Chinsegut Conservation Center – A Snowbird's Life Through the Lens

a second look, adventure, birds, butterflies, Chinsegut Conservation Center, exploring new places, Florida wildlife, friends, fun, gardens, nature, Nature Coast Botanical Gardens, Nature's beautiful creatures, nesting, perseverance, photography

Beautiful day, part 2…

March 6, 2023March 5, 2023 naturecoastimagesblog

Only it was really part 1, because I have a few images from my second trip to Chinsegut Conservation Center in just a week or so. That was our first stop, since it was the farthest north we intended to go. When we got there the feeders were being loaded up, again. The gal said that they’d been filled up the night before and were empty already. It didn’t take long for the birds to get to work on emptying them again. That’s a red bellied woodpecker in the feature photo.

Another Mrs. Cardinal enjoying the suet that was also refilled that morning.

Birds of a feather eat together. Pine Warblers.

Yes, I think the pine warblers outnumbered everyone else.

Heading south we stopped at the Nature Coast Botanical Garden next, and wandered to the music by a band that was playing in a little gazebo next to the train garden. We saw the train make its last trip around the track before being put away for another week. But I found the waterfalls at the garden to be especially pretty that day.

Plus a butterfly, which made me happy to see.

Stop number 3 was to see what was happening at the eagle nest. The two ‘babies’ were on their own while we were there. But a couple who were just leaving said that one of the adults had just been up in the tree keeping an eye on them.

There seemed to be some tidbits in the nest for them to be snacking on.

This was all the action we saw from them, and we didn’t wait for a parent to return,

Our last stop of the day was at the rookery, and those were the pictures I posted yesterday. This morning we watched a live streamed photography class given for our photography club. And I’ve got a book I need to get back to…

'scene' along the way, a second look, birds, Chinsegut Conservation Center, friends, fun, leap of faith, learning, life goes on, live and learn, marriage, memories, nature, Nature's beautiful creatures, perseverance, photography, strangers become friends

Chinsegut Conservation Center…

February 22, 2023February 22, 2023 naturecoastimagesblog

I went with a friend today, back to the place that I first took a photography class about 7 years ago. I made friends in that class that are still good friends all these years later. The subject of the class was ‘bird photography’, and I venture to say that Ive taken quite a few bird photos since then. The birds were quite cooperative today, returning to the feeders again and again. Plus I got to try out a 1.4 extender for my Canon r7. Before I tried it I was totally sure that I didn’t NEED one, but now I’m not so sure. As much, if not more, reach than my old 150-600, and weighs a LOT less. I think I’m hooked.

This Yellow-Throated Warbler is practicing his gymnastic moves,

A Carolina Chickadee has the feeder to his or her self.

Doesn’t this Cardinal look like the picture of innocence? Who, me?

This is a newly constructed bird house. It look like someone has moved in.

I’ve had a busy week, what with several photo op trips and getting married and all. I’m a bit of a fraud these days since most of what I said about this blog when I started is no longer true. I’m not on the Nature Coast anymore, but I’m still pretty close by. And I’m not on my own any more, which is as much a surprise to me as anybody. I was proud of myself for handling my sudden widowhood as well as I did, and now I’m proud of myself for recognizing how lucky I am to have found someone who so perfectly fits into this life I’ve made for myself. Sometimes life just falls into place…

'scene' along the way, a second look, adventure, Chinsegut Conservation Center, facing facts, finding my way, Just do it, life goes on, live and learn, nature, perseverance, photography, reality check, sky, weather

First day hike…

January 3, 2021January 2, 2021 naturecoastimagesblog

I’m not entirely sure if this was my first ‘first day’ hike, but it was a wake up call. It doesn’t get much flatter than a hike in Florida, but this one surprised me by being harder than I would have dreamed. All the inactivity of the last months, coupled with the baking (and eating), has taken a toll on me and I will have to change things in this new year. If there is one thing I can do for myself I think it would be drink more water, which seems like a easy enough goal.

A pine warbler was the only living thing, besides people, that I took a picture of, but I found myself surprised at just how colorful the scenery was. Maybe the pretty sky helped by creating contrast, but it was a nice walk.

Our hike leader pointing out the wound from the turpentine industry. There was an equally large one on the other side of the tree also, but still it grows.

Will there be a second day hike? That remains to be seen…

'scene' along the way, adventure, birds, Chinsegut Conservation Center, Florida wildlife, friends, fun, learning, nature, Nature's beautiful creatures, nesting, on closer examination, perseverance, photography, road trip

Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Field Trip…

November 24, 2019 naturecoastimagesblog

This photo walk out of the Chinsegut Conservation Center was a bit of a back to the beginnings trip for me. Early one morning I saw a Facebook post about a bird photography class that was happening at the center, and I wanted to go. I had a new digital camera at the time, and was barely functional with it, so I called to see if they had room for one more. Not only did I begin to learn the camera, but I found friends, and I probably would never have begun blogging without another class that I took at the center later on. Yes, a coming home of sorts,

But I’m not the nature photographer that my friends are. Not every walk in the woods leads to great photos, and I confess that the description of this trip left me skeptical about the photos I might get. So to hedge my bets a bit I got to the center early in hopes of seeing birds at the many feeders there. And they were there. A Downey woodpecker, a red-headed (but not cockaded) woodpecker, a summer tanager, and a tufted titmouse pair that entertained me for quite a while. That meant I could relax and just enjoy the field trip and not worry about the pictures we’d get.

