It's about time. ; Today, for the first time since mid-May, south Florida had a day that was NOT in the 90s! ; We had our first verifiable cold front come through, dropping our temps Saturday night to around 57 degrees, and remaining that way through about noon, after which we gradually warmed up to a top temp of around 70 and windy. ; Alas, it will all be gone after tonight - we reach around 62 tonight, and tomorrow, the high is right back up to 80s, and rising thereafter. So what better to do with a lovely cool day than to charge up the camera which has been sitting in its bag since Disney, and head out to the swamps where I hadn't been since early June. ; It was a good day for it - lovely temps made the birds more active, and cooler temps brought the gators out of the water to suck up some sun to regulate their body temperature. A sampling of the day at my two favorite wildlife reserves...all in all a good day, considering we don't have our usual compliment of winter migrators yet. Here, a very close-up of a strange colored moorhen...I'm guessing a young one or a female in breeding color or something, because they're usually black: Here's a wind-blown great egret, fishing for lunch: Standing practically on top of this tricolor heron: Lucky to catch this osprey coming in for a landing on a branch: Not too long after, he decided to fly off again: Here's a sunbathing gator...when the temps drop, these cold-blooded reptiles have to absorb as much sun as they can to warm up...they open and close their mouth as needed to dissipate extra heat if they get too warm. ; Good thing for bipeds with cameras...gators are more lethargic in cooler weather!: This tricolor heron gave me a nice fly-by opportunity: Here's one of my favorite ducks, the black-bellied whistling duck, with her awfully cute spotted ducklings: Some people pay good money at spas for this type of treatment!: Some more happy ducks...these were the mottled variety: Hope you enjoyed a tour through the wetlands on a cooler Florida day. ; Now, if only I can get another cold front to get down here soon!
very nice nature photos, justin. ; it was hot as the dickens the 2 weeks we were there... ; 95 every day. ; ugh!
Thanks all...appreciate the support. ; It was awfully nice to be back out there - during the winter season it's like a second home for me, but during the summer, I barely go there...too hot and not as active without the migratory birds in town.
very nice Justin, I love the one with the ducklings! Glad to hear you had a break from the frying-pan-like heat!
I'm just stuck looking at the claws on the Osprey. ; I keep looking at it thinking "DANG those are some scary claws!". ; Like horror movie scary. I also like the ducks and alligator in algae. ; I can't quite justify this.. but there's something genuine looking about those shots. ; It's like.. they look somehow dirty, and yet natural and appealing at the same time.
Nice shots, Justin. ; If I went out to do a nature shoot around here, I'd end up with stray cats. ; Not quite as appealing as all of those gorgeous animals!
Loved the pics! And, since I live in South Florida, I can definitely appreciate a nice cool day like yesterday!
Thanks all for looking and the comments. ; Dan, that's pretty much my thoughts too on the Osprey - I stared at those claws for hours - they fascinate me. ; Seeing raptors with claws like this, and knowing various raptors can grow to 6-feet-plus wingspans, really makes the dinosaur connection come through, and also makes me happy that birds haven't decided to stage a coup to overthrow humans...because these things swooping down with those claws out of the clear blue is a pretty scary thought. ; We'd be in trouble! BTW, on the dirty shots...these refuge wetlands areas are part of Florida's water reclaimation program - to process waste water, they filter out the solid waste, then run the water through a series of retaining basins letting the fish, animals, and algaes naturally clean the water. ; The areas are left to grow into natural areas, with natural trees, scrub, mangrove, and swamp grasses, and a series of levees along the basins provides a natural trail system along with boardwalks linking over the water. ; The projects have been a huge success, and actually have drawn a massive population of wildlife from the nearby Everglades to the nutrient rich spots, making them photographers' paradises, as well as anyone wanting to guarantee sightings of various swamp denizens. ; I know many other states are running projects like this, or planning to, to replace the old chemical treatments of wastewater, making it more natural and providing some great natural wetlands for visitors.
Figgie, Are you kidding? With the Dunes only a short drive NW of you, you're in some of the world's BEST birding areas! I'd love to get back there, just for that!
Thanks Polynesian! ; (sorry, little late. ; It's been a busy week as I'll be off on vacation in 6 days, so I'm working to clear a hole!).
