Baby Time, Outback

The birds were calling early this morning and there were numerous and random little cheeps and peeps and whistles tucked in among the usual morning cacophony.  Spring is clearly in the air!

I grabbed my usual amount of seed and headed out back for what was to be a short visit and photo taking expedition.  It turned into however, an hour long photo shoot with many more opportunities than I bargained for.  This is good news.  I love having more to shoot than not enough. I have had plenty of those days when I stood in the hot sun with nothing to shoot at!

The Blue Jays were the first to arrive.  Surprisingly enough, the baby arrived at the feeder first.  Clearly
he /she will have no issues with self confidence in the future.  He even challenged the squirrel who was at the opposite end minding his own business.  After the squirrel jumped from the feeder he/she decided to watch the proceedings from a nearby oak tree.

The baby was then quickly followed by a family of Red Bellied Woodpeckers.  Mom, Dad and two little fledglings graced the area and at times, the feeder.  They made quite a racket with their peeps and screeches!  Peanuts were the food of choice though the sunflower seeds were also taken.

The Carolina Wren made a brief appearance and then was off to sit close by on a branch and sing VERY loudly!

All in all it was a very productive day!  I just may have to go out there again in a few minutes.  ;-)

A Different Kind of "Bird"

Due to the fact that I spent most of yesterday taking pictures of butterflies, I thought I would continue the same theme today and take pictures of creepy, crawly beasties out behind our apartment.  It proved to be a good plan because the birds were clearly not in the cooperative mood, as only a sparse Red Winged Blackbird and Blue Jay decided to stop by for a nibble.

The woods out back is a virtual haven for many insect species.  There are mosquitos a plenty, (especially during the rainy season), along with beetles, (not Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr, that was for you older people) and many butterflies and dragonflies.  I quickly scoped the area and saw numerous wild flowers abuzz with insects.  The lighting was such that I could easily get pictures of the bees, dragonflies and butterflies in flight, but I decided to not work that hard, and to rather concentrate on the lighting and agreeable ones.

The dragonflies seemed to be everywhere and I was amazed that there were so many different colors.  There were red ones and blue ones and even an orange one or two, flitting here and darting there.  Here are a few pictures of the one that seemed to want his/her picture taken.


Enjoy...

Blue Jays & Friends

It was supposed to rain today.  At least that's what the forecasters said.  As of this writing, it hasn't, which is why I was blessed to get about one hour of perfect lighting in the woods behind our apartment.  I'm so thankful for the often inaccurate forecasts!

Clouds covered the sky this morning when I first opened my eyes at 7:00am.  I decided that the weathermen were right and rain was coming, so another hour or so of sleep couldn't hurt.  At 8:00am I again got up, this time for good, and upon looking outside I was surprised to see a perfect light bathing the area behind our apartment.  The clouds seemed to almost cause the light to bounce back to earth, as even the deepest parts of the woods were evenly lit.

I showered and got dressed quickly, grabbed my camera and headed out back.  I hadn't been back there in about two weeks and how quickly things have changed.  There were flowers blooming and the trees had the new buds of spring; a vibrant green that seemed to be Mother Earth's assurance that spring had arrived.

I filled the feeders and waited.  It didn't take long.  The first visitors were the squirrels, followed quickly by the Blue Jays.  I never get tired of watching them.   Each, it seems, has a different personality.  Some light and stay only long enough to grab one seed, yet others stay and gorge on seed after seed, filling their crop.

After the Blue Jays had eaten the female Red Winged Blackbirds came.  There were only a few this time, as it seems the large flocks have dispersed.  They are a very pretty bird, but they are quite skittish.  Their claim to fame, (in my eyes) is that they will land on even the smallest of branches so to get a good look at the feeder.  Some of the pictures of them are comical, with their legs spread as if they were about to fall off their perch.

It was a good day for pictures.  Even the butterflies and the bees cooperated.

 I love our woods!

