outdoor photography

Saltmarsh Sparorw This past Saturday I decided to visit Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. I haven't been here in forever. I've spent most of my time in Orange and Seminole Counties, so it was very nice to return to MINWR. I was hoping to add some birds to my year list and collect some better photographs of birds that are around here this time of year. Shiloh Marsh I began at sunrise at Shiloh Marsh, hoping for Clapper Rails and Sharp-tailed Sparrows; they're very common here this time of year, and you're pretty sure to see them if you get out on the marsh as the sun is rising.  I saw all three species, but I was only able to photograph Saltmarsh Sparrows; I only saw one Nelson's Sparrow, and it was being too uncooperative. Saltmarsh Sparrow Saltmarsh Sparorw Saltmarsh Sparrow I couldn't believe how many Saltmarsh Sparrows there were, though.  My conservative estimate is 8 (they move under cover so well, it's possible that I saw th...

Common Yellowthroat Earlier this year I "discovered" a new place for birding in Seminole County.  For a couple years now, I've been looking for a way to get to the St. John's River at Puzzle Lake from Seminole County. Strangely, I've birded Brumley Rd several times but I've never gone to very end of the road, so I've never seen this trailhead. And to my knowledge, no other birders have taken these trails to the St. John's River before.  So in February of this year, I decided this would be my new adventure for Seminole County.  I walked from the trailhead to the St. John's River and back. I've done so six times now, and already I've racked up 116 bird species along the trail and at the river [ field reports ]. The Trails Here's a map of the route I took on my second trip on March 7, 2015.  I'm showing this map because it allows you to see two ways to get out to the flats and back.  Since this trip, I've walked out to the S...

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Wekiva River I just completed my fourth June Challenge.  For those of you who are not familiar, June Challenge is a friendly competition here in Florida.  The gist is this: pick a county in Florida and find as many bird species in that county in Florida during the month of June--they must be seen (heard only doesn't count).  My totals have risen every year: 2012     81 (80/1) Species 2013     96 (95/1) Species 2014     105 (104/1) Species 2015     114 (112/2) Species The main number is the total species followed by the ABA countable and ABA uncountable species in parentheses. Greater Yellowlegs and Black-necked Stilt St. Johns River Short-billed Dowitchers St. Johns River Semipalmated Sandpiper St. Johns River When I began my June Challenge this year, I seriously questioned whether it was going to be possible to beat my 2014 total, but in the beginning of this year I found a g...

Reddish Egret Last week my wife decided it might be fun to go to the beach on the Gulf coast (calmer waves), and she asked me if there was a good place there go visit.  Fort De Soto, of course!  So yesterday we spent the day there. My father and I got there early to do some birding and photography, and we were not disappointed. We found many terns and wading birds, including 2 Common Terns and a Black Tern, but shorebirds the most fun finds.  It's great to see them returning. Between the east beach turnaround and north beach we found 12 species of shorebirds, and most of them were pretty cooperative. Semipalmated Plover Western Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Willet Short-billed Dowitcher East Beach was filled with Least Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Semipalmated Plovers. There was also one Western Sandpiper there. Willets were everywhere. Spotted Sandpiper Marbled Godwit Piping Plover Wilson's Plover North Beach is great...

Sand Crab This morning I went to Merritt Island NWR and had a wonderful time.  I stopped first just over the Max Brewer bridge in Merritt Island, and there was a nice Black-bellied Plover there just waiting to be photographed with a grassy background. Black-bellied Plover From there I went to Blackpoint Drive.  This area was pretty slow, compared to what I normally see there. Highlights were a Reddish Egret that flew right over me, and about 30 Black-necked Stilts were all flying together. Reddish Egret Black-necked Stilts (some of them) From there I went to the Canaveral National Seashore.  The beach was much more crowded with people, and the birds were scarce.  All I saw were Sanderlings, Ruddy Turnstones, Black-bellied Plovers, Barn Swallows, a couple Royal Terns, and a few Brown Pelicans.  But what I did find was still pretty photogenic. Sanderling Ruddy Turnstone Black-bellied Plover From there I drove up BioLab Rd. ...

Figure 1 Whenever I go to Merritt Island, I cross the Max Brewer Bridge and stop just after the bridge in the little parking lot on the north side of the road.  It doesn't look like much, but I frequently see Dunlins, Sanderlings, Ruddy Turnstones, Dowitchers and other shorebirds, as well as Gulls, Black Skimmers, Ospreys and a few herons.  A couple weeks ago, some Dowitchers graced us with their presence.   There are two species of Dowitcher, the Long-Billed and the Short-Billed, and it's notoriously difficult to distinguish between them, especially in their winter (basic) plumage.  On average, the Long-Billed (LB) has a longer bill than a Short-Billed (SB), but there is variation in the sizes of the bills in both species.  Female bills tend to be longer than male bills in both. This means that male LBs have bills that significantly overlap in size with female SBs.  Since their bill sizes overlap in length so much, they are not a very reliable indicato...