outdoor photography

Georgia Satyr On April 12th, Jeff Cagle and I visited the second-most recommended location for butterflies--Tosohatchee. Even though this place is relatively close (and almost right across the street from Orlando Wetlands Park), I've only been here about three times. But it was recommended that we try the Powerline Rd and Fish Hole Rd for butterflies.  We were amazed with the number of species we had there. We counted over 30 species, and in fact we don't have an exact number yet, because we're still trying to ID the species in several photographs. But here are a few of my favorite photos of butterflies from our morning. In this post, I'll highlight the non-skippers and return the the skippers later. Dainty Sulphur Barred Sulphur Palamedes Swallowtail Phaon Crescent Little Metalmark We also had the opportunity to photograph other critters in the park. We came across a really cool robberfly, a toothpick grasshopper (which I didn't...

Brown-headed Nuthatch Wekiwa Springs State Park I first visited the park shortly after moving  here so our family could go swimming at the springs. At the time, I had no idea at the time that this would become one of my favorite birding locations in Orange County. Now when I visit this park, I feel like I'm seeing Central Florida as it once was, and that keeps me coming back for more. Wekiwa Springs State Park Trails and Kayaking There are over 13 miles of trails, and the western portion has some great trails for birding.  The western portion of the park has some great trails in Pine flatwoods and even some scrub habitat.  For this, I like to park at the Sand Lake parking lot and walk west and south towards the campgrounds. There are some wonderful place along these trails for some nice pine flatwood species. The eastern portion gives you access to the Wekiva River, which is one of the two “National Wild & Scenic Rivers” in Florida.  During the ...

Red-headed Woodpecker During lunch today I had to get a crown replaced on one of my teeth.  Not fun at all.  But my dentist's office is right near Mead Gardens, so after my crown was placed I decided to briefly walk through the park.  If you don't stop too much, you can see most of the park inside of a half-hour or so.  There were three birds I was hoping to see, and thankfully I found them all.  First, Northern Parula are coming back here to breed, and I wanted to get one on my Orange County list for this year; one was singing practically as I got out of the car. Second, I wanted a Hermit Thrush; there are a few places here that are good for finding them, and I've missed them a couple times before this year, but this time one did oblige me with a brief look (though it was always behind tree limbs, so I couldn't get a clean view for photos).  Then I walked over to one of the places a Red-headed Woodpecker has been seen.  It was right out on a tree ...

Carolina Chickadee I had an absolute blast this morning at the Lower Wekiva River Preserve. I wasn't planning to go here this morning; I have to get here pretty early to walk the trail I enjoy most, and I normally don't have the time.  But my son missed his bus this morning, so I drove him to school, which is only about 10 minutes from the park), and this allowed me to get to the park early enough to walk my favorite trail.  It's a beautiful trail through pine scrub habitat, and just to the east there are breeding Florida Scrub Jays. I'm not able to get onto that property to see them, but I keep hoping one would venture into this park for me.  Sadly that was not to be the case today.  However, shortly after arriving, I started seeing Red-headed Woodpeckers--my first target bird.  In all I saw four of them, and I may have heard a fifth, but it's possible I heard one that I later saw. Three of the birds I saw this morning were in the same general area I'd seen...

Lincoln's Sparrow Canal St, Feb 2013 I didn't intend to attempt a Seminole Co. big year this year.  I intended to do at least a little birding every day, and since I have a little time before work, I tended to stick to Seminole Co. on most work days, with an occasional venture into Orange County to visit Mead Gardens or Wekiwa Springs.  On the weekends, I wanted to chase birds within about an hour's drive of my home.  But as finances became tight and time became limited, I found myself concentrating more and more on Semnole County. Eventually I decided to see if I could hit 200 in the year, and then once I did, I just had to keep going. Philadelphia Vireo Central Winds Park, Oct 2013 I believe my county is under-birded compared to neighboring counties (Orange, Lake, Brevard, Volusia). Seminole Co is small and filled with suburbs. It's inland so there's no coastline, and there's surprisingly few places to look for shorebirds.  But something about that...

Lower Wekiva River Preserve The Lower Wekiva River Preserve is located just east of the Wekiva River and north of rte 46 in Sanford FL. There are two parking areas, one on rte 46 and the other on Wekiva Park Dr at Katie's Landing. Katie's Landing is nicer, has restrooms, and gets to to my favorite parts of the park faster, but you're supposed to pay $3 in an envelope slot there. Trails There are over 18 miles of trails [ trail map ] through some wonderful pine forests. I discovered this park in May, but it's becoming one of my favorite places to visit. From Katie's Landing you cross the street, and you'll see a sign for the trail head. There are paper maps there. I always get one because the trail blazes are often absent. Intersections of the trails are lettered on the map and on posts along the trail. I usually meander northeast for about half the time I have available to me, and then I meander back a different way. I enjoy walking up to G and then down ...

Red-headed Woodpecker I was well over a mile away from my car when it started to rain. It was a drizzle at first, but eventually, it became a downpour. I wasn't expecting rain, so I didn't have my camera bag or binocular bag with me.  I was forced to tuck everything under my shirt and hat and hope for the best. And interestingly, it was really slow for me until it began to drizzle, and then the birds came out to play.  Yellow-rumped, Pine and Palm Warblers were numerous all around me. There were also  about 15 Eastern Bluebirds and about 3 Red-headed Nuthatches.  Then I heard a Red-headed Woodpecker calling--the first I've ever found in this park. After finding, it I continued to walk the path back to the car, and I found 5 more!  I've never seen so many in one place. All were in the same general area.  After I saw my sixth, there was a little break in the rain, so I decided to walk the area again and recount. On my second pass I saw 4 and heard 1 more....