Tag Archives: wildlife

Epic Utah road trip – Chapter 1

July 17, 2016OUTSIDE FLORIDA, Utahbluebird, Deer, Flowers, landscape, Marmot, sunrise, travel, vacation, wildlifeEd Rosack

I have many “out of Florida” photos to share with you today from Utah. MK wanted to take a short sightseeing trip out there over the 4th of July weekend and asked me to be her travel buddy. Of course, I couldn’t turn that down! Last year on my trip out west , I passed up seeing Zion and Bryce Canyon because I wanted more time in Death Valley National Park. I’m glad I got to go back.

Flowers at daybreak – Cedar Breaks National Monument. We visited this beautiful place twice. The second time before dawn, when we were the only ones there.

Because this was my first time there and our visit was so short, I’m going to write more of a “travel log” instead of a “what and where they are and how to photograph them”. I wouldn’t try to write that until I was way more familiar with the area. I will say that it is spectacularly scenic and if you get a chance, just go. You’ll find all sorts of things to point your camera at.

The first place we visited was Cedar Breaks National Monument. It was a surprise to me – I hadn’t really heard of it before. It’s very scenic and has a lot of wildlife too. We saw many deer on the trip. Unfortunately, there were several on the side of the road – we watched carefully to make sure we didn’t hit any.

Morning deer

We actually went by Cedar Breaks twice. The second day, we left early to find a sunrise spot and ended up there. By ourselves – magnificent!

Sunrise at Point Supreme – Cedar Breaks

We were walking through the visitors area and I was looking around in the trees trying to find the bird making a very strange call I didn’t recognize. A nice German gentleman came up to me and pointed out the Marmot that was making the racket. A bit embarrassing – but I did get a photo.

Yellow Bellied Marmot

Our bird watching was casual, but I did record one new life bird.

Mountain Bluebird – These were quite common at Cedar Breaks National Monument

One other place we wandered to was Brian Head Peak – a very scenic ski town. You can tell from the first photo and this one that there were lots of wildflowers blooming – a beautiful bonus!

Flowers by the road to the top – On the way up to 11,000 feet at Brian Head Peak, Utah

Here’s a summary of our trip:

53 hours duration (Saturday morning – Monday evening)
1,091 miles driven
3 National Parks (Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef)
3 National Monuments (Cedar Breaks, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Timpanagos)
1 All-American Scenic Byway (Route 12)
1 life bird (Mountain Bluebird)
1 Yellow-Bellied Singing Marmot
1 Elk
Lots of deer
14 stamps for MK’s National Park Service passport
700+ photos
1 epic father-daughter Utah road trip! We were so very tired when we got home!

What a terrific trip – thank you MK! I’m still going through the photos and adding favorites to my Utah album on Flickr. You can take a look there if you want to see more. And click on any of the photos in this post to see a larger version on Flickr.

I’ll work on a post with photos from the other spots next week. Until then, thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now, go make some photos!

July's for the birds…

July 10, 2016INSIDE FLORIDA, Osceola Countybirds, bobwhite, Burrowing Owl, Cow, landscape, Sandhill Crane, sunrise, whooping crane, wildlifeEd Rosack

Kevin M. and I knowingly and by chance violated many photography thumb rules yesterday morning. My first example:

Sunrise over the pasture

As landscape photos go, it breaks rules: It’s not all in focus; I didn’t use a low ISO to minimize noise; I used a long lens (so I could keep power lines out of the frame), not a wide-angle ; And I didn’t use a tripod. But I like how it turned out. I’m pleased by the composition and colors. It also has a bit of mystery with the fog, and the cows that are a bit hidden. Florida does look like this.

Next up are some bird photos. In Florida, July is one of the hottest months. Most photographers know this and many choose to stay inside – because the birds know this too and many of them also seem to disappear when it’s this hot. So what did we do? We went out looking for birds.

When we were photographing sunrise, we heard Bobwhites calling and spotted this one on the fence by the pasture. It was very patient and waited with us for better light. But I still had to violate one of my thumb rules and shoot at ISO 3200 to get a decent photo. By the way, let me just say again that technology today is wonderful. This image was at a focal length of 600mm, with a shutter speed of 1/50 second, hand-held!

Northern Bobwhite

The Burrowing Owl was a little way down on the same fence line. By this time the light was somewhat better and I could shoot at ISO 1600 and 1/100 sec. Still pretty impressive stabilization and sensor performance.

