Spotted

"Oh, dear.  I've been spotted."

Had a great encounter with this fawn and its mother at Myakka River State Park the other night.  While this young one was a bit skittish and kept its distance, mom nearly bumped into me along the side of the road, she was so focused on nibbling greens.  Must say, I've never had such a close encounter with deer here before.  Very sweet!  Hope everyone is well in the CDP blogosphere.

Happy Thanksgiving

Gobble gobble!

"Hey, don't worry about her.  Park rules are in effect: Shoot photos. Not turkeys."

Encountered these wild turkeys wandering in a field at Myakka River State Park...safe & sound.  No stuffing, mashed potatoes or gravy in sight.  Wishing everyone in the City Daily Photo community a Happy Thanksgiving!

Sherbert Sky

A moment like this...all you can do is take it all in.  (After clicking the shutter, of course.) 

 Taken recently at Myakka River State Park.  Never gets old.

Golden View

It's been a few years since I've been at Myakka River State Park with the coreopsis in bloom. It's quite a sight: yellow wildflowers as far as the eye can see!  The last time I photographed them, they were in full bloom...and I was much more adventurous...wandering way out into the field. (Check it out here.) Last night, I just walked down a short path with my GoPro and captured this scene.  There's something captivating about being surrounded by brilliant yellow flowers and bright blue sky!  I suspect even more will be in bloom within the next couple of weeks.  If the timing works out, maybe the SDP staff can make it back out there.  Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Through the Clouds

It was overcast and I wasn't sure what kind of sunset there would be through the clouds...but I figured I'd go to Myakka River State Park last night and at least see the sandhill cranes flying in at the boardwalk. Well, the cranes really didn't show up...but this sunset did!  The clouds and sky were amazing.  So glad I had my wide angle lens with me!

Crane Convention

 At dusk, they materialize...seemingly out of no where.

 Sandhill cranes arriving 2-3 at a time.

Sometimes in larger groups...as many as a 40-50.

 It can be quite a sight with their wings extended at 5-6 feet...and their landing gear dangling.

No matter which direction they come from, almost every crane makes the same approach when landing here at Myakka River State Park. Fascinating! This is the largest number of sandhill cranes I've ever seen here. Hundreds are coming in at dusk every night! A park ranger told me at least 500 were here one evening last week -- a sea of gray.  Size aside, what's most interesting about the sandhill crane is their call. It's a distinct honking sound...and it's loud!  Usually they call whenever new birds arrive.  So, with hundreds arriving over the period of an hour or so, it's quite entertaining!

Myakka Charm

As many times as I've visited Myakka River State Park, I've never been canoeing here. Probably because:  a) I'm not an overly proficient canoeist;  b) there are gators in that water (which leads back to point a.)   With my northern upbringing, I still think the most dangerous thing that should be living in a river is a pike.  So, knowing these are gator infested waters, I continue to have a healthy respect for Mother Nature. (I've canoed at Oscar Scherrer State Park, which also is located in Sarasota. But, that area doesn't attract the gators like Myakka. Myakka, literally, is a breeding ground for alligators.) That being said, as you can see by the number of canoes, lots of people are interested in paddling around the river here. (The people who really concern me are the fishermen who wade waist deep into the water. What are they thinking?!)  By the way, there's a small 3-foot gator just off shore and out of sight in this photo -- the same one that was featured yesterday.   And, I bet you'll find one at the end of that rainbow! 

Colorful Gator

After running errands yesterday afternoon, I decided to stop by Myakka River State Park and see how it's fairing with all the rain we've been receiving (roads are dry....trails are flooded, I'm told).  As you probably know, gators are a common sight here. But, a gator with a rainbow under blue skies?  Very unusual!  (If you look closely to the upper left, a second rainbow can faintly be seen trying to appear.)

The saying goes that there's a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.  So, what does it mean when a rainbow cuts across a gator's head?  (He didn't seem to mind.)  Maybe...good luck for the photographer?! 

Goin' Wide

After a few minor skirmishes between the SDP editorial staff and procurement division, I'm pleased to report the Editor-in-Chief prevailed and a Tamron 10-24mm lens recently was acquired and is now part of the SDP portfolio!  This was taken last night at 10mm....and there doesn't appear to be any "fisheye" bend.  Nice!  I definitely will be able to capture some beautiful sweeping landscapes with this lens.  The entire SDP staff is heading out west soon and will be touring several national parks (Arches, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone)...so, the lens acquisition occurred just in time! Really looking forward to testing it. 

