Hidden Gems

Roseate Spoonbill 5860, originally uploaded by floridanaturephotography.

Sometimes I play a game to beat the Photoshop blahs.....

What I do is move the cursor up & down the line of folders
and without looking I try to open a folder, after several misses
I usually get one open and after that I randomly double click any file.
I then treat that image as if it were the only image of it's kind.....I have to work it and make it work.
Sometimes it is fun and sometimes I wonder why the heck I saved that lame image in the first place!

Today while playing my game I popped open the above image of a Roseate Spoonbill and my jaw dropped.... it was full frame and razor sharp and it was hidden away trying its best to avoid me but I found it and now I am showing it to.............who ? You !

OK... I am bored again.

Holy Cow - I updated my Website again!

Snowy Egret 1455 Fractilus, originally uploaded by floridanaturephotography.

Yes, it is true. I have updated my website yet again.

Check it out !

FloridaNaturePhotography.Net April Updates

Roseate Spoonbill - Gatorland

Roseate Spoonbills
floridanaturephotography.

Oh wait......there's more......if you view now you'll get to see yet more amazing images from Gatorland for the same free price as the last post.....but only if you are veiwing right now because this offer wont last long!

Cattle Egret Mated Pair on Nest

Snowy Egret in Fll Breeding Plumage performing Courtship Dance.

Gatorland...Again

What can I say about Gatorland in Kissimme Florida ?

GO.....SEE.....WITNESS......EXPERIENCE.....FEEL.....

OK. So maybe those words don't do it how about some images from the Gatorland Rookery?
What's the old saying? A picture is worth a thousand words? Well then here's a few thousand for you.

Swallow Tailed Kite Nest in Ft. Lauderdale !

On my way home from a Doctors appointment I happened across a Swallow Tailed Kite that flew in front of my car in a very busy and public place! I pulled over and watched in amazement as this graceful Kite flew at some bushes and caught a dragonfly. The Kite soared and flew closer to me than I have ever been to a Kite. I, OF COURSE, had no camera in hand and I was miles away from getting it! I took advantage of the beauty of the Swallow Tailed Kite following it with my binoculars. After it caught another dragonfly, I saw it fly to a lone Australian Pine. While I thought it was to stop and eat its catch, it was in reality to land on a nest with it's mate already there! I felt weak for a moment and was STUNNED that this nest is in such a populated area and with such easy access! Of course I went back later in the day with camera in hand and managed to get a few images.

Great White Egret - Gatorland

Great White Egret 7420_5D, originally uploaded by floridanaturephotography.

If you have never been to Gatorland in Kissimmee Florida then you are missing out on a lifetime experience!
Gatorland is located in Kissimmee Florida just outside of Orlando
and close to all the Disney World attractions so if you plan on Disney you should DEFINITELY make time for Gatorland!

You will witness not only more Alligators & Crocodiles in one place then you will probably ever see in your lifetime you can view one of Florida most stunning Rookeries where Egrets & Herons Court, Preen, Mate & Nest a mere few feet from you! You will see nest so close you could pick up their eggs!

If you are a photographer bring extra Cards/Film & batteries.
If your are just a "picture taker" then your point & shoot compact camera will still get you images that will leave you breathless!

If you are just simply a nature lover then plan to spend a few hours because the sights are many.

Limpkin in Flight

Limpkin in Flight 8512, originally uploaded by floridanaturephotography.

Photoshop.......I have done so little in over a year that it really was scary to jump back into it and it took almost a full day to remember just what I needed to do and in what sequence but I again feel like I have a small grasp on it.
I have been culling some older images and I came across this one of a Limkin in flight
and after a few simple PS moves like Levels, Shadow & Highlight, Curves, H&S and USM I was able to bring this image to life.

I know most people hear the word Photoshop and they automatically think.....FAKE, but I assure you this is not so in most cases such as here. I would venture to say that almost every digital image can and will benefit from a few simple PS adjustments.

Great Blue Heron Twig Presentation

Great Blue Heron Twig Presentation 8619, originally uploaded by floridanaturephotography.

