eating them.  Sorry for the horrible picture of the flycatcher eating the grasshopper, but I thought the behavior was worth showing it. Eastern Lubber Grasshopper Great Crested Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher with what appears to be a Lubber Grasshopper ...

Great Blue Heron This morning I returned again to Mead Gardens with the great people at the Orange Audubon Society.  Compared to earlier in the week, this morning was rather quiet, but we still came away with some good finds and an enjoyable time.  The Yellow-billed Cuckoo and the female Painted Bunting were both seen again today. Painted Bunting It was nice to see seven species of warbler: Ovenbird, Worm-eating, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Cape May, Northern Parula and Black-throated Blue.  I've been on a quest to get a good photo of Worm-eating and Black-throated Blue warblers, and while I have not yet reached my goal. I never tire of photographing Blue-gray Gnatcatchers.  We found one that must have lost its keys, and he was looking for them quite frantically. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher And finally, there were some other wildlife besides birds that I found interesting, and not just because they make good bird food. Eastern Lubber Gra...