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!)
November 29, 2012 - On our last trip to Callaway, I found a waterfall near the chapel that I really enjoyed photographing. It was my first real opportunity to experiment with slow shutter speeds to blur the water. I got some nice compliments on the pictures, and total strangers e-mailed me to ask me where in the world this […]
November 28, 2012 - A few days before Thanksgiving, Rich and I went up to Callaway Gardens. Callaway Gardens is about an hour south of Atlanta, which is a seven hour drive from Orlando. Each year they decorate the gardens with wonderful Christmas lights and music, called their “Fantasy in Lights” celebration. It’s so much fun! This was our […]
November 27, 2012 - The light levels were low at the Vegetable Garden most evenings when we were at Callaway Gardens. Plus it was wintertime, and there weren’t many birds around. I photographed a few Yellow-Rumped Warblers and a Junco, which is really common but not in Florida, and then my attention turned to other photogenic subjects. This clump […]
November 26, 2012 - On Black Friday I had the opportunity to photograph two rare birds in Florida: the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and the Snow Bunting. The Snow Bunting lives in the Arctic, breeding in the northernmost parts of Canada. In the wintertime its range extends down to northern Pennsylvania or Maryland. But not normally to Florida! So when this […]
November 25, 2012 - On Black Friday morning I was up early like the rest of the world. Except most people were waiting in long lines in crowded stores. I was out in the middle of the swamp with a camera in my hand, photographing the sunrise! I had a great morning at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge with […]
November 24, 2012 - I photographed these chrysanthemums covered in dew early one morning on our recent vacation. Aren’t they pretty? I love the deep red tones and the little water droplets.
November 23, 2012 - Sometimes it’s fun to mix up your photography using filters and effects. I took a nice picture of a lake scene with fall colors earlier this week at Callaway Gardens. But it was a little boring…straight lines, nicely executed, but nothing special. I noticed the layers in the trees and the waves of the lake […]
November 22, 2012 - Rich and I just returned from a weekend trip to Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia. We’re very thankful that we had an opportunity for a few much-needed days away. And for our nice neighbors who took care of our cats while we were gone! We went to Callaway for their Fantasy in Lights display […]
November 21, 2012 - When you want to photograph sunrise, it always pays to be in position at least half an hour before sunrise. That sounds like a long time, especially if you have to get up early and drive to your location. But look at the difference it makes. This image was taken at 6:37, about 10 minutes […]
November 20, 2012 - I photographed this Sandhill Crane at Orlando Wetlands last weekend. He just wouldn’t get off the trail, which made it really easy to photograph him. The grasses behind him were nicely out-of-focus (well, mostly), and they contrasted beautifully with his bright red head. I like how the grasses give the background a feeling of motion, […]
November 19, 2012 - The Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks are pretty active these days at the Circle B Bar Reserve. When I visited there last weekend, there were so many ducks circling overhead making their happy calls. I noticed a bunch of juveniles, and I think they were having a little bit of a Flight School as they circled around […]
November 18, 2012 - I seem to be on a bit of a landscape image kick lately. This is a sunrise image from the Circle B Bar Reserve about a week ago. As the sun peeked up from behind my shoulder, it bathed the marsh in gorgeous golden light. Now all we need are some yellow flowers and a […]
November 16, 2012 - Before I got serious about photography, I never really noticed the varying positions of the sun throughout the year. Seasons to me were just “shorts or jacket weather?” Now I pay a lot more attention to light. A few weeks ago at the Circle B Bar Reserve, I was photographing birds off the Heron Hideout […]
November 15, 2012 - I was leaving the Circle B Bar Reserve on Saturday morning when I noticed this Belted Kingfisher perched on a branch near the Heron Hideout trail. I was surprised that he was perched so close – usually they stay farther away. He let me position myself at a good sun angle, then gave me a […]
November 14, 2012 - Yesterday I posted a picture of sunrise at Orlando Wetlands. The sun was peeking through the clouds thick on the horizon, and several minutes after sunrise, the light peeked through the clouds and created “God rays” of light. The primary tones were oranges, which contrasted with the blacks of the trees in silhouette. Today’s image […]