Burrowing Owl

Those three photos were at our first stop! Kevin wanted to show me some Red-cockaded Woodpeckers he’d spotted at the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area. I’ve been there before looking for them and this time we think we heard some, but didn’t manage to see or photograph any.

We did spot some other not so common birds including Brown-headed Nuthatches, Common Ground Doves, and Eastern Meadowlarks.

On the way back, we went by a farm where one of Florida’s Whooping Cranes hangs out. I’ve been there several times looking for it without success. Until this time:

Whooping Crane and two Sandhill Cranes

This is more of a record shot than a great photo. The light is harsh and the birds are beyond the range limit for this lens so it’s cropped in. And the July heat was making waves too, harming the image quality. But I still like it. Thumb rules? Who needs stinking’ thumb rules!

Until the 1930s, Whooping Cranes occurred naturally in Florida (see this article on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation site). There have been efforts to re-introduce them by leading them with ultra-light planes on migration routes (see this site). In January 2016, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced they’d “stop supporting the use of ultralight aircraft to help young whooping cranes migrate from Wisconsin to Florida each fall”. Studies show that interacting with humans has a negative effect on the birds. I’m pretty sure this particular Whooping Crane is a survivor of the program. It’s banded yellow over green on its left leg, but a short google search didn’t turn up any info.

So rules of thumb are good – especially if you understand them and know when to break them. Breaking the rules led me to a sunrise photo I like and four life-birds yesterday (thanks Kevin!). By the way, you can click on any of these for larger versions on Flickr.

And thanks to all of you for stopping by and reading my blog. Now, go make some photos!

P.S. Stay tuned for some photo stories from Utah. MK and I had an epic weekend out there and I’ll share it when I finish processing the images.

In the yard

June 26, 2016INSIDE FLORIDA, VARIOUSastronomy, birds, Lizard, moon, Red Shoulder Hawk, wildlifeEd Rosack

Good morning, good readers!

I’ve been busy recently learning all about the Raspberry Pi computer and using it on a project for our home. It’s incredible how much capability you can buy today for $35. Anyway, the project (especially learning to code in Python!) has left me with little time for photo excursions. So this week I’ll have to show you some photos I managed to make from our yard.

I made this first photo standing on our front walk, just before last month’s full moon. I like the way the sun was hitting the clouds. It’s a single frame, handheld, and slightly underexposed to keep detail showing on the moon.

Pretty moon tonight

Lynn put a small statue of St. Francis in our front flower garden. This brown anole likes to bask there in the morning sun.

St. Francis and the lizard

And last, an update on our backyard visitors. The cardinal pair built a nest on our neighbor’s patio and raised one chick that’s now fledged and fully grown.

But for the last couple of weeks, we haven’t seen too many smaller birds in the yard. Perhaps it’s due to this:

The hawk on the lamp-post

I’ve seen this Red-shouldered Hawk sitting on the lamp-post on several mornings recently. It doesn’t seem to scare the lizards, but small birds don’t like having it around.

By the way, the basics of my Raspberry Pi project are working, so I should have more time now for photography.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now, go make some photos!

Happy Father's Day

June 17, 2016Gatorland, Orlando, VARIOUSbirds, Great Egret, nest, wildlife, youngEd Rosack

Yes, it’s been a horrific week here in Central Florida. So bad that some might question celebrating a holiday so soon after these terrible events.

We should keep in mind that there is danger and evil in the world. We should keep the victims and everyone touched by these events in our hearts and minds. But we should celebrate, I think Because there is also peace and goodness in the world, and there are vastly more good people than evil ones.

So, to all Dads out there: I hope you have a wonderful day on Sunday and I hope you get to share it with your families. Celebrate the good in the world and help overcome the evil.

I wonder where Dad is? Mom said he would feed us this time. Two young Great Egrets, waiting for their next meal at Gatorland in Orlando.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog.

#OrlandoStrong

#OrlandoUnited

Handsome Bird

May 13, 2016Gatorland, INSIDE FLORIDA, Orlandobirds, Cattle Egret, wildlifeEd Rosack

Colorful Cattle Egret

You probably see these birds where you live. They’re common in Central Florida and throughout most of the warmer parts of the world. You can read much more about them in this article on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_egret.

