Hiking at Brooker Creek Preserve

We had a great hike this past Saturday. Lots of photo ops and lots of good photographers. This little Green Anole sat on an interpretive sign near the end of the hike, and happily posed for all of us!

Just a Gray Squirrel

Yes, just a gray Squirrel. But he was eating, the light was right, and the pose on the diagonal tree branch made a great line. The background is appropriately blurred, and the small air plant adds to the composition, so I shot it.

White Top Pitcher Plants

The White Top Pitcherplant at Yellow River Marsh State Preserve in Santa Rosa, Florida. Unfortunately, it began pouring with rain just as we parked, so we only walked a short distance, took a few photos and left. Definitely worth another trip!

Damselfly at Blackwater State Park

The cloudy sky reflected in a still pool. The damselfly resting on grass growing by the shore.

Some Spring Migrants 2016

Osprey Watching at Honeymoon Island State Park

For up close viewing and observing of Osprey, visit Honeymoon Island State Park. We went twice in the past month, once on our own and once to take out-of-town family. Those who normally view these birds through binoculars from a distance find the near constant sightings and squawking, overhead flights with Spanish Moss in talons, or the sudden crack just to turn and find the Osprey just harvested a dead branch from a tree to fix its nest fascinating.

On our visits we saw birds sitting their nest with only heads showing, mates swooping back and in to take the place of the sitting bird or deliver fish, a bit of a scuffle between two birds while another waited in the nest to see the outcome, and even a stare down between an osprey with a fish in its talons sitting in a tree, and a crow who took a little bit too much interest in said fish.

So, how about sharing? I don't eat much...

Monthly Hike at Brooker Creek - Lots of Birds!

February 26, 2016

We drove into Brooker Creek Preserve just before 8 a.m. and looked at the outside temperature displayed on the instrument panel of the car…42 degrees! We changed our January guided hike to a classroom session expecting this weather and ended up with a warm day. Now, we get the weather for a February hike. A flock of Wild turkeys rewarded our early arrival by parading across the road. We stopped to watch, and a colorful and obviously possessive male approached the car, lifting his tail and displaying his fan, before joining the rest of the group.

By the start time of 8:30 a.m., twelve of the twenty people who had signed up for the hike arrived. When we get less than ideal hiking weather, some people understandably opt out. Fortunately, the sun already started warming the air as we concluded the brief classroom session and set out.

The cooler air kept the reptiles we might normally see away, but as the air warmed the insects came out, followed the birds. Gray catbirds, Yellow-rumped warblers, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Carolina Wrens, and at least one Vireo flew among the trees directly alongside the boardwalk. Several hopped and flew around the fallen limbs lying directly in the water giving us wonderful photo opportunities showing the birds in a native setting, rather than just portrait shots of the individuals.

I carried my Canon 7D Mark II and decided for a change this hike to attach the 24mm – 105mm rather than my usual 100m – 400mm birding lens. My first reaction to this gang of birds was disappointment, thinking what I could have done with the other lens. As I shot, I realized that this lens allowed me more creative flexibility to take a different type of bird photograph than my usual.

Our next hike takes place the last Saturday of March. We can’t make promises to what we might see, but at Brooker Creek Preserve something always happens.

Peeking over his shoulder at me

Vireo sitting still...briefly

Yellow rumped warbler near an in-bloom airplant