Circle B Bar Reserve is a Polk County park located just a few miles southeast of Lakeland, FL on Lake Hancock. There are numerous trails that traverse the park through a variety of habitats from hardwood forests to swamp. Be prepared for tired feet because many of the journeys are long. The park is also home to Polk Nature Discovery Center which is a very nice museum with lots of helpful local information.
House Wren Pops Out of Cover
Depending on the time of year, you can see many very large alligators along a trail aptly named Alligator Alley. While alligators are the main attraction, the number of species of wildlife in the park is amazing. It is a destination for many photography tours.
Purple Gallinule Stepping Across a Log in the Water
Every year we see or hear about a variety of rare birds in Florida. It almost always happens during migrations. This year has brought us a Calliope Hummingbird which is native to the far western United States. According to Audubon, it is the smallest bird in North America. The bird we saw was either female or an immature male as the adult males have beautiful purple stripes on their throats.
Calliope Hummingbird Female in a Live Oak Tree
This bird was visiting feeders with several ruby-throated hummingbirds at a residence east of Tampa. Fortunately, the homeowner is a bird watcher who was happy to let us try to photograph the rare sighting.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
Lakeland, FL is aptly named with over 30 lakes within the city limits. The best lake for photography always seems to be Lake Morton. It’s famous for its population of swans. But the main reason we like Lake Morton is for the wood ducks and several migrating ducks that visit every year. It’s a nice easy walk of about 1 mile to go completely around the lake. But it can take over an hour because of all the photo opportunities.
Mallard Drake Resting Peacefully with His Head Tucked Under His Wing
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
In the middle of the city of Venice, FL is a very small pond with a little island on one end. Each year the island becomes home to dozens of herons, egrets and cormorants that build their nests and raise their young. It is a photographer and birder magnet because the island and its birds are so close to shore. The park is managed by the local Audubon chapter.
It’s a great time to witness the breeding plumage of the Great Egrets. They develop lacy back feathers and the coloring around their beaks turns bright green.
Great Egret with Breeding Plumes Blowing in the Wind
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
Myakka River State Park is a wildlife and nature gem. Located in eastern Sarasota County, it is one of the largest parks in Florida with over 37,000 acres. The Myakka River flows through the park and creates a variety of lakes, ponds, and flooded marshlands. Because of the diverse terrain, the park is home to a huge variety of wildlife.
There are many types of migrating birds that spend the winter and spring months in the park including several species of waterfowl. It’s also a good place to find roseate spoonbills which are one of the most desired birds for photos in the state.
Roseate Spoonbill Flying By
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
One of the most striking birds that we see around here is the nanday parakeet. Their colors are absolutely amazing. On the neon green bodies is an entire palette of blue and purple accents. They also look like they’re wearing orange and yellow socks.
Unfortunately, despite their beauty, nandays are annoying because of their constant squawking which can get extremely loud. They can also quickly wipe out feeders.
Nanday Parakeet Perched on a Cedar Tree
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
One of the most cherished birds to photograph in Florida is the roseate spoonbill. The beautiful pink colors are always stunning to see. People from around the world visit Florida on photography tours just to see the spoonbills.
They are particularly colorful this time of year as breeding season is underway.
Roseate Spoonbill Looking for Food in a Shallow Pond
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
A few weeks ago, we headed out to look for owls. They are active now as the breeding season is underway. Our trip took us to the Sebring area and to Myakka River State Park in Sarasota County. We had success finding barred owls in both areas and also found a pair of great horned owls near Sebring. It was a fun day as the owls were very active which enabled us to get some rare flight pictures.
Barred Owl Taking Off from a Pine Tree
Our next photo shoot with the owls will surely include babies as many eggs have already hatched.
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
The bald eagles are back, and nesting season has begun. Last week we headed to our favorite nest site and watched the eagles continue repairing and rebuilding their nest that blew down over the summer. When reports of the nest falling started rippling through the rumor mills, it was easy to wonder if the birds would abandon the site and move on to another location. If that happened, we would lose the best place photograph bald eagles in this area. But, thankfully, the eagles like the spot as much as we do!
So, the rebuilding has begun, and the nest is growing larger every day. It’s amazing to watch each bird disappear and then return with large sticks or Spanish moss. They build the nest layer by layer until it’s deep enough to handle 2 full grown eaglets. The nest will be active until spring when the eaglets are old enough to leave the nest on their own.
Bald Eagle Leaving the Nest for Repair Materials
Because this site is so accessible, it’s also very popular with photographers which means we get to reunite with friends we haven’t seen all summer.
Fall is here …. finally. The northern birds are beginning to arrive, and migrators are starting to travel through the area. The next 6 months are prime time for wildlife photography in Florida.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
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.
Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly Resting on a Bougainvillea Bush
Thankfully, the butterfly liked the pollen on the flowers and stayed long enough for me to run in the house, grab my camera and get some shots. This was one time when the image through the lens was every bit as good as the live image.
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
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 Florida due to the pet industry. Many species of birds, snakes and lizards have escaped captivity or simply been turned loose over the years and established their own permanent and growing populations.
There are many types of parrots and parakeets that continue to thrive in this tropical climate. One of my favorites to photograph is the Nanday Parakeet but they can become a real nuisance because they tend to roost in large numbers, and they are extremely noisy.
Another species that has recently been spotted in this area is the Common Myna. My friend Art Nadelman took me to see a pair that seem to have made Pinellas Park, FL their new home. They are pretty birds, but their reputation isn’t good.
Common Myna Searching Through the Grass
Mynas are native to southern Asia, but many have been sold as pets over the years. They are a member of the starling family so they’re clever and resourceful. Some figure out how to escape from their cages and then, if the climate is accommodating, they adapt to their new surroundings and begin to take over. It will be interesting to see how these birds change the environment in the Tampa area in the future.
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
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 a crying sound than a quack. Next is their large white patch on their wings. The patches are easy to see because their wing beat is much slower than a typical duck. With most other ducks, males are typically more colorful, especially in winter and spring before mating season. However male and female whistling ducks look alike.
Black-bellied Whistling Duck on Watch
Most whistling ducks don’t usually migrate. They may travel out of the area for short periods of time but generally remain nearby. Like wood ducks, whistling ducks may sit above ground in trees. We’ve even seen them perched on telephone lines. They are easy to approach which can be detrimental. It’s not uncommon to see bald eagles carrying them back to their nests to feed their young.
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks with Ducklings Feeding on Duckweed
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
