outdoor photography

Snowy Egret  Every June in Florida we have the opportunity to participate in a friendly competition called June Challenge. The competition is designed to encourage people to get out there and do some birding during a hot summer month when many birders take a break. Migration is over, and there's often not much new to find, so the competition keeps us out and birding.  Pick a county, any county, and find as many birds as you can in that county during the month of June. The only caveat is they have to be seen; heard only doesn't count. This is my third year participating, and I was very pleased with my June Challenge results.  Every year I've done a little better. In 2012 I found 80 species; in 2013 I found 95; this year I found 104, not including two species I heard but never saw (White-winged Dove and Red-headed Woodpecker). I found 12 species I hadn't seen last year, and I missed out on three I had seen last year (White-winged Dove, Canada Goose, Black Skimmer). ...

Laughing Gull (minding his own business) This past Saturday, during the Christmas Bird Count near Cocoa Beach, I witnessed a rare event of bird bullying.  Yes, a Laughing Gull was minding his own business, perched on top of his post, posing diligently for his photographs.  Then a Ring-Billed Gull, without provocation, bullied this poor, defenseless gull off his perch, forcing him to move about 3-5 feet over to the next post.  Now why couldn't the Ring-Billed Gull just land on that post?  Would it have killed him to fly 5 feet farther to not bother the Laughing Gull and my photo shoot?  How was this gull raised?  This just uncalled for behavior, and I have it documented in photos. Ring-Billed Gull (unprovoked, he forces the Laughing Gull to move) I'm sorry you have to witness this This Laughing Gull is not amused Eventually, the Laughing Gull left in shame the Ring-Billed Gull has quite a smug look about him if you ask me