Beach Sunrise with the Green Sea Turtles
August 8, 2019 - Morning walk at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge photographing turtle tracks against the sunrise. Plus a nesting Green Sea Turtle!
Beyond the Backyard
While the blog started as a record of my backyard garden and birds, it quickly grew as I discovered bird photography. This page contains images taken “beyond the backyard” during my travels around Central Florida (and beyond!)
Loggerhead Turtle Hatchling Emergence!
August 5, 2019 - Photos and video of dozens of Loggerhead Turtle hatchlings during their emergence from their nest in the sand. They all made it to the water!
Independence Day Turtle Walk
August 2, 2019 - Early morning Independence Day beach walk yielded Loggerhead hatchlings and a nesting Green Sea turtle mother. Plus a great sunrise!
Least Bitterns and Growing Babies at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
July 30, 2019 - Bird photography at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, where Least Bitterns are easy to find and baby Purple Gallinules showed off their big feet
Black Skimmer Chick Learns to Swallow a Fish
July 27, 2019 - Amusing images of a cute Black Skimmer chick swallowing a fish. It took dancing and several collapses on the sand before the fish went down
Lightning Never Strikes Twice at the Same Turtle Nesting Spot!
July 24, 2019 - A morning walk at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge during turtle nesting season - we found a Green Sea turtle returning to the ocean
Black Skimmer Babies!
July 21, 2019 - Special evening photographing Black Skimmer babies at a nesting colony. Cute blond fuzzballs begging for food and running around the beach!
Summer Morning Walk on the Beach
July 18, 2019 - Summer beach birds and photography...incoming Brown Pelicans, calling American Oystercatchers, and a gull flaunting his prize crab shell!
Some Summer Surprises at Lake Apopka
July 15, 2019 - Summer surprises at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive: Bank Swallow, Eastern Kingbird, and a Boat-tailed Grackle who thinks he's a Limpkin!
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: Least Tern Family
July 12, 2019 - Beautiful Least Tern family with tiny chicks and one remaining egg. The smallest chick was still wet from the egg. Dad was on feeding duty!
Turtle Tracks but No Turtles
July 9, 2019 - We photographed lots of sea turtle tracks but no actual turtles during our walks at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge
Eureka Again: Another Evening at the Least Tern Colony
July 6, 2019 - Evening of photography at a Least Tern colony, where tiny chicks were fed, older chicks learned to fly, and parents warded off ghost crabs
Least Terns Nesting at Little Estero Critical Wildlife Area
July 3, 2019 - Images of Least Terns nesting at Little Estero Critical Wildlife Area. So many cute chicks trying to swallow fish as big as they were!
Snowy Plover Nests and Babies!!!
June 30, 2019 - We found Snowy Plover nests and cute Snowy Plover babies in the Little Estero Critical Wildlife Area. The babies run so fast across the beach!
Rich’s Eureka Moment: Baby Least Terns!!
June 27, 2019 - Rich found a small colony of Least Terns with day-old chicks. Such cute photos in gorgeous evening golden light!
First Black Skimmer Babies
June 24, 2019 - The first Black Skimmer babies of the summer have hatched on Florida's Gulf Coast. Little yellow fuzzballs were fed fish by Mom and Dad!
Bird Family Vignettes from Lake Apopka
June 21, 2019 - A morning with several special bird families at Lake Apopka. Black-necked Stilt babies & a Least Bittern who found he could feed himself!
Checking out another Black Skimmer Colony
June 18, 2019 - As my dad and I left Fort De Soto on his birthday outing, we stopped at a nearby Black Skimmer colony to check on the progress of the colony. The birds had staked their claim to a part of the beach, in the middle of a fairly busy section. The area was roped off, meaning […]
An Apple a Day and the Birds will Play!
June 15, 2019 - A morning with the Fort De Soto beach birds - Big Red's "drunken sailor" antics, courting Least Terns, and a surprise Whimbrel!
Bath Time for Shorebirds at Fort De Soto
June 12, 2019 - Shorebirds at Fort De Soto enjoyed splashing in front of my camera! Terns, Black-bellied Plovers, and a surprise Magnificent Frigatebird
Summer Morning at the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
June 9, 2019 - Cool summer morning of nature phography at LAWD. Baby Pied-billed Grebes, a cooperative Green Heron, and lots of Least Bitterns
May 2019 Visit to Winter Park Osprey Nest
June 6, 2019 - Close-up images of an Osprey nest where Junior stuck his tongue out at Mom and played with his feathers while waiting for his fish dinner
Sandwich Tern Gives Fish to Wrong Mate!
May 31, 2019 - Beach photography as Sandwich Terns perform courtship rituals with fish and accidentally hand a fish to the wrong mate!
