outdoor photography

Roseate Skimmer Yesterday afternoon I dropped by the Econ River Wilderness Area.  I had a meeting nearby, and I thought I'd go there early to check it out.  I wasn't expecting to find a lot there, but I was surprised at how few birds I found.  I ended up devoting most of my attention to the many dragonflies that were there.  I photographed four species, and two of them were new to me: a Roseate Skimmer and Bar-winged Skimmer. Bar-winged Skimmer Slaty Skimmer Needham's Skimmer

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...