Beach Bird Heuristics for Rich
May 10, 2014 - When my non-photographer hubby accompanied me to Fort De Soto, I gave him tips on finding good beach birds, like my very first Whimbrel!
Beyond the Backyard
While the blog started as a record of my backyard garden and birds, it quickly grew as I discovered bird photography. This page contains images taken “beyond the backyard” during my travels around Central Florida (and beyond!)
Least Tern Fish Exchanges
May 7, 2014 - On my last trip to Fort De Soto I photographed several Least Tern fish exchanges as these tiny birds performed their courtship rituals.
More Migrant Songbirds at Fort De Soto
May 5, 2014 - More shots of migrant songbirds at Fort De Soto, including a lifer Bay-breasted Warbler and some great American Redstarts.
Royal Tern Courtship
May 3, 2014 - I finally got to photograph Royal Tern courtship. The Royal Terns exchanged fish and crabs before mating on North Beach. What a fun morning!
Photographing Scarlet Tanagers Eating Insects
May 1, 2014 - I had such a great weekend at Fort De Soto with the migrant birds not too long ago, and one of the best parts was photographing the Scarlet Tanagers. The bright red feathers and black wings of the males are very striking. At the East Beach, I found about ten tanagers that were feeding near […]
Migrant Birds at Fort De Soto
April 29, 2014 - Two weekends ago I had the most amazing morning photographing the migrant birds at Fort De Soto. The trees were literally dropping with colorful birds. Red tanagers, orange orioles, blue buntings and grosbeaks, and warblers everywhere. It was a birder’s paradise. Good birding isn’t always good for the birds. Most of these birds spend the […]
Blue Cypress Lake Photography: Sunrise and Ospreys!
April 24, 2014 - It’s that time of year again! Time to drive down to Yeehaw Junction in the crazy-early hours of the morning for some Blue Cypress Lake photography. :) A sunrise pontoon boat ride on gorgeous Blue Cypress Lake is totally worth the early morning. My friends Michael, Debbie, and Debbie’s Sherpa Tom and I met two […]
Lots of Good Color at the Gatorland Rookery
April 22, 2014 - Some friends convinced me to visit Gatorland in early April, and I’m really glad I went! I was a little burned out on rookery photography after the past few years, and I wasn’t looking forward to fighting the crowds on the boardwalk. But the birds were more than worth it. We had excellent opportunities with […]
Happy Easter!
April 20, 2014 - Just a quick post today, to say Happy Easter! I’ve been keeping this adorable Sandhill Crane colt shot for Easter because he is just so cute and so perfect for the day. This is the same colt that I saw hatch a week and a half ago. He was about 36 hours old at this […]
Springtime Bird Photography at Fort De Soto
April 15, 2014 - April is my favorite time to visit Fort De Soto in St. Petersburg, Florida. The sandy beaches are beautiful, the spring winds are cool, and my toes get to wiggle in the ocean water as I photograph the birds molting into their breeding plumage. An April visit always has the possibility of a fallout, where […]
Out of the Egg: I Saw a Sandhill Crane Hatch!!!
April 12, 2014 - I got to photograph a Sandhill Crane hatch! What a wonderful night with this special family of birds.
Spring Morning at Orlando Wetlands Park
April 8, 2014 - On the morning that Deb and I saw Rich’s awesome turtle, we also saw a bunch of fun birds. Springtime is the best time of year for Central Florida nature photography. Some of our winter visitors are still hanging around, the migrants start to move through, and the local birds get all spiffy-looking for courtship […]
Snapping Turtle for Rich
April 4, 2014 - A fun surprise at the Orlando Wetlands Park, a snapping turtle crawled out on the road and let me take pictures of him.
One More Morning with the Sandhill Crane Family
April 2, 2014 - One last morning with my Sandhill Crane family. The colts were seven days old, and they squabbled, danced, and played hide and seek. Cute!
Bath Time for the Sandhill Crane Colts
March 31, 2014 - I got a kick out of watching the tiny Sandhill Crane colts go wading into the water. They are pretty good little swimmers!
Three Days Older, Three Days Cuter – Sandhill Crane Colts
March 28, 2014 - Fun morning spent with six-day-old Sandhill Crane colts, who captivated me with cuteness as they played, fed, and danced for my camera
Leaps of Faith – Sandhill Crane Colts
March 25, 2014 - Funny photo vignette of Sandhill Crane colts learning to climb
Sandhill Crane Colts: Day 3
March 23, 2014 - I got to photograph Sandhill Crane colts on their third day of life. Cuteness abounded as they fed, played, and learned how to fly (almost)
Hatch Day for the Sandhill Cranes
March 19, 2014 - It’s that time of year again! I hope you like pictures of cute little Sandhill Crane colts, because you’re going to be seeing a lot of them in this blog in the next few weeks. Last weekend I started making the rounds, checking on known nests from previous years. Then my friend texted me saying […]
Viera Wetlands and Scrub Jays with my Dad
March 17, 2014 - Regular readers of my blog will know that my dad and I love to go out on photo expeditions together. With my crazy work schedule, we haven’t been out much lately. All winter I’ve been promising him a trip to Viera Wetlands. Well, we finally went! The wetlands were a little quiet, but we had […]
What Took Me So Long? Lake Mirror Is Great!
