outdoor photography

Coyote On April 19, I got up early and drove to the Kilbee Tract of the Little Big Econ WMA. I was hoping to find shorebirds, and my biggest hope was to find an Upland Sandpiper, which I've never seen before. There's plenty of dry grass there, and it just seems like the perfect place to find one. I got there before sunrise walked the 1.3 mile road to the flats. The first thing I noticed was a Coyote sitting among the cattle. When it saw me, it stood up, looked at me, and then trotted off. That was my first photo of a Coyote. Long-billed Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher Once out there, I was a bit surprised at how few shorebirds there were. There were three Long-billed Dowitchers along the Econ River, as well as a few Least Sandpipers and yellowlegs, but not much else. Then as I walked a little farther south I saw a very small pond that was nearly full of shorebirds--mostly yellowlegs, but a few Black-necked Stilts and a Black-bellied Plover. I was still pretty ...

Purple Gallinule On April 8, I drove out to Orlando Wetlands Park, one of my favorite destinations in Orange County (second only to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive). I was not disappointed. I decided this year I would try to diversify my photography and make a special effort to photograph scenery, wildflowers and wildlife other than birds. Orlando Wetlands Park is a great place for this. Thee were lots of Prairie Irises blooming all over the park. Prairie Iris And a Blue Dasher dragonfly was also perched photogenically. This is to me a stunning male. Blue Dasher But I simply can't tear myself away from the birds entirely. There was so much there to photograph and enjoy. The only rarity was a group of three Stilt Sandpipers mixed in with a flock of Long-billed Dowitchers. Stilt Sandpipers with Long-billed Dowitchers The Purple Swamphen has left the park (or was removed?), but the Purple Gallinules are still abundant and as beautiful as ever. Purple Gall...

White-crowned Sparrow This morning I drove to the Seminole Ranch Conservation Area. The parking area for it is right across the street from Orlando Wetlands Park. If there's no hunt planned for the day, you can get there as early as you like and walk to the St. John's River. The trail takes you to the St. Johns just north of Lake Cone. There's another trail that may have taken me a bit farther south, and I may try that next time, but it will probably be a longer walk. There was some great sparrow habitat along the walk.  Major parts looked wonderful for Le Conte's Sparrow, and I heard calls in three places sounded looked like ammodramus calls. I suspect that's what they were, but I only got my eyes on one, and I didn't see it long enough to be sure. The area was loaded with Swamp and Savannah Sparrows as well as Sedge and Marsh Wrens. Common Yellowthroats and Palm Warblers were also abundant. My first sparrow of the morning was a surprising White-crowned Sp...

American Avocet I decided to spend my last morning of 2013 at Marl Bed Flats, which is my favorite place for birding in Seminole Co. during the winter months.  I was hoping for Long-billed Dowitchers, which have avoided me successfully all year.  Shortly after arriving, I found an American Avocet, which is very unusual here.  I've hoped for an avocet here, but never really expected to find one.  Then two Long-billed Dowitchers landed right near the Avocet.  It was so great to get all three birds in the same frame!  I spent most of my time here looking for shorebirds, and other fun finds here were Killdeer, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, a Dunlin, Least Sandpipers, and many Wilson's Snipe. The usual suspects were also here: lots of wading birds, House, Carolina and Sedge Wrens, Bonaparte's Gull, Forster's and Caspian Terns, and a Sora. Long-billed Dowitchers and an American Avocet Unless something wonderful happens this evening, my Seminole Co. lis...

Long-billed Dowitcher While at Merritt Island's Blackpoint Drive Saturday, we had the opportunity to see a few dowitchers, and this Long-billed Dowitcher was in some pretty nice reflective light.  And the bird was kind enough to let a drop of water fall from its bill just as I was clicking the shutter.

Tricolored Heron Yesterday I drove out to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.  I visited three areas: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Canaveral National Seashore, and East/West Gator Creek.  When I arrived on the island and drove toward Blackpoint Dr, I saw a man pulled over looking into the trees.  I decided to look at what he found, and it was a Peregrine Falcon!  It was pretty far away, but I took some pictures of him perched in a tree.  The drive itself was also enjoyable. All the usual birds were there, including 2 Gadwall, many American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Lesser Scaup, Blue-winged Teal, and Hooded Mergansers. Most highlights were mostly in the area near the first parking area.  There was a large flock of shorebirds there made up of Black-bellied Plovers, Dunlin, Least Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers, Red Knots, Long-billed Dowitchers and Short-billed Dowitchers. Peregrine Falcon Long-billed Dowitchers (for the most part) Red Knot...

Figure 1 Whenever I go to Merritt Island, I cross the Max Brewer Bridge and stop just after the bridge in the little parking lot on the north side of the road.  It doesn't look like much, but I frequently see Dunlins, Sanderlings, Ruddy Turnstones, Dowitchers and other shorebirds, as well as Gulls, Black Skimmers, Ospreys and a few herons.  A couple weeks ago, some Dowitchers graced us with their presence.   There are two species of Dowitcher, the Long-Billed and the Short-Billed, and it's notoriously difficult to distinguish between them, especially in their winter (basic) plumage.  On average, the Long-Billed (LB) has a longer bill than a Short-Billed (SB), but there is variation in the sizes of the bills in both species.  Female bills tend to be longer than male bills in both. This means that male LBs have bills that significantly overlap in size with female SBs.  Since their bill sizes overlap in length so much, they are not a very reliable indicato...