MINWR: 2/2/24

February 11, 2024Merritt Island NWRbirds, Black Skimmer, BPWD, Clapper Rail, landscape, reflection, sunrise, White Pelican, wildlife, Wilson's SnipeEd Rosack

This is the best time of year to visit Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. I made another rewarding trip a week ago and came home with many images I like. Here are some of them.

Clouds added a dose of drama to early scenes along Gator Creek. And with the calm winds and long exposure, the water surface doubled the golden light.

Dawn across the creek.

Once it was brighter, I headed over to Black Point Wildlife Drive and one of the first things I came across was a group of Black Skimmers doing their thing. The iBird app says these are along our coast year round, but I hardly ever see them except in the winter. This one showed off some fine form as it flew right in front of me. I was able to capture a number of frames – this was my best and it’s only slightly cropped.

Black Skimmer

The header image is from the same time / place. You can view a higher res version here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/53507251801/in/dateposted/.

In Central Florida we only see American White Pelicans in the winter months. They’re very large and it’s always fun to spot them. They can be difficult to photograph. Be careful with your exposure if you want to preserve detail in their white feathers (and black primary feathers too). These four were preparing to land along the trail at the SW corner of BPWD.

Final approach

This group / pod was preening in the shallow water along the same trail near the first bird blind. I liked this framing with the mangrove in the foreground, so I made two exposures (one focused on the mangrove and one on the pelicans). Then I was able to blend them in photoshop so both are sharp.

Preening Pod and mangrove

And two last birds, both also winter only around here. They aren’t easy to find as they usually skulk around in the mangrove roots and / or reeds along the canals or shorelines. They’re also a bit of a challenge to photograph since it’s dark back in there where they hang out! I was lucky to see them both!

Clapper Rail

Wilson’s Snipe

To close out this post, here’s a bonus landscape photo. This one is after sun up near the entrance to Black Point Wildlife Drive. I like the way the mist looks in the distance.

A little mist in the marsh this morning

For more info about conditions at MINWR, you could look at Wally Jones blog (https://ournaturalplaces.com), and the Birder’s Journey blog (https://birdersjourney.com). Both have recent articles about the refuge.

MINWR is a treasure and I’m very lucky to live so close. You should visit it if you can!

As usual, you can click on most photos in my blog to see higher resolution versions on Flickr. If you’re a glutton for photo punishment, I have (way too) many images from MINWR collected in this folder: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/albums/72157627776386723/with/52112652632

P.S. I walked around Orlando Wetlands Park for a little bit yesterday. Bird activity is starting to pick up there too! I’m planning to revisit over the next month or so and hope to catch some of the bird courting / nesting activities. They started to pick up around this time last year.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog – I really appreciate it. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, check out a NWR close to you. And make some photos!

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

January 11, 2024Haulover Canal, Merritt Island NWRbirds, Black Point Wildlife Drive, BPWD, Dolphin, Greater Scaup, Kestrel, landscape, Little Blue Heron, Mottled Duck, Spoonbill, sunrise, wildlifeEd Rosack

I hope everyone had a wonderful time during the Hollidays and that you’re all having a great start to the New Year! We had a lovely (and busy) time with lots of family here at our home.

But … December is a very good time to visit MINWR. I wanted to stop by before most of the folks arrived. MK was already here and wanted to go too, so we took off early one morning to see what was going on.

It was chilly (to a Florida person anyway) and very clear. Sunrise wasn’t nearly as good as the last time I was there (https://edrosack.com/2023/08/13/5-photos-in-45-minutes/). I struggled a bit trying to make a landscape image with such a clear sky and this is the best I could do:

The day began beyond small distant clouds with a chill in the air, ripples in the river, and the click of a shutter:

There was a lot to see in the refuge though. Many birds were around, but for some reason they all seemed to be a long way off – proving a common belief that you can never have too long a lens when photographing birds.

Chilly Heron

I did get a lot of practice with a variety of birds in flight.