November 13, 2012 - This sunrise image was taken on Saturday at Robert’s photography workshop. He had us photographing the front-lit cabbage palms at first, probably because there were clouds on the horizon and the backlit sunrise against the trees wouldn’t be so impressive. Then we noticed the sun peeking through the clouds, creating beautiful rays of light. I […]
November 12, 2012 - I recently received my copy of the Charlotte Harbor Estuary Program calendar, which features one of my images for December 2013. It was so cool to see my own picture in their calendar! The Circle B Bar Reserve is part of the Charlotte Harbor Estuary area, even though CBBR is so far inland that most […]
November 11, 2012 - Yesterday I went to a photography workshop led by Robert Amoruso at Orlando Wetlands Park. It was only my second time to visit the park, and I figured the Audubon fundraiser would be a fun opportunity to meet a good photographer and learn some of the good spots in the park. Robert was awesome. He […]
November 10, 2012 - I’ve been trying to make good images of Limpkins in flight over at least the last year. There are certainly enough Limpkins at the Circle B Bar Reserve that you would think this would be easy. Except the silly Limpkins are very fond of giving me butt shots. As soon as I get ready for […]
November 9, 2012 - This morning I took advantage of my off-Friday to visit the Circle B Bar Reserve. I hadn’t been there in a while, and this is the time of year when it starts to get really good. There were no yellow flowers yet, but I did have an American White Pelican fly-over! A group of about […]
November 7, 2012 - I photographed this Great Blue Heron in awesome morning light at the Circle B Bar Reserve back in May. He wasn’t too sure about his neighbor. Alligators and birds don’t mix well! I seriously need to get out this weekend and take some new pictures! :)
November 6, 2012 - After 13 hours of work today, I needed a reminder of one of my favorite places to relax: Fort De Soto in Tierra Verde, FL. I photographed this juvenile almost-turned-adult plumage Little Blue Heron at Fort D back in early September. I’ve been itching to go back ever since. Look at that blue water…isn’t it […]
November 4, 2012 - My alarm clock played tricks on me this morning. Not only did it put the clock back an hour for Standard Time, but it also put my wake-up time back an additional hour…so I woke up really early. Not nice. Then I saw that the weather forecast was for mostly cloudy and 100% humidity at […]
November 1, 2012 - A few weeks ago I had fun visiting the Orlando Wetlands Park for the first time with friends. We were searching for the Vermillion Flycatcher. But when we came across this stretch of water with lots of fishing Snowy Egrets, it was impossible to pass them by. They’d fly in front of us and dive […]
October 26, 2012 - On my last sunrise visit to Circle B, I turned around and found this grackle sitting on a post behind me. She looked so pretty with her feathers glistening in the sun. She just begged me to take her picture…and even if she’s “just a grackle,” I was happy to do so!
October 25, 2012 - I received information today about the banded Snail Kite that is hanging out at the Circle B Bar Reserve lately. According to FWC, After getting in touch with the University of Florida researchers who banded the bird, I found it was born in June of 2011 on East Lake Toho in St Cloud. We’re glad […]
October 24, 2012 - While I waited patiently (or impatiently!) for the Vermillion Flycatcher to come closer at Orlando Wetlands, one bird decided to cooperate with me. This Black-and-White Warbler hopped into a pine tree right in front of me. She perched for just a second and then flew away. These little guys are very good at helping me […]
October 23, 2012 - Yesterday I posted a picture of a clump of Cypress trees with two birds. If you missed the red dot, don’t feel badly…that’s how I felt when I got my first glimpse of a Vermilion Flycatcher at Orlando Wetlands this weekend. The other bird in the shot was a Belted Kingfisher. There are lots of […]
October 21, 2012 - I had a great morning with friends at Orlando Wetlands today. But I haven’t had a chance to go through my pictures yet, so here’s one from Circle B last weekend. This Great Blue Heron’s colors stood out nicely against the brown vegetation surrounding him. I was surprised to see so much brown in the […]
October 19, 2012 - The Circle B Snail Kite is banded, and I was pleased to get a decent shot of the band numbers on Saturday. It’s not often that I use both teleconverters on the Beast! The left band reads “2510” and the right bands read “7Z”. I tried to report this to the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research […]
October 17, 2012 - This Snowy Egret was fishing in the warm afternoon light on Saturday evening at Circle B. I liked how his white feathers contrasted with the shadows behind him.
