Florida Gulf Coast Creations

Tag: Bobwhite Quail

  • Summer Update

    Summer Update

    Summer in Florida is the time of year when photography gets slow. While there are several species of birds that migrate here for the summer months, we start getting anxious for the fall and winter migrations. It’s a good time of the year for butterflies. Unfortunately, it’s also our rainy season and mosquitoes love the water. Venturing out in the early mornings before the heat kicks in is often prime time for bugs.

    Summer is also the time to pull out all the camera equipment, get everything cleaned and refreshed, and decide what needs to be updated and what is no longer needed. In my case, I sold some items and upgraded one of my camera bodies. It turned out to be a good move because the focusing system on the new Canon R6 Mark II is really something, especially for anything that is flying.

    Finally, summer is a great time to go back through old photos and clean up the hard drives. It’s a project that needs to be done from time to time because the photos keep piling up. Also, with software updates being introduced, some older photos can be brought back to life. There’s plenty to do to stay busy without being in the field.

    Recently we went out to practice with the new gear. One trip took us to the farming area near Sebring where we saw many more birds than expected. Our best encounter was with a pair of barred owls.

    Barred Owl Perched On Dead Palm Stump
    Barred Owl Perched on a Palm Stump

    A few days later we traveled over to Lake Wales to visit Bok Tower Gardens hoping that all the flowers would bring in some hummingbirds. We saw two, but the stars of the day were the butterflies. They were everywhere and made for an enjoyable opportunity to play with the new features on the cameras. We will likely head back to Bok Tower Gardens later this year when the hummingbirds return for the winter.

    Zebra Longwing About To Land On Firebush
    Zebra Longwing Butterfly About to Land on a Firebush

    A few more pictures from these journeys are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, please visit the galleries listed.

  • Heading Toward Fall

    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 from March to August.

    The swallow-tail kite is a magnificent bird that migrates from South America in the spring to breed in Florida. Their diet consists mostly of insects although they also eat lizards and small snakes. They are about the same size as a red-tailed hawk but what makes them so spectacular is their flying skill. They can capture dragonflies out of the air. I was fortunate to witness one take a dragonfly off the tip of a bush in our back yard. I noticed movement in the air and when I looked, the kite had swooped down and picked off the dragonfly and slapped the top of the shrub with its tail just a few feet from where I was standing. Of course, my camera was INSIDE the house. Aargh!! Yet another missed opportunity. Sadly, they are leaving the area now ahead of hurricane season.

    Other birds that are non-migratory are often more visible during the summer months because of breeding activity. Sometimes we see odd behaviors and unusual sights like a bobwhite quail singing from a pine tree.

    Bobwhite Quail Singing In Pine Tree
    Bobwhite Quail Singing in a Pine Tree

    All species of birds of prey nest at different times of the year. Eagles start in late fall / early winter and are followed by owls and hawks that typically nest in early spring. In late spring the ospreys breed while summer is the time for kestrels, kites and caracaras.

    The good news is that we’re heading toward the best time of the year for birding in Florida. The fall migration is near. Many birds will be arriving for the winter while others will be stopping over on their way further south. From October through April, the state transforms into a sanctuary for so many different species.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

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