Early May Shorebirds at Fort De Soto
May 28, 2019 - Exceptional morning of May shorebird photography at Fort De Soto with migrant Red Knots and Least & Royal Tern courtship
Least Tern Courtship – The Slip!
May 25, 2019 - Nature photography at Fort De Soto, FL - images of Least Tern courtship as the male presents a female with a fish and she gives him the slip!
Great Blue Herons Building Nest
May 21, 2019 - Late-nesting Great Blue Herons put on a stick show for my camera at Lake Morton in late April
Limpkin Nest
May 18, 2019 - Photographing my first Limpkin nest...six tiny babies nestled in the reeds with Mom and Dad keeping close watch over them
Migrant Warblers at the Crazy U
May 13, 2019 - Fun morning of photographing tiny colorful migrant warblers flitting high in the treetops
It’s Skimmer Time Again!
May 10, 2019 - Afternoon photography at a Black Skimmer colony, where courtship and nesting are definitely underway! Lots of good action photography
Migrant-Hunting at the Sanibel Lighthouse
May 8, 2019 - A stop at the Sanibel Lighthouse yielded a handful of migrant songbirds - Yellow Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, and Painted Bunting
Seashells and Shorebirds at Sanibel Beach
May 5, 2019 - Sanibel shorebirds and seashells - the Least Tern colony is active and I photographed lots of fishy courtship behaviors!
Burrowing Owls in Cape Coral
May 2, 2019 - Fun afternoon photographing Cape Coral's famous Burrowing Owls, including a nest in sweet afternoon light that contained five babies!
Colorful Migrants at Fort De Soto’s Mulberry Trees
April 29, 2019 - A wonderful morning photographing neotropical migrants at Fort De Soto's mulberry trees. Grobeaks and orioles and warblers and buntings!
East Beach Sunrise and Migrant Birds at Fort De Soto
April 26, 2019 - Magical morning of migrant bird photography at Fort De Soto - buntings, orioles, tanagers, and warblers! Plus a Sandhill Crane at sunrise
Springtime Stop at Lake Morton
April 20, 2019 - Springtime bird photography at Lake Morton, Lakeland. Baby ducklings, birds in breeding plumage, nesting Mute Swans, cooperative Wood Ducks!
Another Lake Apopka Sunset
April 7, 2019 - Sunset photos taken over Lake Apopka from the Magnolia Park Boat Ramp
Aerial Acrobats at LAWD
March 30, 2019 - A morning of bird flight photography with the Barn Swallow aerial acrobats as they dive-bombed insects in mid-air
Signs of Spring at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
March 24, 2019 - Beautiful morning of springtime photography at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, with nesting Anhgina & herons, Caspian Terns in flight
An Unexpected Encounter
February 4, 2019 - A pair of Blue-winged Teals surprised me when they mated on a cold morning in January. I guess spring is on the way!
Another Beautiful Sunset over Lake Apopka
February 1, 2019 - Another evening of sunset photography at Lake Apopka. The sky was on fire and the sunset was beautiful!
Cold and Breezy Morning at the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
January 29, 2019 - A cold breezy morning was still good for photography at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive - Drake Canvasback, Yellow Warbler, and American Bittern
Another Beautiful Sunset over Lake Apopka
January 27, 2019 - Photos of a beautiful winter sunset over Lake Apopka
Ash-throated Flycatcher Up Close at Lust Road
January 20, 2019 - An Ash-throated Flycatcher, several kinds of sparrows, and a Painted Bunting posed for my camera at Lust Road
Birdy Morning at the Orlando Mudflats
January 17, 2019 - A morning of photography at Orlando Wetlands gone awry with the de-mucking project - revealing a Wilson's Snipe and upside-down American Goldfinch
Winter Sunset over Lake Apopka
January 15, 2019 - A quick photography expedition to Magnolia Park to photograph a winter sunset over Lake Apopka
Gray January Morning at the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
January 12, 2019 - A cloudy winter morning of bird photography at the Lake Apopka Wildlife Morning yielded my lifer Gray-headed Swamphen along with several good Northern Harrier fly-bys
Nesting Time at Viera Wetlands
January 3, 2019 - Late December is nesting season for Great Blue Herons at the Viera Wetlands. It's fun to photograph their breeding behaviors.
Ducks and a Fish out of Water at LAWD
December 27, 2018 - A November photography trip to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive yielded wintering ducks, a cooperative Belted Kingfisher, and fish for breakfast!
Carpe Camera! Chasing Warblers at LAWD
September 30, 2018 - A morning of bird photography at Lake Apopka Wildife Drive where the Crazy U was busy with warblers. Yellow Warblers, Northern Waterthrush
Black-necked Stilt Family at LAWD
July 26, 2018 - A family of Black-necked Stilts posed nice and close at the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive