Rivals

Great Egrets
Rivals – Gatorland – March 2015
greategplume
Great Egret – Orlando Wetlands Park – March 2015

“He that falls in love with himself has no rivals.” Benjamin Franklin

Both these pictures show great egrets with some indication of breeding plumage. Note the green feathers around the face. I’m starting to see a pattern here – like the ibis it’s facial feathers that attract. Hmm, perhaps we men should be growing beards.

Quote found at https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/rivals

Lighting – Photo 101

Before Dawn
Before Dawn Orlando Wetlands Park – March 2015
Before Dawn
Lone Bird – Orlando Wetlands Park – March 2015

My favorite time of day for light is about 30 minutes before sunrise. In this part of the world there is usually a reddish glow everywhere with a dash of clouds on the horizon enhancing the colors.

In the first pic there’s a couple of rafts of coots. In the second a lone heron roosting in the tree.

Both these shots are taken looking towards the north east away from the actual sunrise.

Springtime

breed iris
Iris in Breeding Plumage – Blanchard Park – March 2015

“Use the talents you possess – for the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except for the best.” Henry van Dyke

Here’s an ibis in breeding plumage – note the red face feathers. I’ll have a couple more pics like this during the week.

Quote found at http://www.allgreatquotes.com/bird_quotes3.shtml

Mystery – Photo 101

heron
Searching – UCF – March 2015
fog egret
Egret in the Fog – UCF Arboretum – February 2015

Not sure about these pics. there’s no mystery about what they are looking for – food. So we have to go with lighting. 1st pic the reflections are interesting. This pic was taken just after the golden hour – but before the light got too harsh. Second pic was a foggy morning at the arboretum.

I need to learn how to capture the mystery of fog – any tips are greatly appreciated. Because I “see” a smokey moor and capture a cloudy picture.

Directly Overhead

vulture
Vulture Silhouette – near UCF – March 2015
“I’m so nervous. I’ve always been nervous, ever since I was a kid.” Elvis Presley
Something about a vulture directly overhead……..
Second post of the day – I accidentally scheduled my regular daily post for yesterday – so it published immediately,  https://picturethisbyfrank.com/2015/03/12/couples-flowers-this-time/

Natural World – Photo 101

Savannah Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow – Orlando Wetlands Park – March 2015
bark
Bark – Lake Claire, UCF – March 2015

This assignment was interesting to me. I take lots of photos seeking to expose lines and patterns in nature.

The top picture is a sparrow sitting among the lines of the water reeds. And needless to say I was shooting the sparrow, the pattern of the reeds was a bonus.

Bottom pic is an oak tree with a lonely air plant, hugging the bark.

Bird Wednesday #3

American-Coot
Going – Orlando Wetlands Park – March 2015
American Coots
Going – Orlando Wetlands Park – March 2015
American Coots
Gone – Orlando Wetlands Park – March 2015

“Not the cry, but the flight of the wild duck leads the flock to fly and follow” – Chinese Proverb

There were hundreds of American Coots at the wetlands on Sunday. I was amazed as they took to flight. They are not very good flyers, their wings never seem to escape the water.

Quote found at http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/flight/2.html