The deep Bahia Grass is still laden with morning dew when I set forth. There are no other people in sight. I have seen no cars that might indicate there are even people in the Wildlife Refuge at this early hour. It is already hot. Daylight has just broken and a chorus of frogs, cicadasContinue reading “Footsteps In The Field”
Tag Archives: birding
Eyes
Just past eight o’clock in the morning, my boots hit the gravel in Saint Marks National Wildlife Refuge (SMNWR). A mist hung low over the wetlands and the call of the various frogs and the Red Winged Black Birds had begun the morning chorus. It was muggy as the sun began to rise in earnestContinue reading “Eyes”
Sitting in the Sanctuary
It is early on a spring morning and I am once again moving quietly with my camera amongst the waist high prairie greenery in what once was Leon County’s Lake Jackson. Although the lake has mostly drained, there are marsh lands like the one I walk in now dotted along the edges now turned brilliantContinue reading “Sitting in the Sanctuary”
Species Spotlight: Bald Eagle; Undisputed Ruler of the Air In These Parts
Many of us have been near Bald Eagles in captivity. That can be breathtaking under the right circumstances. Few things have compared to encountering wild Bald Eagles in close proximity in my life except maybe a wild bear encounter. You immediately come to understand that they are well equipped to do extraordinary amounts of damageContinue reading “Species Spotlight: Bald Eagle; Undisputed Ruler of the Air In These Parts”
Mother’s Day
Today, as I do nearly every day I went hiking with my camera. I did so after wishing my own mother a happy Mother’s Day and cooking my wife breakfast. I went to one of my usual haunts not expecting to see anything extraordinary but ever hopeful. As I rolled into the area, I wasContinue reading “Mother’s Day”
Species Spotlight: Snowy Egret; Graceful Predator
There are many things about wildlife photography that I find fascinating and uplifting and I have written about a fair number of them. One that deserves a brief comment is that as I photograph species, I learn about them. I take the time to learn the identifying characteristics, what makes a male and female different,Continue reading “Species Spotlight: Snowy Egret; Graceful Predator”
Tranquility
On account of reader requests, this is going to be primarily a photo-drop. But it will be a photo-drop with a theme. Make the effort to find tranquility. It’s worth it. I arrived in the wildlife refuge without the fanfare of a brilliant sunrise on this trip. No crimson rays streaking across the marshes. NoContinue reading “Tranquility”
Persistence Pays
In the age of digital photography there is a freedom that I never felt with a 35mm film camera in my hands. The person behind a digital camera can point it and fire it off as many times as they like with no cost except a time penalty on the back end when they haveContinue reading “Persistence Pays”
Raptor
The Oxford Dictionary defines raptor in the following manner: noun, a bird of prey, e.g., an eagle, hawk, falcon, or owl. Raptors tend to inspire a sense of awe in us humans. They are strong, fast, agile, fierce, loyal (some mate for life and defend territories fiercely) and striking to look at. They inspire a sense ofContinue reading “Raptor”
Lessons From The Field
Throughout my career and certainly during the first portion of my career, the people I have worked with would likely agree that a commonly used adjective to describe me would not be “patient”. It’s likely that my children and some of my friends would join my former coworkers in a chorus of laughter if someoneContinue reading “Lessons From The Field”
Urban Wild Kingdom
I imagine it was sometime in the early 1970s. The television was small, black and white and had an arrangement of antennas on top that would make any modern HAM radio operator jealous. Occasional lines zig-zagged across the screen and static was common as members of my family and I tuned into Mutual of Omaha’sContinue reading “Urban Wild Kingdom”
Birding Basics II
3/30/25. One of my readers gave me some feedback recently. Apparently, when reading the blog, it is not obvious to the reader when the blog was written. Good information for me to have, and I appreciate the feedback. The last bog was lengthy. This one will not be. I did want to follow up withContinue reading “Birding Basics II”
Birding Basics
For my newer readers who are not aware, I’ll quickly recap how I started birding. Then for those who might be interested, I’ll share how birding connects to wellness, give you a few pointers based on the many mistakes I’ve made, and then share some of what I’ve found. Shortly after I retired, I foundContinue reading “Birding Basics”
Tranquility
Over the course of previous blog posts, I have extolled the virtues of hiking/walking in the woods for our well being. I do not intend to re-hash those posts. What I do want to do here is share an experience I had recently with a walk in the woods and wilderness and its effect onContinue reading “Tranquility”
All The Winged Neighbors
They are all around us. Some of the most prolific and visible life forms on the planet. In the south, we wake to the songs of the Cardinals and Carolina Wrens singing bright, vibrant song to herald the arrival of the new day.Another benefit of living in the south is that many of us haveContinue reading “All The Winged Neighbors”
Neighbors
To date, everything I have written has been about wellness, heathy living and warrior servants moving into the retirement chapter of their lives. Sometimes, things need a slightly different perspective. I recently realized that I have been observing and photographing a mated pair of red shouldered hawks who live in my neighborhood for about threeContinue reading “Neighbors”
On Beyond Blue 