Putting the new lens through its paces ...

Snowy Egret at Gatorland

Just got my Photography Pass for Gatorland for 2014. I haven't been at the Rookery since last June. They have thinned out the brush but the birds all seem happy and sitting on nests. Not too many babies yet. The anhingas have some younguns but not too many egret babies. Gatorland is a great place to practice birds in flight photography since  you don't have to wait long for a bird to fly over. My challenge will be to hand hold the 80-400 lens.

Afternoon at Viera Wetlands

Great afternoon photographing birds at Viera. I finally got my photo of the Crested Caracara. It just sat on a branch and posed for all the bird paparazzis.

Owls, Otters and Osprey, Oh my!

River otter on Shingle Creek, S. Orlando

Thick ferns on the west side of Shingle Creek. Taken with 100mm macro lens

Sunday morning early I went down to Shingle Creek to practice some macro photography. I did bring a longer lens along in case I saw some birds or wildlife. As soon as I started down the trail an owl swooped in and landed in a tree. I could only get a blurry shot because I had the 100mm lens on the camera. I was looking for some apple snail shells to photograph up close. Before I found them I noticed two otters playing in the river. Now, I had to switch lenses to get their picutre. I discovered that I didn't have a plate for the tripod collar on the lens and had to hand hold it. I propped the lens and myself against a tree and took shots until they decided to move on.

Near miss, dog bite and birds galore!!

I set out early on a foggy morning to Kenansville and Joe Overstreet Road to look for and photograph birds. After a near- miss on the road (car turned left into me, I swerved and he missed me.)After I stopped shaking and thanking the Lord for protecting me, I continued to my destination. I couldn't see many birds until the fog was gone but I could hear them. I went to the end at Lake Kissimmee but didn't see much except for an eagle carrying something off to its nest. All I know for sure is that it was not a fish. I thought I may walk down the road some where I dog came out to greet me. Correction, he came out to bite me! Only a nip and didn't break the skin but I did have a bruise from it. Cancel that idea and return to the car (carefully  going back past the now vicious dog's house!)

Driving back down Joe Overstreet Road I spotted Eastern Meadowlarks, eagles, hawks, glossy ibis and sandhill cranes. Continuing to Three Lakes WMA, I wasn't sure what I may find there. I checked out a trail for a short time and also found a viewing platform on Lake Jackson. We sure have a lot of vultures here in Florida. On the way back down the road I found an eagles nest close to the road. With the binocs I spotted the eagle who was sitting on the nest. A caracara was perched in a tree near the road but I never got a photo of it. When driving alone once you spot something and stop you are usually past it and either have to back up or get out of the car and scare the bird away.

Tis the Season . . .

Photo taken during the Murder City 5th Annual Christmas Lights Walk.

Sloshing through St. Augustine

This weekend was our annual trip to St. Augustine to see the beautiful lights and the boat parade. We meet up with friends who ride there on their scooters. We are all old friends from our bicycle riding days. Some still ride, and some a little less often. That would be me. Have to change that in the new year. I am still trying to figure out a good way to carry my camera and a tripod.

On the trip up we stopped at Fort Matanzas. To get there one takes a small ferry across Matanzas Bay(about five minutes or less). It's a small fort but very picturesque. We lucked out with having re enactors there to fire the cannon.

The second stop was to the St. Augustine Light. We actually paid for the opportunity to climb the 219 steps to the top. Its worth the effort for the 360 degree view of St. Augustine and the Atlantic Ocean.

Soon after heading towards the old town of St. Augustine, the rains came and never really stopped until after we left the next morning. We decided to forego the boat parade and went to dinner at Schooner's, a seafood restaurant north of St. Augustine. After dinner three of us drove around town to see the lights.

Photography in the rain can be a challenge, so I only used my Sony RX100 and also my Canon G10 infrared converted camera. With raingear and an umbrella it was manageable. Starting home Sunday morning it was still raining but decided to park and walk around town anyways. Overcast and wet streets usually make the photos better. In an effort to discover some new areas we walked south to the National Cemetery. There were fresh wreaths on each grave stone. Quite a beautiful site. Talking with a lady who was there we found out about a program called "Wreaths Across America." Every December a fresh wreath is laid on the graves of service men and women in the National Cemeteries across the country. The motto is "Remember, Honor and Teach."

St. Augustine National Cemetery

Lightner Museum Courtyard Infrared

Avile Street - Sony RX100 In camera HDR

Discovering a Hidden Gem amongst the Suburban Sprawl

A friend told me about the Everglades Trail along Shingle Creek in the Hunter's Creek subdivision. This is the headwaters for the Everglades. The beginning of it is just across the street from my office off of John Young Parway. I had been there once before and thought it was a nice trail so I went back to check it out again. Of course I had a camera with me this time. I didn't bother with a tripod because I was just exploring and it was high noon. Not the best time of day for photography. I saw several birds, turtles, squirrels but missed the otter that others said they saw. Maybe next time I will get there early and see more wildlife. The best part is that this trail is only four miles from my office. Could be a lunch time getaway.

Shingle Creek - the headwaters of the Everglades