Sunset at Lake Eola
May 31, 2011 - We stopped by Lake Eola at sunset tonight to try some cityscape photography. My favorite parts are the swan silhouettes in the foreground! :)
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!)
Lessons from an Osprey
May 31, 2011 - Rich and I went to Winter Park for dinner tonight, so I got some more time at the osprey nest. It was more active tonight than the last time I went. You know, you can learn a lot from a juvenile Osprey… First of all, when your mom arrives at the nest with a fish, […]
Tern Colony at Matanzas Inlet
May 31, 2011 - I’d heard about a Least Tern Colony at Matanzas Inlet. It’s the biggest in Florida, numbering up to 200 nests (and yay for Audubon’s success in closing the beach to vehicles that were running over the nests and chicks!!) Since I was in the neighborhood this morning, I stopped by to check it out. Except […]
Birds and Babies Everywhere at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm
May 31, 2011 - I drove up to St. Augustine this morning to visit the St. Augustine Alligator farm rookery. There are babies everywhere! I didn’t spend much time on flight shots today, instead concentrating on making good images of babies. It’s hard to do that, with all the sticks and branches and nesting material everywhere. Next time I […]
I Finally Made it to the Winter Park Osprey Nest!
May 30, 2011 - I’ve been drooling over pictures taken at this nest. I finally asked Michael Libbe where it is and made the trip there myself. The nest is on top of a platform on top of a telephone pole in downtown Winter Park. The really great part is that there’s a 4-story parking garage right across from […]
Spoon-Feeding at the Polk Rookery
May 29, 2011 - Herman took my dad and me out in his boat again this morning. The Polk Rookery has changed considerably since my last visit in March. Then the birds were building their nests, and Great Egrets, Wood Storks dominated the Brazilian Pepper. Today the rookery was filled with fledgling birds of all sorts: Roseate Spoonbills, Great […]
Knock, Knock! Goes the Pileated Woodpecker at the Circle B Bar Reserve
May 28, 2011 - It was a good morning for baby birds at the Circle B Bar Reserve. I spent about an hour watching the Osprey nest on the Heron Hideout trail. Then I moved on to the Alligator Alley trail, where I photographed the Red-Shouldered Hawk Nest. The Northern Parulas taunted me but didn’t let me see them. […]
Something Different — Fractalius
May 27, 2011 - I downloaded the Fractalius Photoshop filter this afternoon. It’s fun! It works by finding fractals inside your image. You control how the image looks by dragging sliders to vary the line size, diffusion, and a bunch of other factors. For some of these pictures, I blended the Fractalius output with the original image. For others, […]
Summer Heat Begins at the Circle B Bar Reserve
May 22, 2011 - It was hot this morning! We arrived at the Circle B Bar Reserve at 7:00 and hiked the Alligator Alley trail loop. This Great Blue Heron was trying to cool himself with the funky wing position – he wasn’t the only one who was hot! We checked on the Great Crested Flycatcher nest by the […]
Of Drunken Sailors and Crab Legs (Fort De Soto)
May 21, 2011 - After a long week at work, I was itching for a photography adventure. So I got up at 4 on Saturday morning and drove to Fort De Soto for sunrise. But I did have a great morning at North Beach, enjoying especially the antics of the Reddish Egrets. They are too funny! I arrived just […]
Turtles from the Circle B Bar Reserve
May 16, 2011 - Every afternoon when I get home from the Circle B Bar Reserve, Rich pounces on me and asks for pictures of turtles. Usually I haven’t seen many, or gotten great photo ops of the ones that I do see. So this weekend when I came across a small turtle making its way across the Heron […]
Bobolink-less Morning at Circle B Bar Reserve
May 14, 2011 - Dyeyo and I went to the Circle B Bar Reserve this morning in search of Bobolinks. These migratory birds can only be found at Circle B for a couple of weeks a year, in the spring during their migration back north. Various people on the Circle B Flickr page have seen Bobolinks, and Dyeyo found […]
Incredible Morning at the Alligator Farm Rookery
May 14, 2011 - I drove up to St. Augustine to spend my off-Friday at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm‘s bird rookery. It’s right at peak season and the rookery, and the activity is awesome! Some Great Egrets are still building nests, others have tiny babies, and still more have fledglings who know how to leave the nest but […]
St. Augustine Alligator Farm…A Preview of Coming Distractions!