White Pelican

Spoonbill

Mottled Duck

Kestrel

And I managed to photograph one species for the first time (at least I’m pretty sure these are Greater Scaups).

Greater Scaups(?) Trio

We also saw Ospreys, Herons, Egrets, Vultures, a Northern Harrier, Hooded Mergansers, and a variety of other ducks. But no gators on this trip – they were huddled somewhere waiting for it to warm up. We did see manatees and dolphins (at Bairs Cove). This dolphin was making quite a splash chasing fish in Haulover Canal.

Hunting Dolphin

A very nice visit! Winter is a fine time to see MINWR – you should go. Maybe next time I’ll try when they’re forecasting a few morning clouds.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, make some photos!

A Biltmore Christmas

December 15, 2023North Carolina, OUTSIDE FLORIDAarchitecture, Asheville, Biltmore, Christmas, decoration, Great Smoky Mountains, house, santaEd Rosack

This Thanksgiving we decided to meet in Asheville with MK, Art and Michele for a long weekend. Located in North Carolina close to the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Asheville views can be spectacular!

Looking toward the Great Smoky Mountains

However there were several wildfires in the area, including this one that MK hit on the Tennessee / North Carolina border on her drive east along I-40 from Nashville.

Heading into town (photo by MK, used with permission)

This changed our plans. We’d hoped to do some scenic drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but due to the wildfires we opted for other activities. We were also at the end of the fall foliage color. We saw a (very) few trees with some nice color, but if we’d gone a few weeks earlier, there would have been many more.

Our highlight of the long weekend was visiting Biltmore Estate. Started in the late 1880s by George Vanderbilt (brother of Cornelius Vanderbilt, founder of Vanderbilt University), this extravagant estate is elaborate by today’s standards – let alone the late 1800s!

The Biltmore House: an early morning view (before the crowds)

Complete with a pool, billiards room and bowling alley, it has all the modern features with the feel of Downton Abbey. Set aside time to walk room to room with the guided audio tour. If stairs are a challenge, there’s also a great film about the estate that you can watch in a room on the main floor.

Entrance hall decorations

Billiards Room

You can purchase tickets in advance (suggested at least a week ahead) and we chose the earliest ones available. Our 9:30 am entry time was the second tour of the day and it wasn’t crowded. But by the time we left in the early afternoon, the entire 8,000-acre estate was filled with visitors.

Also the Biltmore “house”: This giant gingerbread replica was on display in the kitchen

Parking is easy and there’s even a shuttle to get you to the estate. Save some time for after you visit the mansion. When you’re done, you’ll want to drive around and explore the beautiful grounds, gardens and winery – including driving straight through the main gates and past the iconic mansion.

>One of the Biltmore Christmas Lions that guard the entrance

The whole place was beautifully decorated for the Christmas season. We highly recommend visiting this time of year to see all the lights, ornaments, trees, foliage, manger scenes, Santas, and gingerbread houses.

Library: Christmas by the fireplace

More Christmas by another fireplace

Festive grand banquet room

The Biltmore Estate allows non-flash photography, but prohibits video. I suppose they don’t want anyone competing with the Hallmark Channel’s “A Biltmore Christmas” movie! MK got some good photos with her cell phone, but I opted for a dedicated camera with a wide angle lens for interior shots – I used a 20mm focal length. And the light inside can be dim, so a wide aperture, higher ISOs, and some in camera stabilization will help. I made many of my photos at f/1.8 with ISOs at or above 500.

Nativity Scene

We did the Asheville Trolley Tour on another day, although it wasn’t our favorite. The pacing was slow and we thought the commentary should’ve included more info about the beauty of the architecture and quaint Asheville neighborhoods. You can purchase “hop on / hop off” tickets but take into account the time between shuttles so you can explore and not wait too long for the next one.

Around Asheville

We also enjoyed many marvelous meals. Our favorite was at Jettie Rae’s Oyster House – amazing service, laid back but elegant atmosphere, and delicious food and drinks. MK said the oysters were the best she’s had in the Southeast United States.