One More

Sometimes you have to stop for one more picture.  Taken last night as I left Myakka River State Park.  Hope everyone in the blogosphere has been doing well!  

Whistling Ducks

It's been one thing after another for the past several weeks.  After enduring a very long, emotional week in connection with the horrific terrorist attack in Orlando, I wanted nothing more than to seek solitude last night.  And…I found it!  The week before the mass shooting, Tropical Storm Colin breezed by and dumped 10+ inches of rain in some parts of Sarasota.  Portions of Myakka River State Park are still flooded, and as a result, I pretty much had the place to myself.  The resident animals are seeking dry territory and their behavior seems a little out of sorts.  I spotted these two black-bellied whistling ducks sitting on a wood fence near the flooded river. They kept inching along the fence and looking down, as if they were disgusted by the smelly flood water -- and that was the last place they wanted to stick their little webbed feet. Hope everyone in the blogosphere has been doing well!

Changing Light

With the mercury starting to rise, the sunsets are starting to change.  Gone are the eye popping, orange, red and lavender sunsets streaking across the sky.  Now, sunsets tends to be more of a yellowish hue and the light somehow isn't as soft.  (A bit blinding, I'd dare say, for that great blue heron on the hunt for dinner.)

Even with the changing light, this ended up being a lovely (albeit quick) golden sunset last night at Myakka River State Park.   While the sunlight is changing, the behavioral patterns of nearby wildlife is too.  Driving to the park last night, I spotted something very unusual:  a large alligator walked out of the brush next to a busy country road -- and lumbered into a ditch filled with a few inches of water. The gator was so big and so out of place, I circled back to get another look (safe from my car) --- and saw the gator return (quickly) into the scrub.  I never, ever would expect to see an alligator in a dry area like that.  Later, I asked a park ranger about the gator's behavior and the ranger speculated it was a female protecting a nest of eggs.  She also said gators are on the move right now walking from lake to lake.   ((gulp)) Seeing that firsthand definitely will make me pause and think twice (or three or four times) before I wander into the palmetto scrub!  Hope everyone in the blogosphere is having a nice weekend!

The One That Got Away….Almost

As I strolled to the end of the bird walk at Myakka River State Park last Friday night, I caught a glimpse of a great blue heron with a sizable catfish in its beak.  I set up my camera and for ten minutes, I watched this bird play with its pending dinner. It picked up the fish, dunked it in the water, proudly displayed it in its bill, then dropped it back in the muddy water. This happened over and over again. One would think the fish was long dead after enduring so much. Well, not so fast!  

Roll the video….!

You can also watch the video on YouTube.

Too bad it was so windy….making it difficult to hear my commentary.  After regaining control of the situation, 20 minutes passed…. and that heron still hadn't eaten the fish!  Not sure what it was waiting for…but, unfortunately, I lost all daylight.  So, I don't actually know if the bird ever enjoyed its sushi dinner.  I can only hope so (and hope that fish was put out of its misery).

Swamp or Mountains?

Spring is lasting a bit longer than usual here in Sarasota -- yes!   We're still enjoying beautiful days with fairly low humidity which translates into cooler evenings and remarkable sunsets.  The entire SDP staff just returned home to Sarasota and we were able to catch up enough with housekeeping matters etc. yesterday to make it out to Myakka River State Park for this nice sunset.   A surprising number and variety of birds were out -- which the entire SPD team is looking forward to sharing at some point.  So, where were we….?

Nevada!  This was my view earlier in the week.  I was in Reno for a few days and was fortunate enough to have a few hours to explore nearby Lake Tahoe.  All I can say is … wow!  What a gorgeous part of the country -- very pretty with the tall pine trees and snow capped mountains (I even spotted quite a few people sledding, cross country skiing and downhill skiing). I definitely would like to return to explore some more one day.  Which  leads to the question:  swamp or mountains?  Actually, I love both!  Each has its own unique environment and natural beauty.  As long as I can be outdoors exploring, I'd be happy as a clam.  Hope everyone is doing well in the blogosphere!

Peek-a-Boo Sunset

It was dusk at Myakka River State Park last night and I was all packed up, leaving the birdwalk after enjoying a pretty tangerine and cotton candy pink sunset.  Pausing at my car, I noticed the sky had suddenly transformed and now was a swath of deep orange glowing across the horizon.  I knew there was an oak tree nearby with a low hanging branch.  So, off I hoofed into the darkness (yes -- darkness!) and safely set up my tripod next to a park bench. I steeled my nerves by reminding myself (1) it's too cold for snakes to be slithering around; and (2) surely, park rangers wouldn't place a bench where gators like to roam. It took me a few minutes to figure out the proper f-stop and ISO. And then…voila! Spectacular evening.  Happy Saturday, everyone!

