outdoor photography

Great Horned Owl Yesterday I drove out to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive before work.  I got there before 6:30 so that I'd have a couple hours to see what I could find.  I'm headed to Mexico for a week later on today, so I figured it would be good to have one last check of the drive before leaving. It was a pretty fun time, even if I wish it could have been longer. Solitary Sandpiper A Black Tern and an Upland Sandpiper were seen during the week, so those were the birds I was hoping for.  But I had no luck finding those.  However, there are still lots of shorebirds around the sod fields--most of them were on the west end by Canal Rd, so I had to look straight towards the sun to see them. Presentable photos were impossible, but there was a Stilt Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, at least 10 Pectoral Sandpipers and Least Sandpipers, and several Solitary Sandpipers, Greater Yellowlegs and Lesser Yellowlegs. Prairie Warbler Warblers are also coming back. I sa...

Great Horned Owl Nestlings The park rangers were kind enough to put of an orange fence around this tree to keep people at a safe distance. If you follow signs and barriers, you are likely not going to cause harm. I've been an avid photographer for just about all this millennium, but I only became significantly interested in birding and wildlife photography after I received my 400mm lens and moved to Florida. I spent my early months here driving around wildlife loops and photographing whatever birds I saw. Eventually, I wanted to photograph more diversity of birds and wildlife, so I became involved with a local Audubon Society.  I'm very thankful that I learned my birding and wildlife photography ethics from birders and conscientious wildlife photographers. Black-Necked Stilt in Distraction Display These kinds of displays are a good sign that you're close enough to a nest or young to cause stress. Best behavior is to give the bird more distance. It wasn't ...

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...

Red-breasted Merganser This morning I birded West Pasco County with my new friend David Gagne.  We had a fantastic time. My biggest hope was to see a Seaside Sparrow, and we found at least one at Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park.  We heard several Clapper Rails, a Virginia Rail and a Sora.  We then went to the Gulf Harbors Golf course, which is now abandoned, we saw many ducks.  At least 600 Redheads were there and lots of Red-breasted Mergansers, including one adult male (the first adult male I've seen in Florida). We also saw my first Buffleheads of the year. We also found a Northern Shoveler, a Northern Pintail, a couple Ring-necked Ducks, some Lesser Scaup and one female Greater Scaup. Red-breasted Merganser Bufflehead Redhead On the way home (outside of Pasco Co) I saw the scene below--a Great Horned Owl that has taken over an Osprey nest.  Pretty fun to see.  So while it pays to keep your eyes on the road, it also can be nice to...

Great Horned Owl I think it's the eyes--giant circular eyes--that get me about this bird.  They are simply amazing birds to see, and I'm always impressed when I see one.  Seen up close, they are pretty large.  The owl in the above photo flew when I was quite near it (I hadn't seen it until it flew), and then landed in a tree near me to stare at me, allowing me to get these photos. Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owls

Great Horned Owl This morning I went to a local park on my way to work.  The park has some beautiful Live Oak trees, and I decided to walk around there to see what I could find.  Almost as soon as I entered the wooded area (about 8am), I saw a Great Horned Owl fly away from me, and then another followed shortly after.  The first one landed not too far away from me, and its gaze was often just as fixed on me as mine was on it.  It let me photograph it for several minutes before I decided it was time to go to work--a very cooperative model, if I do say so myself. Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owl