March 3, 2011 - Rich gets annoyed at me for not posting more pictures of turtles. After all, our site is called “catandturtle” because I like cats and he likes turtles! Then I did post a video of a turtle, but Rich refuses to watch it, because the turtle was being consumed by a Limpkin. So here’s a Rich-friendly […]
February 26, 2011 - This morning my dad and I led another Photo Walk at the Circle B Bar Reserve. Circle B asked us to lead people around the preserve, showing them the best trails and places to find birds. Today we had about ten or so people meet us at 8:00 (remember, photographers have to be up early […]
February 20, 2011 - You know it’s springtime at Circle B Bar Reserve if you see the following: Trees are getting their leaves back Sandhill Cranes start sitting on nests! Baby eagles peek out to say hello People flock to the marsh to enjoy the warm weather The ducks head back home — see you next year! The birds […]
February 14, 2011 - I forgot to post a video that I took yesterday at the Circle B Bar Reserve. There is a Red-Bellied Woodpecker that lives in a dead tree at the “Four Corners” intersection. He often poses, showing off his bright red feathers in the sunshine. Yesterday he was working on his cavity, drilling away at it. […]
February 13, 2011 - I had a nice walk this morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve. It’s always great to go there to unwind after a long week. This morning I hiked the Alligator Alley trail in search of small birds, then I walked up Marsh Rabbit Run and up Wading Bird Way around to the Eagle Roost […]
February 12, 2011 - It’s amazing how different a place can look after two weeks. The weather kept me from Circle B last weekend, and I think it’s driven a lot of the birds away too. The ponds that used to be covered in American Coots and American Wigeons were virtually empty. Not an American White Pelican did […]
February 7, 2011 - Ever since Cole Fredericks, a noted birdwatcher in Central Florida, commented in the Circle B Flickr species list discussion that the list was missing Orange-Crowned Warblers and Blue-Headed Vireos, I’ve been on the lookout for those birds. Last week I got the Orange-Crowned Warbler. I’ve gone up and down Alligator Alley several times in search […]
February 6, 2011 - A few weeks ago, I took a short video of a group of American White Pelicans feeding at the Circle B Bar Reserve. I thought it was cool because you could see them tossing fish in their mouths, and see the fish bulging out of their pouches as they ate. When I got home, I […]
January 30, 2011 - It was an incredibly foggy morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve. I could barely make out the car in front of me as I drove in. But it turned out to be a great day for little birds. We saw a ton of warblers: Orange-Crowned, Black-and-White, Palm, Prairie, Yellow-Throated, Yellow-Rumped, Common Yellowthroat, and several […]
January 29, 2011 - Dyeyo and I were at the Circle B Bar Reserve at dawn this morning. It was a bit chilly at first, but it felt so great to be outside! The fog obscured the sunrise a bit, which turned out to be good, since I got this picture as a result: We hiked the Heron Hideout […]
January 23, 2011 - A group of photographers met at the Circle B Bar Reserve for sunrise this morning. We had a blast. Circle B really is a photographer’s playground at this time of year! Dyeyo and I parked at the parking lot at the Circle B entrance, then took the Windmill Whisper trail out to Wading Bird Way. […]
January 22, 2011 - There were TONS of people at the Circle B Bar Reserve this morning! Despite the chilly and breezy weather, over a hundred birders were out to enjoy the morning. Dyeyo and I decided to hike along Alligator Alley to look for Orange-Crowned Warblers and Blue-Headed Vireos. We hoped for a nice sunrise over the lake, […]
January 18, 2011 - Last Saturday’s sunset at Circle B was so colorful! I took bracketed exposures for HDR, then after I created the HDR images, I stitched them together into a panorama using Photoshop. Now I have a “virtual window” for my cubicle…
January 16, 2011 - I saw my first-ever King Rail at the Circle B Reserve tonight. I went for a sunset walk before the Lake Region Audubon Society meeting, where Fred Bassett gave an excellent talk about hummingbirds that winter in Florida. There were plenty of people out to enjoy the sunset, including a nice couple of saw me […]
January 15, 2011 - Bitterns were the highlight this morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve. I arrived at sunrise, and the cloudcover was much greater than the weatherman’s “Mostly Sunny” forecast. The sun shone on the landscape for about fifteen minutes, then it went behind clouds for most of the “golden light hour.” I didn’t hike as much […]
January 9, 2011 - Dyeyo and I tried something a little different this morning. We arrived at the Circle B Bar Reserve about fifteen minutes before sunrise, and we parked in the lot right at the entrance to the reserve. Then we hiked out to Wading Bird Way on the Windmill Whisper trail. We got to the crossroads right […]
January 8, 2011 - My dad and I had a great time this morning doing a “photo hike” at the Circle B Bar Reserve. We’d like to say thanks to the dozen or so brave people who came out early at 8:00 and braved the winds to see the birds. We enjoyed the time, and we hope that everybody […]
