Some Days are Better than Others!

Yes, indeed, some days are better than others! For some time now the Piper Glen Golf Club patrons have been treated to a near daily show of an American Bald Eagle. He visits between 10am and 2pm on the days that he comes and his obvious purpose is to fish the lake next to the 18th hole and in plain view of the lunch bunch. The dining room staff have been kind enough to telephone me when he shows up and I jump in my car and in 5 minutes I am on the patio outside the Clubhouse armed and ready. He is a magnificent bird and my shots do not do him justice but I will keep trying. Notice the fish in the talons of the eagle in the middle image. Enjoy!

Sunday at Gatorland Rookery (Orlando)

I am slowly (and reluctantly) working my way back to the Carolinas. Spent pretty much all day at the Gatorland nature rookery. The Egrets (great, snowy, cattle, etc.) have settled in, selected mates and producing offspring. As you can see from this photo they are not the prettiest of youngsters but make absolutely stunning adults. The Spoonbills are busy making preparations and the Woodstorks are also busy getting ready for family. This place is going to be bedlam come April/May and I certainly intend to come back then.

Saturday was a long day!

Friday night certainly did not live up to expectations for the Little Estero Lagoon but one of the other photographers there said that there would be a low tide Saturday morning at 7am and that means there would be a lot of birds. Got up early and was on the ground at sunrise...few birds. I waited hopefully until about 9am and decided that this just was not going to work and time to shower, pack and move out to Cape Coral for the Burrowing Owls. By the time I was showered and checked out and had a bit of breakfast and on the road, it was near noon before I got to Cape Coral. There was a Burrowing Owl Festival scheduled for today but it was cancelled because of the rain. After coming this far, I was reluctant to leave without seeing a single owl so I waited around until the rain tapered off around 2pm. And then I saw my first Burrowing Owl...what a precious little bird! I am now definitely a fan of the burrowing owl. These little guys are really neat! Cape Coral, with over 1000 nests, is the largest single location for these endangered guys. They were easily accessed after the rain and could be spotted on almost every site and the sites are marked by bright colored tape. The heron and shorebirds are from the morning shoot at Little Estero Lagoon and the Owls are, of course, from Cape Coral.

Road Trip - Break for Golf

On Monday I met my buddies here in Tampa for 3 days of golf so there probably won't be much posting until I continue my photography on Friday morning, probably at Vienna Rookery. Today I shot a 92 at MacDill AFB North Course. Not that good but I had a good time with buddies and won a few wagers.
Here is one of my favorite images so far from GatorLand Nature Rookery. Enjoy!

Road Trip Day 4

Wow, Florida is chocked full of wildlife, especially birds. After oversleeping Saturday morning I drove the 2 hours to Merritt Island NWR and spent most of the day there. The place was hopping and sometimes I was so caught up with watching the birds that I was forgetting that my primary reason for being here was to photograph the birds. I spent the last hours of the day at Viera Wetlands, another birding hotspot down near Melbourne. To my delight, there was a pair of Crest Caracaras nesting in the area AND a pair of Sandhill Cranes among all of the other species. I was able to photograph both the Caracara and the Cranes but only from a distance.

Then we got word that it was raining in California and therefore the shuttle was coming to Canaveral to land and .... the entire Merritt Island NWR and the Canaveral National Seashore were closed down to the public. With no Sunday access to Merritt Island I proceeded to the Orlando area to try the Rookery at the Gatorland and, boy, did I strike paydirt. What an absolutely fantastic place with hundreds of nesting and roosting birds: Egrets of every shape and size, Herons also of every ilk, Wood Storks, Ibis, Comorants, Ahhingas, etc., etc., etc. You can purchase a photographer's pass good for a year and gain early entry and late visitation rites or you can pay an extra $5 for a normal day pass which allows you to stay after closing until sunset. This is necessary to view and photograph what can only be described as a spectacle...hundreds of Ibis and other species flying in at sunset to roost. I will definitely be back here again and again. Ran into Art Morris (Birds as Art) there today. He was also mesmerized by the place.

