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Weekly Photo Tips
Grizzly Bear and Cubs
Every week will be adding some new photography tips to our blog. I am going to target Wednesdays.
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Florida Photo Tour Wildlife List Feb 2012
American Alligator
WILDLIFE CHECKLIST: FLORIDA PHOTO TOUR
REPTILES: American Alligator, American Crocodile, Anole, Red Bellied Turtle
MAMMALS: West Indian Manatee, Raccoon, Eastern Gray Squirrel, White Tailed Deer, Dolphin,Doberman Pinscher
DUCKS: Whistling-Duck, Gadwall, American Black Duck, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Red-breasted Merganser,
PODICIPEDIDAE — GREBES: Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe
CICONIIDAE — STORKS: Wood Stork
PHALACROCORACIDAE — CORMORANTS: Double-crested Cormorant
ANHINGIDAE — ANHINGAS & DARTERS: Anhinga B
PELECANIDAE — PELICANS: American White Pelican, Brown Pelican
ARDEIDAE — HERONS, BITTERNS & ALLIES: Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, □ Tricolored Heron, Reddish Egret, Cattle Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron,
THRESKIORNITHIDAE — IBISES & SPOONBILLS: White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill
CATHARTIDAE — NEW WORLD VULTURES: Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture
PANDIONIDAE — OSPREYS: Osprey
ACCIPITRIDAE — HAWKS, KITES, & EAGLES: Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered Hawk
RALLIDAE — RAILS, GALLINULES & COOTS: Purple Gallinule, Common Gallinule, American Coot
ARAMIDAE — LIMPKINS: Limpkin
GRUIDAE — CRANES: Sandhill Crane
CHARADRIIDAE — LAPWINGS & PLOVERS: Wilson’s Plover, Killdeer
RECURVIROSTRIDAE — STILTS: Black-necked Stilt
SCOLOPACIDAE — SANDPIPERS, PHALAROPES & ALLIES: Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, Sanderling, Semipalmated Sandpiper
LARIDAE— GULLS, TERNS & SKIMMERS: Bonaparte’s Gull, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Least Tern, □ Caspian Tern
COLUMBIDAE — PIGEONS & DOVES: White-winged Dove
STRIGIDAE —OWLS: Great Horned Owl, Burrowing Owl, Barred Owl
PICIDAE — WOODPECKERS: Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker
TYRANNIDAE — TYRANT FLYCATCHERS: Eastern Kingbird
LANIIDAE — SHRIKES: Loggerhead Shrike
CORVIDAE — CROWS & JAYS: Blue Jay, American Crow
MIMIDAE — MOCKINGBIRDS & THRASHERS: Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird
PARULIDAE — WOOD-WARBLERS: Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-rumped Warbler
CARDINALIDAE — CARDINALS & ALLIES: Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Painted Bunting
ICTERIDAE — BLACKBIRDS: Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle
PASSERIDAE — OLD WORLD SPARROWS : House Sparrow
Wild Florida Photo Tour Results
Roseate Spoonbill in Florida
Wild Florida Photo Tour Results 2011.
I just got back from Florida last week. It was a long but exciting trip. It started out on a bad note when the Patriots lost the Superbowl. Thankfully each day got better.
I spent many weeks preparing for this trip even though I have photographed Florida for almost 20 years. It is important to keep up with the recent wildlife reports. I check the internet, call and email other photographers, birders, biologist etc. I also monitor the water levels and tide charts.
I drove down a week early to scout out the area. I checked on some eagle, osprey and owl nests. Some of my most photogenic nests were vacant this year but I had other ones planned out.
The tip started off in Fort Myers. Participants flew into the Fort Myers Airport and took a shuttle to the hotel. This group was a lot of fun. I haven’t laughed so much in a long time.
The wildlife on this trip put on quite the show.
Some of the highlights were
- Roseate Spoonbills (multiple locations)
- Manatees (Everglades National Park and Big Cypress Preserve) one 10 feet away
- Alligators (multiple locations) including Baby Alligators
- American Crocodile
- Some of the herons, egrets, anhingas, wood stocks, vultures, and cormorants were so close they were able to get head shots.
- Pelicans: Both White and Brown Pelican were photographed. Some nesting, perched, and diving for fish.
- Bald eagles: (multiple locations)
- Nesting Burrowing, Great Horned and Barred Owls.
- Purple Gallinule (Multiple locations Everglades)
- Limpkin: (multiple days and locations)
- Osprey: perched, in flight, nesting (multiple locations)
- Red Shoulder Hawk (multiple locations)
- Black necked Stilt (multiple locations)
- Loggerhead Shrike
- Painted Bunting
- Watching hundreds of birds return to their rookery at night
- The beauty of the Everglades, Sanibel Island, Big Cypress Preserve
- Burrowing Owls (multiple nests)
- Great Horned Owls (two locations)
- A great sunset in the Everglades
- Reddish Egrets
- Ospreys nest building at Sanibel Island
- The vultures at Myakka
- Robert was Here: Tropical Drinks
It was sad to drop people off at the airport after the tour was over.
Thank you all for the memories and laughs.
You never know what you are going to see in Florida everyday is an adventure.
I can’t wait for next year.
Roseate Spoonbill Florida
Roseate Spoonbill
I love photographing Florida I have been going there for several years.
The Roseate Spoonbills is one of my favorite birds. This species feeds in shallow fresh or coastal waters by swinging its bill from side to side as it steadily walks through the water, often in groups. The spoon-shaped bill allows it to sift easily through mud. It feeds on crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, newts and very small fish ignored by larger waders.