January 8, 2011 - We scheduled this morning’s photo hike to start at 8, recognizing that that was early for most people. But for me, that’s late! I arrived at Circle B at around 6:45 and hiked down to the lake to meet the sunrise. I was happy to see that the lake wasn’t all stinky with decaying fish […]
January 8, 2011 - Join Us for a Nature Hike at the Circle B Bar Reserve. Bring your DSLR, your point-and-shoot, or just yourself, and join us for a morning’s walk at the Circle B Bar Reserve. My dad and I will share some of our favorite birding locations and photography tips. Meet outside the Nature Discovery Center on […]
January 7, 2011 - I headed to the Circle B Bar Reserve on my off-Friday determined to remember to check the eagle’s nest next to the Nature Center. I always seem to forget to walk over and check it on my way out! As I arrived at the nest, I saw one Bald Eagle sitting on it. Another eagle […]
January 6, 2011 - I’ve been enjoying have the HDR capabilities of Photoshop CS5. I’m no expert in HDR, and I’m learning how to adjust the controls so that the pictures look good. I don’t try for the over-the-top color effects of some HDR photos, but instead just enjoy the additional dynamic range and color tones that make my […]
December 31, 2010 - Lots of people decided say goodbye to 2010 with a visit to the Circle B Bar Reserve. I’ve never seen so many people there in a morning. It was fun to finally meet Herman and a bunch of people from the Circle B Flickr group. I took “The Beast” and had a fun time getting […]
December 29, 2010 - It was probably not a good morning to be a bird at the Circle B Bar Reserve. The temperature was around 28 when I arrived at 7:30 in the morning. The ground was covered in frost. Skies normally covered in American White Pelicans were empty. But it was pretty in an eerie way, and by […]
December 25, 2010 - Santa arrived early at the Circle B Bar Reserve today, bringing plenty of insects and nuts for the birds for Christmas. His reindeer are not fond of Florida weather, so the American White Pelicans volunteered to help him fly his sleigh! Santa cartoon courtesy of Microsoft Office Clipart
December 23, 2010 - The skies of the Circle B Bar Reserve were covered in American White Pelicans this morning. We arrived at sunrise and stayed till about 11:30. During that whole time, wave after wave of pelicans flew in. They must be powered by Energizer…they just keep coming, and coming, and coming! This morning we walked up Heron […]
December 22, 2010 - It was a gorgeous morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve. We arrived at 7:00, just before sunrise, and the birds put on an amazing wake-up show. The hundreds of Wood Storks and Sand Hill Cranes that roost in the marsh overnight all woke up and flew away, nicely illuminated by the rising sun. They […]
December 21, 2010 - On Thursday afternoon I took two fun pictures at Circle B: one of Sandhill Cranes flying against the sunset sky, and another of the sunset landscape. Then I combined the two pictures in Photoshop Elements. I think the composition is fun…as long as I admit to the Photoshopping! Here are the two original images:
December 17, 2010 - There were plenty of birds in the skies this afternoon at the Circle B Bar Reserve! I got there around 3:30 and hiked Heron Hideout, Marsh Rabbit Run, and Wading Bird Way. The American White Pelicans are back and roosting on the water at Wading Bird Way! Yay! When I first arrived, the skies above […]
December 11, 2010 - Dyeyo and I went for a quick walk at the Circle B Bar Reserve this afternoon. I’ve been wanting to photograph one of our spectacular golden sunsets that we’ve been having lately, but tonight’s wasn’t like that. It was pretty, though. I waited for the sun to start going behind a cloud, then took this […]
December 10, 2010 - My in-laws are visiting this weekend, and Rich and I took them for a walk to the Circle B Bar Reserve this morning. We were welcomed by some Killdeer on the Heron Hideout trail. This is my first sharp Killdeer picture, and I was excited to get it. :) A hawk was watching us from […]
December 4, 2010 - I’ve been called the Birdie Paparazzi. But today I was the one being followed! An otter came bounding up the path after me at least twice. He was cute! This morning I decided to hike Alligator Alley, since it was foggy and I felt like taking sunrise pictures. It’s also been a while since I’ve […]
November 30, 2010 - I had some fun pictures of the American Coots at the Circle B Bar Reserve this Sunday. So here’s a special coot-only post… I caught the coot below flapping his wings as he reached into the water for a breakfast bite. Look at those big white feet! I always have to laugh when I see […]
November 28, 2010 - I found the birds! Last Monday I was disappointed to visit the Circle B Bar Reserve and find practically no birds in the skies. Today was quite the opposite! The morning was cool and bright — a nice change from yesterday’s cloudy gloom! I walked out on Heron Hideout and immediately saw my first flock […]
November 22, 2010 - Relatively speaking, there were very few birds at the Circle B Bar Reserve this morning. Usually we are greeted by flocks of White Ibis and Wood Storks flying over Heron Hideout. We see Osprey and various wading birds flying overhead. Lately a bunch of Roseate Spoonbills have been filling the marshes with pink. Today there […]
