photoartflightSoaring Swallow-tailed Kites
Posted on March 22, 2022
On one of our trips to Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge in Florida we saw quite a few Swallow-tailed Kites flying above us. They were fun to see soaring as we were walking the trails. Usually they were really high up in the sky or far off in the distance so we never got good images of them. But the images here are from one visit when they were soaring right above us near the parking lot. They were still really high above us but I thought they were still interesting images. All images were taken with a Canon 400mm DO lens with a 1.4X Teleconverter on a Canon 1DmkIV.
Little Blue Heron Images
Posted on December 13, 2021
I was going through backup drives and found a series to post of Little Blue Heron images. Little Blue Herons are some of my favorite Herons to photograph. They always seem to have a very intense look when they are searching for a meal. The Featured Image was taken @ J.N. Ding Darling NWR along the Wildlife Drive with a 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, f/8 on a Canon 7D.
(Image also taken Early am along Wildlife Drive upon Refuge opening)
Limpkin Images From Lake Woodruff NWR
Posted on February 5, 2021
I am still going through images that I never got around to posting when I was still working. And with Covid-19 restrictions it is giving me a chance to go through old images from previous photo trips. These are from one of my favorite National Wildlife Refuges, Lake Woodruff NWR, which is near the community of DeLeon Springs, Florida. The refuge is 21,574 acres of freshwater marshes, 5,800 acres of Cypress and mixed hardwood swamps, 2,400 acres of uplands, and more than 1,000 acres of lakes, streams, and canals. This was from a trip in March of 2005. So it goes back quite a ways! But it is a Great Refuge to photograph in. Especially when the Sandhill Cranes are all over the Refuge!
Crocodile At J.N. Ding Darling NWR
Posted on January 22, 2021
This is from a trip to J.N.Ding Darling NWR in May of 2005. We were surprised to see a Crocodile along the Wildlife Drive. They had people there to make sure people did not get close to it and also to keep an eye on where it might go next. It was interesting to see such a large Crocodile there, just sunning on the shoreline. Also it seemed to keep it’s mouth open the whole time showing off it’s menacing Large teeth! Back then I was using a Canon 1D mkII with a 100-400mm lens with a 1.4x Teleconverter. The featured image was taken @385mm with a 100-400mm lens @ 385mm.
100-400mm w/ 1.4X Teleconverter
Hawk FlyBy
Posted on April 19, 2020
During a walk at Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge this hawk did a fairly close fly-by as we were walking on the trails. I was able to get a few shots as it went by using a 100-400mm lens @ 400mm with a 1.4x teleconverter. The featured image was as it was almost overhead giving me a better image.
Foraging Sandhill Crane
Posted on March 23, 2020
Usually you see the Sandhill Cranes foraging in the grasses for meals, but here they are foraging in the waters at Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge. It was fun to see them in a different setting!
Sora Foraging
Posted on March 22, 2020
It was fun to find a Sora foraging in one of the channels at the Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge in DeLand Florida. They are a small secretive bird that forages for food in the shallow waters in the Refuge. This was the only one I have ever seen, plus have the opportunity to photograph. Usually they are hidden in the vegetation as they are feeding. They seem to constantly move pecking in the water looking for snails and other food. This was an interesting visit because I was also able to photograph the Limpkin on the same visit.
Foraging Limpkin
Posted on March 21, 2020
I photographed this Limpkin foraging for snails at the Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge years ago. I was going through backup drives cleaning out unnecessary files to clean up storage space and backing up other files. In the process I found these images of the Limpkin. 
Mute Swan TakeOff
Posted on December 30, 2019
Swans seem to need a lot of space to take off! Plus the sound of the takeoff is impressive. Their feet slapping on the water and their wings flapping make quite an interesting sound for an interesting takeoff to photograph.
Bald Eagle Close-Up Flyby
Posted on December 12, 2019
I am going through my array of backup hard drives to cleanup and remove unnecessary files and make more room to add files. Also to go through and see what sessions I my not have worked on. I was surprised to find this image of a Bald Eagle from many years ago from a trip to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge Maryland. It flew out of a tree along the Wildlife Drive. I was photographing a different view when I noticed this Eagle fly out of a tree on my side. So I quickly tried to get a shot but just managed to lock on to get this image in focus. I was shooting verticals so I did not have time to change orientation before it changed direction. I have learned that photographing Eagles tail views are not my favorite images. Eagle image shot with a Canon 400mm Canon DO lens with 1.4x Teleconverter on a Canon 1D MkIII Camera body.
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