Gatorland, Kissimmee, Florida

When good friends come to our neck of the woods, we try to take them where they want to go.  This time, with both of them being birders, Gatorland in Kissimmee was the location.  They had heard about the rookery that was teeming with Egrets, Herons, Anhingas and various other Florida birds, nesting within, at times, literally feet of the boardwalk.  They were eager to get there!

Upon arrival we immediately stopped at the first "pit", (a large water and alligator filled enclosure), to take pictures of the Great White Heron waiting there, amongst the alligators for a hotdog hand-out.  Note:  Hotdogs are sold to the customers to feed the alligators, but the birds find stealing them a real treat and sometimes a challenge.  We proceeded to see pretty much all of Gatorland, save the wetland boardwalk, which is new and not yet a picture taking adventure, (especially during the hottest part of the day).

The rookery was, as expected, full of photo opportunities.  There were nesting water birds of all kinds, (most in their breeding plummage), some with eggs in their nests and some with almost full grown chicks.  It was a fun watching the birds build their nests, fight over placement of the sticks and grouse to one another about all sorts of 'birdy issues'.



We love when our friends visit.  We wish that they'd come up more often!

A Perfect Day At The Viera Wetlands

And the definition of a perfect day for me, would be taking pictures outside in the beautiful Florida weather, of something nature oriented, with people I care about.  I can truly think of nothing more wonderful than having a camera in hand, focusing on, let's say in this case a beautiful green heron hunting for fish, poised and seemingly frozen, waiting for the opportune moment to strike, while at the same time being able to watch the excitement on the faces of my friends, and or loved ones, as they enjoy this spectacle as much as I.  Yesterday was that perfect day!

After receiving a call from a long time dear friend and a brief discussion, we decided to meet at the Viera Wetlands for an afternoon of birding.  She, her husband and I, cameras in hand, (the only sad part of this day was that W.W. couldn't be there with us.  My life is so much richer and more fulfilling with her in my general proximity), formed a car caravan and started our photographic journey.  Having never been to the Viera Wetlands, they decided that I was sort of the ad hoc tour guide, so I was designated to the lead car.  My instructions were simple; stay to the left, stop when you want, pass me if need be, enjoy yourself and take lots of pictures!

It was about 3:00pm when we started and as usual at Viera, the birds were everywhere.  American Coots and Common Moorhens greeted us upon entry with their guttural call, (a sort of grunt-quack).  A quick scan of the area assured me that it would be another great day, as an Osprey called, in flight, from a short distance, a Green Heron perched on a stand-pipe just to our right, (which put him clearly on the picture agenda), and numerous Grackles flew very low overhead from the dead snags deep in the bog to the pine trees lining the scenic drive-way.  

Our first reason to stop was a Great Blue Heron posed for us, standing on one leg, scratching his beak with the other.  At this time of day the sun is pretty much directly in front of you as you enter the park, (you are driving due west) and it's only after you get to the back of the park are you afforded the perfect photographic opportunity, with the sun now at your back.  However, this doesn't stop very many people from taking pictures, (some because they know what they are doing and some because they don't)!

Our second subject was a rare find, (for me anyway), a Least Bittern.  This allusive bird usually stands stock still, head pointing directly up, so to look like the cat-tails surrounding her, until she strikes with deadly accuracy, grabbing an unwary fish or crustacean.  However as I was slowly driving by a small group of cattails, I was just lucky enough to see her flex her wing, (she was probably cramping having stood in the same position for a long period of time).  I had to point her out to my friends, (she did blend in quite well with her surroundings), and we did get some wonderful pictures of her as she moved stealthily through the reeds.

The day was filled with many, many different birds.  We saw the usual, aforementioned American Coots and Common Moorhens, along with all types of herons, (Great Blue, Tri-color, Little Blue, Green and the ever present Cattle Egret), Grackles, Crows, White and Glossy Ibis, Red Winged Blackbirds, (who along with the Grackles were in the process of gathering nesting materials for the coming nesting season), and many, many others.  Even a snake was seen, sunning itself on the bank of the bog in the short weeds.