October 16, 2012 - Dyeyo and I thought we were being so smart on Saturday afternoon when we returned to Circle B. We’d seen the Snail Kite in the same place two mornings in a row. It’s getting a reputation among birders for being predictable. But the light is all wrong in the morning. This stubborn bird sits right […]
October 15, 2012 - Each fall I look forward to the arrival of the American Coots at the Circle B Bar Reserve as a sign that our winter visitors are beginning to arrive. It’s just about time for the first groups of coots to show up at CBBR. Soon these waters will be covered in little black ducks… On […]
October 14, 2012 - …swiftly go the days at the Circle B Bar Reserve! I ended up making three trips there this weekend. Once on Friday morning when I first saw the Snail Kite, then again on Saturday morning to show Dyeyo the Snail Kite, and then Saturday afternoon to try to catch the Snail Kite in decent light. […]
October 13, 2012 - I love photographing the sunrise out on the Wading Bird Way trail at the Circle B Bar Reserve. You’re standing on a trail between two bodies of water. You face one to photograph the rising sun. Then you turn to face the other, where birds often sit conveniently on posts and soak in the morning […]
October 12, 2012 - It was a beautiful off-Friday morning today at the Circle B Bar Reserve. I arrived before dawn and walked out to the Wading Bird Way trail for sunrise. I wasn’t really hoping for any bird in particular – it just felt so good to be there! As I walked out, I thought about the recent […]
October 10, 2012 - Happy B-Day to my mom! Here are the hummer pictures I promised you from Bok. As you can see, our juvie Rufous is turning into a little boy. Look at the red under his throat! He continues to guard the firebushes from the other hummingbirds. I took a little video of him on one of […]
October 9, 2012 - I saw my first-of-fall Gray Catbird on Sunday at Bok Tower. Then we had one in our backyard tonight, along with a male Painted Bunting. Squirt was very happy to finally meet his namesake gray catbird. Now Whiskey wants to know when he’ll get to see a Black-and-White Warbler!
October 5, 2012 - I found this Wood Stork last weekend on a pale foggy morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve. He seemed curious about me, and he kept watching my camera. These guys are like the old men of the swamp. Look at that face!
October 3, 2012 - I was listening to the eagles the other morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve when I heard strange scuffling sounds. I looked up and saw this pair of Wood Storks fighting with each other at the top of a nearby tree. I guess one of them invaded the other’s personal bubble…my cats can identify […]
October 2, 2012 - At this time of year, the Wood Storks and Double-Crested Cormorants tend to roost in the tall trees in the middle of the marsh at the Circle B Bar Reserve. I often think of these as the “Christmas Trees,” except they are decorated with birds instead of ornaments. When you’re at CBBR on a sunny […]
September 29, 2012 - I finally made it back out to the Circle B Bar Reserve yesterday morning! It felt so good to get back out there. The Marsh Rabbit Run trail is now open, and I hiked it in the cool morning breeze. It wasn’t a super-birdy day, although I did find a couple of Common Yellowthroats and […]
September 27, 2012 - When I was last at Mead Gardens, there were ripe berries on trees everywhere. It seems that Nature takes care of our migrants pretty well, offering them tempting food options on their journey to their winter grounds. The locals don’t mind the food, either. This Red-Bellied Woodpecker was so intent on eating his berries that […]
September 24, 2012 - Yesterday I wrote about seeing my first Rufous Hummingbird and how the bird was very territorial. Well, she had competition from this mockingbird. Mockingbirds are the most territorial birds in my backyard, especially during nesting season. Yesterday this mocker had laid claim to the same firebush as the hummingbird. They ended up defending the same […]
September 23, 2012 - This morning I headed to Bok Tower to search for hummingbirds and migrants. The gardens staff have worked hard to attract hummingbirds to the area, and they have certainly succeeded. I’ve never seen so many hummers there before. Clumps of hummingbird friendly plants are tucked all throughout the gardens, especially red salvias and firebush. I […]
September 22, 2012 - I was up early and ready to head out to look for migrants this morning…and then I heard the raindrops on the roof. My radar on my phone showed green all over the state, and a 50% rain forecast by 9am. Never mind on the birding trip… (and then it cleared up mid-morning! not fair!) […]
September 21, 2012 - I had such a good time watching the gulls and the pelicans at Fort De Soto on my last visit. Those gulls are smart – they hang around the pelicans, and when the pelicans grab a big mouthful of fish, the gulls swoop in and steal a bite. I watched them do it over and […]
September 19, 2012 - I was going back through my images from the year to prepare my annual Christmas calendars. I came across this one and thought of my friend Kim from the lake, who will soon become a grandmother. This was such a special day, when I met Kim and got to photograph this day-old cygnet on the […]
September 18, 2012 - The Sandwich Terns at North Beach made me laugh. I’m not sure if they were trying for courtship behaviors, or if they were just being silly. I watched several bring in nice fish, then just stand there trying to get attention from everybody else. Why didn’t they just eat their fish? Sometimes the crowd would […]
September 16, 2012 - Yesterday the first creature I saw when I arrived was this happy squirrel. He certainly did have his mouth full! He took his prize higher and higher into the tree to eat it.