Red-shouldered Hawk

Just around the corner from the Painted Buntings we spied this Red-shouldered Hawk, two actually, and a nest.  The nest was not so high off the ground, much closer than any I'd seen before.  The hawks seem unperturbed by the people on the boardwalk and went about their hunting and feeding business.

Painted Bunting

A whole slew of photographers hovered around this feeder not far from the entrance of Corkscrew Swamp.  These Painted Bunting were totally worth the wait.  An Indigo Bunting also darted in and out.  You know you are going to have a good hike when you start this something this great.

Horned Grebe

The wind blew this Horned Grebe right to me all the way across the impoundment on Saturday.  He's transitioning into breeding plumage which I sure would like to see. 

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Today is my Mom's birthday and to celebrate we can look at some of the photos I took at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary which my Mom said I absolutely could not miss.  It was a great preserve and possibly the longest boardwalk I've hiked.

A Few Favorites From Six Mile Cypress Slough

More From the Slough

Osprey

We saw a ton of Osprey down in Florida.  Pretty much every time we looked up.

Reconstructed

Here's a few shots from the show that just came down.  I'm in the process of framing works for an upcoming show at the Arlington Arts Center.  Unfortunately, I just opened up my box of white matte boards only to discover they are "Williamsburg Blue" which was the option directly below "White" when I placed the order.  Sob.  Nothing is ever easy.

In the Slough

There always seems to be something moving in the swamp and generally it's something you can't see.  It creates a delicious kind of fear which would not be fun at all if not for the boardwalk and other visitors.  (I am NOT a Haunted House fan.)  I've been thinking a lot about my early experiences with wilderness which basically included being told to stay out of the woods to avoid danger.  As well as things I saw on TV including a particularly dramatic episode of Little House on the Prairie in which the cry and flight of birds were part of a rape scene.  In fact the birds were the rape scene which was only alluded to and not actually depicted.  Now as an adult, at least in my own woods, I am more and more aware of the cause of the sounds I hear in the woods.  But lets just say that I was not aware of the source of all the sounds in these swamps.

Six Mile

We hit Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve later than we intended.  Who could blame us with the great kayak trip and all.  It was lovely (and even a bit creepy) to walk through the Preserve as the sun started to set.  These are a few bark shots from the early part of our walk.

A Little Lizard or Two

Anhinga

This fine lady was sunning herself just outside our hotel in Bonita Springs.  What a beauty.

Back at the Refuge

Back to the land of rain and snow for a post.  By the time I'm done with the Florida posts Spring should be in full swing.  This is from a walk I took just before I left for Florida.  The beaver is working his way through the trees around Hoy's Pond.  Soon there won't be any left. 

Still in Love

I'm not sure which I love more, the Little Blue Heron or the mangrove trees.  But I am sure that I really love my photos of the Little Blue Heron climbing through the mangrove trees.  It's awesome.  You can probably expect more mangrove photos.  Also I'm moving at the pace of a week of blogging for two hours shooting.  A whole week and I haven't gotten past the first stop, not to mention the images I took before we got to Lover's Key State Park. 

More to Love