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.
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.
“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
“I’m so cool that the kids come to my bedroom and go “Mom, turn the music down” – Melissa Ethridge
Substitute “mom” with “dad” in above quote – been there.
The common gallinule above was caught as I continued my hunt for the purple gallinule. One morning I spotted the purple gallinule in the perfect light. Sun beaming off of it’s gorgeous chest – I didn’t have my camera. That said the common is quite beautiful too.
Quote found at https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/noise
“Tension is who you think you are, relaxation is who you are” – Chinese Proverb
While I doubt this bird is relaxing, watching him relaxes me. Today I am trying scheduled posts for the first time.
Quote found at http://enlightenyourday.com/2008/04/14/timeless-relaxing-zen-quotes-to-soothe-your-being/
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney
A bit of a whimsical picture today. This great egret stretched his neck about as far as it goes. His face at this angle reminds me of an ostrich.
Quote found at http://www.finestquotes.com/select_quote-category-Curiosity-page-0.htm
“To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wildflower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.” William Blake
Leavenworth’s Tickseed is Florida’s state wildflower – in fact the entire species – Coreopsis. You can find it all over Central Florida.
Quote found at http://quotio.com/on/Wildflower
“For us there is only trying. The rest is not our business” – T.S. Elliot
This is one of the largest alligators I’ve seen in years. For perspective I usually take pictures with my zoom at 300mm – I had to drop back to 190MM to get the entire gator in it. Guessing 12 feet long. Yikes!
Off to day 2 of bird photography workshop. Hopefully we will be a little drier today. maybe even see the sun.
“We are all connected; to each other biologically. To the earth chemically. To the rest of the universe atomically.” Neil deGrasse Tyson
Interesting fact about these birds – the females are brown and white. Haven’t captured one yet – still looking – they are a year round resident at the park so lots of time to find. And did I mention this fellow was noisy,
Heading for the park today and tomorrow for a weekend bird photography seminar – woo hoo.
Quote found at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/12855.Neil_deGrasse_Tyson
This Saturday is the Orlando Wetlands Festival http://orlandowetlands.org/ .
If you’re in the Orlando area this is a double header day. First visit Ft Christmas a recreation of a 19th century frontier fort – plus other historical buildings, then bus over to the wetlands for a tour. Plus other festival happenings.
Picture This by Frank 