Author: Gary Walker
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Sometimes It’s Just About the Color
The other day I was in our back yard with one of our little dogs when a large Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly landed on one of our bougainvillea bushes. My first reaction was “wow” the colors of the butterfly and the flowering shrub were amazing. Thankfully, the butterfly liked the pollen on the flowers and…
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Heading Toward Fall
Summer is beginning to wind down for many, including wildlife. It seems in Florida that summer is the time to catch up with things like editing and organizing photos and finishing projects that need to be done around the house. While summer is generally quieter for wildlife photography, there are species that we only see…
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Common Mynas
One of the ecological issues in Florida that often goes underreported is the impact of non-native, invasive species on native wildlife populations. The one species that gets most of the airtime is the Burmese Python which has had a huge effect on the Everglades. But there are countless other animals that have been introduced to…
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Black-bellied Whistling Ducks
A duck that is common in our area but seldom seen in the rest of the country other than southern Texas and southern Arizona is the black-bellied whistling duck. A few things make them easy to identify in the air. First is their distinctive call. They sound much like a wood duck with more of…
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U.S. Navy Blue Angels
Last weekend the U.S. Navy Blue Angels performed at the Great Florida Air Show in Melbourne. My friend and fellow photographer, Art Nadelman and I made the 3-hour drive to see the show. The weather was good, and the performances were great. In addition to the Blue Angels, other acrobats included the U.S. Air Force…
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Crested Caracaras
It’s always a thrill to see a Crested Caracara. They are a Federally designated threatened species so sightings are not real common. Caracaras are usually only found in parts of Florida, Texas and Arizona in the United States. Their range is mainly in Mexico, Cuba and Central America. They feed on dead animals like vultures…
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Moon Over the Skyway
This past Monday there was a full “Super” moon. A super moon occurs during the full moon’s closest approach to Earth. As luck would have it, the path of the moonrise allowed for photos of the moon between the spans of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. It took a little planning but with some collaboration with…
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St. Pete Grand Prix
This past weekend the IndyCar series returned to St. Petersburg for the annual Firestone St. Pete Grand Prix. I had the opportunity to attend one of the days and was able to snap some fun photos on a gorgeous day at the track. The event takes place on a temporary street course in downtown St.…
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Lakeland
One of my favorite photo destinations is Lakeland, FL. As the name implies, Lakeland is a city of lakes. According to recent data, there are 38 named lakes in the city. Lakeland is famous for its population of mute swans that are descendants of a pair of swans given to the city by Queen Elizabeth in…
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Shore Birds
During one of our recent visits to Fort DeSoto State Park in St. Petersburg, we saw several types of shore birds. Some live in this area all year while a few are just temporary residents until returning to distant nesting grounds. The whimbrel is one of the birds that migrates here from way up north…
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Zebra Longwing Butterfly
One of my favorite butterflies is a zebra longwing. It is the official state butterfly of Florida. Unlike other butterflies that dart around, the zebra longwing seems to fly slower and is more graceful which may be just an illusion because of their stripe pattern. Zebra longwings are fairly large butterflies which can grow to…
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More Buntings
We visited one of the local nature preserves a few days ago just to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. To our surprise, we found a bunch of indigo buntings along with a single male painted bunting. We thought maybe they had started their journey north for the summer but to our delight, they’re…