Afternoon Walk at Oakland Nature Preserve

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It’s been ages since I visited Oakland Nature Preserve. Rich asked for a walk on Yellow Thursday, so we headed to the trails. I took my intermediate telephoto, re-discovered a place I used to love, and determined that I needed to return in the morning with my Beast! :)

Our first bird was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. There were two of them, chasing each other from branch to branch. Rich stood patiently while I waited for them to come out in the open.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

I think I saw my first Blue-headed Vireo at ONP many many moons ago. So it was fun to see another one saying hello from the top of a tall tree.

Blue-headed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo

A flock of Chipping Sparrows was active in the grasses and treetops. It took a little while to get close enough to one to get a good picture.

Chipping Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow

A flash of yellow went by and caught our attention. It turned out to be a pair of Pine Warblers. They posed on a small pine tree as they searched for bugs.

Pine Warblers
Pine Warblers

After meandering the trails for a while, we headed back to the car. Rich spotted a trio of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and we watched them dart in and our of the bushes. They told Rich he should join me on nature walks more often!

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Want to learn more about nature photography at Oakland Nature Preserve?

Check out my Oakland Nature Preserve page with more information about the location, map, website, photography tips, etc. It is archived by date so you can see my images from previous visits. Maybe you'll be inspired for your own trip!

Planning a trip to Florida? Don't miss my Central Florida Bird Photography Locations reference guide!