Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park

Robins, robins everywhere! This time of year the American Robin flocks by the thousands here in central Florida. Every year a flock takes temporary residence in the Brazilian Pepper trees behind our fence along Trouble Creek. They eat every berry they can find, and move on. Now, in the evening, we sit on the screened deck and watch them fly over from wherever they foraged during the day, over our area, to wherever they roost at night.

We arrived at the park around 9 a.m. and decided to hike along the Eagle trail, part of which was closed off for nesting. The first thing we heard, and saw, was the robins. Maybe this is where they head every evening? We are only 6 miles as the crow, or robin, flies south of there. They would all perch in trees, then like a signal was given suddenly all start calling and fly to another tree.

Warner-Boyce Salt Springs Park, a relatively new state park, encompasses over 3200 acres along the coast of central Florida, in Port Richey. We visited the park a couple of times, but until recently most of the work in the park involved land management so little of the area was open to visitors. We saw an article in the local newspaper about the new work underway, and decided to visit.

Restrooms under construction

Walking along the Springs trail, we ran into Alan, one of the two park rangers. Alan is one of those people you like to meet. He clearly loves his job, and told us about the work underway, the history of the park, and future plans for it. Right now about 1.5 miles of trail are open, but within a couple of months the restrooms and new kayak launch should be complete. Two birding platforms are located along the trails, and more are planned.

Platform along trail

We are excited. This park sits less than 6 miles from our house, and promises to be a treasure for hiking, birding, and photography.

The Fort at Fort Clinch State Park

Fort Clinch State Park

In addition to the camping, beaches, fishing, bike riding, and hiking at Fort Clinch State Park, don’t forget to visit its namesake, Fort Clinch.

Begun in 1847 and never completed, the fort sits on the northern tip of Amelia Island. Briefly occupied during the Spanish American War, the fort became a state park in 1938. Prior to that it had been abandoned, then in the early 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corp worked to restore it to the Civil War level.

The self-guided tour contains a map of the fort and brief descriptions of the buildings. Often an interpreter in costume walks around the fort area, answering questions and explaining parts of the history.

The first day we went we enjoyed being tourists, but the crowds and the light meant photography was limited. The next day we went back earlier, better light, and initially we were two of five or six people.

My attempts to catch the flag just right to show the furl and stars and stripes failed. Karl took another approach, trying to get the entire flagpole with a building in the background, and his approach worked. The sun lit some of the interior areas, and I spent a lot of time and shots trying to photograph the lines of one of the tunnels, making sure visually all the lines worked and the composition looked balanced.

Next trip, and there will be a next one, I hope to photograph more from a historical point of view. The State Park entrance fee is $6.00 per car, and the fee to tour the Fort only $2.00. 

January 2017 Photography Class at Brooker Creek Preserve

Close-up of a log in the wetlands at Brooker Creek Preserve

Karl and I change our regular last Saturday of the month hikes each January, and instead present a beginner's photography class. This free 1.5 hour class covers the basics of composition, and the basics of digital cameras. This year we decided to include in those basics some basic SLR information after discovering at several of our hikes that while most people attending used SLRs, most shot in Auto mode.

In the eight years since we began offering the hikes and occasional classes, we noticed many changes. Our first class had a mix of people, from one woman who received a camera as a gift, and aside from charging the battery still had it in the box, to others who used their cameras frequently and were looking for tips. Lately, in spite of the technology making point-and-shoot cameras and phone cameras so advanced, we noticed that more and more people attending our hikes are opting for the SLR camera. So, our talks during our hikes, and our talks in classroom sessions will start containing more SLR information in addition to point-and-shoot and basic digital information.

The overview we present is designed to introduce you to the basics of photography, and concepts and ideas to pursue on your own or in other classes. We hope if you are in the area you can join us on January 28, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the auditorium at Brooker Creek Preserve.

Friday the 13th…and a Full Moon

Where was I? Well, probably with every other photographer trying to see what kind of shot I could get of the full moon. I stood for some time waiting for birds to fly across for the classic shot. They flew across all right, and I managed to just miss each time.

In my defense, or perhaps my excuse, I did hand hold the Canon 100 – 400mm at full 400mm. While I perfected the technique over the years for my bird photography, the lighting of a full moon made it more difficult. I shot at 1/800^th of a second in hopes of getting the flying birds.

I am happy with the lighting and the detail of most of the shots I did get. Unfortunately, it is just the moon. Then again, I had fun doing it.

Fishing Pier: Fort Clinch State Park

After several people who loved Fort Clinch State Park told us that we needed to camp there, we planned our trip. That trip was last May. One beach loop site (only 20 sites in that loop) suddenly opened for a few days, a cancellation I imagine. We quickly booked it, and loved it so much upon our return we immediately booked a site for December.

The December trip of course occurred after Hurricane Matthew made its way along the east coast of Florida, not a direct hit but close enough to cause a lot of damage. On our first trip we walked out the long fishing pier, enjoying the walk and the view. This trip a sign at the ranger station informed us that the pier was closed due to damage from the storm, indefinitely.

As we walked along the beach we saw debris along the shore, a result certainly of the storm. We walked under the pier, and from the beach could see damage. Fort Clinch State Park remains a beautiful place to visit and to camp. We hope that the pier damage can be repaired soon.

Alligator in the Lake

Living in Florida, and as a naturalist and photographer, I see a lot of alligators. I photograph a lot of alligators too. Visitors to the state, and even locals, always want to see an alligator when hiking or taking photographs with us.

One morning recently while walking near a lake I saw what appeared to be a small alligator. He floated half underwater, the eye, nose tip, and body above water mirrored perfectly in the still, glassy water except for one small part near the eye on which a piece of grass perched. I took several shots, varying the zoom.

I chose this one as the best. I love the reflection in the water, the small catch light in his eye from the sun, and the serenity of the scene, even though serenity is not the first thing that springs to mind when one hears the word “alligator”.