We’ll leave you with this final photo of Father Christmas. He seems pleased watching over all of us enjoying this fine start to the holiday season.

Father Christmas

If you’re interested, you can see higher res versions of these (and a few more) North Carolina photos in this album on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/albums/72177720313134519/

Thanks MK for helping me write this post!

And thanks to everyone for stopping by and reading it. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. Enjoy your time with family and friends. And if you can, make some memories (and some photos!).

Orlando Wetlands: Oct. 27 2023

November 5, 2023Orlando Wetlandsbirds, black-bellied whistling duck, Eastern Phoebe, Green Heron, landscape, panorama, red-shouldered hawk, reflectionEd Rosack

I hadn’t been out to Orlando Wetlands since early May and I’ve been curious about what’s going on. So Lutfi and I met there about a week ago to walk around and do a little scouting.

As far as the park itself goes, they’re still working on the new Visitor Center. The hours remain sunup to sundown, and they also close now on Mondays so plan accordingly.

The views along the boardwalk and many paths remain very pretty and a little Cypress Tree fall color is showing.

Cypress and reflections (iPhone, 3 raw frames, stitched panorama)

They’ve also put up some gates at the boardwalk entrances to keep alligators out. I imagine removing gators from the boardwalk was an interesting exercise for the rangers – and the gators!

As far as birds go, it was quiet. In addition to some regulars, we saw a couple Belted Kingfishers and an Eastern Phoebe, but no Roseate Spoonbills. Other birds that were breeding in the rookery last season aren’t there yet either, although this family of Black Bellied Whistling Ducks got an early start.

Large family

If you’d like more info about which birds are there and when, see this eBird page: https://ebird.org/barchart?byr=1900&eyr=2023&bmo=1&emo=12&r=L452007. The winter populations should be increasing all this month.

Eastern Phoebe

Green Heron

Here are a couple bonus landscape photos to close out this post.

Lake Searcy Cypress. This was too far away for my iPhone and didn’t fit in the viewfinder of my birding set up, so I made a 3 frame vertical panorama.

The wind and water were calm. I find the resulting views irresistible.

Somebody polished the marsh mirror (iPhone, 5 raw frames, stitched panorama)

The header image of an incoming Red-Shoulder Hawk really shows how they got their name!

Please check the park website for more info before you go: https://www.orlando.gov/Parks-the-Environment/Directory/Wetlands-Park. And if you’re interested in what’s out there, you can see (too) many Orlando Wetlands photos I’ve made in this album on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/albums/72157639616792296

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, visit Orlando Wetlands and make some photos!

Portfolio Magazine – Oct. 2023

October 22, 2023Cameras and Photography, INSIDE FLORIDABill Hemmer, florida, landscape, Portfolio MagazineEd Rosack

I was surprised recently to get an email from Bill Hemmer, the publisher of Portfolio Magazine. He said “I was looking at your website and saw that you had quite a bit of new work. Really great. I wanted to see if you might want us to do another feature on your work in an upcoming Portfolio Issue?”

I said yes and he selected 14 photos for the October 2023 issue. I made all of them in and around Central Florida. Bill chose this one for the cover:

Long exposure sunrise – looking east from Space View Park in Titusville, Florida

Here’s the link to the main Portfolio Magazine web page: https://www.portfoliomagazinenaples.com. And here’s the link to the October 2023 issue: https://viewer.joomag.com/portfolio-naples-october-2023/0759826001696521507?short&. My article starts on page 10.

Bill published a group of my Florida photos once before in the June / July 2015 issue. That one doesn’t seem to still be on line, but you can see my photos in their gallery here: https://www.portfoliomagazinenaples.com/ed-rosack.html

It’s a lovely magazine and their photo selection and article layout work is very good. I’m honored to be included – thank you so much Bill!

The header image (https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/8097720838/in/album-72157627451713116/) is another one of my photos included in the current issue.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you have time, check out Portfolio Magazine!