May 13, 2011 - I spent the morning at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm photographing the baby birds at the rookery. There are chicks of all kinds now, and the rookery is bursting with activity. The baby birds are not altogether unlike humans. For example, these two Snowy Egret chicks clearly weren’t seeing eye-to-eye on who should get to […]
Mothers and Babies at the Circle B Bar Reserve
May 8, 2011 - Happy Mother’s Day! Dyeyo and I spent a few hours at the Circle B Bar Reserve this morning before going to spend some time with my mom. It seemed appropriate that we saw a bunch of baby birds with their moms today. :) We hiked the Alligator Alley loop this morning, starting just after sunrise. […]
More Baby Birds at the Circle B Bar Reserve
April 30, 2011 - This morning started out slow at the Circle B Bar Reserve. We’re getting into the time of year when there are fewer birds at the reserve, and you don’t get as many great photo ops as you do during the winter. But I find that the baby birds are just as fun to photograph as […]
Sunrise at Fort De Soto
April 23, 2011 - Rich came with me to Fort De Soto for sunrise this morning. He can’t remember the last time he watched the sun rise! We went to East Beach to see the sun come up over the Sunshine Skyway. Then we went the North Beach lagoon, then we found the famous mulberry trees. It was a […]
Sunset at Fort De Soto
April 22, 2011 - Rich and I visited Fort De Soto for sunset this evening. It was fun to share the park with Rich, who’s never shared my early-morning zeal for sunrises and golden-light bird photography. It was also the first time I’d been to Fort De Soto in the afternoon. We headed to East Beach first, where the […]
Spring Morning at Viera Wetlands
April 17, 2011 - Dyeyo and I couldn’t take it anymore. People on the Birdbrains mailing list have been going on and on this week about all the birds at Viera Wetlands. So we drove out there this morning to see all the birds. It was a beautiful sunny, slightly breezy morning, and it was awesome to be outside […]
Circle B Says Goodbye to its Winter Migrants and Hello to the Summer Residents
April 15, 2011 - I spent a quiet off-Friday morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve this morning. It’s always a treat to be on the trails without the weekend crowds. I started off on the Heron Hideout trail to say hello to the little Sandhill Crane, then I turned left onto the Alligator Alley trail and hiked that […]
In Search of Babies at Circle B Bar Reserve
April 10, 2011 - Dyeyo and I went to the Circle B Bar Reserve this morning on a quest to find baby birds. The adorable Sandhill Crane colt that met us on the Heron Hideout trail was just the first. We figured that the Barred Owlet had already fledged, so we headed out to Wading Bird Way in search […]
Beautiful Morning at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
April 3, 2011 - After hearing time after time about how great the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is, Dyeyo decided that he wanted to go with me and see it. It was a pretty foggy morning, but the sun burned off the fog just as we arrived at the refuge around 8:30. The Birdbrains have been saying that […]
The Newest Celebrity at the Circle B Bar Reserve
April 2, 2011 - This winter the American Bittern and the King Rail were the stars at the Circle B Bar Reserve. This spring, the Sandhill Crane colt that frequents the Heron Hideout trail is quickly becoming the newest celebrity at the park. This morning I met Michael Libbe at sunrise and we found the Sandhill Crane family out […]
First Trip of the Spring to the Alligator Farm Rookery
April 1, 2011 - I couldn’t take it any more…after seeing picture after picture on the new Alligator Farm Rookery blog, I had to make the trip up to St. Augustine! My best shot of the morning was this Roseate Spoonbill in flight. He flew into the “sweet spot” of open sky with perfect sun, and the light glistening […]
Foggy but Interesting Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
March 27, 2011 - Wow it was foggy this morning! It was all clear as I left Orlando, but the fog started when I hit I-4, and the Polk Parkway was crazy with fog. So I wasn’t anticipating seeing too much this morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve. I’m glad I was wrong! We saw tons of birds. […]