Checking a few of my files and I came accross this image that I somehow overlooked the first time around.
This nest at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, Florida provided some stunning early morning silhouettes as the Great Blue Herons were still nest building and courting in general.
The action seen in this image in known as the Twig Presentation.

Black Crown Night Heron with Catfish

Black Crown Night Heron with Catfish 8880, originally uploaded by floridanaturephotography.

Here is another image from Shark Valley taken with the specatacular Canon Mark III. The files from this camera require very little work in PS. A basic crop & some USM and....here it is.

Great Blue Heron - First Canon Mark III Image

I guess I am lucky as the Mark III shoots like a dream and the files that come out of it are like butter smooth and require very little processing. I am at a loss as to why there are so may "bad" copies out there.
Here is one of the first images from today at Shark Valley in ENP.
I have several more to share later.

Great Blue Heron - First Canon Mark III Image 8747, originally uploaded by floridanaturephotography.

Canon MARK III or Canon 1D3

Guess who's getting a Canon Mark III today ??
Guess who has butterflies in their stomach?
Guess who is wondering if it is a Cadillac or a Lemon ?
Guess who is wondering..........

Wood Stork 0304

Wood Stork 0304, originally uploaded by floridanaturephotography.

Here is a unique view of a woodstorks head....with this crop it really does look like a piece of wood.

Wako Lovebirds

I am still working the active nest at Wakodahatchee Wetlands and

this is one of my first early morning shots from a few days ago.

After I saw this image in the view finder & then again on the LCD

I felt like I could call it a day right there on the spot!

This image also makes me smile because I sometimes think to myself that I just can't take another Great Blue Heron image and then BAM! I love it.

Great Blue Heron Wakodahatchee Wetlands 7832

The Great Blue Heron's are nesting again at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, Fl and the oppurtunity for flight shots and courtship rituals are non stop !

Great Blue Heron Wakodahatchee Wetlands 7832, originally uploaded by floridanaturephotography.

Photo of the Week #3

Here is a Male Downy Woodpecker at his nest entrance ready to feed the two young chicks inside. If you look closely you can see that he has Paper Wasp larva in his beak!
This nest was located on a busy boardwalk at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, Florida. I witnessed many people walk right by this nest with no idea a woodpecker nest was a mere three feet from their heads!
This nest became very popular with the local photographers and the woodpeckers never seemed to be alarmed in the least they came & went hourly and provided weeks worth of images.
I thought this gem of a nest would go on for years but sadly hurricane Wilma destroyed it in October of 2005. Luckily the nest was empty as the two Downy Woodpeckers fledged safely!

Loxahatchee 2009 Photo Contest

This year the Everglades Photographic Society, of which I am a proud member, will be hosting the 26th Annual Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee Contest !
The rules for the contest will be a little different this year such as we will only accept Digital Submissions & it will be closed judging. Here is a link to the full contest rules & guidelines.
Loxahatchee 26th Annual Photography Contest

I can proudly say that I have taken a few wins over the years in this great contest from Honorable Mentions to Best in Show.

If you need any info or any help with the new submission rules such as how to resize images or how to..... anything. Just ask !
Cheers,
Michael Wolf

Photo of the Week #2

This Pileated Woodpecker image is another grab shot and was taken in Everglades National Park near the Flamigo visitor center.
I was told of a Pileated Woodpecker Nest and that it was close to the roadside and an easy shoot, so I took the 2hour dive down to Flamingo 3 days straight to photograph this very active woodpecker nest ! The chicks actually fledged mere days after I had photographed the site.


In this image the Male Pileated Woodpecker is seen flying away from the nest after feeding his young.

Please visit my website for more exciting images.

http://www.floridanaturephotography.net/

Photo of the Week # 1

OK, So I don't forget about my blog I am going to start a

"Photo of the Week" series.
Maybe just the image, maybe a story behind the image.
Let's see how long I can keep it going.