Nashville, TN

October 1, 2023OUTSIDE FLORIDA, Tennessee, Uncategorizedbirds, black and white, Blue Bird Cafe, blue hour, bridge, canada goose, John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, landscape, Love on a Leash, music, Narwhal, Nashville, panorama, people, Radnor Lake, reflection, wildlifeEd Rosack

We were able to spend some time with MK at her place last month. She’s a most excellent host and Nashville has a lot to see and do!

On our drive up, we stopped and had lunch with Kevin M. It was fun to catch up with him and hear about his recent expedition to Costa Rica. He saw 100+ life birds there! https://www.flickr.com/photos/44542650@N08/albums/72177720310091373. Unfortunately, we forgot to get a photo at lunch – but I did get some photos in Nashville.

All three of us have watched and enjoyed the Nashville series and it was fun when MK pointed out places around town that we’d seen on TV. The Blue Bird Cafe is featured prominently and she managed to get us tickets. The music was just as awesome in real life!

Blue Bird Cafe, Sept. 2nd 2023: In the round with Rob Harris, Jamie Rowe, Kim Parent, and Adam Wheeler

Nashville has some really great guitar stores. Both MK and Lynn were very understanding and let me indulge my guitar obsession. I’d been to Gruhn Guitars before, but the Gibson Garage was new for me. I’d never seen a guitar conveyor belt:

MK suggested a bit of exercise one morning so we walked around Radnor Lake Park.

Radnor Reflections 2

The header image is another view of the Lake. The full frame is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/53176547953/in/dateposted/

There were quite a few ducks and Canada Geese on the water. These swam in formation for me:

Canada Convoy

MK’s cat Narwhal is a certified therapy cat with Love on a Leash. He has a busy schedule and while we were there he volunteered at a Nashville area nursing home. He really seems to enjoy his work:

I’ve wanted to walk the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge across the Cumberland River, but hadn’t made it before this trip. MK and Lynn dropped me off in East Nashville and I walked across and met them on the other side. They report that there are plenty of rooftop bars to wait at. I found some photos while they were waiting:

Nashville’s John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge

The Gateway Bridge (also known as the ‘Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge’) is just south of the pedestrian bridge. I’m not sure if it’s alway lit up like this – it was pretty on that night:

Blue Hour on the Cumberland River

The view of the downtown waterfront is amazing:

Evening along the river

I think the buildings along the river look good in B&W. I like the Gateway Bridge reflection in the windows on the lower right:

Nashville Reflections

And finally, here’s what lower Broadway looks like as the country music starts to crank up in the Honky Tonks for the night:

Blue Hour on Broadway

Eating was also a highlight on the visit – both at some very nice restaurants and the meals that MK made at her place!

The only not so good part of our trip was testing positive with Covid when we got home. It was the first time either of us have had it but fortunately our vaccines were up to date and we got prescriptions for Paxlovid, so the symptoms weren’t too awful. They lasted for two solid weeks, but we’re better now thankfully.

You can see other photos I’ve collected from in and around Nashville in this folder on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/albums/72157719274946967

Thanks for visiting my blog. Stay positive (and Covid negative!), be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, see some of Nashville!

The rest of the photos

September 3, 2023Merritt Island NWRabstract, birds, black and white, BPWD, Flowers, Great Blue Heron, landscape, panorama, reflection, Snake, wildlifeEd Rosack

I mentioned last time that there might be enough photos from my visit to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge for another blog entry. Here they are.

I used a cropped version of this first one as the header image in the last post but didn’t show the full frame. Here’s a larger crop – as usual, you can click on it to see a high res version on Flickr. This one is from Space View Park in Titusville, looking east towards the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge from the west side of the Indian River.

<Early clouds above the refuge

I saw a wading bird in the distance as I entered Black Point Wildlife Drive. I thought it was a Great Blue Heron, but wasn’t sure. Who stops the car and gets out and walks to make a Great Blue Heron photo? Usually not me – I already have so many of them. They’re very common around here. But given it was the dog days of August, I wasn’t expecting to see much on that visit so I did get out and wander over. I’m glad I did. The bird cooperated and waded out so I could catch this moment in the circle of life. These birds truly are formidable hunters.

