Tag Archives: birds

Red Shouldered In A Pine

I heard this hawk long before I spotted him. Red Shouldered Hawks call out more than any other hawk I know of.

Red Shouldered In A Pine - Click To Enlarge
Red Shouldered In A Pine – Click To Enlarge
Red Shouldered In A Pine - Click To Enlarge
Red Shouldered In A Pine – Click To Enlarge

It never occurred to me the bird would be sitting on the very top of this pine. But the constant calling finally made me look over.

Red Shouldered In A Pine - Click To Enlarge
Red Shouldered In A Pine – Click To Enlarge
Red Shouldered In A Pine - Click To Enlarge
Red Shouldered In A Pine – Click To Enlarge

I forget what distracted me while shooting these, but I never did get the image of him dropping out of the tree.

 

Painted Bunting

As expected, every time we looked specifically for this bird…nothing. Not entirely true, several times we heard it and ‘maybe’ saw a flash of color.

Painted Bunting - Click To Enlarge
Painted Bunting – Click To Enlarge

Here I was hurrying to find a better vantage point to shoot some Wood Storks. I caught the colors by accident.

Painted Bunting - Click To Enlarge
Painted Bunting – Click To Enlarge

The male was alone and striping seeds from inside the grasses along the edge of the trail.

Painted Bunting - Click To Enlarge
Painted Bunting – Click To Enlarge
Painted Bunting - Click To Enlarge
Painted Bunting – Click To Enlarge

Since I was standing out in the open there was no option to get closer or more light. I followed rule # 1…get the shot.

Maybe a dozen quick shots and he was gone. Still this is more than I have had before.

 

Alligators, Open Flood Gate

The ‘trunk’, or flood gates, were opened to allow this section of a marsh to drain and clean out grasses. Of course it was also an opportunity to go fishing while the water rushed out.

Alligators, Open Flood Gate - Click To Enlarge
Alligators, Open Flood Gate – Click To Enlarge

It was very simple to stand on top of the dike and have the water drain underneath our feet. Directly below us was a congregation of Alligators like never before.  No long lens here, only portrait or wide angle since it was so close.

Alligators, Open Flood Gate - Click To Enlarge
Alligators, Open Flood Gate – Click To Enlarge

The photograph above was taken at 50 mm, the same as with the naked eye. About 25 adults are in this image, the ones straight down were out of view.

Alligators, Open Flood Gate - Click To Enlarge
Alligators, Open Flood Gate – Click To Enlarge
Alligators, Open Flood Gate - Click To Enlarge
Alligators, Open Flood Gate – Click To Enlarge

The local wading birds were not about to be left out either.

Amazing but not a single Alligator went after another, a few scuffles, nothing else. More so was the birds. They poked around just barely out of reach. A few Alligators snapped, but not even trying really.

Anything in the streams on water was fair game though.

I did go to another vantage point with a long lens later on. All these images were shot between 35 – 70 mm. Basically at portrait length.