outdoor photography

Palm Warbler Central Winds Park We have the pleasure of finding Palm Warblers in Florida throughout the Winter and Spring.  Most of them are the "western" subspecies, and they are rather drab in their winter plumage.  But a few are the "eastern" subspecies.  These birds sport a fair amount more yellow, even up into the supercilium stripe. These are a special treat for me.  I typically see them in the drier habitats, rather than marshes and other wetlands.   Palm Warbler Marl Bed Flats I'm also told that the western and eastern subspecies actually cross paths during migration.  The yellow "eastern" birds typically migrate farther west, while the more drab "western" birds head east into Florida.  This accounts for why we see so few "eastern" birds on the east coast of Florida. Palm Warbler Lake Apopka Palm Warbler Marl Bed Flats

Sedge Wren Every year in March I make a trip from my home in Central Florida to a conference in Dothan, Alabama. It's a perfect opportunity for me to get up early and visit Payne's Prairie, La Chua Trail just south of Gainesville. So Friday morning I left before 6am to arrive at La Chua Trail before 8:30am.  I was hoping for some fun sparrows, but it's getting a little late in the year, I think, and it was a little windy. But I did get my best photos of White-crowned Sparrows in Florida, as well as a few others. White-crowned  Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Savannah Sparrow There were also plenty of wading birds. One Snowy Egret was particularly photogenic, and an American Bittern came out in the open to at least get to see most of him, even though surrounded by grasses.  There were several Black-crowned Night Herons here too, some immature.  The immature below I found quite interesting. It kept its head raised and neck extended the whole time I watched i...

Little Big Econ State Forest This afternoon I decided to drop by the Little Big Econ State Forest for a few minutes.  I've driven by this place many times on my way to Geneva WA and other places.  I don't know why I've never come here before.  Maybe it's because they couldn't decide if it was little or big.  But it was hard to believe how pretty this area is, and I'm kicking myself for not visiting this place sooner.  As pretty as it was today, I suspect it will be even prettier when the water level is higher on the Econ River. Little Big Econ State Forest Little Big Econ State Forest There were plenty of birds to be seen here as well.  I found White-eyed Vireos, Blue-headed Vireos, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Palm Warblers (including one "yellow"), a Pine Warlber and a Yellow-throated Warbler.  The biggest treat, though, was a Hermit Thrush--this is my first Hermit Thrush of the year. Blue-headed Vireo Palm Warbler (Yellow)...

Marl Bed Flats is easily the most productive tract the Lake Jesup Conservation Area.  It's located just north of Lake Jesup and east or Rte 417 in Sanford, FL [ map ]. A trail map for all three tracts of the Lake Jesup Conservation Area can be found here .  And here's a link to a map  that may be helpful with driving directions. This area is made up of floodplain wetlands and wooded hammocks.  During late September and early October, this area becomes filled with blooming Swamp Sunflowers.  It's apparently a beautiful sight to see, though for some reason I haven't visited while the sunflowers are blooming.  I visit mostly for the great birding, and especially for shorebirds.  As of my July 2015 update of this post, I've seen 147 species here, including 17 species of shorebird at the flats. Bald Eagles Trails The trail map claims there are two trail loops.  One with red blazes (0.8 miles) and one with yellow blazes (0.5).  I'll take t...

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

Tricolored Heron Mead Gardens was pretty slow this morning--that is, unless you were hoping to see some grackles.  The place was overrun with Common Grackles.  I'm guessing at least 100 of them were there.  You could also find a Belted Kingfisher, several Eastern Phoebes, Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers and other regulars.  Photographically, my best moment was finding a Tricolored Heron in my favorite little corner of the park.  Right near the concrete bridge, there are some submerged branches that wading birds and turtles often use.  The lighting can often be pretty nice here, and I love finding animals perched on these branches.  This morning a Tricolored Heron was there looking awful nice.  The lake level must he high, and fewer of the branches were exposed, but this heron flew to three of the exposed branches in search of food. Tricolored Heron Tricolored Heron Tricolored Heron Oh, and there was a Palm Warbler that posed nic...