Nature’s beautiful creatures – A Snowbird's Life Through the Lens

a second look, adventure, birds, Florida landmarks, Florida wildlife, fun, nature, Nature's beautiful creatures, perseverance, photography, road trip

The Lake Apopa Wildlife Drive…

May 30, 2023May 29, 2023 naturecoastimagesblog

This is a one way drive through some very flat terrain, which I was a little disappointed to see the first time I visited here. When I first moved here it took me a while to get used to how flat all of Florida is. But as you see some wildlife you might like to photograph you can pull to the side of the road and let people pass you while you do your thing. Friends have told me that they felt rushed by the throngs of cars riding through, but this is my third or fourth trip and it’s never been too busy, and we’ve always had a very relaxed time. But be aware there is no shade, so in the heat of the day it might be brutal, but then you are back in your car for a break, so really not too bad. I wondered if going on a holiday weekend might be a mistake, but it was fine. And the weather, well, it couldn’t have been more perfect. We drove with the car windows down and a wonderful, cool breeze coming through. And a curious grackle landed at the open car window, but decided not to hitch a ride.

The tricolor heron that you see in the feature photo had me a bit concerned. He was flitting around, hunting in close proximity to that alligator that was sunning itself on the shore. But he eventually moved to a spot just behind the alligator and continued his flitting around. They hardly ever stay still for very long.

Ospreys enjoying lunch on the top of the posts were a common sight when we first arrived. We saw one suddenly dive into the water, but it didn’t come up with a fish that time. So the rest of our time there we paid attention to ospreys that were circling overhead, but we never did get the shot we hoped for.

Great blue herons were seen all along the road.

Sometimes almost too close to get a shot.

If I hadn’t had the surprise of red-wing blackbirds showing up at my feeders lately I would have been beside myself to see so many of them on the northern portion of the road.

I had to consult with Merlin to ask what this bird was, and the surprise answer was an immature green heron. I would never have guessed that.

These common gallinule chicks were cute, scampering over the rocks to keep up with Mom. I didn’t notice those feet in person!

Still another great blue heron, enjoying the day.

Of course there were dragonflies in the reeds.

I’ve been thinking I ought to get out early on a foggy morning, and see if I can find a pasture with cows and cattle egrets to photograph. There were no cows, and only the bank of the river, but still there were a few cattle egrets to see.

I liked seeing the cattails. They seem like a childhood memory to me, but I’m not sure from where exactly.

This was the only alligator we saw that was sunning himself with his mouth open. Unless he had told himself a joke.

I was told that people get most excited to see alligators when they come to the Florida parks. I know I take pictures of them, but they aren’t what I head out the door in hopes to see. We did see an interesting scene unfolding on this day though. A smaller alligator being followed by a bigger one, and that little(er) one was really swimming fast, as if he had spotted prey up ahead, or else he was the prey being chased by the alligator behind him. Whatever the issue was they disappeared behind us, so we’ll never know how it ended.

attention to detail, backyard visitors, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, Florida wildlife, fun, in the neighborhood, live and learn, nature, Nature's beautiful creatures, perseverance, photography, squirrels, technology

Just because…

May 28, 2023 naturecoastimagesblog

Just because I’m ready to sit outside with my camera and enjoy the birds who visit the feeders doesn’t mean that they will actually show up on cue. And just because I have my camera set to take the fastest bursts possible doesn’t mean that I will actually get that great shot of a bird lifting off with its wings spread just so.

I wind up with a slew of pictures of a titmouse holding onto the post, but when the moment finally comes that he takes off it startles me and I take my finger off the shutter and this is the last shot of the burst.

Cute little guy thinks he’s a woodpecker I guess. This feeder gets a lot of attention from more than just the woodpeckers. And it slowed him down a bit. These guys stop just long enough to pick up a morsel and off they go.

I love the backgrounds the bougainvillea gives me for my photographs, but now there is a void in the shrubbery and this vine with big leaves seems to be the reason. It may be taking over, and I have no clue what it is. I’m always afraid it might be poison-something.

Someone else has discovered the woodpecker feeder. But she poses everywhere and all the time.

I walked out in the yard to examine the possibility that bugs were on the flowers out there. And this butterfly cooperated by showing up way up high, but I had my zoom lens plus extender so I was able to get a shot or 20.

Just because I wasn’t at the pond doesn’t mean I wasn’t delighted when this dragonfly showed up and landed in the bougainvillea. I hit the shutter and got a burst of about 40 shots exactly like this one. Doesn’t he just look happy?