Most of the time Cattle Egrets are ordinary looking, even drab. But when they dress up like this one in springtime breeding colors, I find it hard to resist photographing them. Especially when they pose so nicely in warm morning light.

Have you seen something recently that you just had to take a photo of?

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go make some photos!

Bird Moms

May 8, 2016Gatorland, INSIDE FLORIDA, Orlandobirds, Common Gallinule, Great Egret, Mother's day, wildlife, Wood StorkEd Rosack

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

We all love our Moms. They love us too, feed us, protect us, teach us, and make sure we go out into the world ready for all its challenges.

Bird Moms do the same. In celebration of all Mothers everywhere, here are three recent photos of bird Moms raising their young.

Great Egret Mom feeding chicks – That’s a large chunk of sushi – those baby birds will be full if they eat all that!

Common Gallinule Mom and Chicks – These hatch ready to swim. Mom protectively takes them around the local pond, very careful to avoid gators lurking nearby.

Wood Stork Mom and chicks

These photos were all made this year at Gatorland in Orlando, Florida. Wild birds nest there above the Alligator breeding marsh, where the gators keep many natural predators away from the nests. Spring is a wonderful time to see all the action.

Click on any of these photos to see them larger on Flickr. And look at this album for many more images from Gatorland.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go tell your Mom you love her!

Early Friday at MINWR

May 1, 2016INSIDE FLORIDA, Merritt Island NWRbirds, BPWD, Fish, landscape, Little Blue Heron, Mottled Duck, Osprey, sunrise, wildlifeEd Rosack

I don’t have much to say this morning, so the photos will have to do most of the talking. I started yesterday along the Indian River at Space View Park.

Watching the morning sun. This is a two frame, blended exposure. I made the bottom half exposed for the water with a Neutral Density filter to slow my shutter speed to 20 seconds at ISO 100 and f/11. I made the top part with the filter off, exposed for the sunrise at ISO 100, f/11, 1/100 second. I was very happy to see the Osprey fly through the frame with a fish as I clicked the shutter. I blended them together in Photoshop with a layer mask.

I planned to drive around on Gator Creek Road next, but it was closed – so I headed to Black Point Wildlife Drive.

Juvenile Little Blue Heron. There were several around, so they must be nesting nearby. I’ve seen Green Herons breeding there, but not Little Blue Herons.

A Mottled Duck. I don’t spot these too often. When I looked it up, I learned (or maybe re-learned) some things. Mottled Ducks are related to both Black Ducks and Mallards, and are the only duck adapted to breeding in southern marshes. The Florida population is a subspecies and the male has lost its distinctive plumage so that the both sexes are colored alike.

You can click on these photos to see larger versions, and I have many more MINWR images in this album on Flickr.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go make some photos!

Fireflies at Fanning Springs

April 24, 2016INSIDE FLORIDA, OcalaCow, Cypress, fanning springs, firefly, Flowers, landscape, manatee springs, panorama, reflection, suwannee, wildlifeEd Rosack

Lynn and I drove over to the Suwannee River west of Gainesville, Florida last week and stayed for a couple of nights at Fanning Springs State Park in one of their cabins.

Into the Suwannee River – The Manatee Springs run into the Suwannee.

It turns out that April is peak season for Fireflies, at least around here. It’s been many years since we’ve seen any and it was a treat to watch them. On the second night, I set up my camera on a tripod and used the remote control app on my phone to make this photo from the mosquito free comfort of the screened porch at the cabin.

Fireflies 2 – I used my Olympus E-M5 Mark II in Live Composite mode. This is an ~11 minutes total exposure, with ~330 frames at 2 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 each. Composited in camera.

We saw other wildlife too, including lots of birds and a few Gulf Sturgeons jumping in Fanning Springs. I managed to catch this snake swimming through the high water at Manatee Springs with my iPhone.

Florida Brown Water Snake – Manatee Springs, Florida

It’s a great time of year for a drive in Central Florida too. We enjoyed the beautiful wildflowers blooming along most of the roads.

Train Track Wildflowers – Next to the Williston, Florida Train Depot

And the farms in the Ocala area along our route are both scenic and idyllic.

Greener Pastures – A cattle ranch near Ocala, Florida

Fanning Springs and Manatee Springs are about 7 miles apart along the Suwannee. Both offer kayaking, and swimming (usually), and many other activities. High water at Fanning closed the swimming when we were there, but Manatee was open.

