outdoor photography

Snowy Egret Yesterday when I was at Jetty Park I came across a Little Blue Heron and Snowy Egret walking along the dark rocks that lined the inlet.  And the photos made me decide to do a post about exposure compensation.  How you set your exposure compensation depends in part on the metering method you use. Here are two of the more common metering methods for shooting wildlife: Spot Metering: This metering method acquires exposure values from the center "spot" of the frame.  In this method, you can put your subject in the center and adjust your exposure to make sure your subject is exposed properly.This is a good way to work, but I don't normally use it, since it's often hard to keep my subject in the center of the frame. Matrix/Evaluative Metering:  This metering method acquires exposure values from throughout the frame.  To use exposure compensation, you have to make judgments about the whole scene and adjust accordingly.  It is therefore somewha...

Eastern Towhee This morning I spent a little bit of time at the Econ River Wilderness Area.  It was a pretty good time.  Highlights were about seven Brown-headed Nuthatches and a Pied-billed Grebe with a fish. Other highlights were a Downy Woodpecker, Little Blue Heron and an Eastern Towhee. Eastern Towhee Downy Woodpecker Brown-headed Nuthatch Little Blue Heron Pied-billed Grebe

Eastern Phoebe It was slow at Lake Lotus this morning.  I first drove by an orange grove nearby to see what I could find--the most interesting find was a small flock of House Finches.  Then I went to Lake Lotus and walked the boardwalk.  The most interesting bird I found there was a Swamp Sparrow, but my best photos were of an Eastern Phoebe that was in the fishing area. Eastern Phoebe Swamp Sparrow Little Blue Heron

Black-crowned Night Heron This morning I walked the Lake Apopka Loop Trail.  It's a 4 mile walk from Magnolia Park to the end of phase 1 of the trail.  I was hoping to see something for my year list, but I didn't.  It was a pretty fun morning, though, despite my sore feet after an 8 mile walk.  There were some nice photographic highlights: a Black-crowned Night Heron, an American Bittern, a Little Blue Heron, and a Great Blue Heron.  The trail was crawling with Eastern Phoebes. They were everywhere. Along with many Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers, it was fun to see one Prairie Warbler with a catch. American Bittern Little Blue Heron Great Blue Heron Eastern Phoebe Prairie Warbler

Little Blue Heron This morning I decided to try some place new.  There's a park in Casselberry called Lake Concord Park, and it's little more than a stones throw from my office.  There's not much to it: just a playground, some trees, a small lake and a boardwalk.  The birding at Central Winds and Mead Gardens has been extremely slow the last couple days, though, so I figured I'd give it a shot.  I didn't find anything there that you wouldn't expect, but it's a pretty park with a nice boardwalk, and the lighting was good, so it was a good morning.  Highlights were a Little Blue Heron, Anhinga, several Palm Warblers and a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Palm Warbler Anhinga When I arrived at work, I noticed that 9 Ring-necked Ducks have returned to Grassy Lake by the parking lot of my office. The lighting was pretty poor, but the photograph should be good enough for an ID. Ring-necked Ducks

Little Blue Heron Orlando Wetlands Park Little Blue Herons are truly fun.  Adults appear slate gray to blue, but they can have a purplish appearance on their neck and head.  Juveniles, though, are all white, and they can be easily confused with Snowy Egrets.  Snowy Egrets, though, have black bills and legs with yellow feet, and Little Blue Herons have a two-toned gray bill that becomes black near the tip, and they have greenish legs.  I love seeing them when they are molting to adult plumage.  They then have both white and dark feathers--that's when they're the most interesting to me. Note also changes in the color of their lores and the base of the bill. Little Blue Heron Orlando Wetlands Park Little Blue Heron Orlando Wetlands Park Little Blue Heron Orlando Wetlands Park Little Blue Heron Cranes Roost, Altamonte Springs, FL Little Blue Heron Orlando Wetlands Park Little Blue Heron Viera Wetlands Little Blue Heron Orlan...

Tricolored Heron I don't generally go to Mead Gardens to find wading birds. I go to find perching birds.  But the other day I found several wading birds all in the same spot. I don't know what drew them there, but it was fun to see. Tricolored Heron Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Great Egret Great Blue Heron

Pine Warbler Econ River Wilderness Area We have a friendly state-wide competition in Florida every June called "June Challenge." The rules are pretty simple--pick a county, get outside, and see how many birds you can find in that county during the month of June. You can't just hear it; you have to see it in order for it to count in the competition. So throughout the month you're competing with other birders in your county, and you're also hoping that your county does well compared to other counties. So I chose my home county, and even though my county doesn't sport the variety that surrounding counties have, it was a pretty fun month. I posted on the  Birding is Fun blog  about how this challenge gave me a renewed interest in the habitats that are right next door to where I live, but here I'd like to share some of my results. Red-headed Nuthatch Econ River Wilderness Area White-Eyed Vireo Econ River Wilderness Area Eastern Towhee E...

Eastern Bluebird This morning I went for the first time to the Geneva Wilderness Area.  I had heard that there was a Great Horned Owl there, but unfortunately, I never located it.  However, I still had a pretty great time. I  heard several Bobwhites at at least one Carolina Chickadee, though none showed themselves, and Eastern Towhees were constantly singing all over the area.  Photographically, I enjoyed finding Eastern Bluebirds, White-eyed Vireos, and a Little Blue Heron. A couple Roseate Spoonbills flew by as well, which I found rather surprising. White-eyed Vireo Little Blue Heron As I was a walking through the trail, a Bobcat ventured on the path.  I think we noticed each other at exactly the same time, and both of us stood nearly motionless (save the tripping of my shutter).  After a few seconds, I made a move and the Bobcat took off.  Thankfully, a couple of the photos came out. Bobcat Gopher Tortoise Here's a list of...