This image was taken on May 2nd 2006. It was in Delray Beach, Florida at Wakodahatchee Wetlands. I was talking to a gentleman from England and I spotted this Purple Gallinule walking on the Fireflag stalk in attempt to get to the tender buds, a favorite food, at the end of the stalk. I quickly focused & fired off 6 shots and during that the Purple Gallinule opened it's wings to better balance itself.

The funny thing is that it all took place in about 2 seconds. The English man was still talking and never even turned to see what I shot. I too kept up the conversation for a few more minutes and forgot about the shot until I got home.

I am proud to say this is also my first published image.

Cool huh ?

Michael Wolf

Least Grebe Nest in South Florida

Least Grebe 0449, originally uploaded by floridanaturephotography.

This is the first documented Least Grebe nest in Florida !

Here a parent feeds its young a Dragonfly Larva.
This nest contains two chicks and they are approx
3 weeks old.

The Least Grebes moved their nest to the other side of the lake
just days after the chicks were born due to the threat of a alligator.

It seems that the building of the new nest sparked another set of eggs and while not confirmed 100% it looks possible as one adult is always on the nest while the other is feeding, and about once an hour or so the "nesting" adult will call out and the parent feeding the chicks will race over and swap out with the "nesting" Least Grebe.

Least Grebe / Canon 50D

Least Grebe, originally uploaded by floridanaturephotography.

Here is a rarity for Florida.
A nesting pair of Least Grebes !

First images shot with the stunning Canon 50D !

Johnny Depp Club Cinema Pompano Beach Florida

I know this is my "Nature Photography" blog but it also my only blog so I thought I would share
this anyway.

Movie Icon Johnny Depp lived not to far from here in the early 80's and was in a group called "The Kids" and last night they reunited in a local club a mile from where I live (Club Cinema) in Pomapno Beach , so I decided to go & see the famous movie star. I waited through all the bands for them to come out and when they did & Mr. Johnny Depp was 10 feet in front of me I was actually starstuck for a few moments !

I thought to myself "That's Johnny Depp" ! Doh ............

It was a good night and I am glad I did go to the event which was a charity gig for local concert promoter who passed away, Sheila Witkin.
They play again tonight with Depp but I will let another lucky person have that limited ticket.......

Here's a Short Video clip I took with my small camera. So there ! Photography was involved !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgO1GhyFnSE

Michael Wolf

Holy Cow ! I Updated My Website !

First update since March 2008. Three pages of new images.

Florida Nature Photography . Net

I just got Dreamweaver CS3 and I may redo my whole frigging website. Then again maybe not.
I think my pictures are too big on the site and too easy to steal. I need to do something about that, does anyone have any suggestions other than a big COPYRIGHT symbol across the image ?
I mean even at low opacity a © is going to distract.

OK. Check out my newest images.

Michael

HDR - High Dynamic Range

HDR - High Dynamic Range
I really did not realise there were such extremes to HDR
until I started looking at a few tutorials on HDR.

You can do it to the extreme and make surreal images with amazing detail or you can use it

very subtly and make images that are so life like that it is in a sense surreal in itself.

I had seen a few tutorials and most of them were so technical that I just thought "Umm, OK maybe one day" but in the mean time I was stock piling images that I thought would be good for HDR , whenever I did learn to do it!

I stumbled upon this website that had the most basic tutorial on how to do HDR with Photomatix and it was one where I thought
"I can do that !" So here is my first two attempts at HDR.
Nowhere near great but done in less than 5 minutes.

Pompano Beach, FL - Storm Front - Looking West over the Everglades

West Coast - USA

Here are some images from my friend Jay Paredes who first told me about HDR.

http://www.evergladesphotosociety.org/

You're a Winner

Ahhhhh.... Life is good !

I check my e-mail and I found this sweet message below waiting for me to open & read.

I am still wondering which sentence I like better though ! First or Amazed ?

Michael,
Congratulations on winning first place in the water birds category of WildBird’s 20th annual photo contest! The quality of your work amazed the judges.

I will send a contract next week with details of the winning image, which will appear in the September/October issue (at the printer now). You will receive two copies of the issue, likely in late July or early August.
Please return a signed copy of the contract (sans handwritten amendments or additions) as quickly as possible.

