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!)
June 9, 2013 - On the morning that I photographed sunrise at Washington Oaks, I also made a stop at the Matanzas Tern Colony. In previous years, I’ve spent some very special mornings lying on the sand, watching the Least Terns and their tiny chicks. I was a little worried that the birds would find a new nesting site […]
June 6, 2013 - As the birding nesting season starts to wind down, I’ve been enjoying playing with my wide-angle lens for landscape shots. My friends often visit the beaches at Washington Oaks State Park on the way to the Least Tern colony, and I decided to stop there on my last off-Friday. It’s painful getting out of bed […]
June 4, 2013 - On Sunday I visited Lake Morton to photograph what is probably the last Mute Swan cygnet of the season. We’ve had a great spring this year, with lots of great nests and adorable cygnets. Unfortunately the babies are taken away by the City of Lakeland almost as soon as they hatch. So we haven’t had many opportunities to […]
June 2, 2013 - A few weeks ago, I was driving to a morning photography adventure and I happened to notice a great sunrise in my side mirror. I wasn’t in a hurry, so I pulled over and got the shot. It was a foggy morning, and I hadn’t expected the sunrise to be at all interesting. But the […]
May 28, 2013 - Regular readers of my blog may remember Father Goose. He (she?) is a goose at Lake Morton who befriends the Muscovy Ducks each spring when their babies hatch. I’m not sure where the Muscovy dads are, but they don’t seem to be much involved in raising the brood of youngsters. Enter “Father” Goose, the lonely goose […]
May 27, 2013 - Rich and I just got back from a much-needed get-away over Memorial Day weekend. The change of pace was great! I estimate that I’m about 15 posts behind in my blog, so you won’t see details of our trip for a week or two. But here’s a teaser… One of the places we visited was […]
May 25, 2013 - With our Florida rainy season in full swing, the clouds of our afternoon thunderstorms provide great opportunities for sunset pictures. One afternoon recently I came home, saw the clouds on the horizon, grabbed the camera, and drove out to some grassy fields where I knew I’d have a clear view of the horizon for sunset. […]
May 23, 2013 - After our less-than-spectacular sunrise at Blue Cypress Lake a few weeks ago, I headed to Lakeland to see my swans. You see, the City of Lakeland takes the cygnets away from their nests almost immediately — sometimes on the same day that they hatch. The City believes that it’s better to raise the babies in […]
May 19, 2013 - I’m so behind on my blog. It’s that time of year when I’d rather be out with my camera than sitting behind a computer! Recently I wrote about my quest to see Bobolinks at the Circle B Bar Reserve. Bobolinks are migratory birds that make a stop-over at Circle B every May during their migration […]
May 12, 2013 - Dedicated to my mom, who is my best friend and confidante. Happy Mother’s Day!! As regular readers of my blog know, I’ve been stopping by Lake Morton periodically to monitor the nesting of the resident Mute Swans. My friend Kim at the lake knows how much I love to photograph the cygnets (baby swans), so […]
May 11, 2013 - Last Sunday I met friends Debbie, Tom, and Michael at Blue Cypress Lake for a fun-filled boat ride of dramatic sunrises and flying Ospreys. Well, that’s what it was supposed to be, and what it was in March 2012, May 2012, and March 2013. So I happily jumped out of bed at 4am and drove […]
May 8, 2013 - Last Saturday morning I visited the Circle B Bar Reserve with the hope of seeing my first Bobolink. Bobolinks are migratory birds that pass through Circle B during early May. My dad has seen them several times, but I never have – I’ve missed them every year! I knew Saturday morning would be cloudy, but […]
May 7, 2013 - It rained all week last week. We need the rain, but we need it a little bit at a time. Not three inches a day for five days in a row! On Friday afternoon, I was so sick of staying inside. We had a break in the showers, so I headed out to see if […]
May 4, 2013 - On my way back from Fort De Soto last Saturday, I stopped at Lake Morton to see if there were any cygnets (baby swans). I’ve been keeping an eye on the nests there for the past few weeks, as it is getting to be that time of year when tiny gray fuzzballs appear under the […]
May 1, 2013 - For the past three weekends in a row, I’ve planned a visit to Fort De Soto. I even planned to go and stay overnight so that I’d have more time with golden light. Then there were thunderstorms. And rain. And clouds. Two weekends in a row! So this past weekend I finally made it there. […]
April 30, 2013 - A few weeks ago I was excited to find my first Common Nighthawk after work one night. I went back to look for more, and I found them! Common Nighthawks are sometimes hard to find. They are most active at night, so during the day when I’d normally see them, they are usually asleep in […]
April 22, 2013 - I had read about baby Limpkins at Lake Morton, and when I was walking around the lake on Saturday morning, I kept my eyes and ears open. Often I hear babies before I see them. Then I ran into my friend Jane, and she told me exactly where to find them. Woo hoo! They were […]
