Tulips in Bloom

The folks who lived here before planted clumps of Tulips around the house. Since we have been here we have systematically dug them up and replanted them in locations where we think they have more impact. They play along with us and, in spite of what we put them through, sprout and grow and bloom again each year just in time for Easter. As I came back and forth and in and out of the driveway, they call to me incessantly until I gave in, got some gear, and crawled around on the ground at their level for the last few days. Across the street on the golf course there are some kind of flowering tree. The blossums are purple. I looked at a color wheel and found that the Tulip color and the color of the blossums on the trees were complimentary and blend together in a pleasing (to the eye) manner. So I get back onto my back to get low enought to make the trees the background and the Tulips the foreground and main subject. The results show that I should heed the lessons of theory more often. I think this is a pleasing image and a different, if not unique, image of Tulips. What do you think?

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 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.

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!!