Thank you for participating in WildBird’s 2008 contest.

BTS - Blue Tongue Skink Has a Name !

I have found the name for my new pet , a Blue Tongue Skink , his name is....... Grumpy !

If he is sunning himself and I diecide to say hello or pick him up he gives a small hiss and does a quick thrust of his side in my general direction. Once I pick him up he is OK but he sure is grumpy at first. He must think that I am going to eat him !?
No matter he is still a very cool pet.

Roseate Spoonbill Green Cay Wetlands

Roseate Spoonbill Green Cay Wetlands
uploaded by floridanaturephotography.

Testing out my Flicker - Blogspot set up to see how it works.

One of my best Roseate Spoonbill images............

Blue Tongue Skink - New Pet - June 15 2008

Today I acquired a Blue Tongue Skink.
No name yet , I trust it will come to me in a day or two.

By the way , these are referred to as "Cadillac's of the Pet Lizard World."
They can grow up to 24" and live for 20 years !

Here's a few pictures of the little guy.

Macro Photography - It's a Small World After All !

So I have been doing some Macro Photography
here & there and I found out a few things such as:

#1 When a bug sees my hulking mass bend down towards it it usually flees in fear.
#2 A gentle breeze is like a hurricane when trying to focus on a flower or a bug on a leaf.
#3 Depth of field is a bitch when it comes to Macro Photography.
#4 A sweat bead will roll into your eyes at the critical moment of focus.
#5 The results are really cool when it all comes together.

Here's a few Marco images I have taken with my Canon 40D Sigma 150mm 2.8 APO Macro Lens DG HSM lens & Canon MR-14EX Ring light

Loxahatchee Snail Kite - Florida Everglades - June 05 2008

So here is onae more image from today of the Loxahatchee Snail Kite.

He's a beauty and I thought I would just slap this up to show it off.

Canon 40D > Canon 500 IS > Canon 1.4 Extender > Tripod

EPS Website Launch & Loxahatchee Snail Kites June 04 2008

Well June 1st was the official first day of the new EPS " Everglades Photographic Society " website , a group I am proud to be in ! Special thanks to Jay Paredes for all his hard work
and , well, everything actually !

I have spent a few mornings out at Loxahatchee photographing a Male Snail Kite who is guarding his nearby nest. It is a treat to see such a magnificent bird so close.

I am way behind on everything photography.................. Hope to catch up on all that and this blog soon. Where does the time go ?

Canon 1D2N Shutter Fix - May 15 2008

I received my Canon 1D2N back from Canon this morning and gave it a work out at Long Key today.
Canon put on a new body mount , replaced the lock pin unit, installed a new shutter unit , checked back & front focusand brought the camera to factory specs. $ 323.00 (Priceless)

Can somebody say ........ OMG !

First I thought that Canon somehow upped the resolution on the LCD because the images were too sharp looking. I was happy to see the great detail but it was not until I just got home and previewed the images and realized that they are razor sharp !!! This is a whole new camera and not even close to the what it was before the shutter failed.
I had a feeling though because since the camera was being fixed I have been THRILLED with he performance of the Canon 40D.
It is quick enough for birds in flight , superb image quality and a more than worthy camera on its own and that was somewhat disconcerting as I was getting more keepers than with my 1D2N.

I am ecstatic... razor sharp images with dead on tracking.
I am so pissed... my camera was that bad and I did not notice ??

Well count me happy overall....way happy.

Juvenile White Ibis in Flight Long Key Park in Davie, FL



Adult White Ibis in flight Long Key Park in Davie,FL

Long Key Park - Davie ,FL - May 14 2008

Long Key Park in Davie, FL continues to be my favorite spot for the time being !
It works best as an evening shoot for the nice light on the rookery and the incoming Ibis that
flock to the park to roost for the night. Excellent opportunities for flight shots and a great place to meet new photographers such as Aurelio Miranda-Sousa from Miami. Check out his work at
BondbyArt.Com ! Aurelio is getting a new Canon 300 2.8 lens today. Oh Yeah !!

