Hello All...

Yesterday and today were great photography days!  I went to the Apopka Wildlife Drive, (yesterday late afternoon and today early afternoon), and had an amazing photography day!!

The beginning of the drive is quite uneventful.  The dirt road was very dry, causing dust to come up from every car and with the wind blowing about 10-15 mph, it was quite the dusty adventure.

I took numerous photographs along the way.  There were many different herons; Green, Great Blue and Snowy, along with many American Coots and Common Moorhens.  Those pictures don't excite me as much as they used to, but I still cannot pass up a posing subject.

My favorite find of the two days was a Least Bittern.  This bird is normally found deep in the cattails with it's neck stretched to the sky, faux swaying to simulate wind.  It's rare to find one walking about searching for morsels of food, albeit fish or mussels or bugs.







All in all it was an awesome photography day, capped off by an Anhinga with a freshly caught fish, (I think some sort of catfish).

I did see a large male Otter, but it retreated back into the brush before I could take it's picture.  Perhaps next time....

Hello faithful and not quite abandoned followers!

It's been quite a while since I've both had the time and material for a blog entry.  I apologize to the faithful and also to the not-so-faithful followers.  I will try to do better in the future!

A lot has happened to me since my last entry.  I was gifted an amazing new camera, (a Canon 7D Mark II) and I purchased a 70-200mm 2.8 lens!  My photography, as you can imagine, took a giant leap upwards in both quality and quantity!!  The images are cleaner and due to the amazing amount of light I can now capture, my eye seems to have gotten better also!  Now there is still a lot of improvement that I need to make, (the camera is so technical that it'll take me six months to learn all it can do, and even longer to somewhat master the settings for any particular shot.

Anyway, here's one from the other night.  Now understand that it's not a great subject matter, (two dogs playing), but it does show some of the abilities of the camera in catching action and capturing it in a crystal clear fashion!

I have also gone out and attached my 2x converter to it, making the lens a 400mm at 4.0 aperture.  What a beast!  I'm very impressed at it's ability to focus fast and silently!  Here's one example of a House Finch taken at about 25 feet.

There will be more coming.  Please stay tuned...

Well Hello Again!!!  It's been over a year since I've taken the time to sit down and write anything on this blog.  If you are still reading, (and I don't blame you if you aren't), then I will make all attempts to keep posting much more regularly.

Last week, a good friend suggested a "photo date"; that is, meet and go somewhere fun and take lots and lots of photographs.  That is exactly what we did!

It was a very warm Sunday morning and I decided early that I would climb out of my comfort zone and leave the zoom lenses behind.  My lens of choice for the day was the Canon 18-55mm kit lens.  This lens came with my first Canon 20D about nine years ago and has been bouncing around in my camera bag ever since.  I took it out, cleaned it off and put it on the camera.  It felt strange.  I've never shot with a lens this short for any length of time.  This will be quite interesting.

My friend had recently purchased a new Fuji camera and a new 16mm lens.  I had quite a bit of reservation trying to keep up with newer technology, with an eleven year old camera and equally old lens.

We first went to a large antique show/flea market in the area.  There weren't a lot of people there, but many of the vendors seemed to give us the 'stink eye' when they saw our cameras.  We answered numerous questions; "Why are you taking pictures?" and "What are those pictures for?"  We were very polite and no one stopped us, but we were put in a few uncomfortable situations by being followed and watched.

Here are a few of my shots from the day.  I have to admit, the 18-55mm lens was quite impressive to me.  The focus was sharp and the macro was amazing.  I can't wait to do it again.

Just Another Day

Being sick isn't fun.  Having a perfect photography location literally twenty steps from your bed AND being sick is even less fun.  However, with a carefully planned system, one can always devise a way to accomplish one's goals.  Now, having a bathroom two steps from my side of the bed is a wonderful thing on days like today and yesterday.  It seems I caught was can only be described as "the double faucet flu" and so going to work wasn't an option.  Heck, for that matter, staying home wasn't much of one either.  However if you're going to have to visit the porcelain palace a lot, one would hope that it would be at home, where convenience and a modicum of privacy is available.

Initially I was content in staying in bed as much as possible, eating chicken soup, (thank you wonderful wife) and getting rid of this disease.  Then the birds started singing.  First it was the Carolina Wren at the crack of dawn, (I think the clock said 5:55am), singing loud and proud right off our patio.  This was followed by the female Northern Cardinal who amazingly enough has a virtual symphony of songs; everything from low chortles to melodic melodies with a canary type sound.
After that, I was awake.  I did everything I needed to do upon waking and laid there and listened to the sounds.  I heard not only the Northern Cardinals, (both), but also Blue Jays, Mourning Doves, a Gray Catbird or two, the Carolina Wren, (who overpowered most of the others), and an occasional unknown Warbler.

