Tag Archives: florida

My Florida Bird captures

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I’m wrapping up three weeks birding south Florida, testing my new 70-200mm lens. I was inspired by a recent photography class through my local Albuquerque photography club, the Enchanted Lens. The instructor showed many beautiful images of birds using 600- and 700mm lenses. I can’t afford 600mm lenses. I wanted to see what I could accomplish with my new (and already very dear) 70-200mm. I’ve had a 70-300mm lens for 8 years now, but it is optically weak. It takes gray, lifeless images. It has a resale value of $12. With my new, colorful, sharp lens,  I’m falling in love with the 70-200mm zoom range all over again.

Below are my captures on this trip. I always learn more when I bring my camera; I get to study for an hour that which I saw for a moment. I see that macaws can have multiple colors on one feather. I find out what macaws are. I see which parts of the color were skin and which parts are feathers.

Some of the images below I shot in the wild. Others I shot at the Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda, Florida and at the Sarasota Jungle Gardens in Sarasota. I uploaded many more pictures at full res at my Flickr site, and my birds album.

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A wild great egret

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I couldn’t figure out what this guy was! He resembles a double-breasted cormorant, but all the example images I found of them had orange beaks. I found this fellow hunting in the wild.

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A brown pelican at the Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda, Florida.

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A rescued sandhill crane at the Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda, Florida.

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A great blue heron at the Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda, Florida.

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A yellow-crowned night heron at the Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda, Florida.

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A white ibis at Sarasota Jungle Gardens in Sarasota, Florida.

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A flamingo at Sarasota Jungle Gardens in Sarasota, Florida.

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An indian ringneck parakeet and a sun conure parrot at Sarasota Jungle Gardens in Sarasota, Florida.

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A hyacinth macaw at Sarasota Jungle Gardens in Sarasota, Florida.

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A blue and gold macaw at Sarasota Jungle Gardens in Sarasota, Florida.

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A military macaw at Sarasota Jungle Gardens in Sarasota, Florida.

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A female eclectus parrot at Sarasota Jungle Gardens in Sarasota, Florida.

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It’s February and I need some greenery, despite the tyranny of groundhogs

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And the day after the Super Bowl. So, I need a pick-me-up to start the week and I bet a lot of other people do too. And thus, a tropic sunset. (If my title doesn’t make sense to the international set, google groundhog day, our least-satisfying holiday.)

florida-03657 florida-03671 florida-03703 florida-03753And after the sun set, the moon came out. The awesome fast sensor on my new camera makes a night shot look like a day shot without graininess distorting the beauty. ISO 2500 and still looks great!

 

Winter is for the Birds

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Another year, another trip to Florida. It’s been an extraordinarily warm winter this time, with lows in the mid 60s. I visited Sarasota Jungle Gardens once again, which houses many birds and reptiles, often those who are given up. It’s a great place, and the animals are fun to photograph. Weird-looking animals make for good sci-fi inspiration, don’t you think?

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Florida wilderness

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Across the street, there is a patch of Florida wilderness. Many think of groomed lawns, palm trees and bougainvilleas when they think of Florida. I think of brushy overgrowth, mangroves, and scrub. Below are some favorite pictures from an outing to wild Florida.

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Above: the coastline at low tide. SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC

Antique American Muscle Cars

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I went to a museum of American Muscle Cars in Punta Gorda, Florida. I am not a particular car enthusiast. I find the engineering intriguing as well as the design, but I just can’t keep track of all the models and companies and statistics. However, I found it a pleasure to wander through the rows and rows of beautiful cars. Even if I didn’t know their horsepower or what was special about them, I could appreciate the art in them. Check out the beautiful colors, hood ornaments, and details. Each photo below links to Flickr, or check out the whole set here.

(Picture 1: Chevrolet and vintage signs, picture 2: row of corvettes, picture 3: 1935 Cadillac hood ornament, picture 4: Chevrolet Impala convertible interior, picture 5: 1960 Chevrolet Impala convertible tail light.)

And I got a fun toy for myself too!

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Exotic Florida: A Zoo of Lost Pets

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I’m late posting today, because we went up to Sarasota and had a photo expedition. We went to Sarasota Jungle Gardens, a private zoo garden with birds and reptiles and nice foliage. Most of the animals in their collection were the cast offs of collectors who lost their interest. A good reminder to be responsible when you choose a pet! Thankfully, the garden takes good care of their critters and we get to enjoy the aspects that make them so alluring (and then we can leave the parrots and their shrill greetings).

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Winter in Florida

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Every year, I trek south to Florida for the holidays. The sun and warmth are great, but I especially like the feeling of going to a different world. The land is flat and riddled with little inlets and brackish creeks. Here in southwest Florida, there is a feeling that man does not control the wilderness. Things grow at an insane rate and they fight for space. The landscape takes on that wild, violent look. I like the greenery and the beaches and the boats and the sunsets all. And I like to drag my camera along for documentation.

Happy Friday!

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