# Variety From Florida



## Clark (Mar 17, 2013)

Can't wait for warmer days. Winter is making a last stab at it here, and we have travel on our minds.
Some shots from 2012. Wish we were in Florida now.


Caught this otter feeding. I'm up to my you know what, in this marsh, with my fingers crossed no gators are hungry. Crop is bigtime.
Too bad for that weed.





[








Handful of photographers are standing around debating about these two ospreys. Argument is which is male and female. 
Moments later...












Decent mugshot of black vulture.
In the parking lot of this place, tarps are provided to keep these birds from eating the rubber off the automobiles. No ****.













Hope nobody is tired of great blue herons by now.














This pied billed grebe was gracious enough to pose for a group of us.
Real fun time here. About ten folks from all over the world were crammed into a space about six feet wide.
Felt like a sandlot pickup game of basketball- no fouls!!! Really was getting into it.












Sandhill crane is cutting across though some swampy vegetation.
There is a family together here, but none of the shots showed all in focus.










I know I blew out the whites with the ospreys. The 7D is easy to change exposure compensation with the thumb dial on back of camera by mistake. It has happened a few times.
Thanks for looking


----------



## KyushuCalanthe (Mar 17, 2013)

As always Clark, very nicely done. Some useful (?) comments:



Clark said:


> Handful of photographers are standing around debating about these two ospreys. Argument is which is male and female.
> Moments later...



I'm voting the guy's on top, but these days, yah just never know.



> Decent mugshot of black vulture.
> In the parking lot of this place, tarps are provided to keep these birds from eating the rubber off the automobiles. No ****.



Reminds me of hiking the high Sierra in California. We were warned to put chicken wire around all exposed hoses in the engine compartment of any parked vehicle since marmots love to drink antifreeze and will chew every hose in search of it. No poop. 



> Hope nobody is tired of great blue herons by now.



Never, but I bet they're tired of us by now.



> This pied billed grebe was gracious enough to pose for a group of us.
> Real fun time here. About ten folks from all over the world were crammed into a space about six feet wide.
> Felt like a sandlot pickup game of basketball- no fouls!!! Really was getting into it.



Obviously this guy took the suggestion, "hey, go eat somebody your own size" to heart.


----------



## JeanLux (Mar 18, 2013)

Excellent shots Clark, bravo !!!! Jean


----------



## NYEric (Mar 18, 2013)

Thanks for sharing.


----------



## cnycharles (Mar 18, 2013)

very nice images


----------



## Clark (Mar 18, 2013)

Thanks!

Tom- thanks for that info on the marmots. So we are sitting here thinking dead marmots in the grass, around the parking lot.
And maybe the food chain is knawing on dead marmots laced with antifreeze.
But that is not the case is it.
Not what we expected.

http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Animals/Archives/2002/Addicted-Marmots.aspx


----------



## jjkOC (Mar 18, 2013)

Awesome photos! You really have a talent for capturing birds on film! I especially like the crane photo!


----------



## KyushuCalanthe (Mar 19, 2013)

Clark said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Tom- thanks for that info on the marmots. So we are sitting here thinking dead marmots in the grass, around the parking lot.
> And maybe the food chain is knawing on dead marmots laced with antifreeze.
> ...



Crazy, isn't it? I remember back in the 80s there was scare about some cheap sweet white wines from some less than reputable dealers that was laced with antifreeze...I think in Italy...wow!


----------



## abax (Mar 19, 2013)

Beautiful shots. I like the photo of the crane too.


----------



## Dido (Mar 19, 2013)

great pics thanks for sharing


----------



## Yoyo_Jo (Mar 21, 2013)

Enjoyed your pix, great shots!


----------



## Clark (Mar 21, 2013)

Thank you 


Looks like the otter pic is a little gritty. 
Someone forgot to run the noise reduction on that one. oops.



From the Anhinga Trail.
Anhinga mugshot.






Eco Pond
Spoonbill









Maybe for the locals, this is an everyday sighting.
For us, not so. Many sweaty miles.
Green Treefrog (Hyla cinerea) 








Thanks for looking


----------



## SlipperFan (Mar 21, 2013)

Cormorant -- great shot!


----------



## Hera (Mar 22, 2013)

Beautiful shots. The tree frog is so cute.


