outdoor photography

Smooth-billed Ani Our family drove to Boynton Beach yesterday for a wedding this morning, so I took a couple hours and went to the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. What a wonderful place! I'd been here once before 3 years ago.  My main target was a pair of Smooth-billed Ani that have been seen here for over a month.  They didn't take too long to find.  They're such a pretty bird. Snail Kite Other highlights from the morning were my first of the year Snail Kite.  It looked like there was a family of 4 near the entrance, and my first ever Ruddy Daggerwing Butterfly.  Here's my eBird checklist for the morning. Ruddy Daggerwing Okay, I can't resist. Here are some more photos of the Smooth-billed Ani. Even though the bird was farther away with these photos, I just like the green background better. Smooth-billed Ani Smooth-billed Ani

Purple Gallinule I'm teaching in Miami this evening so I decided to spend the night at a friends house in Palm Beach County before to shorten my drive.  I'm so jealous; my friend lives a 15 minute drive from the Loxahatchee NWR. So I decided to go visit there this morning before work.  I only spent an hour there, but I was able to find about 40 species of birds.  I was hoping to see something I wouldn't see in Central Florida, and that didn't happen, but I did get to see a Purple Gallinule, a couple Green-winged Teal and a Northern Harrier.  Perhaps it's a good thing I don't live so close to a refuge like that.  You wouldn't be able to pull me a way. Green-winged Teal Red-shouldered Hawk Palm Warbler hop Yellow Rumped Warbler Here's a list of the species I found at the Lee Rd section of Loxahatchee between 8am and 9am this morning.  A few of these species were seen on Rte 441 just outside the refuge. Mottled Duck 3 Blue-winged Te...