Florida Nature Photo Blog: October 2008

Hot Rod Willys

This wonderful hot rod Willys coupe won "Best in Show" at a local car show. With that kind of horsepower, is there any wonder why?

In my mind there are hot rods and there are hot rods. This the ultimate street legal hot rod. They also come with an ultimate price, if your pocket book will allow it and if you can find one for sale.

How does $50,000 sound?

Butterfly at Corkscrew Swamp

This isn't the perfect butterfuly photo. It probably doesn't even fall into a category of a "good" photo, but it does demonstrate that the Sony A700 DSLR takes nice pictures right out of the box.

I took this photo at Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, FL during my first trip focused on photography. I was still in the "getting to know you" phase of learning to use my new camera.

We were walking along the trail and ran across this butterfly enjoying some sunshine.

White Flower

Osprey Nest

This picture doesn't really do justice to the size of an Osprey nest. When building a nest, an Osprey doesn't just pick up sticks lying around on the ground - they break them off of trees!

Serious birds use serious sticks to build their homes.

Frog

I was mowing the yard a couple of weeks ago and found this little guy trying to stay out of the way. The white skin color shows up well on the dark green grass and probably saved his life.

White Ibis Playing Hide and Seek

It took some patience to focus in on this Ibis and not so much on the tree branches, but it was worth it in the end. I also love the color of the water in the background.

Yellow Bellied Turtle

Is it an Eagle?

...no, unfortunately it's a turkey vulture. But, it's still a very big bird with a 70 inch wingspan that soars through the air effortlessly.

My ultimate photographic goals include osprey, eagles, and roseate spoonbill mostly, but until I can find them and snap the ultimate photo - this carrion eater will have to serve as a mediocre substitute.

Alligators

This big guy was laying in the sun near the river bank as we walked by on the elevated trail above. It was difficult to get an unobstructed view for a photo. This was taken from 25 feet away. Before you think I've lost my mind, I need to also explain that we were elevated about 25 feet above the alligator.

As you can tell from the picture, this alligator was nearly 10 feet long.

Earlier in the day, we saw this much smaller 5 foot alligator. I missed the chance to get a picture before he climbined back in the river, but sometimes it just seems to work out that way.

Juevenile Blue Heron

Originally, I thought this was a Great Egret, but I've since learned that it's most likely a juevenile Blue Heron. Here's an example of a white morph Blue Heron taken at Captiva Island, FL.

Bridge Over Hillsborough River

A river flows through Hillsborough River State Park located 13 miles north of Tampa, FL on Highway 301. The park is one of the oldest in Florida and features six or seven miles of walking trails, primitive camping, canoeing, an RV camping area, and a concessions outpost.

Squirrel

Purple, Black, and Yellow Berries

These purple berries are called Beautyberries and are a delicacy for deer and several small wildlife species.

Little Manatee River State Park

The Little Manatee River State Park in southern Hillsborough County offers canoeing, hiking trails for walkers and riding trails for those who prefer to explore this primitive Florida state park on horseback.

Brown Butterfly

Osprey in Flight

Black, Brown, and White Speckled

This is a new one for me. No idea what it is. Can anyone help identify it?

Pine Warbler

This cropped photo was taken at Honeymoon Island State Park near Dunedin, FL with my Sony A700 with my recently purchased Tamron 300 mm LD Macro DI lens.

Scrub Jay?

I think this is a scrub jay. Can someone help me confirm it? I snapped this picture at E. G. Simmons Park, a Hillsborough County Regional Park, near Ruskin, FL.

Here's link to a scrub jay news item: link

Mockingbird

The State Bird of Florida, Texas, and Arkansas.

I snapped this picture at E. G. Simmons Park, a Hillsborough County Regional Park, near Ruskin, FL.

Cardinal

Osprey Eating Breakfast

I snapped these osprey pictures near the entrance of E. G. Simmons Park, a Hillsborough County Regional Park, near Ruskin, FL. The park has several nesting platforms and sitings are not uncommon.

Gopher Tortoise

This cropped photo was taken at Honeymoon Island State Park near Dunedin, FL with my Sony A700 with my recently purchased Tamron 300 mm LD Macro DI lens.

Egrets on Honeymoon Island

Egrets Wading the Shoreline

This cropped photo was taken at Honeymoon Island State Park near Dunedin, FL with my Sony A700 with my recently purchased Tamron 300 mm LD Macro DI lens.