Off we went into the woods, and 20 miles in we found the banded trees that indicated the habitat of the red-cockaded family in question. It was then that I discovered that we weren’t waiting for a flock of these birds to arrive en masse, but just one family. And the banded trees each had the little holes where nesting activity was potentially happening. Young males stay with the family helping to raise the young and doing the necessary tending to the nests which keeps the sap running. The sap is their defense against their nests being raided by snakes. Clever, don’t you think?And it was a successful trip. Yes, one of the birds in question did show up and zoom into the hole in the tree and disappeared. Not one of us got a shot of that. The leader of the trip said that he felt that that was it, the event was over. But he had one trick up his sleeve. He used his phone to play the call of the red-cockaded woodpecker, rather quietly I thought, but it was enough to get this little guy to stick his head out of the nest to see what was going on.

No, it wasn’t a dramatic story. But these are the dramas that are happening all around us everyday, and we are too busy with out own lives to notice. But when we do take time to notice it doesn’t disappoint.

Chinsegut Conservation Center, Florida landmarks, Florida wildlife, history, learning, live and learn, nature, perseverance, photography, technology, unintended consequences

History come to life…

March 28, 2019 naturecoastimagesblog

I wasn’t expecting a history lesson when I went to join my photographer friends yesterday. It was to be a hike, and I was welcome to join them. They hike a LOT, and volunteer at the Chinsegut Conservation Center, and are currently editing/updating a history of the Chinsegut Hill property itself. So our hike was on property that is not open to the public, but of course we were conscientious and didn’t leave anything behind us, or remove a thing, unless it was ticks. After a hike they usually remark about how many ticks they have found on themselves afterwards, which is a big reason that I don’t join them often. “Stay on the paths and you should be all right,” they said, and then the paths disappeared, and on we trudged.

The history lesson concerned the CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps, which I’d heard of but honestly knew nothing about, but I looked it up this morning. This turned out to be the most popular New Deal program of the time, 1933-1942, and it provided unskilled manual labor for unmarried young men ages 17-28 during those difficult depression years. They were provided with shelter, clothing, and food, plus a wage of $30/month, $25 of which was required to be sent back to their families. They labored on lands owned by local, state, and federal governments, and this program was not only a boon to the men and their families, but also led to an appreciation of the outdoors, and the need to protect our national resources. Chinsegut Hill benefitted from the labors of these men, who built the buildings on the property plus improved the wonderful acres of natural environment, preserving it to this day. When Betty and Linda first saw this property it was old and worn, but in pristine condition, buildings intact, dishes on the table, a bible beside the toilet, and equipment in the fields. As if people had just walked away. But it was recently vandalized, windows broken, and the buildings are now locked. As Betty said, nature is reclaiming what was hers in the beginning.

So now you know what you are looking at, if you have stuck with me this long. And as I have written this it has occurred to me that I forgot to check myself for ticks. Excuse me…

There were a lot more photos I still needed to go through, but I’ve just started saving them to my external hard drive. It’s getting back to them that’s the problem. But you get the point.

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A stake out…

February 2, 2018February 2, 2018 naturecoastimagesblog

The first photography photo shoot I ever went on was to the Chinsegut Conservation Center in Brooksville, to photograph birds. My camera was still new, and I had hardly had used it except to have it set to auto, and that gave me shots that made me happy. But going to classes encouraged me to try harder and learn more. Today I put into practice something I learned on that first photo shoot. The advice was that if you want to photograph birds you must stake out an spot and stay put, eventually the birds will go about their business forgetting you are there. In the interests of getting a fourth photo to use for the 10 day photo challenge, and hoping for photos for the blog, I did just that. Not to mention that I got to sit outside and enjoy the glorious sun and blue skies.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler was the star of the show out there, giving me a photo for the challenge. The Mottled Ducks managed to find a spot of sun in the shadows making them look very dramatic I thought. I cheated a little since the Tri-colored Heron feature photo was taken a few days ago. I loved it but couldn’t use it, but it was just the thing for today.

And now I’m cheating again because I wrote this yesterday. Now today I went back out to see the Tri-color Heron, who seems to be the busiest bird out there. But this image is my 5th day of the challenge photo. And after I took it I came in, sat in the recliner, and e-filed my taxes. And I fear that I’ve taken root in this comfy chair, no more photo ops for me today.