Florida Scrub-Jays And The Master

This past week offered some of the most fun I have had observing and photographing birds.

The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.

A mild climate has been the norm in southwest Florida for the most part this winter of 2012. It was with great misfortune that a cold front passed through at such an inopportune time dropping temperatures to very uncomfortable lows. Master wildlife photographer Arthur Morris was in the area at this time conducting his annual southwest Florida Instructional Photo Tour. Birding bud Tom Obrock had made a trip to Harns Marsh where he counted a very large number of Snail Kite. The ambient temperature at a venue such as Harns further inland can be much lower than at the beaches in the winter months and I fear Tom encountered such an event. I've photographed frost on the feathers of birds at Harns, so I can imagine his discomfort. Tom noted his thought that the strong northeasterly wind at the time of his visit to Harns kept the kites low allowing observation of the better numbers of the species. Workmate Brad Epple brought to my attention the thought that invasive Burmese Python snakes in the Florida Everglades have been responsible for an increased observation of falcons and vultures in the Fort Myers area with the bird's food source diminished in the interior southern peninsula of Florida. Future posts will appear as you see it now. Be sure to press on an image to view the slideshow best for viewing the pics. My images seen at Pbase going forward will offer additional thoughts about observations made. While I experimented with rear focus, I am not yet a fan of the technique and the new camera appears to have a need for a significant dose of micro adjustment.


The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.


The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in February 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in February 2012.


The Great Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in February 2012.


The Wood Stork above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in February 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in February 2012.


The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.


The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.


The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.