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EXPLORE Highest Rank #182

Tonight's post is one from about 1 month ago, when we were scouting out for bald eagles and their nests along Canoe Creek Road near Kenansville, FL.

At that time the bald eagle pair was busy putting some finishing touches on it's nest, where it would soon raise it's young - hopefully. The two took turns finding just the perfect pieces of sticks, spanish moss, and other nesting materials. Every so often one would return with dinner from nearby Lake Marion. I remember thinking that this must be quite the busy, yet exciting, time for them.

They did also partake in some extracurricular activities to ensure the species would go on. However, it was never in this nest, but rather off in the distant strand of trees. We could hear the calling out and witness the action through the binoculars. How I wished I could have captured it via my camera - as many of you have.

We visited this nest last weekend to see if they had their babies yet. We couldn't see anything popping out of the nest, but from the basis that one always stayed in the nest with the other being the provider of the meals, we can only guess that they either had young ones in the nest or soon would. Can't wait to continue to observe them and watch their offspring grow up until they ultimately fledge.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend in store. I know that mine will be a busy one - just 5 more weeks until the wedding!

Thanks for stopping by and especially for all of your thoughts and comments!

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Two weekends ago, Tom decided that since I was not feeling well and had been stuck indoors for the most part, that I should get outdoors and do some shooting. Just what the doctor ordered. We planned to go bright and early down to Everglades National Park. What we didn't count on was the weather .... for we picked the ONE day practically this whole winter .... that it was actually COLD! I'm talking in the 40's of course, but with a very swift wind to accompany it. I bundled up, prepared for a blizzard should we encounter one - at least that's the way way Tom recalls that morning.

Every visit it seems down to the Everglades is different. One never knows what to expect. For the most part, it had been pretty slow. We first visited the Anhinga Trail area where we saw the first signs of the breeding season for the birds wintering there, as colors began to emerge on some of them. Nest-building and tending was also prevalent.

We then drove down to Flamingo, where we drove by Eco Pond, which had been pretty dead in recent months. This day was a bit more different - we were treated to roseate spoonbills, some which were off on the other shoreline, but some were very close by.

Roseate spoonbills are wading birds in the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. They are 28-34" long, have a wingspan of 47-51", and weigh ~ 2.5-4 #. They have long legs and a long neck and most notably a long spatulate bill. They feed on crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, newts, and small fish. They place their bill in the water and swing it from side to side as they walk through the water in their search for a meal.

I remember that day well and especially this one very determined rosie. As it cruised the near shoreline, I was determined to get some shots of it feeding. This proved to be quite the challenge because this particular spoonie was feeding fast and furious and covering some geography in the blink of an eye. I literally was running from opening to opening to try to keep up with it! LOL

They were such a pleasure to photograph and observe. Such amazing birds - so uniquely beautiful and interesting. To me, they are the "other flamingo" of the Everglades .

Hope that everyone is ready for Friday! Thanks so much for stopping by and especially for sharing your thoughts with us.

EXPLORE Highest Rank #20

Today's image is another taken on that Sunday afternoon at Green Cay Wetlands in Delray Beach, FL.

What makes this image so special is that it was taken by "my sherpa", or should I say, "my ex-sherpa". See on Tom's birthday in October last year, I bought him his very own Nikon D7000, so that he could take his own images and learn also a bit of photography first hand for himself. Plus its also a lot of fun and interest to me to see how others view the same place that I do.... never quite the same, which is always good. :-)

So as a few of us were stopped on the boardwalk shooting the harrier from one angle, Tom walked further on and apparently was treated to an even better angle! He caught the light in the eye on this beautiful female just perfect, in my opinion.

What's really funny is that while he was off getting his hair cut earlier, I spent the time downloading his very limited supply of images that he took that day (he's very selective and stingy with his trigger finger). When I saw this one, I loaded it up, made a slight adjustment in exposure, and left it on my LR3 screen. When he got back, I asked him if he liked the image and he said that he thought it was amazing. Can you imagine his surprise when I told him that it was his image? He totally didn't believe me until I showed him that it was his camera, his lens, and indeed it was his shot. I'm not sure who was more impressed.

When I told him that I was going to share it on flickr, I told him that he had to give it a title. "A Wing & A Prayer" was his answer. I wondered how I could build a story around that title and then it occurred to me .... duh! ..... it's precisely how he perceived that he captured this beauty of an image. LOL

Boy, I'm thinking that my days of having my own personal sherpa are numbered!

Hope that you enjoy it and Happy Hump Day to everyone! Thanks for stopping by and especially for all of your comments.

It's been a LONG time .... since I last posted on Flickr ..... and since I've been steadily out shooting as well.

I had the best of plans when Tom left on his snowboarding adventure last month, but sometimes life has other plans. My daughter had some issues with her home (break in and theft), as she was busy planning her upcoming wedding. Needless to say, after repeated attempts to break in again (can you believe it?), I was a bit at the top of my stress level. Then came the flu, followed by a sinus infection, and I'm just now getting close to being back to myself again. With the wedding in the 30+ days away and counting, I'm thankful that if I had to get sick, it was then. Still, it's so hard not to get out and shoot. This weekend, I did manage to do so though.

Tom & I visited Green Cay Wetlands late in the afternoon on Sunday and we were treated to fly byes, courtesy of the female northern harrier. It was so fascinating to watch her work the grasslands and field, in search of her next meal.

Northern harriers are birds of prey which feed upon mice, small mammals, and small birds. They reside in the open wetlands, pastures, prairies, and grasslands. We know that this is the female, as the male is a bit smaller and quite a bit lighter, almost grayish, in color. Northern harriers are medium-sized, about 17-24" long, with a wingspan of ~3.5 - 4.5' in diameter.

What I find really cool about them is that they rely on both their vision, as well as their hearing, in the location of their prey. Consequently, their feathers on their face are stiff to aid in the transmitting sound, thus their owl-like "facial disk".

Other than the harrier, the place was somewhat quiet. Or maybe we were just so excited to witness her soaring past us on several occasions that we didn't look much farther than that. Of course, predator birds are my thing - such power, purpose, and intensity they possess. Of course, they also demand respect of those around it as well.

Wow, it sure was good to get out in the great outdoors and I look forward to getting out again real soon. It surely makes you appreciate everything there is to see - when you don't get to actively get out!

I hope to be posting more regularly again and getting around to your photostreams also to check out what you've been up to as well. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Today's post is from the archives - from October 2010 to be exact, from a trip out west.

This image was shot from Antelope Island State Park of Utah, in Davis County. Antelope Island is accessible by car via a 7-mile causeway bridge (reminds me of the Keys in Florida) which spans the Great Salt Lake. It consists of ~28,000 acres full of flora & fauna, sunrises & sunsets, a good assortment of wildlife (bison, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, coyotes, bobcats, etc), and lots of recreational opportunities for it's visitors to delight in. I remember the first time that I visited (one February afternoon), I thought it was a desolate place - that is, before I arrived. On this occasion, the island shores were lined with sand, rocks, and magnificent yellow wildflowers. How fun!

There, of course, is a specific reason why I chose this image today. See, Tom departed today for his annual snowboarding trip with his longtime friends from North Carolina. He should have been flying into SLC, but since the snow so far this year has been sparse, he chose to fly into Spokane for some more northern snow events, which have been much more prolific. Eventually, he'll make his way back down to SLC and possibly visit Antelope Island again - for it's always a treat to the senses.

Thanks so much for hanging in with me and stopping by to view and of course, for all of your comments! Happy Tuesday!