Now if you know me, you know that I can't stay in bed with this type of thing happening outside my window.  Its not even a logical thought.  So, I got up, got dressed and schlepped out to the patio to see what photo-ops awaited me?  As I lay there I thought, this isn't really a good idea.  You've had nothing to eat or drink and it seems that this headache and fever are getting worse.  Then the birds came.

They must have been watching me, because the minute I started to get up and go back to bed, they started to fly in.  Red Winged Blackbirds, Brown Thrashers, Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, Mourning Doves, Blue Jay and even a Yellow Rumped Warbler or two were on the feeder almost immediately.  The light wasn't at it's best as it was just becoming light, but I tried to take a few pictures anyway.  Turns out they weren't very good as they were too dark.  I waited.

By 6:20am it was pretty well light out and the birds were still coming.  Not as many as before; I suspect that many were full from the gorging they had prior to sun-up, but there were still some.
I think I snapped about one hundred pictures, most were duplicates.  I was having fun and frankly I'd forgotten about the sick feelings I'd had, (for the moment).

At 6:45am Mother Nature called, (and you don't hang-up), so I quit for the day.  I got some good shots, but really not as many as were available.  I found a few lighting situations that I need to work on and get better at.  This will come in time.

Today, even though I didn't feel good, was a pretty good day out back.  I'll try again this weekend, when I feel better.

Early Morning

I'm posting this almost a week after the pictures were taken.  Why one asks?  Well there's really no good reason other than, I'm just lazy.  Truth is, I didn't think of posting any of the pictures.  Not that they were bad or anything, but just because I didn't think of it.

It was early on Tuesday October 15, 2013.  The weather was overcast and it had rained in the late night hours.  The grass was still wet when I went out and filled the platform feeder with our usual mixture of seed.  The Blue Jays were out and very loud.  The sounds from the woods were almost spring-like; a twitter here and a chip and chirp there.  I was loving the moment.

As usual the Northern Cardinals were the first to the feeder; first the male, then the female.  I marvel at the politeness of this pair.  They are seldom at the feeder together and when they are they give one another plenty of room.  A few Mourning Doves appeared but they kept their distance, sitting on a branch near, but far enough away from the feeder as to not bring any attention to themselves.    Then the Tufted Titmice arrived!

They almost seemed to change the atmosphere around the area behind our apartment.  It suddenly seemed alive with movement.  A glimpse of yellow here and a flash of red there.  The bushes moved to the left, then right, then to the left again.  There were birds everywhere!

The Titmice seemed to control the tempo.  They'd fly in, grab a seed, wasting little time on the feeder, and again fly off to a spot deep into the woods.  This went on for about an hour.  A quick visit by a Red Bellied Woodpecker, who seemed to be in a hurry also, taking one or two trips to the feeder only to disappear for good.

Suddenly, all was quiet.  I checked the skies for some kind of raptor.  There was none to be found.  Nor were there many sounds either.   I really don't know what caused the stoppage of nature, but it was quiet.  Really quiet!

Regardless, I got a few good shots.  I would have loved more, but one takes what one gets at times like these.

Nirvana!

There is a place near Orlando, Florida that is truly a natural paradise.  I found it totally by accident, surfing the internet, looking for places to go birding.  The information was sketchy at best, a brief and somewhat negative mention in a Florida birders photography blog.  Paraphrased it said that the blogger had very little success seeing any birds.  He'd been there three times and only had minor success once.
Regardless of this review, I decided to make my way to the "Circle B Bar Reserve" in Lakeland, Florida.

The weatherman stated that it was going to be a hot day, a VERY hot day.  The temperature was slated to be around 92 degrees and it would feel like 107 degrees!  This didn't make the decision to drive over fifty miles one way any easier, especially with the less than positive review.  I left for the reserve at 9:30am.  I had all my gear, my hat and my sunscreen and was ready for whatever the day threw at me!

I arrived, without incident at 10:20am, making very good time and seeing very little traffic.  As I drove slowly through the winding road just inside the gate of the reserve, I was reminded of what I imagined northern Florida looked like in the early 1950's.  The oak trees were very large and laden with Spanish Moss.  I expected at any moment to round a curve and see a Southern mansion in the distance.  There were many small parking lots in which to park, but I chose the furthest one from the gate, for no particular reason.  Note:  This would become a very bad decision later in the day.

The reserve was huge; 1200 plus acres.  The winding driveway was approximately 1.5 miles from the entrance gate, maybe further.   I gathered what equipment I thought I would need, slathered myself with sunscreen, (God Bless the person that invented SPF 150), and started off on my journey.

Just to the right of where I parked there was a trail.  Looking to the left I saw the end.  I decided to head to the right, (I'm great with context clues).  I had walked about 20 yards when I saw a huge Butterfly Bush bush.  On and around it were, I could only estimate, about 3000 Zebra butterflies!  I stopped, took a few pictures, which was an easy enough task, and then started on down the trail.