Day 1 of the journey

My SouthEast US tour started today about 2pm, about 2 hours later than I had intended. It is interesting how on most of my trips I spend the first few hours becoming accustomed to the solitude and trying to set a rythmn that does not include nodding off!! But I finally settled in and before I knew it I was approaching I95 Exit 5 which was my route to the Savannah NWR. I arrived a bit late and entered the Refuge about 5:45p and the sign informed me that the exit gate would close promptly at 6:30p. I didn't have a lot of time to dally but I was able to get a feel for the place. this image was literally the first thing I saw on the 4 mile wildlife loop. The loop has loads of places to park and walk. I only wonder how careful one must be of the alligators!! Well, I intend to find out tomorrow first thing. I'll be there at first light and spend a few hours before continuing to the St Augustine, Fl area. Now for a good night's sleep!

Snow Days for the Herons

I awoke this morning to a fairly decent snow for this part of the country. I immediately grabbed the camera and went about trying to capture the morning. Then I thought of the Herons and grabbed a bigger lens (500mm and 1.4 extender) and proceeded to slip and slide over to the hillside overlooking the rookery. Most of the inhabitants were just standing around looking cold but one pair was busy building (reinforcing) their nest with no regard for the weather that I could see. I was surprised to see the male take a few visits to one of the not yet occupied nests and proceed to take twigs (building materials) from it and take them to his mate to use in building their nest. To me this is akin to taking shingles from the house next door (knowing no one is home yet) and using them to repair your roof!! I was also treated with a Red-shouldered hawk who decided to stop for a while.
Some days are better than others!!

The Herons are Gathering

Adjacent to the 4 Mile Creek Greenway (Milepost 1) is a rookery of Great Blue Herons. Last year there were 18 nesting pairs and I really enjoyed observing the raising of the family and photographing the rookery. I drove by this morning to see if there was anything there and, lo and behold about 10 of the nests are already occupied. And the best news of all, if you go into the White Oak neighborhood off Elm Street, the homeowners association have built a viewing platform out over the marsh and beyond the tree line so there will be some great views even when the trees began to leaf out. I ran home, retrieved my camera, and took a few shots this afternoon. Hope you enjoy them!

Nature in my backyard

Some days are definitely better than others. While getting a cup coffee I noticed some activity outside the window and peeked out to see dozens of Robins devouring the ripened holly berries on the bushes of my yard. And then I got the bonus, dozens of Cedar Waxwings!! Now while the Robins are okay, the Waxwings are cool birds with their great colors and black masks. I ran and got my camera and worked myself to corner of the house and spent the next half hour cold but happily capturing these neat creatures. All of a sudden, I noticed a larger bird swooping in from the wooded area and saw the Coopers Hawk land in a tree. I watched him for a while and observed him swoop down for what I thought was a frog near the creek. But, no, he had captured one of the Robins for lunch. I got the shot of him on the ground in the leaves and didn't realize that what he had captured was a Robin until I looked closely at what he had in his talons. This is definitely what nature is all about!!

Great Blue Heron Rookery

Discovered a Heron Rookery about half a mile from my home and have been fascinated by the nesting activity of the birds. I had extensive shoulder surgery late January and have been unable to lift my hand to my camera shutter button comfortably. In spite of that I have been able to get some neat images by pacing myself and resting often. These birds are fascinating to watch. The male goes through an extensive courting ritual including a magnificent display of colorful feathers and beak until he has chosen (or been chosen) by a female. They then go through a nest building phase pausing occasionally to mate!!! The male goes out and finds a stick and brings it back to the female who painstakingly places and anchors it into the fabric of the nest. When the nest is sufficient, the female sits and lays her eggs while the male takes care of finding food for her. The gestation periof for the eggs is 28 days so I am looking forward to seeing the babies in the nest around the middle of April. Will keep you posted!!