The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed in rural Cape Coral in December 2011.The original version of this story has eluded me in my search to revisit it and provide a link.
Its premise is that the fluttering wings of a butterfly cause a cataclysmic event.
The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed in rural Cape Coral in December 2011.I'm compelled to interject at this point that the image immediately above was severely cropped with a heavy dose of Luminance reduction in Photoshop's Creative Suite.
This approach has been frowned upon for the mayhem caused to image detail while I find the post processing technique useful under certain conditions.
The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed in rural Cape Coral in December 2011.In the image directly above I feel the subject was properly exposed yet felt an improvement could be made by darkening the branch slightly.
So you have the idea of how I think to an extent with regard to image processing, but enough of that.
The Eastern Meadowlark above was photographed in rural Cape Coral in December 2011.Through this ensuing story I attempt to find peace after my observations this week.
The north Cape Coral area for wildlife observation brought to my attention recently by Tom Obrock has been a boon.
The Burrowing Owl above was photographed in rural Cape Coral in December 2011.Note the splinter-like vegetation above the beak and toward the owl's right eye in the preceding image.
I've spent a lot of time in this north Cape Coral area with an effort to observe the unexpected and see the previously unseen in a relatively short period of time.
The Great Horned Owl above was photographed in rural Cape Coral in December 2011.In this place I have been able to photograph Red-tailed Hawk, Monk Parakeet and Florida Scrub-Jay for the first time and continued my efforts to familiarize myself with bird behavior.
Additionally this week I made a visit to Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island to enjoy the prolific bird life that may be observed.
The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in December 2011.I settled down at my favorite spot immediately beyond the newly constructed observation deck for a few hours and endured the sand gnats that were as aggressive as ever.
A few fellow visitors that had arrived at Ding before me favored the observation point a little further along Wildlife Drive at Water Control Structure 2.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in December 2011.The tide was favorably low which attracted dozens of American White Pelican through the early morning hours with them recently arriving as a winter resident.
An Osprey was again observed to collect sea grass on several occasions for its nest building endeavors.
The Laughing Gull above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in December 2011.Spotted Sandpiper was seen lacking its spots this time of year with the behavior and call of the species unmistakable.
Ring-billed Gulls were fun to observe with this species particularly active on occasion standing its ground against birds smaller than itself.
The Osprey above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in December 2011.Many hundreds of birds were observed before I traveled to Water Control Structure 5 where I had a closer view of the very photogenic Roseate Spoonbill.
There was a flock of Western Sandpiper seen at this point that inexplicably took flight to offer a remarkable sight as they flew in near unison.
The Osprey above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in December 2011.It was needless to say a very enjoyable drive through and made a brief stop at home to charge the camera's battery.
A follow up trip to the north Cape was made later in the day when I met up with Tom Obrock.
The Spotted Sandpiper above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in December 2011.There were hopes of again seeing here Great Horned Owl, first observed that I'm aware of by visiting birder and photographer Branyo Kuvic.
On another visit to this area with Chris and Rachael Baker before their return home I managed to discover the nest of the Great Horned Owl with the species previously personally photographed at Honeymoon Island State Park in early May 2009.
The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in December 2011.Waiting for Tom to arrive I was quite positive that I heard the call of a Great Horned Owl off the nest.
When the call was heard again a couple of hours later, Tom and I drove around the area to unsuccessfully find the bird.
The Wood Stork above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in December 2011.Tom noted that Great Horned Owl will take over an existing nest evicting its builder.
The majestic bird wouldn't be seen until sunset when Tom pointed out the owl behind us.
The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in December 2011.We observed the nest containing the other owl with anticipation the bird would fly to the pine tree directly in front of us which the owl was observed to have done twice before.
The owl certainly had a sense of our presence as it flew from the nest to a power line much more distant from us about fifteen minutes after sunset.
The Green Heron above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in December 2011.Tom had earlier announced an inbound Red-tailed Hawk that I was able to photograph best after removing the camera from its tripod.
Tom also made a point of telling me how unfortunate it was that we failed to join the Tropical Audubon Society in search of exotic birds around the Miami area earlier in the month.
The American White Pelican above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in December 2011.Tom's account of his birding observations in Cape Coral on this day may be seen here.
A visit to the Bald Eagle's nest at Big Carlos Pass was made at dawn this week as well to continue my four year study of the eagles that have been successfully producing future generations.
The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in December 2011.One of the eagles was in its nest upon my arrival with the other bird perched about a hundred feet away from it.
Observing the behavior of the eagle in the nest, I am quite confident that mating has already occurred with incubation of eggs taking place.
The primarily Western Sandpiper above was photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in December 2011.I was able to see a band on the right leg of the eagle perched in the tree.
The Butterfly Effect: Part II
This exquisite sequence of photographs took my breath away. Outstanding images of beautiful birds. Truly spectacular!
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