Variety From Florida

[Clark]

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.

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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]

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

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]

Excellent shots Clark, bravo !!!! Jean

 

[NYEric]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[cnycharles]

very nice images

 

[Clark]

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]

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

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

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.

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]

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

 

[Dido]

great pics thanks for sharing

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

Enjoyed your pix, great shots!

 

[Clark]

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]

Cormorant -- great shot!

 

[Hera]

Beautiful shots. The tree frog is so cute.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

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]

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]

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

 

[biothanasis]

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

 

[SlipperFan]

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]

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