Last Day in the Everglades

River of Grass

Well, the workshop was over.  I had a late flight out on Thursday, so after breakfast that morning.  Gail Chin from Regina, Saskatchewan, who I have been sharing the rental of the car with went back to the Everglades and slowly drove down the main road, stopping to capture what we saw her on the way.  We did scenics and found a cooperative Wood Stork to photograph.

Wood Stork

We finished the day at the Anhinga Trail photographing some different birds.  There were large groups of children from schools being given a tour of the trail and learning about the biology and creatures.  A park ranger was leading up to or and told people over a Causeway with the water was running very fast that if a person fell in they would be dragged all the way down to the Gulf.

Royal Palm Visitors Center

Students

Great Blue Heron

Anhinga

Great Egret

White Ibis

Later on Gail, drop me at the airport and she went to spend a few more days in Miami.  I think I have to start planning a longer trip back down to Florida next year.

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my readers

The Anhinga Trail

Anhinga

The workshop group spent a morning and then afternoon photographing around the Royal Palm Visitors Center and the Anhinga Trail.  Like I have previously said because of the high water levels, there was not a great number of birds, but what was there gave us great pictures.  The prettiest bird was the purple gallinule and as they were moving among the lily pads and feeding gave us good opportunities to photograph their beautiful color.

Purple Gallinule

Purple Gallinule

Purple Gallinule

Purple Gallinule

We were sitting on the stone wall overlooking the open water when two of us noticed an alligator swimming.  We both got up to photograph the alligator when it opens its mouth and gave us some interesting pictures.  Always be prepared.  You never know what is going to happen.

American Alligator

American Alligator

Here are pictures of other species that we saw.

Tricolored Heron

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Anhinga

Green Heron

Shark Valley

Limpkin, I knew one was around, because of the number of empty snails shells on the ground

When I visit the Everglades during the winter season, I love going to Shark Valley.  The reasons are the number of birds that are present, and the variety of species that you can see.  Shark Valley is west of the main entrance to the Everglades and is located on the Tamiami Trail.  We left in a convoy at oh dark hundred so we could arrive at sunrise to Shark Valley.  We would need to park elsewhere, rather than in the parking lot at the visitor center because the gate does not open until 8:30 AM.  After parking and gathering our gear, we hiked into the park.  Looking around, I was very surprised at the lack of birds that I could see.  Not that there were any birds, but the number of birds present were very sparse and there was not the normal variety of waders present. The reason is the same as in the main park, the high water levels.  the water level give many more location for the animals to find food.  There were enough birds present to give us a chance to get a variety of different pictures and poses and the number of shots that I took were a lot less than what I have taken in the past.

Tricolored Heron

Anhinga

Tricolored Heron

Common Gallinule formerly known as Common Moorhen

Little Blue Heron

Common Gallinule

Purple Gallinule

White Ibis

What also was surprising was the lack of alligators.  Normally, there are alligators lying on the grass next to the path sunning themselves.  But, today I only saw one alligator in the water.

American Alligator

Still a day out photographing is a day better than at work.

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Florida Workshop

Osprey

Despite the mosquitoes, I had a great time in Florida on the workshop organized by Jason Odell. There was a great group of participants and Jason was a great leader.  In the midday hours, we had a lecture and teaching us so we can improve our work.  This was beside all the teaching that we had out in the field.  I learned a number of new ways of shooting and post processing.

Normally when I write a blog about a trip I take it from the beginning and finished the blogs up at the last.  This time, I will start at the end and travels to the beginning.  On the last day of the workshop, we went down to the Flamingo visitor center and spent the morning photographing thing a pair of ospreys on their nest.  I have created a video slideshow of the ospreys activity which can be seen on my Facebook Photo Bee 1 page: https://www.facebook.com/myer.photobee1/

I also captured Turkey, great Egret, and white Ibis is in flight.

Great Egret

White Ibis

Turkey Vulture 

Everglades Here I Come

White-tailed Deer in the early morning fog and dew

Tomorrow, I am leaving on a jet plane and do not know when I will be back again.  However, I do know when I will return, which will be on Thursday.  I am going down for a photo trip to the Everglades National Park in Florida and am hoping to fill my portfolio with a lot of new pictures.  I do not know if I will have the time in order to be able to write a blog while I am in Florida, but I will try to post pictures on my Photo Bee 1 Facebook page.

Here are some photos from my last trip to the Everglades which was almost 5 years ago.

Ospreys

Red-shouldered Hawk

Brown Pelican with a Large Fish in Its Pouch

White Pelican Flying

Black Vulture in a Palm Tree

Sunset over the Everglades

Key Deer

If you are visiting Florida and are staying near the Everglades or on the Keys, you owe yourself to visit the National Key Deer Refuge located on Big Pine Key.  The reason it is the home for the endangered key deer, which is a subspecies of the white-tailed deer.  Key deer is now found only on the keys of southern Florida.  Its range used to be from key Vaca to Key West.  Their present range is Big Pine Key and surrounding islands.  In 1940, the estimated animals were only 50 but with the establishment of the refuge in 1957.  The population has increased and stabilize that between 700 and 800 deer.  Key deer are still listed as endangered.

Sunrise at Big Pine K

The best time to view of is around sunrise and sunset.  Although they can be seen at other times during the day.  A big problem is illegal feeding of the deer and many deer have lost the fear of man. They feed along the roads and will approach you if you stop to photograph them looking for handouts.

Key Deer

Key Deer

Key Deer

Key Deer  came right up to me looking for a handout

Key Deer in Backyard

The following information is from the US Fish and Wildlife Service information sheet on the National Key Deer Refuge.
"The Key deer are the smallest of the 28 subspecies of Virginia white-tailed deer. Bucks range from 28-32” at the shoulder and weigh an average of 80 lbs. Does stand 24-28” at the shoulder and weigh an average of 65 lbs.
Why are the Key deer endangered? Low population numbers, development pressures, habitat loss,
and threats from hurricanes have all been important in the listing of this species as endangered. Currently,
illegal roadside feeding contributes to road kills which account for 70 percent of the annual mortality."

While we you were observing the buck deer feeding across the road, a woman on a bicycle road right by the deer were out bothering it a bit.  You could tell it was habituated to people.

Big Pine Key is located approximately 100 miles south of Miami, Florida and 30 miles north of Key West Florida.

Map of Big Pine Key