As I said, it was a perfect day!   This wetlands is a "must see" for any serious birder or nature lover.

Squirrels

This morning the sky was a crisp blue, the wind had died down to a gentle breeze and the sun was shining brightly.  I had such high hopes for a great birding photo shoot.  I was wrong.

Oh sure, the birds were around, flying from branch to branch, chirping from the deep recesses of the copse and pretty much teasing me to let me know that they knew I was out there, but they must have gotten together late last night and decided that they didn't want their pictures taken this morning.  It's a good thing that the squirrels of the neighborhood weren't invited to their meeting!  And why would they?  That's like inviting a cat to a dog park!

After putting out our usual mixture of seeds, peanuts and this morning an added bonus of peanut butter filled pretzels, I waited.  A Blue Jay did a stop and go, grabbing a peanut never to be seen again.  However, here came the squirrels.  First one, (I suspect it was "Mom", as she looked like she'd just weaned a litter of pups), then another, (this one was smaller and he gave "Mom" a wide berth, going to the other feeder twenty feet to the north.

Since no birds were cooperating, I decided to take pictures of our little furry friends.  It's so nice to have a family of squirrels in the copse that never bother the birds, wreck the feeders or eat all the food, (as they are purported to do).  Ours are rather docile and let me get quite close before jumping to the safety of a nearby tree.

 Some days you just have to take what nature gives you.  Today it was squirrels.  Tomorrow????

Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Delray Beach Florida

I was hired this weekend for a photo shoot in Fort Lauderdale, which was totally awesome!  This shoot involved pictures of people and the occasional butterfly.  Though worthy subjects, my passion is avian in nature and the next day, though clouds and rain were in the forecast, my lovely wife and I went to Wakodahatchee Wetlands Preserve in Delray Beach on the way home.

What a great decision it was!  Touted as one of the best rookeries around and a virtual birding mecca, I was pretty excited to get to go there.  When we arrived it was lightly raining.  As any photographer knows, this isn't a good thing.  Cameras are pretty sensitive to water.  So, at the wife's suggestion, I grabbed a plastic bag for camera rain protection.  Note:  It will be proven shortly who the genius in the relationship is.

As we made the first turn into the preserve, the rains started coming harder, (this is where you should say to yourself, "What would he do without her"?), and so the plastic bag came out and quickly enveloped my camera.  Lucky for me though the wind was blowing quite briskly and within minutes the rain had stopped.

The light wasn't ideal, but it was bright enough I thought for some adequate pictures.  Many of the birds were well away from the raised walkway and not within suitable shooting distance.  However, some of the birds, trying to find a place to get out of the wind were hunkered down within range.  As the winds blew and the rain came in short spotty showers, I found that there were many birds hiding near and sometimes under the walkway.  They would come out to forage and then, when the weather again threatened, they would return to their safe haven.  The pictures seemed to come more quickly now that I figured out the pattern.

In the middle of the preserve is an island and there is a covered area within 25 yards which gives photographers a "birds-eye view" of the nests of several species of birds, (Anhingas, Great Blue Herons and Great Crested Cormorants).  Frankly it was a good thing that the weather wasn't great, because the wait to get to the best shooting spots was only about 20 minutes or so!

The rain seemed to let up for about 45 minutes which allowed us to walk the majority of the walkway rain free.  In one particular spot there was a Great Crested Cormorant sitting on the railing of the walkway and he was unphased by the people walking by.  I was able go get quite close and I got some good close-up shots.  I also watched the little bushes that dotted the areas just off the walkway for Warblers and such.  There were a few little guys flitting around and I was lucky enough to get some of them also.

All in all it was a great little excursion.  The next time we're going when it's not raining and the sun is out.  This will give me many more opportunities, (that is, if the birds are reading this)!!