I played with the new artificial intelligence features in Photoshop yesterday and it was amazing what you can do. One of my friends said that now no one will believe that the shots that she has worked so hard to get are ‘real.’ Looking at that dragonfly face I can see that someone might question it, but it is ‘just’ a photo. I always hope for a shot of a dragonfly face like that, and to that end I’ve spent a lot of time sitting by the pond, waiting for the magic to happen. And this shot took just a second when I wasn’t expecting it at all. We all put lots of time and money into our photography habit and now something new is on the horizon. I wonder where it will lead…

a second look, black and white, dragonflies, fun, in the neighborhood, nature, Nature's beautiful creatures, on closer examination, perseverance, photography

At the pond…

May 25, 2023May 24, 2023 naturecoastimagesblog

Yesterday afternoon was hot, but the sky was pretty and rain was predicted so I decided to head to the pond to see what the dragonflies were up to. The landscape crew had apparently cut the grass recently, and they cut a lot of the reeds at the water’s edge also, so not so much for the dragonflies to land on. Plus I had taken the extender off the camera so these photos are cropped to a ridiculous degree. That’s when technology helps you out. The camera has a lot of megapixels, plus the new denoise feature in Lightroom helps a lot too. I appreciate a quick walk to the pond now and then when most of our photo ops require an hour’s drive, or more.

Okay, so this is basically what was going on. Dragonflies landing on sticks and holding on.

Looks like someone nibbled on this one’s wing.

Wow, orange dragonflies DO land once in a while.

Butt shot of the dragonfly but I liked the details on his perch.

I liked this black and white version of the feature photo. On Sunday we have a class on how to edit your black and white photos, so I’m jumping the gun.

attention to detail, backyard visitors, birds, Florida wildlife, friends, fun, life goes on, nature, Nature's beautiful creatures, perseverance, photography

Feeding the birds…

May 19, 2023May 19, 2023 naturecoastimagesblog

So I went back to Wild Birds Unlimited and spent some more $$$ in an attempt to de-clutter the photos that I take of birds in the backyard. So far it’s the same birds stopping by, but that’s okay with me.

I have to assume that this is an immature cardinal. Not only because it looks a bit silly, even though it does, but that tuft seems to rule out any other conclusion.

This woodpecker feeder is the only new addition, besides the pole to hang it from. Getting the cylinder of woodpecker seed installed was not easy, but we bought the extra cheap version of the holder. I may have to upgrade it eventually. It took the red bellied woodpecker a day or two to find this one.

This little titmouse likes the cranberry cake, and now there isn’t quite so much competition at this cake.

This female cardinal is our most frequent flier, and I suspect she is the ruler of the roost out there.

The littlest birdie out there made a stop at the biggest feeder. Carolina chickadee.

The red bellied woodpecker has been back to this feeder again, so I guess it’s a hit.

The little downey woodpecker discovered this feeder first of all, but I haven’t seen him as often now that the red bellied woodpecker comes around.

How nice of him to pose for me. As I’m writing this he is on the backside of the feeder and all I can see is his tail.

I took these pictures over the last couple of days and I’ve lost track of whether or not it was early, before the sun comes up enough to be in my eyes, or later on when it’s heading to sunset. It has gotten a lot cooler as it heads to sunset and we’ve been known to sit out on the lanai and just enjoy watching them. While we enjoy a beer or a glass of wine also…

attention to detail, attitude adjustments, backyard visitors, birds, Florida wildlife, fun, home improvements, Just do it, live and learn, nature, Nature's beautiful creatures, perseverance, photography

From the lanai…

May 15, 2023May 15, 2023 naturecoastimagesblog

Just been sitting on the lanai for the last day or so, trying, but not always succeeding, in taking shots of the visiting birds. And other wildlife. Today I told Bernie that our scene out there is too cluttered. We need another post, and more feeders for the woodpeckers. And plants to bring in the butterflies and pollinators. And more stuff that I’ll think of in a minute…

The red-winged blackbirds are here every day, but the female has the posing thing down a bit better.

I said to myself that the woodpecker looked bigger today.

But when I saw the pictures in the computer I had a horrified moment thinking that I’d told you that this red-bellied woodpecker was a downey woodpecker.

But then I saw this picture from yesterday and felt better. A little downey woodpecker. So now I have two kinds of woodpeckers out there.

This squirrel could see me in the doorway so he thought long and hard before he came out to see if there were droppings under the feeder.

I got a kick out of the female cardinal and the tufted titmouse sharing time on the feeders.

With my long lens plus extender I couldn’t focus on both of them however.

The titmouse drops in and picks up a seed and flys off, much too fast for me even though I’m sitting there with the camera thinking I’m ready. Waiting for the cardinal slowed him down.

Now I see what he has been dropping in to snag.

It’s so much nicer to see the birds in the ‘wild’, so to speak.

I had complained that the butterflies that flit through the yard never land anywhere, but as you see in the feature photo one did land in the bougainvillea. So I zoomed and took some shots, and then cropped them like crazy, but I got him. The birds are busy late in the afternoon when the light is better. It makes for a fun way to spend a little time.

a second look, birds, Florida wildlife, friends, fun, nature, Nature's beautiful creatures, Natures little dramas, nesting, perseverance, photography

Mayhem at the rookery…

May 13, 2023May 12, 2023 naturecoastimagesblog

Maybe I exaggerate. No un-natural mayhem, just the ‘normal’ mayhem when mom shows up and her two ‘kids’, who are as big as she is, demand to be fed. I’m seeing pictures like this from all the photographers who stalk the photo ops in this area, but we aren’t all there at the same time. We don’t have to be, this particular mayhem occurs over and over again all day long. Poor mom, and so close to Mother’s Day.