This Heron walked in front of my camera as I was composing this shot, hello! It’s funny because years ago when I lived in Ontario Canada we use to go up to what’s known as “cottage country” in the summer. And once in a long while you’d see a Heron like this, but usually from across the lake. It was a big deal, you didn’t forget. Now that I live way south of the 47th parallel, I see them all the time, up close and personal. And heaven forbid you have fish or something they want. I wonder if they have two personalities, a shy one for when they’re up north and a bold one for when they’re in Florida.
Lookout
This is the lookout at Robinson Preserve and a favorite place to go and recharge the batteries. At this time of day the mullet are jumping in the bayou below and the only sound is the constant splashing as they try in vain to reduce the mosquito population. Thank goodness for the sanctuaries of silence and nature that can be found in this part of Florida.
Fun at the Beach
Cloud Obsession
It seems I’m on a bit of a cloud theme so I thought I’d continue with this recent shot pointing away from the sunset. Big thick stormy cloud below, higher puffy clouds with blue sky behind and the sun catching each layer in a different way. Is that crazy or what? I’m constantly blown away by what I see but then I’m easily amused so maybe it’s just me. However other people notice all of this as well and local news stations post photos of the clouds every day so I can’t be the only one. Well, no sense in trying to figure it out, it is what it is.
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The Hunt at Dusk
This time of year we get a lot of clouds which occasionally produce spectacular sunsets. It’s impossible to know exactly how it will turn out, but if you’re like me you just show up and hope for the best. Showing up is the hardest part, but once I’m at the beach another set of neurons take over and it’s all about the hunt, to find my prey in that golden hour. Well, it seems like that sometimes, stalking compositions and then capturing them. Finally I drive home with that satisfied feeling that I bagged a few good ones now secure inside my camera. Photography has to have a few parallels with hunting, but then you already knew that.
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Osprey Stare
If you’re an Osprey and you live in Florida, you’ve got it made. We love our Osprey and to show our appreciation we build these platforms high up on poles everywhere. As in everywhere and anywhere; …cell towers, transmission lines, out in fields, in all the parks, everywhere. This one is near my house and I drove right by as I looked up, put on the brakes, backed up, picked up my camera and said good morning. This guy just stared at me and wondered what the heck I was doing in his territory. Silly me.
Morning Bench
This bench is at Leffis Key which is one of the places I like to walk around with my camera. It’s mostly mangroves and you can walk on elevated wooden walkways all over. Every now and then you end in a vista of the water with a little bench like this. If you get here first thing in the morning you’ll see the Pelicans flying by as they go about their morning fishing routine. I prefer the morning since the water is calm and all of the wildlife is up and about. You could just sit here and take it all in, which I’ve been known to do on occasion.
Bennett Park
This is a relatively new park that I’ve passed many times on the interstate but never bothered to check it out. That’s because I had this preconceived notion that because it was by a highway it couldn’t be all that good. I was pleasantly surprised in that only a portion of it is along the highway and that there is plenty of space for ponds and areas of restoration and habitation of the local wildlife. This pond had a warning sign about the alligators, so I was on the lookout as I captured this. In the end the only thing that bit me was a few fire-ants amongst the tall grasses as I composed the shot. Now that I know better I’ll come back, keeping a close eye on where I step.
Watching the Beach
So this is the season when we get a lot of lightning. By “a lot”, I mean, …at this time of year this part of Florida gets more lightning than any place on earth. At least that’s what I heard, but I’m too lazy to look it up and back up my “facts”, but I think it’s true. On a typical afternoon I can look out the window and see a flash almost every second. Usually it’s a good ten miles off, but occasionally it’s right over the house. It really scares my dog. All of this is a long winded way of saying that when I took this, there was lighting overhead. This lady was a little braver than me, all I could do was snap a picture of her and then run back to my car. I think she did the same thing shortly thereafter.
Fort DeSoto Sunset
The northern beach of Fort DeSoto in St. Petersburg. The heron kept one eye on me while he fished for dinner, and I kept one eye on him as I lined up my shot. Maybe there’s a message in that or, not so much. Just a simple image of the beach to get us all in the mood for the weekend. Have a great one everybody.