outdoor photography

Snow Bunting This morning before Thanksgiving dinner, my daughter and I decided to go to the beach to make a sand castles. Coincidentally, a Snow Bunting has been seen at the Canaveral National Seashore over the last couple days, and it just so happened that a parking spot was open right where the Bunting had been seen. So even though I was at the beach with fatherly family responsibilities, my daughter had almost as much fun seeing the bunting as I did. We found the bunting right at the entrance to parking lot 8. It was back lit and far a way, but I was able to take a couple pictures before my daughter decided she was tired of looking at birds and wanted to go to the beach. It was all I could do to put the camera down, but this was daddy-daughter time, not birding time. We had fun on the cool and very windy beach before returning home.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are simply amazing creatures. They have extremely long tails, and that alone is enough for me to consider them one of my favorite birds. The first three photos I took here in Florida. They don't really belong here, but some stray widely from their migration routes, and every once in a while we find them here. The last three were found in Texas, where they are much more common. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Great Crested Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatchers are our most common summer flycatcher in Central Florida.  In the summer time, their calls are nearly ubiquitous, much like Eastern Phoebe calls right now. I most often see them high in the tree tops, but sometimes you can find them lower near eye level.  Immatures look much like adults, but the yellow on their bellies can be much more pale. Great Crested Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird The Eastern Kingbird is one of the first species I learned to identify when I first began birding in Maryland. One thing I love about kingbirds is their tendency to attack perceived rivals in their territory (at least while they are in the U.S.). I've seen them pursue birds many times their size, harassing them until they leave.  On Merritt Island, I once saw one harass a Turkey Vulture for quite some time.  Their aggressive behavior towards other birds is partly what earns Eastern Kingbirds their scientific name Tyrannus tyrannus .  They also sometimes raise their crown feathers, and on occasion, you may see yellow or red feathers in their crown. Eastern Kingbird Eastern Kingbird Eastern Kingbird

Vermilion Flycatcher Vermilion Flycatchers are the prettiest flycatchers I've ever seen.  That red color truly sets them apart.  They don't typically belong in Florida, but one spent the winter at Orlando Wetlands Park last year, and it returned this year as well.  Orlando Wetlands Park is now closed for the winter, so hopefully it will stick around until it opens again in February. Vermilion Flycatcher Vermilion Flycatcher Vermilion Flycatcher Vermilion Flycatcher

Say's Phoebe Today I drove out to Lake Apopka in search of a Say's Phoebe that had been seen there recently.  I drove to the corner of Ranch Road and Blackhorse Trail in Astatula, FL.  It took me about an hour to locate the bird.  I was looking in all the places I wanted the bird to be to no avail.  But eventually it popped up on top of the metal roof of a building on the west side of Ranch Rd, and I took a few photos.  Then it went back into the buildings out of sight, and despite waiting for about 15 minutes, it never came out again.  Unfortunately, I was a long way off when I saw him pop up, and I was still pretty far away when he flew out of sight, so these photos are pretty small.  I really wish it could have given me a more natural setting , but I certainly can't complain.  This bird is really not suppose to be found east of Texas, and I found it an hour away from my home. Say's Phoebe

Ruby-crowned Kinglet Yesterday Lake Lotus Park was pretty slow, at least until I made to to the open area just past the "octagon" (as you go counter-clockwise around the path).  That area was filled with many passerine birds, including Yellow-rumped Warblers, Palm Warblers, a couple Common Yellowthroats and a Black-and-white Warbler.  It was also fun to see my first Blue-headed Vireo of the fall.  But there were about five Ruby-crowned Kinglets there, and a couple of them let me get my first presentable photos of the species. I'm still not terribly happy with these, but thankfully I'll be able to work on improving them all winter, and Lake Lotus Park appears to be the place to go for that, at least for the time being. Ruby-crowned Kinglet