outdoor photography

Hun Brown-headed Nuthatch This morning I went to the Econ River Wilderness Area in Seminole County. It was cloudy, and it drizzled a little, so it wasn't a great morning for photos, but I still had a pretty fun morning. I went there mostly in search of a Brown-headed Nuthatch, and thankfully I found three of them.   Brown-headed Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Along with the nuthatches, it was also fun to see Pine Warblers.  One in particular landed very close to me and sang his wonderful song.  This I think is the closest I've ever been to a Pine Warbler. Pine Warbler Pine Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Towhees were numerous there, and it was great to photograph an adult male and a juvenile. I really enjoy these birds. Eastern Towhee Eastern Towhee Eastern Towhee Along with these, I saw (but was unable to get good photos of) one Cooper's Hawk and four Northern Bobwhites.  I saw four with my own eyes, and heard a couple as well, bu...

Downy Woodpeckers A few weeks ago I had a great morning at Mead Gardens, and these two Downy Woodpeckers were a big reason why.  One is a fledgling and the other its mother, and they were fluttering about from tree to tree.  The mom was collecting food for the fledgling, which was trying its best to learn the fine art of drumming.  At one point, it was really fun to watch the fledgling try, and then the parent come by to work on the same location to finish the task for the fledgling. Downy Woodpeckers Downy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker

Bachman's Sparrow  This morning I spent a couple hours at Wekiwa State Park.  I went there a couple weeks ago in search of a Bachman's Sparrow, and while I found them there, I wasn't able to photograph them.  I was hoping to find them again, and I was not disappointed.  I found three Bachman's Sparrows and several Eastern Towhees. Bachman's Sparrow Eastern Towhee Summer Tanagers are one of my all-time favorite birds.  Last time I was here, the one I found was too far away for photographs.  But this morning I found a wonderful male that didn't seem to mind my presence one bit. Summer Tanager Summer Tanager I saw or heard five woodpecker species: Red-headed, Red-bellied, Downy, Piliated and a Northern Flicker.  I was most interested in the Red-headed Woodpeckers. Red-headed Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Carolina Chickadees were also there--I love the challenge of trying to get a presentable photo of these birds. C...

Red Knot This past weekend at Fort De Soto I was very pleased to find about 40 Red Knots feeding by the shore on North Beach.  There were a few Short-billed Dowiichers mixed in with the group, and there was this strange looking shorebird--it looked like a Red Knot with feathers that were a little too light and a bump on its head. After getting home, I zoomed in on my photos, and it became clear that this bird has a growth of some sort on its head. Red Knot Head A "Normal" Red Knot Red Knot I hope that this deformity is temporary that will heal over time, but it could also be a tumor.  The bird seemed to be acting normally and was not impeded by the deformity. Perhaps it will be okay.

Cooper's Hawk There's a nest of Cooper's Hawks at Mead Gardens, and it's fun to see the two young ones out of the nest testing their wings in the tree. On Monday, we saw both adults with their young, and the female was feeding them in the nest.  At one point, one of the adults flew so close to me that I was able to get full frame photos of the bird--it's just too bad I couldn't get rid of a mildly cluttered background. Cooper's Hawk Cooper's Hawk Cooper's Hawk

Red Knot Yesterday I went to Fort de Soto.  It was a consolation prize for having to miss a pelagic trip due to Tropical Storm Beryl.  I successfully avoided the thunderstorms that were predicted for the morning and had a wonderful time.  There were too many highlights for one blogpost, but here are a few.  My favorite moment was seeing many Red Knots--a simply stunning shorebird. Red Knot It was also great to watch a Wilson's Plover search for food on the beach.  He caught something a couple times and showed it off to me. Wilson's Plover Wilson's Plover Wilson's Plover Ruddy Turnstones and Dunlin were also there in their breeding plumage.  A Yellow-crowned Night Heron was out on the beach standing not 10 ft away from me. Ruddy Turnstone Dunlin Yellow-crowned Night Heron It was also great to see a Sandwich tern, and there were many breeding Least Terns at North Beach.  They are extremely fun to watch. Sandwich...

Snowy Egret catching a Fish I don't think I'll ever get tired of Orlando Wetlands Park, though this morning I tried. We decided to try an area I've never visited--the north-east quadrant north of Lake Searcy.  There's a trail there that goes to the northern edge of the park, and I thought it would be fun to walk the trail through the woods to observe a different kind of habitat. It became clear to me, though, as we approached the trail, that we were leaving the birds behind. And after walking the trail for a minute, I decided it was so muddy and mosquito-ridden to travel, so we decided to turn back.  This decision cost us perhaps an hour of good photography time.  The consolation prize, though, was the opportunity to observe a rookery of Cattle Egrets.  Easily 100 egrets were flying back and forth from a clump of trees gathering nesting material--a never ending line of Cattle Egrets with a mission.  One of these egrets found a branch with leaves that appeare...