Making of a Sunset

When I first arrived at the bird walk at Myakka River State Park last night, it was overcast and I did not have high hopes for a decent sunset. The crepuscular rays shooting from the clouds interested me and I thought maybe they would become more pronounced. Wrong.

Within a few minutes, the rays disappeared.  But, then…the smallest pinprick of tangerine appeared in the clouds.  And began to grow….

 

Mother Nature started to get pretty moody…

…and just like that...a pinprick of tangerine burst into a big flaming ball of orange and red.  Wow!

As the sun sank, a brief transition to salmon and lavender began.

Within moments, this is all that was left along the Myakka River.

That's my kind of Friday night show!  Happy weekend, everyone!

Chilly Sunset

I was hoping the crepuscular rays would become more pronounced as the sun dipped behind the clouds. Instead, the rays just disappeared leaving me standing in the cold.  All day Saturday, gale force winds whipped around Sarasota and the wind chill was down in the 40s (chilly for Sarasota) as the big storm producing all that snow up north moved across the Florida peninsula. Glad the winds have died down!  Hope my blogger friends in the snow zone have been able to dig out.

Wise One

Believe it or not, I had given up on seeing any wildlife at Myakka State Park last Saturday evening, when I encountered this barred owl. It was a beautiful evening and the park was filled with families, so most of the wildlife had opted to go into hiding. I couldn't have imagined I would have an excellent opportunity to use two new pieces of camera equipment I received for Christmas: a tripod with a ball head and a remote control. 

As I was driving out of the park, an owl flew right over the hood of my car --- and landed in a tree top about 35 yards away in the woods. Yes! By the time I had quietly positioned myself to get a good shot, I realized I was almost directly under the bird -- a perfect situation to use the new tripod.  (It was quite exciting to shoot almost vertically on a tripod.)  To minimize camera shake, I used the remote control.  And…voila!   The owl seemed very curious about what I was doing.  Unfortunately, the fading sunlight resulted in washed out colors.  So, I converted the image to black and white.  Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Calm Before the Storms

Meteorologists predicted severe weather for early Sunday morning, but there weren't any signs during this beautiful sunset at Myakka River State Park last night.  Then, 9 hours later, I was awakened by a weather alert on my cell phone: tornado warning!  Sarasota was in the direct path of at least two tornadoes as a dangerous line of thunderstorms rolled ashore from the Gulf of Mexico in the middle of the night. 

Severe structural damage is being reported on Siesta Key (south of downtown Sarasota).  Somehow,  the storm just grazed the Sarasota city limits, with initial damage reports showing only downed power lines and trees.  Minutes before landfall, the weather radar indicated a possible direct hit on downtown Sarasota by an EF-2 tornado with wind speeds up to135 mph.  Thankfully, that didn't happen.  Amazingly, no one was killed or seriously hurt in Sarasota County.  Unfortunately, though, when a second line of storms cut through the area a short time later, two people were killed in Manatee County just to the north. 

All's well (albeit busy) in the SDP world.  We didn't even experience wind gusts at the SDP Headquarters.  My tremendous respect for Mother Nature continues.

Hooty Hooooo!

By the time I arrived at Myakka River State Park last Friday evening, it was already dusk and I didn't expect any real photo opportunities. Then, I spotted a family standing next to a truck pointing up at the trees.  Curiosity getting the best of me, I pulled over.  As I grabbed my camera gear from the trunk, I heard the distinct call of a barred owl.  Sure enough, one owl could be seen roosting adjacent to the road.  (Several others were nearby but could only be heard.) Just enough daylight remained to squeeze out a fairly decent shot (with the ISO cranked all the way up and the camera on a tripod).  The family was really nice and we speculated 3-4 barred owls were nearby.   All of us (from a grandpa to a youngster under 10) were captivated by the owls' calls.   In fact, every time they caterwauled, our eyes grew big and we all giggled -- because we were so surprised by the unusual sounds.  If you'd like to hear it, I recorded a bit with my iPhone.  Just click here.  I've never heard so many owls -- with such a variety of calls.  What a hoot!  And, what a great, unexpected encounter.