outdoor photography

Red-headed Woodpecker Mead Gardens has been exceptionally slow all fall with very few warblers stopping by. But I still like to visit from time to time, especially during the Orange Adubon Society Birdwalks.  So yesterday morning I joined the group that was there and had  a great time.  The biggest highlight was seeing a couple Red-headed Woodpeckers.  These are the first I've seen in the park; they've been here for a couple weeks now--extremely unusual for this species.  At least one of them has excavated a hole in the park, and we watched it actively gathering acorns and caching them away.  Hopefully that means it's planning to stick around for a while.  In all we found six species of woodpecker on the property: Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, and Pileated Woodpecker. Red-headed Woodpecker We also had many House Wrens and a Scarlet Tanager. Warblers were tougher to...

Florida Softshell Turtle When I moved to Florida a year and a half ago, I began seeing these strange-looking turtles.  I found out they are Florida Softshell Turtles.  I was amazed with their snorkel-like noses and shells that looked like they were made of wet leather.  They are pretty common at the places I visit, and they're always a joy to watch.  On two occasions, I've seen broken shells from these turtles that had been obviously caught and eaten by predators, though I don't know for sure what predator caught them.  These turtles grow very large, and they can bite, so whatever caught them must have been pretty substantial--I'm guessing they were alligators.  At any rate, here's a couple photos of the Florida Softshell Turtle. Florida Softshell Turtle