April 21, 2013 - The weather was cloudy and rainy on Saturday morning, so I didn’t want to venture miles from my car with heavy camera equipment. I opted for a trip to Lake Morton, where I knew I could find cute babies. I knew I’d be too early for swan cygnets, which probably won’t hatch till late April […]
April 20, 2013 - I’m dismayed by the recent development in our area. Where pine trees once covered the land, yet another development is going in. Where Sandhill Cranes once flew over John’s Lake, signs now stand advertising multi-million dollar lakefront homes. Scenic drives are cluttered by cookie-cutter stucco houses. The Orlando area is expanding, and as it expands […]
April 17, 2013 - My last Gatorland post focused on the Snowy Egret that I saw hatch, but I saw lots of other birds last Saturday morning also. It was a cloudy morning, with a good chance of rain, so I didn’t want to drive for hours and then take a long walk with my Beast. So I opted […]
April 13, 2013 - This morning I had the privilege of watching a baby bird hatch at the Gatorland Rookery. It was incredible. Watching the little bird break out of the egg and enter the world was an amazing experience. And a long one! The last time I watched an egg hatch, it was a Double-Crested Cormorant, and it […]
April 11, 2013 - As I wrote yesterday, my friend Carla came with me on a photography expedition last weekend. We first visited the Circle B Bar Reserve, and then we headed to Lake Morton. Carla saw her first swan’s nest! The beautiful Mute Swans are nesting all around the lake right now. We counted at least eight nests. […]
April 10, 2013 - Last Sunday my neighbor and good friend Carla joined me for a walk at the Circle B Bar Reserve. Carla and I enjoy our backyard birds together, and she decided that she wanted to come see some of the places I photograph on weekends. Brave lady – she was even willing to be up for […]
April 9, 2013 - I spent a morning at the Gatorland rookery the weekend before last. My friend Debbie Tubridy was in town, and we decided to check out the rookery, expecting it to be teeming with birds. But it wasn’t! The morning-light side of the rookery didn’t have nearly as much activity as in previous years. I was […]
April 8, 2013 - Herman took my dad and me on a boat trip to the Polk Rookery this past weekend. It was my first time being there in the afternoon, so it was fun to see the nests that are not well illuminated in my normal morning light. There don’t seem to be as many nests this year […]
April 7, 2013 - Somebody needs to tell the groundhog that he really mis-predicted the weather this year. Instead of his projected early spring, we got freezing cold temperatures well into April! Still, Fort De Soto is an awesome place for springtime bird photography, even if there’s wind and cold. I spent a very pleasant evening and morning at […]
April 5, 2013 - Easter sunrise, a lifer, and a bobcat…it was a very good morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve!! On Easter Sunday I was out on the Wading Bird Way trail approximately 45 minutes before sunrise. I watched the pale glow of the sun as it appeared over the horizon, and finally burst up over the […]
April 4, 2013 - Two weekends ago, my friend Michael Libbe asked if I wanted to shoot together at the Circle B Bar Reserve. Little did I realize that I’d later be accused of dragging him on a long hike carrying his heavy equipment! :-p I perhaps should have warned him that I’m on a Sandhill Crane colt craze […]
April 1, 2013 - I’ve had the privilege of watching several owl nests in the past few weeks, as I first indicating in my recent post about My First Trip to the Oakland Great Horned Owl Nest. I missed the really cute stage when the birds were tiny babies, and Mom tucked them under her tummy as she sat […]
March 31, 2013 - I’ve been very fortunate over the past week as I had the opportunity to observe a newborn Sandhill Crane baby at his nest. This nest is in Melbourne, about an hour and a half drive for me. My friends who live there notified me when the baby was born (thanks Bill and Mike!). Only a […]
March 24, 2013 - I was so excited when my friend Michael Libbe organized a boat ride on Blue Cypress Lake last weekend. Blue Cypress Lake is a huge lake near Yeehaw Junction in Central Florida. If you know Yeehaw Junction at all, you know that the location is “out in the middle of nowhere!” The only human structure […]
March 21, 2013 - On Saturday morning, the sunrise found me out on the Wading Bird Way trail at the Circle B Bar Reserve. I was flabbergasted when my dad also arrived for the sunrise. He’s not a sunrise photographer! As the sun peeked out over the horizon, fog was settling in over the marsh. It was really thick […]
March 20, 2013 - I spent my off-Friday morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve with the Sandhill Crane family. The babies are so much bigger, and so much cuter, than they were on Sunday. The weekend crowds weren’t there on Friday, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with these wonderful birds! As the Sandhill Crane babies grow bigger, […]