March 15, 2014 - I often visit Lake Morton in Lakeland, but I had never ridden over to nearby Lake Mirror. Several photographer friends keep asking me if I have photographed the Mandarin Ducks there. The City of Lakeland introduced the mandarins and a couple of Shelducks, which are both exotic species (not native to Florida). I finally […]
Springtime Walk at Lake Morton
March 12, 2014 - Last weekend I visited Lake Morton in hopes of photographing swan courtship. My friend Kim recently posted an amazing image of two “love birds” whose necks came together to form a heart on the lake. It’s a touching reminder that it’s my favorite time of the year: baby bird season! I can’t wait for the […]
Bend and Snap: Breeding Double-Crested Cormorants
March 8, 2014 - A few weekends ago at Viera Wetlands, I photographed this Double-crested Cormorant on a palm tree trunk in front of me. The bird sat there staring at me with his gorgeous bright blue eye, which is one of the features of his breeding plumage. He stared at me so long that I got tired of […]
Great Horned Owl Nest at Fort De Soto
March 4, 2014 - Two weeks ago, my dad and I drove over to Fort De Soto to photograph the Great Horned Owl nest. At the time, the owlets were two weeks old. Ever since I saw Marina Scarr’s highly honored image in the Windland Smith Rice photo contest, I’ve wanted to see a similar scene – the mother […]
Fun with the Scrub Jays
February 25, 2014 - After shooting at Viera Wetlands last weekend, my friend Michael took me to a new place, a Florida Scrub Jay trail. I don’t have a whole lot of experience photographing Scrub Jays. They are a threatened species, and their habitat is in decline. I’ve photographed them at the Scrub Jay Trail at Merritt Island National […]
Great Blue Herons Stealing Sticks at Viera Wetlands
February 22, 2014 - The nesting Great Blue Herons were stealing sticks at Viera Wetlands last weekend. The nest's owner wasn't too happy with the thieves!
Great Blue Heron Sunrise at Viera Wetlands
February 16, 2014 - I almost slept in yesterday morning. After working for six weeks straight with only two days off, I was tired. Then I saw the radar at 5am and almost didn’t go at all. Finally I said to myself, “Self, get out there and have fun!” I’m so glad I did! I met Michael Libbe […]
Juvenile Shorebirds from Last Summer
February 13, 2014 - I found some images from last summer that I had never processed. In August I spent several mornings at Indian Rocks Beach photographing the nesting Black Skimmers, but the skimmers weren’t the only birds who posed for me. The juvenile shorebirds also put on a show for the camera. I especially liked the juvenile terns, […]
Viera Wetlands Nesting Season in Full Swing
February 1, 2014 - The Viera Wetlands nesting season is in full swing with Great Blue Heron fly-ins, courtship rituals, and even the first small chicks
A New Place to Photograph: Holloway Park, Lakeland, FL
January 21, 2014 - I visited Holloway Park for the first time and enjoyed observing the Bald Eagle nest. I can't wait to return on a nice weather day!
Peregrine Falcon at the Circle B Bar Reserve
January 17, 2014 - On a cloudy day over Christmas break, I started the morning at Lake Morton and then made a stop to look for the Peregrine Falcon at the Circle B Bar Reserve. The Peregrine Falcon had been hanging around for several weeks, and I wanted to get some non-captive shots of this pretty species. It was […]
Cloudy Morning Walk at Lake Morton
January 15, 2014 - Three days after Christmas, the weather forecasters promised us some sun. It was a welcome forecast, as it had been cloudy for days. So I got up early and headed to Lake Morton for sunrise. I hadn’t been there to visit my swans in quite a while. But it was another dull gray day. You […]
Finally! Nice Weather for a Walk at Circle B
January 12, 2014 - As you will read in upcoming blog posts, the weather wasn’t so great over my Christmas vacation. So when the forecast called for sun today, I headed for a nice walk at the Circle B Bar Reserve. I wasn’t the only one, either! There were tons of people there. I took the Alligator Alley trail […]
Seeking the Ash-throated Flycatcher in Florida
January 10, 2014 - After visiting the nesting Great Blue Herons at Viera Wetlands before Christmas, Michael and I drove down the road to the Moccasin Island Tract to see a rare Ash-throated Flycatcher in Florida. Ash-throated Flycatchers typically live in the western US, so this guy is a little far from home! We parked, spotted a flycatcher-like bird […]
Nesting Great Blue Herons at Viera Wetlands
January 8, 2014 - It’s getting to be my favorite time of year – bird nesting season! For those of us lucky to live in Florida, spring seems to come pretty early, with owls and eagles starting to nest as early as November. The Great Blue Herons are the first of the large wading birds to begin nesting. […]
Snowy Owl in Florida!!!
