My love for photography began in Southwest Florida, specifically Sanibel Island, where we vacationed as a family for nearly a decade. At first I spent a lot of time photographing the Osprey as they flew in and out of the nest, bringing in food, and feeding their baby chicks. Nightly, I drove the 5 mile wildlife drive at JN Ding Darling Refuge to photograph the Roseate Spoonbill, white pelicans, and an assortment of other traditional Florida birds as they roosted, always in front of a gorgeous sunset. I rode my bike all over the island, packing my camera and looking for birds or any wildlife. On one occasion I was riding my bike and saw a bobcat cross my path. I couldnt believe my eyes. As if to prove to me, it was indeed a bobcat that I saw, he came back out of the woods and sat along the side of the road, giving me a good minute to fire off numerous shots. One of those shots was published in the Sanibel newspaper.
Being in the vast beauty of wildness and capturing those moments in the form of an image that I could refer back to anytime I wanted was extremely rewarding for me. I spent hours biking and hiking, drinking in all the beauty that Sanibel offers and enjoying birds I had never seen before. The thrill of the hunt and the final capture were exhilarating! And thus, a love affair with not just Sanibel, but photographing wildlife began and continues to this day as it grows and expands to include a wide array of wildlife. But birds, and especially the birds in the Southwest Florida area, were my first love, the ones that gave me hours upon hours of fun and practice honing my skills as a photographer!
The roseate spoonbill is one of the first birds that I began photographing in Southwest Florida
Stepping out in style
The Adorable Burrowing Owl
"A Potato on Stilts!"
I have been photographing the burrowing owls for years ever since I learned they were located an easy 30 minute drive from Sanibel in Cape Coral. The locals will typically say January is not a good time to find them because they dont necessarily stay close to their burrow since its too early for nesting or raising chicks. However, I have never had a problem finding them and have always walked away, satisfied with my finds. Im sure spring is probably an exciting time to see them, especially with their chicks, and I do plan to go back and witness that then. But overall, it seems to me any time of the year is an exciting time to photograph the adorable burrowing owls and even though there's very little action, beautiful portraits are pretty much a sure thing! Its a lot of fun driving the neighborhoods of Cape Coral looking for the white pvc pipes used to rope off their burrows and the 'T' shaped wooden perches located at each burrow. Hunting for the owls is like an adult version of an Easter egg hunt, only you're looking for owls! But the thrill of the hunt and satisfaction of the find makes me feel like a little kid hunting for Easter eggs!
I always enjoy taking a quick trip over to Naples to do a walk through Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. One of the species I can always count on seeing is the Painted Bunting. During this visit I saw 4 male painted buntings and 2 females. Of course, as is true for all the bird species, (to my knowledge,) the males are much prettier than the females. The male and female painted bunting don't even look like they belong in the same species if you base it solely on their color. Although the female painted bunting is beautiful in her own right, the male is a show stopper!
Female painted bunting. Doesnt look too similar to its male counterpart does it?
This year I learned about a new place to take my camera....Fort Meyers for an eagle pair with a chick. Fort Meyers, just outside of Sanibel, has had a nesting pair of eagles for over 5 years now. There is a webcam set up so anyone can watch them. Having this available to me was a nice surprise! I went 3 times and each time I went I thought I would only stay for a few hours and then go on somewhere else to photograph. But each time I went, I found it difficult to leave! I wanted more and then even more! It was quite addicting! I met several other photographers and chatted with them during non active times and enjoyed making new friends!
I enjoy shooting all birds but especially those that are not species I get to shoot often and especially when they are in good light. I saw nearly 30 different bird species. Here are a few of them.
Snail Kite a first for me
Kestrel are usually pretty skittish but he seemed to like me and stayed awhile
Immature Indigo Bunting
Watched this kingfisher for quite awhile.
Red-bellied woodpecker
Reddish Egret
Snowy egret, a feisty shorebird
Great White Egret showing his lacy feathers in a courtship dance
Great White Egret in breeding plummage
Little Blue Heron
Black Crowned Night Heron
Glossy Ibis has iridescent colors when the light is right. It wasnt on this day.
Purple Gallinule
Black Skimmer
Fulvous Whistling Duck
Black Bellied Whistling Ducks / there were around 50 for me to play with
Black Bellied Whistling Duck
Loggerhead Shrike with a snack
Great Blue Heron
I drove a couple of hours east of Orlando over to the Atlantic coast to photograph osprey diving into the ocean to catch fish. It was an unusually cool day, about 25 degrees cooler than the day before. When you factor in the wind on the fishing pier, it made for a rather cold experience. But the osprey were soaring overhead, and although diving was infrequent, there were many opportunities during the 5 hours I was there, for me to practice getting the shot I came for. Although I didnt get the capture I really wanted, I made progress in my skill level and left with some decent shots of soaring and diving. Just not hitting the water!
I generally dont enjoy photographing Anhingas but when they are eating a fish I do! This Anhinga spent about 15 minutes trying to down this rather large fish. He pounded it against the tree log, he flung it in the air, and he struggled to get it down. He finally lost it in the water and while we thought he was going after it he was actually catching another fish. This one was a bit smaller and more manageable. However, he spent another 15 minutes pounding it against the tree log, flinging it into the air, and trying to get it down. Like its predecessor, it was accidentally tossed into the water and lost forever. We imagined the Anhinga was feeling pretty embarrassed in front of the crowd that had gathered to watch his failed attempts at getting his lunch.
Sandhill Cranes
Wood stork
Tufted Titmouse
Western Kingbird
Red Shouldered Hawk
Other Wildlife
Family of 5 raccoons were interested in me. Couldnt catch all 5 in a good composition