My Canon 1D2N is back in my hands and fixed. Here's what Canon FSC in NJ did to my camera : Replaced body mount , lock pin unit and replaced the shutter unit. Checked all , exposure & focus and cleaned C-mos to factory specs.

Sounds good ! I will try it out tonight at Long Key. Fingers crossed.

However a good lesson came out of all this as I am continued to be amazed at just how good the Canon 40D really is !! It is an all around solid camera and a worthy back up to my Canon Mark 1D2N to say the least !


Here's a couple more form the 40D:

Little Blue Heron in Flight over Water


Cattle Egret in Flight over cloudy skies

May 13 2008 Wakodahatchee Wetlands

I went to Wakodahatchee Wetlands tonight for the fist time in a long time as I have been really working the evenings at Long Key Park in Davie, FL.

It was rather quiet at Wako but I did manage to capture an image of a Female Boat Tailed Grackle that had some leucistic genes. Here's an image.

Here's another image from Gatorland in Orlando . It is a Osprey in full dive mode
for a fish that was directly in front of me.... he missed.

I also just got my Canon Mark 1D2N back from canon today after shutter failure occurred last week. Cost $50.00 for shipping & Insurance and $323.00 for repair. Ouchhhh.
The only good thing to come out of this is I REALLY appreciate my Canon 40D. It is a smashing good camera.

Michael Wolf

http://www.floridanaturephotography.net/index.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/floridanaturephotography/

May Shooting

Blog. Blogging. Blogger........ Blag.



How do people keep up with stuff like this ?
I blink and weeks have gone by with no updates.... I cease to exist in the Blog world.


Oh well.


I have been doing a lot of shooting at Long Key park in Davie , FL lately and
have been working on silhouette images in the last minutes of sunlight.
I also just spend two days at Gatorland in Orlando a place I love to visit & shoot at !
The owner Mike Godwin is a superb host and will show you the magic places to shoot
that are not usually open to the public !
I had the pleasure of shooting along side of photographer BJ Ramsay of Maryland as well as
Jeff D Johnston from Alabama .

I also had shutter failure on my Canon 1D2N after 80,044 images and it is at Canon NJ repair facility to be fixed or 300.00 ! Ouch !!

So here is a silhouette from Davie of a pair of bickering White Ibis & a pair of Cattle Egret from Gatorland for you to enjoy !

Sanibel Island Snowy Plovers April 26 & 27

Amazing !! That's how I will start this.

I left Pompano Beach , Fl and drove 2 /12 hours to Sanibel Island on Florida's West coast

and met up with Jay Paredes and Chuck Hersh and as soon as I opened my car door they announced the chicks have hatched lets go !

I quickly set up and trekked 3/4 a mile up the beach to find fellow photographers Hugh McLaughlin , John Cornell and Jim Urbach set up and snapping away and I quickly followed suit !

This all happened because of EPS member Hugh McLaughlin befriended a college student and helped her some with her photography, staying in touch from time to time and she in return
provided expected hatch dates , Hugh not only supplies her with SP images for her projects, but he gives her instant updates, including times of hatch and behavior, that helps fill out the research.

It was a beautiful two days with friends and nature.

Shooting maniac 3rd Week of April

Well it seems I am backed up om my images and I can't keep up with posting them on here in a timely fashion so I will show some that I have processed in the past week.

First is my BEST ever image of a Glossy Ibis in flight. I took this at Green Cay wetlands and it was a complete grab shot. It was not until I saw the image on the PC (yes PC) that I went.... WOW !

My next image is a complete lucky grab shot as well. It is a Common Moorhen in flight
which you do not see very often. You see these guys running on water and maybe flying just above the water but you just do not see them in the air that much! This guy did and I "did" too after I saw how nice I captured it. Check it out just below.

So that is my story so far. I am off tomorrow to Sanibel Island to shoot a Snowy Plover nest that is scheduled to hatch either tomorrow AM or Monday AM. Lots of other photographers are already camped out over there a lay in wait for the magic moment. Count me IN !