January 5, 2014 - I got to photograph a Snowy Owl in Florida! In the most gorgeous sunset golden light - it was incredible!!!
Lakeland Christmas Bird Count 2013 – I Found Pelicans!
December 22, 2013 - I participated in the 2013 Lakeland Christmas Bird Count. Rarites included Nelson's Sparrow, Franklin's Gull, and White-Faced Ibis.
Wow! Honorable Mention in NWF Photo Contest!
December 14, 2013 - Oh my gosh! Yesterday I received this e-mail: Your photo of a Mute Swan Cygnet has won an Honorable Mention in our 2013 National Wildlife Photo Contest. It will appear in a slide show on the National Wildlife Federation’s website in the magazine’s PhotoZone pages in January. It will also be considered for our Photo of the Week […]
2013 Christmas Ornament – A Puffin!
December 12, 2013 - Regular readers of my blog may recall that I cross-stitch an ornament every year for our Christmas tree. This year’s subject was a no-brainer – what was one of the most incredible things we did this year? Go see puffins, of course! I thought the ornament turned out pretty well. It looks very similar to […]
The Splash of Shamu
December 10, 2013 - Rich’s folks visited this weekend, and we took them to Sea World. While I normally photograph wild animals, often inspired by my favorite cats and turtles, I’ve always had a fascination for dolphins and whales. My dad and I went to Sea World often when I was growing up, and I used to love the […]
Promise of Eaglets at the Circle B Bar Reserve
December 3, 2013 - On the last day of Thanksgiving break, my dad and I were excited to take his friend Dr. B to the Circle B Bar Reserve. Dr. B has been to lots of fun places to photograph, but it was his first time at Circle B. We arrived just before sunrise and found a gray, nasty […]
Chasing Lifers
November 29, 2013 - Michael Libbe and I had two goals on our recent trip to the Circle B Bar Reserve: to photograph the yellow flowers at sunrise, and to go chasing lifers! A group of Fulvous Whistling Ducks has started to hang out at Circle B, and while I’ve caught a few quick glimpses of them, they would […]
Yellow Flowers are Back at the Circle B Bar Reserve
November 27, 2013 - The yellow flowers are back at the Circle B Bar Reserve! Each year in November, the marsh landscape bursts into color with the blooms of the burr marigolds. These flowers are of the scientific genus bidens, and another common name for them is beggartick. They are native to Florida and grow well in swampy locations like […]
Some Birds, the Moon, and Sensor Dust!
November 25, 2013 - Yesterday at the Circle B Bar Reserve, Michael and I came across a group of White Ibis in my “treasure tree” along the Heron Hideout trail. I’ve had many lifers in that tree, but I almost passed it without a second glance when I saw just a few common White Ibises at the treetop. Then […]
Fall Blooms at Callaway Gardens
November 13, 2013 - We spent a weekend in north Georgia recently to capture some of the fall foliage, and I tucked my macro lens into my bag, looking forward to the opportunity to photograph some flowers as well. The fall blooms at Callaway Gardens are always fun to shoot. The gardens have large spectacular displays of mums, and […]
Fall Colors at Callaway Gardens
November 8, 2013 - Rich and I did a quick getaway trip to Callaway Gardens last weekend. Callaway Gardens is located in Georgia, about an hour southwest of Atlanta. My photography goal for the trip was fall leaves. While the peak color is past in places like New England or along the Great Smoky Mountains, the leaves are […]
Sunrise and a Vermilion Flycatcher
November 6, 2013 - When Michael Libbe and I headed out to Orlando Wetlands Park in late October, we had two goals: to photograph a great sunrise and a Vermilion Flycatcher. Michael ordered some nice wispy clouds for sunrise, and he sorta got his wish. I love being at the wetlands for sunrise, but I’m always annoyed at my […]
More Birding Fun at Viera
November 4, 2013 - In my last post I wrote about the Roseate Spoonbills roosting at Viera Wetlands in the Click Ponds. Well, there are a bunch of other fun birds there too. Especially during the early golden light, when the spoonies weren’t cooperating for photography, it was amazing to be surrounded by pink and yet I was photographing […]
Roseate Spoonbills at Viera Wetlands
November 2, 2013 - There are so many Roseate Spoonbills at Viera Wetlands right now! The Click Ponds were recently drained, and the low water levels have attracted lots of wading birds, especially Roseate Spoonbills. It’s an incredible sight to drive up and see several hundred spoonies feeding in a group right in front of you! The Roseate Spoonbills […]
If At First You Don’t Succeed…Try, Try Again!
October 26, 2013 - Yesterday morning I went to the Viera Wetlands to photograph Roseate Spoonbills. The water levels at the Click Ponds are very low, which attracts hundreds of wading birds. Besides the spoonies, there were American White Pelicans, Wood Storks, Snowy Egrets, Sandhill Cranes, and a variety of shorebirds. They all hang out at one corner of […]