Heron 1, Snake 0

I also had my macro lens mounted and looked for subjects to use it on. I’ve driven by this tree each time on Black Point Wildlife Drive. The texture patterns in the bark are very interesting.

Juniper Tree Abstract

These blooming flowers were plentiful and this one was in nice light.

Firewheel (gaillardia pulchella ) close-up

I’m not able to tell you what this tiny plant was. It was only about an 1/8 of an inch long. It too was in good light and the dew drops on one side added interest.

Morning dew

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, make some photos!

5 Photos in 45 minutes

August 13, 2023Merritt Island NWR, Techniquebridge, landscape, panorama, reflection, sunriseEd Rosack

I’ve been busy with other things and it’s been terribly hot here (and everywhere). So I haven’t been photographing much lately. I know summer isn’t the best time for wildlife but I really needed to scratch my photography itch. So I headed out one morning about a week ago toward Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

I usually try to make a sunrise photo before I start looking for wildlife. This time I wasn’t sure where to set up for a landscape, so I decided to go early and stop at several places. Sunrise was at 6:41am and I got to the my first spot a little before six. This is a two frame vertical panorama cropped to 4×5, at 24mm, f/8, 25 sec @ ISO 800. The scene was a bit dark!

Early morning by the river, Titusville – Marina Park, 5:54:48am.

The sky was so dramatic, I made a second photo from the same spot a few minutes later. On this one I zoomed in to show some of the detail in the distance. Single frame, 66mm, f/8, 29 sec @ ISO 250.

Early morning by marker 6, Titusville – Marina Park, 5:58:22am.

At that point, I decided to move to Scobie Park – just south of Veterans Memorial Park. The folks that live in that condo have a great view every morning! Single frame, 49mm, f/11, 20 sec @ ISO 100.

Rooms with a view, Titusville – Scobie Park, 6:07:41am

I moved again to Veterans Memorial Park and made this next photo from the gazebo to highlight the virga beyond the bridge. It’s a two frame exposure bracket, 69mm, f/11, 5 sec and 2.5 sec @ISO 100.

Might be raining beyond the bridge, Titusville – Veterans Memorial Park, 6:20:27am

I thought the show was about done, so I put things back in the car and started over to MINWR. On the way the sky kept changing. I hurried to a small pond on the left near the entrance to Gator Creek Road. Luckily I still had my 24 – 105 landscape lens on my camera. I quickly jumped out of the car, set up my tripod and made this image. It’s a stitched panorama blend of 7 exposure bracketed frames, 24mm, f/8, 1/125 – 1.6 sec @ISO 100.

Cloud shadows at sunrise, MINWR – Gator Creek Road, 6:39:50am

And the header image is actually a 6th photo: a black and white conversion of another image made from the gazebo at Veterans Memorial Park.

After all that, I switched lenses and drove through the refuge looking for wildlife and macro subjects. I didn’t get too many of those, but maybe there’s enough for a future blog post.

I went out that morning with no expectations. My only goal was to exercise my photo muscles. I came home with these 5 images (and more!) that I really like. That’s one reason I enjoy the photography hobby so much – it surprises me almost every time. Sunrise isn’t just a moment. This one took about an hour to unfold. If you want some great sunrise (or sunset) photos, show up early and stay late. And it helps to be familiar with an area so you can get a variety of viewpoints / perspectives in your photos.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, spend 45 minutes photographing sunrise!

Elkhart Lake and Road America

July 9, 2023Wisconsinauto race, black and white, Elkhart Lake, landscape, motorsports, Road AmericaEd

Whenever we visit Mike, Sara, and Cal in Wisconsin, Lynn and I find out about something new up there. This time it was the village of Elkhart Lake and the Road America race track.

Elkhart Lake is a resort town in northeast Wisconsin offering history, motor sports, outdoor recreation, and delicious food. Mike found a two night deal we could take advantage of at the beautiful Osthoff Resort and we all enjoyed our stay.