You can rent kayaks and canoes, and if you put in at Fanning, you can coast with the current down to Manatee. There’s a service that will return you back to your starting point. This sounds like a relaxing paddle to Lynn and I and we plan to try it next time. We’ll have to watch out for the jumping Sturgeons, though. There’s also a pontoon boat tour you can take from the concession at Manatee.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go enjoy some Florida State Parks and make some photos too!

Merritt Island – March 30, 2016

April 3, 2016INSIDE FLORIDA, Merritt Island NWR, St. Johns RiverAlligator, birds, BPWD, Flowers, landscape, Spoonbill, sunrise, wildlifeEd Rosack

I went over to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge last week with Tom M. Here are a few of the things we saw on this trip.

St. Johns Sunrise – silver lining and sun rays: This is a long exposure (10 second) image I made at the boat ramp on the St. Johns where it meets HW 50. The water is higher than I’ve seen it there before

Pollen covered Bumble Bee on Purple Thistle: These thistles are blooming all over Black Point Wildlife Drive. The pollen on this bee may be an indication of why we’re having such severe allergy problems here in Central Florida.

Spoonbill in the reeds: There were many other birds around too.

Life and death in the Florida wild: The bird (a female Red-breasted Merganser) was looking for fish along a small grass island in the distance. I glanced over when I heard some splashing but couldn’t see anything at first. Then I noticed this alligator with the bird. The struggle was hard to watch, but mercifully brief.

On a related subject, you may have seen news about the recent fish kills we’ve had in the Indian River Lagoon. These are occurring just south of MINWR, nearer Melbourne, Florida. As we were driving around the refuge, I was struck by how natural it looked and by the absence of any dead fish. I’m very thankful that the Refuge has preserved this natural area for us to enjoy.

I worry about the areas where fertilizer runoff and septic tank leakage can lead to pollution, brown tide, lack of oxygen and dead fish and animals. I hope that we can figure out solutions so that people living near our natural resources don’t damage them.

OK, sorry for the commentary. Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go make some photos!

Foggy morning start

February 7, 2016INSIDE FLORIDA, Merritt Island NWRbirds, BPWD, dew drop, fog, fogbow, Gull, landscape, panorama, reflection, Spoonbill, wildlifeEd Rosack

“This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; …”
― John Muir

The first part of my visit to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge last Tuesday (2/2/16) was about as foggy as I’ve ever seen. So much so that I was happy to follow a large truck along SR 46 on the way over – better than feeling my way through the low visibility on my own.

For some reason, I’d taken a macro lens with me and I was happy to use it on the following image:

Nature’s necklace – Foggy mornings dew along Black Point Wildlife Drive. This is a 5 frame, hand-held focus stack.

One of my on-line friends (Dorothy) asked me on Flickr how I got the reflections in the dew drops. They were really a gift from nature. I could see lots of dew covered webs from the car, and I watched for one where I could frame the drops standing out against a clear background. When I found this particular one, I had to figure out how to best image them. One part of it was making sure the sensor plane was as close to parallel with the lines of drops as possible. I stopped down to f/8 for increased depth of field. Then I focused on the front string and made a high-speed sequence while I rocked slowly forward. This captured about 17 frames with different parts of the scene in focus. Back at my computer, I picked 5 of the frames and made a focus stack to get as much as possible in sharp focus. The last steps were to do some selective contrast / sharpening on just the drops. I like the way it turned out.

As I explored further on Black Point Wildlife Drive, I saw something for the first time – a fogbow:

Fogbow and birds in the misty morning marsh. This is a two frame panorama (and exposure bracket) that I blended manually in Photoshop. See this post for an explanation of my technique.

Fogbows are mostly colorless because the water drops in fog are so small that diffraction smears the colors. Physics in action!

Eventually, the fog cleared and I was able to get some good light on a few birds.

Spoonbill along Black Point Wildlife Drive

Double Gull stare-down – along the causeway into MINWR

You can click on these photos to see larger versions on Flickr. And you can view an album of my MINWR photos here and some other fog / mist photos in this album.

I’ll leave you with another John Muir quote:

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir

That perfectly expresses my feelings after I got home last Tuesday.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go ‘walk with nature’ and make some photos!

Central Florida Photo Ops

What and where they are and how to photograph them.