----------



## KyushuCalanthe (Mar 22, 2013)

Great colors in all those shots. I had no idea that cormorants had blue green around their eyes - I've never been close enough to see that! Superb colors on the roseate spoonbills too - I wonder if they've been eating carrots :rollhappy:


----------



## Clark (Mar 22, 2013)

Sorry, I royally screwed up with that bird ID.
That is not a cormorant, it is an anhinga.

I got some cormorant images around here somewhere...


----------



## Shiva (Mar 22, 2013)

Wonderful work as usual Clark. I'll never get tired of seeing it.


----------



## biothanasis (Mar 22, 2013)

fantastic photos!!! Thank you for sharing them with us Clark


----------



## SlipperFan (Mar 22, 2013)

Clark said:


> Sorry, I royally screwed up with that bird ID.
> That is not a cormorant, it is an anhinga.
> 
> I got some cormorant images around here somewhere...


No matter -- it's still a great shot.


----------



## Clark (Mar 25, 2013)

Thanks
Not sure where my head was, while typing that. I should know better.


----------



## Clark (Mar 25, 2013)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> Superb colors on the roseate spoonbills too


Are you using Apple?
My laptop(not Apple)- colors always look washed out.
Desktop(Dell Ultrasharp)- this is rigged up to printer, very happy with PP and the prints that come out.
My smartphone- spoonbills are oversatuated by a mile.
It is what it is.


----------



## Clark (Mar 25, 2013)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> I had no idea that cormorants had blue green around their eyes - I've never been close enough to see that!



I find that hard to believeoke:



Everybody know my wife by now?








I tip well







Forget ROT here, FF.
Decent mugshot of cormorant.







One more spoonbill.






Thanks for looking


----------



## likespaphs (Mar 26, 2013)

all i can say is wow...


----------



## Erythrone (Mar 26, 2013)

Clark said:


> One more spoonbill.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



This pic is just PER-FECT!!!!!!!


----------



## KyushuCalanthe (Mar 26, 2013)

Clark said:


> Are you using Apple?



Hey Clark, I do have a Mac mini, but the monitor is a 20" Acer that does a pretty good job with rendering colors.

Funny shots with the cormorant. In the old days Japanese fishermen used to use them to catch river fish. The bird is on a long leash and has a string around its throat so it can't swallow the fish. Once the bird has the fish, the fisherman simply pulls him to the boat and takes the fish. Sounds cruel, but the birds are cared for carefully and of course they are given some of the fish!


----------



## Clark (May 27, 2013)

Thanks

Tom, read about that years ago. Nothing cruel about it at all, imo.

Anyway, we were in Florida last month. The bobcats did not cooperate.
In general, the week had much less pop than previous trips.

A couple of otters my wife almost stepped on. 

















The family was one adult and at least two offspring, possibly three.
Not a care in the world.

Thanks for looking


----------



## SlipperFan (May 27, 2013)

Stunning photos, Clark. How did your wife get so close to that Cormorant? I always thought they were very wary of humans.


----------



## NYEric (May 28, 2013)

Clark said:


> Anyway, we were in Florida last month. The bobcats did not cooperate.
> A couple of otters my wife almost stepped on.



With Chrissie clomping around like that maybe it's a good thing there were no bobcats! :evil:


----------



## Clark (May 28, 2013)

SlipperFan said:


> Stunning photos, Clark. How did your wife get so close to that Cormorant? I always thought they were very wary of humans.



Thanks

Everywhere else, it seems the birds fly the coop when approached.
The Anhinga Trail is one of those places that one can get great looks at avian subjects.
We love the Everglades.



About those bobcats- last year, one of the litter got eaten by gator.
When we got down there, found out the mother got eaten about a month before we arrived. After that, the sightings of the remaining litter(2), became rare. 
I'm a little pissed that we cancelled January's trip. The images that I have seen of the cats are killer.


----------



## KyushuCalanthe (May 28, 2013)

Clark said:


> Thanks
> 
> Everywhere else, it seems the birds fly the coop when approached.
> The Anhinga Trail is one of those places that one can get great looks at avian subjects.
> We love the Everglades.



Yup, they are used to hoards of humans, tourists! You'd think that birds in Japan would be easy to approach base on that logic, but they aren't. Every time I see a heron in a river and get off my bike for a better look, it flies away.