A very nice evening view from the Osthoff Resort Patio

We ate several great meals while we were there. One was yummy breakfast pastries and sandwiches at Off the Rail.

Off the Rail: Breakfast & Lunch, Baked Goods, Specialty Coffees

We spent some time in the park / playground across the street and I thought this mural was worth a photo:

A Love Letter from Mexico to Elkhart Lake: in downtown Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

The area has a long history of auto racing. They hosted open road sports car races starting in 1950 that led to the establishment of Road America in 1955.

Wisconsin Historical Society Sign in Elkhart Lake

I’ve been to and photographed auto racing before (here’s a blog post about the Daytona Speedway from 10+ years ago: https://edrosack.com/2013/02/17/daytona-international-speedway/). But I thought this venue is the best I’ve seen. The track is very spectator friendly. You can drive your own car and park at multiple good vantage points along the course with places to stand, sit, watch and photograph. The starting line is also open at times for close up views of cars and drivers, and the garage area was also open to fans on the day we were there. Pedestrians had to be careful and look out for race cars driving by on the way to the track! Here’s the view from the first place we stopped near turn 14:

Coming out of turn 14

We were at the SVRA (Sportscar Vintage Racing Association) Vintage Festival Weekend (https://www.roadamerica.com/svra-vintage-festival-weekend). It was interesting watching these older race cars still competing:

No. 1, GMT Racing, Travis

I enjoyed trying out my Sony A7R V camera to photograph motor sports for the first time. I was careful to balance my shutter speed so it was low enough to catch some blur in the wheels and background but high enough to keep the car itself sharp. Somewhere between 1/500 and 1/1000 seemed to work pretty well, depending on how fast they were moving. I wish I’d tried panning a bit more aggressively with an even slower shutter.

To focus, I used AI subject recognition, set the “Recognition Target” to “car / train” and it worked very well on these race cars. Except for the time when I accidentally turned it off before I handed the camera to Mike to try! Sorry Mike!

No. 7, Re/Max, F4

I also enjoyed seeing the Corvette race cars, especially the C6.R generation ones that I’m most familiar with. This GT1 car originally raced from 2005 to 2009.

No. 64, Compuware, GT1 Corvette

Here’s one last photo just after sunset over Elkhart Lake:

Dusk at Elkhart Lake

We love visiting our family in Wisconsin! It’s a gorgeous and varied state and discovering new things to see and do each time we go is a wonderful bonus!

Header image: “Starting line”; If you’re reading this on your phone, or want to view a larger version, click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/52964301050/in/dateposted-public/.

P.S. In my previous post (https://edrosack.com/2023/06/04/found-flowers/) I asked if you could spot which photos weren’t made with phones. The answer: the header and the image of the poppies were made with a Sony A7R V. All the others were made with phone cameras.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, catch a race and make some photos!

Found Flowers

June 4, 2023OUTSIDE FLORIDAApple, Black-Eyed Susan, Easter Lilly Cactus, Flowers, pear, poppyEd Rosack

Lynn and I returned from visiting MK, Mike, Sara, and Cal last Sunday. It was easy to spot exuberant signs of Spring on our route. Today I thought I’d share some photos of pretty blossoms we saw along the way.

Up in Wisconsin, apple trees are blooming:

Apple Blossom Time

And the bees are busy:

Pollinating

I think this is a variety of pear tree. They’re busy blooming too:

Pear tree blossoms

At a rest stop in Kentucky, these Poppies were showing up on schedule just before Memorial Day:

Poppies

In Tennessee, MK’s cactus garden is flowering and looks pretty as a picture in the early morning light:

Easter Lily cactus (photo by MK Rosack, used with permission)

And Black-Eyed Susans in Georgia didn’t want to be left out:

Black-Eyed Susan

Most of these photos were made with iPhones and I’m very happy with how they turned out. Isn’t it handy to have such a good camera in your pocket? If you want to try a quiz, see if you can spot which ones weren’t made with phones.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. Enjoy Spring, and if you can, make some photos!

Central Florida Photo Ops

What and where they are and how to photograph them.