March Photo Walk at the Circle B Bar Reserve
March 26, 2011 - Today my dad and I led the final spring photo walk at the Circle B Bar Reserve. We had a very foggy morning, and due to the closing of the Marsh Rabbit Run trail, we took the group on the Alligator Alley trail. Between the fog and the reduced number of birds along Alligator Alley, […]
Let’s Go Build a Nest! (Polk Rookery)
March 20, 2011 - Our friend Herman took Dyeyo and me out on his little boat this morning to a rookery in Polk County. It was so amazing! Unlike the Gatorland Rookery and the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Rookery, this one is totally wild. There were hundreds of birds there, most of them sporting their breeding plumages. We saw […]
Quiet Morning at Fort De Soto
March 12, 2011 - I drove over to Fort De Soto on Saturday morning in hopes of finding some early migrant warblers. There have also been a Reddish Egret in full breeding plumage and a Long-Billed Curlew hanging out at the North Beach lagoon. I had high hopes of some good photography, but unfortunately, it was a pretty quiet […]
Sunset Bobcat at the Circle B Bar Reserve
March 11, 2011 - I went over to the Circle B Bar Reserve after work today to catch the sunset. The good news? I saw the bobcat for the first time ever!! The bad news? The Marsh Rabbit Run trail is now closed because the alligators are very active. There’s a freaky sequence of pictures on the Circle B […]
Frogs and Snakes for Breakfast at the Circle B Bar Reserve
March 4, 2011 - I spent my off-Friday morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve. I arrived at 6:30, about 20 minutes before sunrise. I hiked down to Lake Hancock and was on the dock for the sunrise. It was pretty cloudy this morning, so the sun was a little late peeking out from behind the clouds. It was […]
Turtle!
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 Photo Walk at Circle B Bar Reserve
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 […]
You Know it’s Springtime at Circle B Bar Reserve if…
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 […]
Circle B Bar Reserve Woodpecker
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. […]
Finally! I Photographed a Painted Bunting at the Circle B Bar Reserve!
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 […]
Spring is in the Air at the Circle B Bar Reserve
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 […]
Blue-Headed Vireo at Circle B Bar Reserve
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 […]
History of a Pelican
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 […]
Baby Eaglets!
February 1, 2011 - I drove over to Greenwood Cemetery on Saturday to peek at the eagle nest in a pine tree there. I wasn’t the only photographer who spent the morning at Circle B and took a side trip to the cemetery on the way home! The baby eagles are bigger than they were two weeks ago. They […]
My First Orange-Crowned Warbler at the Circle B Bar Reserve
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 […]
Hoodies at the Circle B Bar Reserve!
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 […]
Lions and Bitterns and Rails, Oh My! Circle B Bar Reserve Never Disappoints
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. […]
The Bird Paparazzi Grows at Circle B Bar Reserve
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, […]
Circle B Sunset in HDR Panorama
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…
King Rail at Sunset at the Circle B Bar Reserve
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 […]
Bittern-ly Chilly Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
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 […]
Baby Eagle!!
January 15, 2011 - Thanks to Michael Libbe, who told me that there is a nest of Bald Eagles at the Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando with tiny babies inside! Rich and I stopped at the cemetery on a trip to Colonial Photo and Hobby. I heard the babies before I saw them, and I had to wait for one […]
Another Great Sunrise at the Circle B Bar Reserve
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 […]
Circle B Bar Reserve: the Photographer’s Playground!
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 […]
Sunrise over Lake Hancock at the Circle B Bar Reserve
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 […]