I hadn't walked very far when I came upon a woman carrying a Nikon camera, walking towards me.  I stopped her and asked her "Anything interesting down there", pointing down the path?  She said that it was a very bad day to be there.  In fact, she indicated that it was the worst day she'd ever had at the reserve.  She said she saw a hawk, (she showed me a picture, clearly a Red Tailed and clearly out of focus), and little else.  She said she'd heard a few, of what she thought were "Limpkins" and some alligators, but nothing else she could identify.  I thanked her for her information and continued on down the trail.

Taking my wife's advice, I walked slow.  Very slow.  There were few bird sounds to hear, but there were lots of dragonflies and grasshoppers of all shapes, sizes and colors.  I took a few pictures of various insects and then continued on.

It was hot.  Really hot!  I think the birds knew this too.  There weren't many to be seen.  I heard an Osprey in the distance, along with an occasional cry from a Piliated Woodpecker.  I stopped at the first body of water I found to take some shots of a Great Blue Heron standing in pretty deep water, with only his head showing.  He certainly wasn't as hot as I.

I walked for what seemed like an hour.  The road was gravel and it looked like it had only been traveled by vehicle.  There was an occasional shoe print, but it looked as though they were not from today.  The first sign of good birding was a water retention pond with a drainage overflow pipe running under the road.  I actually heard the water before I saw it.  There were lots of shrubs, (more like scrubs), just off the side of the road, so seeing it was out of the question from my vantage point.  After I cleared the scrubs numerous water birds took to the air.  I saw a Little Blue Heron, a Snowy Egret and a few American Coots take to the air, flying back into the marsh to what they thought was safety.

I walked and walked.  The view didn't change, nor did the heat, (save getting hotter)!  There was another overflow from one side of the road to the other about what I would consider a half a mile or so from the first one.  As I stood on the inflow pipe on the right side of the road, I saw no bird life.  There was a very small alligator hiding in the grass, so I took his/her picture.  Suddenly there was a noise from within the pipe directly below my feet!  At that same moment, out floated what I think was an immature Greater Scaup.  I think it was as surprised as I!  It paddled away as fast as it could, but my shutter was faster.  I got some good shots of it!

The day progressed pretty much as described above for the next two and a half hours.  I think the highlight of the day was seeing a Red Shouldered Hawk, (I wondered if it was the same bird that the lady saw earlier in the day and misidentified
)?

All in all, it was an awesome day of birding and shooting.  Most of my photographs were of butterflies and dragonflies, but there were also many good bird shots as well.  I'm heading back there as soon as physically possible!  I can't wait until the weather cools!  Walking all those roads in 70 degree weather would please both myself and the wildlife!!

Note:  Anyone that wants to visit the Circle B Bar Reserve, the address is as follows:
4399 Winter Lake Road, Lakeland, Florida 33803.

First Day of Summer

Today is the first day of Summer, June 22, 2013.  The weather forecast was for no rain, so I got up early and planned a day of backyard photography.  The truth is however that that was to happen after I went to the store, started dinner and took the dogs for a long walk.  I think I've found a new way to be more productive on my days off.  Getting up early gives you not only a new perspective on the day, (seemingly more hours), but it also allows for errands and fun.

I finally got out the door with bird seed in hand about 12:30pm.  It was hot, about 90 degrees when I got out back.  The sun was beating down on my favorite standing spot, and I guess the birds were happy with me sweating out there, because almost immediately they started coming to the feeder.

First the Blue Jays came.  They weren't very loud today but they were skittish for some reason.  A stop and go was all that they ever did, so there weren't many opportunities for photographs of them.  The next bird to the feeder was one of my favorites, the Red Bellied Woodpecker.  Today one of the adults, (I think Mom), brought their newest fledgling along.  The baby wasn't keen on landing on the feeder at first, probably because of all the traffic.  The Mourning Doves were pretty pushy today and they didn't back down until Mom RBW had had enough and put them in their place.

As I stated the traffic was pretty heavy out there and most all the bushes, trees and shrubs had movement.  To my left, something caught my eye.  A Monarch Butterfly was searching for the milkweed plants that I planted out there last summer.  It flitted here and there, finally landing on one and to my surprise started depositing her eggs!  Though this is a rare photo opportunity I was more interested in the avian activity on and around the feeder.

Right above the Monarch the sapling moved.  Then a bird, too quick to identify flew down to the ground.  Now without bragging, I'm pretty savvy in bird identification.  The shorebirds and warblers give me trouble, but most all of the regulars are easily identified.  This bird was the exception.  It had brown tail feathers and a "flycatcher-like" head.  My first guess, and probably my last, was a baby Brown Thrasher, but I really wouldn't put any cash on the guess?

The Carolina Wrens were out and about and as loud as usual.  I finally caught one signing high in a scrub to my right.  It's not a great picture, but the fact that you can identify the bird even though I was shooting directly into the bright mid-day sky was a plus.

I counted six squirrels today, only one on the feeder at the time however, so it was a very polite day also.  I will wait until around 7pm and go back out for some more shots, but it's been a while so I thought I would post some of this mornings jaunt.