November 14, 2010 - I’ve been going to the Circle B Bar Reserve at least once a week since June, and plenty of times before that, and I’ve never seen a River Otter. Dyeyo’s seen them plenty of times. Well, I finally got to see one today! There were otters running up and down Marsh Rabbit Run all morning. […]
November 13, 2010 - I’ve had some people asking me why I get up at the crack of dawn to go to Circle B. The answer is “to get there during the great morning light.” So what’s so great about morning light? Compare and contrast the following two pictures. Both feature a Greater Yellowlegs, taken yesterday morning on Heron […]
November 12, 2010 - I spent my off-Friday morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve. I heard my first American Goldfinch of the season! I never saw it, but the call is unmistakable. Heron Hideout is definitely a great place to be at sunrise these days. The water levels in the marsh are extremely low, so the birds congregate […]
November 10, 2010 - Our MFC Spirit magazine at work is having another photography contest and so I am entering a picture of the famous Circle B Sandhill Crane colt. I’m posting it here so that I can download it easily at work…
November 7, 2010 - Hundreds of White Ibis took to the air this morning over the Circle B Bar Reserve. The cold and the wind kept most of the birds under cover, but the White Ibises seemed to know how to navigate despite the gusts. On Heron Hideout, the marsh on the left is completely dry, and it seems […]
November 1, 2010 - Apparently the “Water, Wings, and Wild Things” event yesterday spooked a lot of the birds at the Circle B Bar Reserve…but the wrens stuck around and celebrated Halloween with us! The marshes were fairly quiet this morning, but there were plenty of little bids for patient photographers… We started off walking to the far end […]
October 24, 2010 - There were Eastern Phoebes everywhere at the Circle B Bar Reserve this morning. Plus a whole lot of other birds… After Al and several other people saw a Cuckoo during this past week, we headed out to see if we could find it too. Al also reports that the river otters are back along the […]
October 18, 2010 - I’ve often wondered how the image quality would be if Dyeyo and I were to stack our teleconverters. I got the opportunity to do an experiment yesterday at the Circle B Bar Reserve. We had seen an adult Bald Eagle flying over the marsh several times, and it finally settled in a treetop all the […]
October 17, 2010 - Things are certainly picking up at the Circle B Bar Reserve. Besides seeing the first American Coots of the season, this morning we saw a juvenile Bald Eagle doing some nice close fly-bys, three Roseate Spoonbills, and plenty of Gray Catbirds and Eastern Phoebes. Last night when we left at sunset, we said good night […]
October 16, 2010 - Dyeyo and I made an unusual late-afternoon trip to the Circle B Bar Reserve today, hoping to get some fun sunset shots. It was strange to be there in the afternoon instead of the early morning. The differences in lighting almost made it feel like a totally new place. When we first got out to […]
October 13, 2010 - Somebody asked me this weekend why I bother to use flash outside. After all, the sun is up and there’s plenty of light, right? What I explained is that fill flash can be useful, even outside in bright sunlight. For one thing, bright sunlight tends to create harsh shadows, and a bit of fill flash […]
October 10, 2010 - A month ago I was ecstatic to see a warbler at the Circle B Bar Reserve. Today I nonchalantly dismissed one as “just another Palm Warbler.” How quickly do the birding times change!! This morning’s hike took us up Heron Hideout and out Marsh Rabbit Run. We spent most the time chasing the little guys. […]
October 3, 2010 - The weather was cool, the sunrise was awesome, the birds were out, and there was a breeze! I couldn’t imagine a more perfect morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve. There was a Tricolored Heron in his usual place, fishing where the water flows under the trail. He looked great in the morning light. The […]
September 27, 2010 - Sunrise at the Circle B Bar Reserve is magical. Maybe because two mornings are never alike. This morning, we were hiking on Heron Hideout when suddenly about twenty Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks took to the air around us. Calling back and forth to each other with their sweet distinctive whistle, the birds flew round and round […]
September 19, 2010 - I felt like playing with Photoshop today, so I made another warbler and migrant bird collage. These little birds are usually high in the oak canopies, and it’s hard to get great pictures of them. They also hop around really fast. You come home with a stiff neck and then squint at your pictures, asking […]
September 18, 2010 - The sky was clear and the winds were northeast and there were not many migrants at the Circle B Bar Reserve this morning. It was a bit cooler, though, and a walk through the marsh at dawn is always pleasant. Thankfully I didn’t see any alligators, either! I started out on Heron Hideout and checked […]
