outdoor photography

Northern Waterthrush We need some new weather to move through.  I've seen the same warblers for the last 3 days.  I shouldn't complain.  I saw 12 species this morning, and that's always fun. A Northern Waterthrush and a Limpkin posed for photos too. And this morning I found 3 new critters I've never seen before in the park--Raccoons. I'm not sure I'm happy about this. They're fantastic egg-robbers, and I prefer to have the birds.  But they're here, and I'm working on being content with that. Limpkin Raccoon

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

American Bittern This morning I decided to drive down to Viera Wetlands.  When I arrived it was very foggy.  I was somewhat disappointed, since I couldn't photograph anything any distance away without losing detail.  So of course, this is is when the Peregrine Falcon decided to appear.  I found it perched on one of the dead trees.  It was not that far away, and on a clear morning, I think it would have given me some very nice photos, but this morning, I had to shoot through through the fog.  There were many other nice things to find here, though.  A Common Yellowthroat was very cooperative, as was an American Bittern.  Later on I found a Raccoon near the edge of the water.  After making my first pass around the wetlands, the fog had pretty much cleared, so I decided to make another pass and hope that the falcon was still around.  It was not.  But, while looking for it, I saw a flash of blue-gray and another flash of brown. ...

Raccoon (scaling a pole to get to a bird feeder) Raccoons are fun; I love their ingenuity.  I see them frequently at Orlando Wetlands Park.  My favorite sighting there was when I saw one scaling a pole to a bird feeder.  I'm pretty impressed that he was able to scale the pole.     Raccoon