Nice to see the otters doing there thing too. Florida is chock full of wildlife, but you have to look for it. Great shots as aways.


----------



## Ruth (May 29, 2013)

Such a pleasure to see you pictures. I particularly like the crane!


----------



## biothanasis (May 31, 2013)

Fantastic pictures as always Clark!!!
Hi Christine!!!
More photos when available please 

Clark, how is the noise reduced in the photos?


----------



## Clark (Aug 2, 2013)

Time flies! 
Thank you for the comments
Been enjoying the off topic section lately. Many great images and stories.

Thanasis- this digital noise issue is related to high ISO values for the most part. So when snapping shutter, use lowest ISO for task at hand.
Sensors make a difference. Might want to google full frame vs. crop sensor.
Crops are noisier. My camera is a crop sensor. ISO 3200 is ugly. Don't like going past ISO 800.

When all else fails, there is software. Adobe Photoshop, Noise Ninja, and the camera's manufacturer software.
It is done at the end of the workflow. Keep in mind, we have been shooting RAW files (not jpeg).





I had these images floating around, and thought I'd show. Sort of paltry. 
The wood duck is not the only duck to perch and nest in trees.
The Black-bellied Whistling Duck was a common sight at Florida's wetlands.
They feed at night and are much easier to photograph than wood ducks.

Dendrocygna autumnalis




















Talk about going out on a limb...








The Glossy Ibis has never been easy. This one posed for over five minutes like this.






I just like the funk in this one.








Thanks for looking


----------



## KyushuCalanthe (Aug 2, 2013)

Clark, your fotos always make me smile, first because they are so skillfully done, second because they are technically flawless, and third because of the subject matter. I lived in Florida long enough to absorb the essence of that place and you bring me right back there every time. Thank you for that.

The shot with the ducks out on a limb is priceless.


----------



## Clark (Aug 2, 2013)

Least I could do Tom. Vid #3 gave me altitude sickness.

Thanks.


----------



## NYEric (Aug 2, 2013)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> The shot with the ducks out on a limb is priceless.



I agree, thanks for posting.


----------



## JeanLux (Aug 3, 2013)

:clap: :clap: :clap: !!!! Jean


----------



## eggshells (Aug 3, 2013)

Very nice Clark, maybe you should plan an expedition to find the ivory billed.


----------



## SlipperFan (Aug 3, 2013)

What do you pay them to pose so nicely for you???!


----------



## KyushuCalanthe (Aug 3, 2013)

Clark said:


> Least I could do Tom. Vid #3 gave me altitude sickness.
> 
> Thanks.



Ha, ha. I live at sea level here in Japan and I was a little concerned about feeling sick during the trip, but it never happened. We spent days above 10,000 with no serious side effects - an occasional headache now and then. Of course moving fast was difficult except in short bursts.


----------



## Clark (Aug 4, 2013)

Eggshells- have a feeling that pecker is history. 


Tom- I get the headaches. PITA.
Did Mrs. V. join you on this trip?

In about 10 years we will be in Japan for monkeys, cranes, and ice eagles.
Interested?


Thanks everybody


----------



## Clark (Jan 22, 2014)

Lovely weather everyone is having. 

B&H delivered my wife's tripod, head, camera backpack today.
Soon we will be spinning our wheels again in the Sunshine State.



The next six are from late April 2013.

Great Egrets gathering nesting material.






Hope this piece is good enough.









She's excited!!!









Shadows are highlights.




















The exchange.


----------



## NYEric (Jan 22, 2014)

Union workers!?


----------



## KyushuCalanthe (Jan 22, 2014)

Another great series of shots Clark, reminding me of my life back in Florida. I miss seeing egrets nesting. I've not seen a breeding colony here before - I imagine somewhere out in a coastal marsh (very few left these days).

I somehow missed these questions, sorry.



Clark said:


> Tom- I get the headaches. PITA.
> Did Mrs. V. join you on this trip?



Headaches and high altitude are not good companions! As for the wife (who retains her family name), she would not have done well on the trip - rural bathrooms in China are beyond description.



Clark said:


> In about 10 years we will be in Japan for monkeys, cranes, and ice eagles.
> Interested?



