Birding Aboard Naval Air Station Jacksonville
If you are able to go aboard a military installation, then let me recommend that you look for birds aboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville. Like many military installations, it contains a number of habitats that are fantastic for birds and other wildlife.
The Best Place to Photograph Birds in Florida
The Reddish Egret Show
Field Notes from Fort De Soto
Saturday morning there were about a half dozen Roseate Spoonbills on the beach. I only had about 3 to 5 minutes with them before a guy with a beach trolley came by and spooked them away. I managed to get off a few shots but certainly wish I had more time.
A Tough Little Piping Plover
Over the holiday weekend I visited Fort De Soto Park. So did about a million other people. Too bad I was the only one who made friends with this little Piping Plover.
Chicks and Gators at St. Augustine
On May 20th, I took a trip to St. Augustine to visit the St. Augustine Alligator Farm and other birding hot spots in the area. I previously posted pictures of the Least Terns and Wilson’s Plover from a beach excursion at Anastasia State Park but have been remiss in posting the Alligator Farm photos. At the Alligator Farm I was pleased to find Tricolored Heron, Great Egret, and Roseate Spoonbill chicks.
Not Today Ghost Crab!
While photographing Least Terns in St. Augustine I observed a ghost crab (also called sand crabs) raiding Least Tern nests. The crab would go from nest to nest, I suppose in search of eggs or chicks, but fortunately for the birds it was too early in the season for the crab to have any luck.
She Almost Ran Over This Baby Bird
Shore birds like the Wilson’s Plover nest in scrapes in the sand near sand dunes. That’s where I recently found some 2-3 day old Wilson Plover chicks out exploring the beach - and saved them from getting run over!
Do Owls Play?
Play is an opportunity for family units to socially bond and practice hunting behavior. Whether playing with a blade of grass, a snail, a bee, or a sibling, this behavior is important part in the Burrowing Owl’s growth and development.
Birds in Flight Photography
It’s not too hard to find advice on how to improve your birds in flight (BIF) photography. Most of that advice tends to be technical in nature, and while I’ll likely repeat some of those points, my primary aim in this article is to go beyond the technical and describe how you can improve the art of bird photography. Let’s jump in.
Bill-up and Ruff-out Displays of the Boat-tailed Grackle
Birds often display unique and interesting behaviors during breeding season, and the Boat-tailed Grackle is no exception. On a recent trip to a rookery near my home (where I went with the goal of photographing juvenile Wood Storks), a pair of male Boat-tailed Grackles stole the show as they demonstrated Bill-up and…
What is a Conservation Photo Story?
During last month’s meeting of the Tampa Audubon Society I gave a short presentation on conservation photography. Following the meeting, I had several requests for additional information, especially related to the construction of a conservation photo story. Conservation photography has been defined as the active use of the photographic process and its products, within the parameters of photojournalism, to advocate for conservation outcomes. Conservation storytelling uses powerful imagery to highlight environmental and cultural issues. Noted wildlife photographer Joel Sartore is frequently quoted…
Slow Day at Fort DeSoto Park
Sometimes there are slow photography days. All nature photographers have them. So it was for me at Fort DeSoto.
Tampa Audubon Photography Field Trip: Circle B Bar Reserve, 18 Mar 2023
This Saturday I led my first Tampa Audubon Society Photography Field Trip.
Florida Bird Photography Calendar
Looking for a place to photograph birds in Florida? This resource is sure to help you get to the right place at the right time.
