I once read that you must choose a feature photo that will entice people to click on and read your blog. I’m sure this picture today wouldn’t do that for me. It’s the view from the observation tower at Linda Pederson Preserve, but it’s not the view that got me to climb the four story staircase. No, I climbed it because I was confident that I would see a manatee or two from up there. The waterways on the Nature Coast are spring fed and a constant 72 degrees year round, so when the weather gets colder along with the water temperatures the manatees come to the area to spend the winter. I had a nice view of them from up there, but when I looked at my photos I was surprised at how much the reflections and the ripples in the water had affected the photos. So between that and the fact that the manatees don’t do much except drift around and come up for air now and then there weren’t a lot of useable pictures. But I’m not complaining.
There are other views to enjoy at this park, besides the one across to the fishing pier at Jenkin’s Creek. I saw my first wood stork hanging around with the fishermen on that pier, and I’ve seen eagles, great blue herons, egrets, and the wood storks in the trees around the water. I was there early once morning and standing on the little bridge when a family of river otters started to come onto the bridge, but they changed their mind when they saw me. It’s a shame it didn’t get decent pictures of that!
There were lots of fishermen present along the water yesterday. And I directed two disappointed women who were looking for manatees to climb the tower. But I was really there to get another photo of Frankie, my flamingo photo prop for a challenge from my photo group. I had a heck of a time trying to hold Frankie and take a picture with my iPhone, it’s too big for my hand. Along came a gentleman up the stairs and I told him he’d showed up in the nick of time. He thought I meant because there were two manatees down there, but I told him no, I needed his help if I had any hope of getting a photo for the challenge. He was happy to oblige.
Now you see why I love my camera with the zoom lens. I hope you see the manatees down there in this picture, but I was glad to zoom for photos in with my nice new lens, which I will refer to as my ‘new’ lens as long as I don’t buy a newer one. But I think I’ve found a happy medium with my equipment these days. I’m always ready no matter where I go.
A Snowbird's Life Through the Lens 