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One of the most amazing photographic opportunities that I have ever had at Everglades National Park was that of our observation of an American Crocodile, Crocodylus acutus, last weekend.

While busy photographing the amazing roseate spoonbills in full force, Tom decided to abandon the group of photographers at the shore's edge, in search of what else he could find..... he's kind of different that way, to which I thought he was crazy, because clearly the action was happening in front of me. After about 10-15 minutes, he returned and when asked if he found any "action" around the bend of the pond, he showed me utterly amazing images of a crocodile in a feeding frenzy with a freshly caught kill. So off I went to see what I could witness on my own - totally figuring that most of the action would be over, if not all of it.

When I arrived at the vantage point, I could see the crocodile swimming slowly with it's fresh caught bird kill. As I began to shoot images of it, it began to thrust itself into the air, tossing the bird carcass high, then crushing it within it's powerful jaws, and slamming it onto the water's surface with a force that sent chills through my body. It was absolutely mesmorizing to witness - the skill of this intense predator combined with the cruelty of nature's way.

The American Crocodile, which numbers estimate to be between 1600-2000 in the US, exclusively in the southern half of Florida. They are very sensitive to cold water, thus their residence in southern Florida. They possess short legs, a long and powerful tail, a scaley hide with rows of ossified scutes, and most notably an elongated snout with powerful jaws to go with it. When they swim in the water, they can reach short speeds of 20 mph; when they run, they can reach ~10 mph. They are a force to be reckoned with, though in the US, they have never attacked humans. They feed primarily shortly after nightfall, but can feed any time of day. Fish, birds, mammals, turtles, crabs, snails, and frogs are on the "crocodile menu". They usually sneak attack their prey and their bodies are very well adapted to this via their camouflauge.

While I have photographed the crocodiles on numerous occasions - swimming or sunning themselves - I have never been so blessed to have witnessed them from such close, yet safe, range - especially doing what crocodiles do!

More images will follow in the upcoming days, but I first wanted to share with you this particular one. We were shooting from the shoreline, not far from where it came upon the shore to sun and rest. It was amazing to watch it climb onto the shore, watching us as it did, yet showing no signs of aggression at all. After all, it was quite happy and well fed at that moment. :-)

Look at those teeth! Yikes! It brings me back to when my daughter was young and watched Peter Pan .... "never smile at a crocodile" played through my head then and for the moments in time since then when I view the images. LOL Yes, it left quite an impression with me and Tom as well.

While shooting the variety of beautiful birds, which the Everglades is known for this time of year, nothing, I repeat nothing, can compare to this experience ..... for this is the true FLORIDA WILDLIFE for me!

Thanks for stopping by to view and especially for all of your comments!

Sorry for the brief absence from posting & commenting, but I was away last week without my computer and very short on time :-).

This weekend, Tom & I had the amazing opportunity to visit Everglades National Park, specifically Eco Pond, where there has been a flurry of bird activity. On our way down, Tom (sherpa, wildlife spotter, and recently turned co-photographer) spotted our very first swallowtail kites, which is always an annual thrill for me. I could just sit, listen to them call out, and watch them soar overhead forever.

If that wasn't fun enough, we arrived at Eco Pond where not only were all of the birds actively feeding and posing for us, but there were also numerous photographers present documenting all of the action :-). There were so many roseate spoonbills, in full breeding plumage, as well as black-necked stilts, snowy egrets, white pelicans, osprey, and a variety of miscellaneous shorebirds. So much action going on - it was hard to know where to focus your attention, and that of, your lens. On top of it all, in the morning we were treated to such wonderful weather - sun, breeze, and best of all, no mosquitos!

To me, there's something so wonderful about the strange-looking, yet stunning and beautiful roseate spoonbill. Something about their frantic feeding frenzy action, their social interactions amongst not only their own, but the other birds as well, their grace when taking flight and coming in for a landing, and their almost perceivable smile.

The entire day was so perfect: good photographic opportunities, pleasant weather, good lighting, and of course, good company (old and new friends alike). It doesn't get much better than that!

Yep, it's days like this that I know why I live in Florida (though I still enjoy getting to other areas as well).

Thanks for stopping by and for all of your much appreciated comments. Wishing everyone a Happy Hump Day tomorrow!

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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.

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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.