outdoor photography

Osprey Last month at Overlook Park I saw an Osprey fly by.  This happens so frequently that I usually don't bother to take a photo. However, this time looked a little different.  I put my binoculars on the bird and noticed that it was carrying a Needlefish.  I can't imagine that this is good eating, but I suppose when you're an Osprey, you eat what you catch.  The fishermen at the park weren't catching anything, so the Osprey was certainly having a better day.

Osprey The fishermen weren't catching anything, but the Osprey were.  This one was sitting perched on a post near the shore of Lake Monroe mocking the fishermen.  It was a sorry sight, really. The fishermen couldn't come close to the skill of the Osprey. Well, they weren't alone in their Osprey-jealousy, since apparently the Bald Eagles weren't catching anything either. Well, I'm sure they could, but they must have figured it would be easier just to steal fish from the Osprey. One eagle was farther out on lake Monroe chasing another Osprey with its fish. Eventually that Osprey resorted to dropping his fish to end the harassment from the eagle.  But this Osprey was happy and content, facing away from the lake and the gaze of eagles, his catch also likely hidden from view.  I don't know if that was intentional, but I like to think that it was. Osprey  

Osprey On Saturday I attended the Wekiva River Christmas Bird Count. I'm just now getting around to working on the photographs, though.  My wife was in a car accident that evening, and she's been in the hospital ever since.  It's not as bad as that sounds, though.  Her main injury was a broken foot, and it needs surgery, but she has so much swelling that they're waiting for it to go down before operating.  So life's a little crazy at home.  This evening, though, I have a little time to work on some photos from the CBC.  While at Lake Monroe looking for gulls and terns, we saw this Osprey perched not far away, and it seemed rather curious about me.  As I walked to where I'd get a decent background, it just followed me with its eyes, and then it did this little head-tilt thing.  I've seen them do this many times before and it always cracks me up.  It seems to me to be a look of curiosity, but I don't know for sure. At any rate, it wasn't ph...

Osprey Yesterday I went over to Lake Jesup, and I saw an Osprey flying low over the water. It made three or four passes just above the surface, and it seemed to be dragging its feet in the water.  I first guessed that it was cleaning fish guts off of them. But when I looked more closely, I noticed that it was putting its bill into the water. The bird was pretty far away on a foggy morning, so my pictures aren't fantastic, but you can clearly see the behavior. I've never seen an Osprey do this before.  I did a little research online to see if others had observed this same behavior. I did find a few people who were equally puzzled by it.  Some believe it's a fishing technique, but from what I saw yesterday, it didn't appear to be so.  It was dragging its feet behind it, and I don't see how it could catch a fish that way.  Others thought it was collecting water for hatchlings, but I doubt that's the case in December here.  So my best guess is that it's dri...

Greater Yellowlegs This morning I went to Marl Bed Flats with my father and a friend of mine.  We had a pretty great time.  We saw all the usual suspects: Sedge Wrens, Eastern Meadowlarks, Northern Harrier, Yellowlegs, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, and Sora. The biggest highlight for me was seeing a Merlin in the distance--the first I've seen this this fall. Eastern Meadowlark Osprey

Bald Eagle Chasing Osprey It was perhaps the most thrilling second of birding of my life.  Several times over the last couple years I've seen Bald Eagles harass Ospreys when they have a fish.  The Osprey is just minding it's own business eating its fish when an eagle attacks in an attempt to bully the fish away from the Osprey.  Every time I've seen this, I only see part of the chase, and the altercation happens above the trees so I don't get a chance to see the most thrilling part.  This morning I happened to be in the right place at the right time and was able to see it all go down as they were flying low over Lake Jesup.  The whole thing lasted about 10 seconds, I would guess.  But at one point the eagle was able to get extremely close to the Osprey, and it extended its claws in an attempt to bully the Osprey into giving up its fish.  The Osprey banked hard to the left and narrowly escaped, but I don't really know how.  Just after the end o...