If I'm still here! In the Kyushu area we have some great places to see nature, especially the central mountain range (complete with active volcanos) and Yakushima, a wild subtropical island just south of the main island - huge ancient temperate rain forests, orchids galore, and dwarf races of Macaques and deer. There even is a wintering ground of cranes in southern Kyushu - a real mish-mash of species with the Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) dominating the scene. Over 10,000 birds winter there each year, a spectacle I've seen only once - impressive.


----------



## JeanLux (Jan 23, 2014)

Beautiful pictures of these white lovelies!!!! Jean


----------



## SlipperFan (Jan 25, 2014)

Amazing photos, Clark!


----------



## cnycharles (Jan 25, 2014)

Very nice. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## eaborne (Jan 25, 2014)

Cool photos!


----------



## Erythrone (Jan 25, 2014)

Stunning pictures!!!! congrats!


----------



## Clark (Feb 15, 2014)

Thanks


Didn't pass up sale at roadside stand.







NOID







Got a species also. But it will be some time to flower.


----------



## NYEric (Feb 15, 2014)

Now I'm jealous!


----------



## JeanLux (Feb 16, 2014)

Interesting price  !!!! Jean


----------



## phrag guy (Feb 16, 2014)

I see this down in West Palm beach by my friends when I go down fishing


----------



## Clark (Mar 28, 2014)

Don't be Eric. Six weeks later and the flowers are all open and still holding.
The spikes are throwing out another 12 buds. 
Three bucks. Lol.

Russell- our last night was in West Palm Beach. On West Atlantic Ave., between Rt. 441 and Jog, we seen sign- 5 orchids for $20.


----------



## phrag guy (Mar 28, 2014)

I now it is crazy,to bad I was not down there you could of come out fishing with friend Ron


----------



## Clark (Mar 28, 2014)

From mid-Feb. 2014.
Great Blue Herons gathering nesting material.
And other behavior.































After hours of hard work, it was time for a break.

A nuzzle on the neck.
A bite on the back.


She has that look in her eye







Three minutes, fifty seconds later.

Giddy up






After Glow


----------



## SlipperFan (Mar 28, 2014)

Clark, your shots are amazing!


----------



## Lanmark (Mar 28, 2014)

Nice! Thanks for posting these photographs. I have a soft spot for Great Blue Herons.


----------



## MaryPientka (Mar 29, 2014)

Fantastic photos.


----------



## phrag guy (Mar 29, 2014)

great pictures


----------



## phrag guy (Mar 29, 2014)

I am usally north of that of in Palm Beach Shores



Clark said:


> Don't be Eric. Six weeks later and the flowers are all open and still holding.
> The spikes are throwing out another 12 buds.
> Three bucks. Lol.
> 
> Russell- our last night was in West Palm Beach. On West Atlantic Ave., between Rt. 441 and Jog, we seen sign- 5 orchids for $20.


----------



## Wendy (Mar 29, 2014)

Wow...beautiful photos of beautiful birds. :clap:


----------



## Clark (Mar 30, 2014)

phrag guy said:


> I now it is crazy,to bad I was not down there you could of come out fishing with friend Ron



Thanks! Maybe next year. 
Russell- We bounce around Florida. Sometimes we have timeshare, sometimes just hotel it.
Put 1300 miles on rental car last trip. Eight days.

Seems imageshack cut off the bottom third or so of the last image.
Put cursor on last image and click. Imageshack opens up to show full image.


We have zillions of red winged blackbirds by our home. Not one cooperates.
This fellow put on the show right in front of me. Screamed his bloody lungs out like some opera entertainer.


----------



## SlipperFan (Mar 30, 2014)

He's really flashing you, Clark!


----------



## KyushuCalanthe (Apr 1, 2014)

SlipperFan said:


> He's really flashing you, Clark!



"Hey you with the camera, get a load of this!"

Clark, you've outdone yourself with the last set of heron shots - as Fat Bastard would say, Dirty Sexy!


----------



## Clark (Apr 3, 2014)

Yep, I got the full monty. Up close and personal.
Thanks for the replies 


We have bald eagles nesting nearby.
Yesterday watched gathering nesting material.
Today watched eagle go inverted battling two ospreys. All three had talons out at one point.
Then later today watched eagle chase osprey with fish.
First time eagles have nested there. It is a man made platform built for ospreys. Nice clear view, as it is in the middle of marsh.
Down the block is terrible for pics. The sun is always in your face.


----------