Michael Wolf
http://www.floridanaturephotography.net/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/floridanaturephotography/ ( updated weekly)

A weeks worth of Shooting.....

So I went and photographed the Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Festival , Anhinga Trail , Green Cay, Loxahatchee and Wakodahatchee this week.

The Balloon Festival was brilliant , Anhinga Trail was DEAD , Loxahatchee was DEAD, Green Cay yielded Arthur Morris shooting and having fun along side of Al Forns which was very cool and Wakodahatchee today was just as cool as I shot along side of well known photographer Cliff Beittel ! I run into Cliff ever other year it seems. Great guy & superb photographer.

Pictures & notes to follow.

Cheers,
Michael W.

Flamingo , ENP Florida April 17 2008

I went down to Flamingo in Everglades National Park today to shoot a Pileated Woodpecker nest with three chicks and it appears a single chick fledged today and the other two probably did so this afternoon or by tomorrow. I hope it is the latter as I am heading down there again in the AM for another chance at shooting them ! It was spectacular. Here is a Pileated flight image as well as an image of a Red Shouldered Hawk that was harassing them.

It is a two hour drive to Flamingo as it as at the very end of mainland Florida. Well, two hours with no traffic that is ! I left at 5 AM to get there at & 7AM for sunrise as the nest is
situated so the sun will hit it after a few minutes from rising and it is in good light untill 10 AM.


Then it is off to "Robert Is Here" fruit stand for the BEST MILKSHAKES in Florida !!
It is actually mandatory that you stop on the way out of ENP , or so I am told.

Anyway, I hope for more images tomorrow. I'll keep myself posted..... haha.

Michael Wolf

Orlando - Gatorland - April 10 & 11

Here in wonderful Orlando, FL at Mike Godwins Gatorland. I am here for two days to shoot morning and evenings and then on Saturday I will head to Merritt Island to look for Florida Scrub Jays !

Snowy Egret in Flight
Cattle Egret in Breeding Plumage
Snowy Egret in Breeding Plumage

Gatorland is such an amazing place to visit and while the Alligators are spectacular and it is amazing to watch them bellow , court and mate right before your very eyes the true magic for me is the natural rookery there ! There are hundreds of nest with chicks from newborn to fledgings. The bird courtships , matings , breeding plumage are all pure magic and it takes place within feet of you in many areas ..... There are Egret, Heron , Stork & Spoonbill nest.

You can walk in with a point and shoot camera and get good images!

Michael Wolf

http://www.floridanaturephotography.net/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23774886@N08/

Loxahatchee - Okeeheelee - Long Key - April 04 2008

My friend Gene Sinnema and I Started the day at Loxahatchee NWR in Boynton Beach, FL and we were rewarded with cloudy skies and few birds. Lox used to be my favorite haunt in the late 90's . Bummer.

We then proceeded to head up to Okeeheelee Nature Center in West Palm Beach, FL which is about 8 miles north of Boynton Beach. We were in search of Painted Buntings and we found what we were looking for ! We saw seven female Buntings at one time along with two male Painted Buntings. We both scored a few good images but we were severely hampered by two things. First were the squirrels. They were as many as eleven squirrels at one time eating the seed and chasing any bird that landed near them. The second came in the form of another photographer who meant well but ultimately ruined my best ever image of a female Painted Bunting!

This lady photographer had spread peanut butter all over the main landing perches for the buntings as well as a log they use as well. When I finally got an image I had hoped for it was smeared with Peter Pan Peanut Butter !~! ARRGGH !!! Look at that PB...where's the J ?

I ended the day at Long Key Nature Center in Davie and shot along side of fellow Everglades Photographic Society (EPS ) member Hugh McLaughlin. Hugh is good people. The light was good and several good images were made.

Here are two from Long Key. Both images are of a Cattle Egret. The top image shows the Cattle Egret in breeding plumage and the image below shows non breeding plumage.


Michael Wolf

My Website & Flicker Images

Long Key - Davie, FL - April 03 2008

I spent the afternoon wandering around Broward County's newest park named Long Key Natural Area that opened up in Davie, FL on March 14 2008.