March 18, 2013 - Last year my friends found a Sandhill Crane family in Casselberry. When I visited, the colts were several weeks old, already getting to their leggy stage. They entertained me with their spider wars. This year I made a trip over there while the babies are still small. They hatched on Sunday, and I went six […]
March 14, 2013 - I was so excited when a friend shared the location of a Great Horned Owl nest – it’s practically in my backyard! I love to watch nests and see babies grow up, but most nests are far away. This one is close enough that I can check on it after work. (I’ve been asked not […]
March 11, 2013 - I had an absolutely incredible morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve on Sunday. The Sandhill Crane colts have hatched! This is a very predictable family of Sandhill Cranes that has been bringing the tiny babies up on the trail for the past four or five years. They make wonderful photo opportunities! The nest this […]
March 9, 2013 - I got out with my camera this morning for the first time since early December! It felt so good. I headed to the Gatorland Rookery in hopes of capturing some Great Egret nesting activity. The birds didn’t disappoint! This morning was my first time taking the Beast to the Gatorland Rookery, and wow! It’s a […]
December 28, 2012 - This is one of my favorite Great Blue Heron nesting shots from last year. I had fun on the computer with it today, applying Fractalius and some texture to the image. I’m looking forward to getting out to the Viera Wetlands to enjoy this year’s nesting birds.
December 26, 2012 - I made this image of the windmill at the Circle B Bar Reserve back in October. I had gone to look for the Snail Kite, and after the sun set, the light levels dropped quickly. As I walked back to my car I looked back and saw the windmill starting to whirl in the breeze. […]
December 23, 2012 - I’ve had a nasty flu bug for a little over a week now. It’s getting old! The weather is great (cold, but clear) and the birds are here and I’m sitting at the computer looking at pictures I took last year. It’s time to get better. So this is where I’d like to be tomorrow […]
December 20, 2012 - Some really good photographers obsess over making “pleasing blurs,” and I must admit, when I look at their images, I see glimpses of my own bad shots that I deleted because the bird wouldn’t sit still! But sometimes when I’m out shooting and the action isn’t all that exciting, I’ll take my second body and […]
December 19, 2012 - This Black-Crowned Night Heron was just sitting in a treetop of Orlando Wetlands. He was watching and waiting, probably planning out his next meal. I like how his bright red eye stands out against the clear blue sky.
December 18, 2012 - My favorite wintertime bird is the goldfinch. They spend lots of time at our backyard feeder, and our cats spend a lot of time watching them! When I go outside to refill the feeder, I think they have a watchbird monitoring my activity. As soon as I step away, I hear a chorus of sweet […]
December 17, 2012 - I’m tired of all this cloudy, foggy weather we’ve been having lately! I hope the skies clear up for my upcoming time off from work. This was taken back in November at the Orlando Wetlands Park. I liked the cloud formations of the original image, and then I really liked the effect of the golden […]
December 14, 2012 - I thought it would be easy to photograph fall leaves. After all, there are tons of them lying around, right? Turns out they are not as photogenic as you might think. And a lot of them were already brown, which really distracted from the leaves that were brightly colored. So I took lots of attempts, […]
December 11, 2012 - On the day that Michael and I hiked out Shiloh Marsh Road to photograph the Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher, we came across this Turkey Vulture sunning himself. He seemed to be enjoying the sun very much. He didn’t want to move! We had to pass him on the trail, and he would watch us dubiously, then move […]
December 8, 2012 - My in-laws are visiting this weekend, so Hubby and I took them to Kennedy Space Center yesterday. I got to photograph a different kind of garden – a rocket garden! The space center is now doing special tours of the launchpad and the Vehicle Assembly building (I guess because they are no longer in use […]
December 7, 2012 - This planting of poinsettias is so cheerful, and it really put me in the mood for Christmas. Rich has been reciting a Christmas countdown to me every day since before Thanksgiving. We have several countdowns: one for the number of working days left (9!), one for the days till Christmas (18!), and one for the […]
December 6, 2012 - I’m always surprised at camellia blooms because they remind me so much of my roses. The colors of this one are very delicate and pretty. Pale whites and pinks make me think of spring – but it’s December! I need to go find some poinsettias to play with. :)
December 5, 2012 - I saw these tall trees still with some fall color and thought it would be fun to photograph them from an ant’s perspective. So I threw myself on the ground (much to Rich’s surprise) and starting photographing up into the sky. The result has an interesting perspective. Tall trees make me feel really short!