Osprey I went to Central Winds again this morning.  I needed to be home a little early, so I decided to stay local. I think I startled an Osprey while it was eating its fish.  We saw each other at the same time; I stood still, but it decided to take off anyway.  And a young Red-tailed Hawk was soaring above the trees.  I don't often see them here. Red-tailed Hawk There was nothing new there this morning by way of migrants, seven warblers: Ovenbird, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Black & White, Yellow, Yellow-throated and Prairie Warbler. I'm really hoping to get a Blue-winged Warbler and Hooded Warbler soon. American Redstart Prairie Warbler I took a little time to photograph some of the butterflies and damselflies that were there: in particular, a Spicebush Swallowtail and a Rambur's Forktail Damselfly. Spicebush Swallowtail Rambur's Forktail

Florida Red Belly Turtle Yesterday afternoon I dropped by Secret Lake Park for a few minutes to check on breeding birds.  The last time I was here the place was hopping with activity, and I was able to log breeding evidence for Brown Thrashers, Common Grackles, Osprey, and Common Gallinules.  Yesterday was much quieter, though the begging Ospreys and Common Grackles were still making a racket.  It was fun to find other types of animals, though.  A Florida Redbelly Turtle posed for me, as did a couple species of dragonfly.  I don't know my dragonflies well at all.  I'm pretty sure one was a male Eastern Pondhawk; the other I was unable to identify, but the great people at BugGuide.net identified it as a Slaty Skimmer. Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) Ospreys are there in abundance.  I confess I get pretty tired of photographing them, and often I just ignore them, but it was a slow birding d...

Osprey This morning I drove out to Cameron Wight Park hoping to find a Brown Pelican for my June Challenge (finding as many birds as possible in my county during the month of June).  I didn't have any luck with that, but it was fun to see this Osprey going to work on a fish.  He dropped part of his meal as I was taking pictures. Osprey Osprey Osprey Osprey

Osprey Central Winds Park So June Challenge has begun.  If you're not a Florida birder, June Challenge is a friendly competition among birders.  You choose a county and find as many birds as you can in the county during the month of June.  June is hot, and migration is pretty much over.  I had some time go out yesterday, and a little time this morning.  Highlights so far are seeing a Chuck-Will's Widow and a Great Horned Owl at the Econ River Wilderness Area and also seeing a Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Bachman's Sparrow at the Lower Wekiva River Preserve.  It was also fun to see a bat crawling up a tree.  I've never seen one outside during the daytime before. Ospreys and Great Blue Herons are common year-round here, but it's still fun to see them. Great Blue Heron Central Winds Park Bachman's Sparrow Lower Wekiva River Preserve Common Ground-Dove Lower Wekiva River Preserve Some Kind of Bat Lower Wekiva River Preserve

Sunrise Beyond finding the Brown-crested Flycatcher and other flycatchers I was looking for, I had fun finding other birds as well.  Several birds posed for photographs, most notably Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Phoebe, and Ospreys.  Also a Red Admiral landed on a tree trunk for me. In my haste to find the flycatchers, I didn't stop much for photos, but here are a few I did take. Red-winged Blackbird Red-Admiral Eastern Phoebe Osprey

Raccoon So I braved the 4 mile Lake Apopka Loop Trail again. It's a challenge, not just because it's an 8 mile walk round drip, but also because the trail is hard, compact gravel much of the way, so I'm always sore when I get back.  This morning it was cold (by Florida standards) and windy, and visibility was a little limited, especially looking out on the lake. Perhaps my biggest finds were a Merlin and a couple Redhead ducks flying over the lake. Other highlights were a Painted Bunting, several Forster's Terns and an American Bittern. I also found a raccoon that walked out onto the trail.  When it saw me, it stood up on its hind legs as if it was going to walk up to me and shake my hand. Merlin (far away, heavily cropped) American Bittern Painted Bunting Osprey Great Blue Heron