It sits on the old site of a long ago famous restaurant called the "Kapok Tree" which actually sat on an even older site for the short lived "Pioneer City Theme Park" from the 1960's .

It offers a beautiful rookery at its entrance that host a dozen or so nesting Egrets & Herons such as Great Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets as well as Tricolored Herons, Green Herons & more!

It also offers a good oppurtunity for Macro photography. Here are a few from last week.

Daggertail Butterfly

Florida Honeybee

I know this will be a regular destination this season as the 8 plus Great Egret Nest are all active and there are even chicks hatched and begging for food at this time!

Michael Wolf

http://www.floridanaturephotography.net/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/floridanaturephotography/

Memphis,TN - March 28 - 30

Went to Memphis to see a friend and had hoped to do some shooting but constant rain and 40 degree weather prevented any chance of photography for this Florida boy !

Still had a great time with my good friend Ben Langston and did get a chance to check out Beale Street.

Off to work on a weeks worth of images.

Michael Wolf

Coral Gables , Florida - Swallow-Tailed Kites - March 27 2008

Started the day at 6:15 AM when I picked up friend & fellow photographer Jay Paredes " Beauty of the Wild " and we headed due south towards Miami to find the elusive Swallow Tailed Kite !

It took a good hour fighting morning rush hour traffic but we found the location of the STK nest and then had to find a spot to park as it was in the middle of a residential area. I dropped Jay off at the site and found a spot about a mile away and then trekked back to the site with two other fellow photographers I met up with while parking. John Cornell and Hugh McLaughlin !

We hiked back to the site and after an hours wait we were rewarded with several direct fly overs that resulted in full frame images of the beautiful Swallow Tailed Kite !

After two hours and the meter running out for car parking spot , John, Hugh & I headed back to the cars. John & Hugh called it a day but I went back for another hour with Jay. We witnessed several Red-Tailed Hawks , American Kestrels and Ibis. Jay saw two wild Blue & Gold Macaws flying free while I went to park the car.

Jay & I had several more fly by's and filled our cameras buffers up more than once.

SO now I am back and downloading images once again but no time to post as now I am out the door for Memphis, TN !

Pictures & stories later .

Michael Wolf

Florida West Coast - Sanibel Island, FL - March 26 2008

What a day. Up at 4 AM & out the door at 5AM and I am heading to the West Coast of Florida
and my destination is Sanibel Island !
So I take 1-95 South from Pompano Beach to I-595 and I-595 West until it turns into I-75 and Alligator Alley and just head west.

It took me three hours to get to Ding Darling National Wildlife Reserve on Sanibel Island and WOW !!! The birds were just everywhere. White Pelicans galore feeding at your feet , Roseate Spoonbills flying in golden sunrise light, Snowy Egrets by the dozens dragging their feet across the water foraging for food , Brown Pelican doing their crazy drop dive and feeding on fish , Flocks of Common Mergansers diving down & popping up like a game in their pursuit of fish ....... I could go on about how great the day was !!

I shot from 745 AM until 11 AM and it was non stop fun. My best shooting on Sanibel Island EVER !
I could not leave the island without stopping by Schnappers Hots on the way out. I am not sure but it may be illeagle to do so ? Best Dogs you will ever have !

Time now to download my pictures ..... : )

A BLOG for Me ......I'm hip , I'm cool .....

March 25 2008

Well here in south Florida we had a late season cold snap today and since it was in the 40's outside this Florida boy stayed inside ! Of course as I look out the window & see clear blue skies after a week of grey skies I am screaming on the inside and OUTSIDE !

Here's one of my latest images from my hobby of photography.......



This is something you almost always see out in the Everglades, Wetlands or even large roadside ponds! These are American Coots and they are quite numerous and since their world seems to be overpopulated they are always chasing each other from their personal space , their territory.

It is fun to watch but only last a few seconds as it happens fast and it is hard to capture as by the time you hear it it is usually over.

Feel free to view my images at Florida Nature Photography.net