outdoor photography

Bank Swallow The Lake Apopka North Shore Restoration Area arguably boasts the best inland birding in the State of Florida.  But until recently most of the area has been closed to the general public most of the year. During the annual Christmas Bird Count, birders are granted access to the restoration area, but most of the area has been off limits for most of the year.  However, earlier this year God smiled up on the lowly birders of Central Florida and opened up a Wildlife Drive that takes you through the heart of the restoration area.  This has opened up a huge area for birders and wildlife enthusiasts to visit during the weekends (and national holidays).  The drive is 11 miles long, and I normally take about 4 hours to get through from one end to the other. Northern Rough-winged Swallow So this morning my father and I arrived around 6:15 am and took our time making our way through the drive until we left around 10:30 am. We saw a Great Horned Owl on a t...

Least Bittern I arrived at Orlando Wetlands Park early this morning hoping to find a Gull-billed Tern that was reported here yesterday.  As I approached the spot where it has been seen recentlyI began to get disheartened.  I could see that there were no terns flying, and I was becoming convinced that I would miss the bird for a second straight time.  But the bitterns seem to have taken pity on me.  A Least Bittern came out to hunt for fish, as if to say, "I know you won't get what you're looking for, but at least you'll have some fun pictures of me." Then an American Bittern also decided to make itself known.  It was like I could see what it was thinking.  "If I stand really still and point my bill up, you won't notice me, I know it." Least Bittern American Bittern But no terns.  I had given up hope and, hanging my head in shame and misery, began walking back to my car.  On the way I happened to look to my right and suddenly there we...

Least Bittern I'll never forget the thrill of seeing one these birds the first time.  Like their larger cousins, the American Bittern, these birds are good at camouflage, and they hide well in the bulrushes where I often find them at Orlando Wetlands Park.  If you're lucky, you can find them as they forage, but more than likely, you'll find them when they fly from one patch of reeds to another--you just hope they'll land where you can observe them. Sometimes they'll rest on the edge of a patch of reeds, and you'll get a good view of them. Least Bittern Least Bittern Least Bittern Least Bitterns Least Bittern Least Bittern

Snowy Egret catching a Fish I don't think I'll ever get tired of Orlando Wetlands Park, though this morning I tried. We decided to try an area I've never visited--the north-east quadrant north of Lake Searcy.  There's a trail there that goes to the northern edge of the park, and I thought it would be fun to walk the trail through the woods to observe a different kind of habitat. It became clear to me, though, as we approached the trail, that we were leaving the birds behind. And after walking the trail for a minute, I decided it was so muddy and mosquito-ridden to travel, so we decided to turn back.  This decision cost us perhaps an hour of good photography time.  The consolation prize, though, was the opportunity to observe a rookery of Cattle Egrets.  Easily 100 egrets were flying back and forth from a clump of trees gathering nesting material--a never ending line of Cattle Egrets with a mission.  One of these egrets found a branch with leaves that appeare...

Least Bttern This morning I went to Orlando Wetlands Park again and had a pretty good morning.  The biggest highlight was seeing 10 Least Bitterns in the park--that's easily a record for me.  I think my previous record was 6. Some of them were obviously paired, which was also fun to see. Least  Bittern Several Barn Swallows were out, and they are extremely difficult to photograph.  But about four of them decided to perch and pose for us. Barn Swallow Several Snowy Egrets were out fishing, and I suppose we could have watched them do so all day.  I love watching them fly low over the water and pick up fish of the surface mid-flight. Snowy Egret Snowy Egret A Crested Caracara was perched where I'd never seen one before.  I normally see them on the Birding Loop, but this one was northwest of it. Crested Caracara I think that Little Blue Herons are most interesting when they are in the process of getting their adult plumage.  ...

Black-crowned Night Heron I went to Orlando Wetlands Park this morning hoping to photograph night herons and bitterns. I was pleased to find both night herons right where they were "supposed" to be.  I saw two juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons that posed for me where they had been roosting, and I saw two adults in flight.  The Yellow-crowned Night Herons were less cooperative, but I saw four, and I was able photograph one in flight and one perched, both a long way off. Yellow-crowned Night Heron As I walked around the park, though, there were many other fun sights: all the normal herons and egrets, plus three Limpkins, and six Least Bitterns.  The biggest highlight, though, was completely unexpected.  I was photographing a Least Bittern, and a King Rail walked out of the reeds about 6 feet away from me--he was so close I could not focus on him.  He walked away from me, and I finally got off a couple shots as he was beginning to disappear again into t...

  Today I finished my first You Tube video of my photography.  I decided for my first I'd put together some of my favorite photos of the "new world" herons, egrets and bitterns that you can find in Florida.  In effect, this is a slide show of all that you can find in the U.S. as well, since all of that are found in the U.S. can be found in Florida.  Nevertheless, these photos were all taken in the State of Florida.  The video is just over 8 minutes long, so give yourself a little bit of time. The music that accompanies it is from Tord Gustavsen Trio's album Changing Places , and the song title is "Where Breathing Starts."  The slideshow was made using ProShow Gold. Also, especially since this is my first attempt, please tell me if you have any problems.  I uploaded the video in 720p, and it definitely looks better in HD.

Least Bittern In previous posts, we looked at how to identify white , non-white and night herons.  In this post, we'll look at the two bittern species found in the United States. While bitterns belong in the family Ardeidae with herons and egrets, they are biologically distinct from them. They have a more camouflaged appearance, and they are more secretive, generally hiding in thick reeds in search of food. Least Bittern Least Bittern The Least Bittern is the smallest species in the Ardeidae family within the United States.  Their small size, camouflaged appearance and tendency to remain concealed cause them to be very difficult to spot.  In my experience, the difficulty in finding them is not because they are more fearful of humans; I have seen them very frequently very close to me in Orlando Wetlands Park.  On one occasion, the bittern was so close to me I had to back up to get him in focus with my camera.  But he was still difficult to...