Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park was a primary destination for Tom Obrock and me as we made the long trek from Fort Myers on 25 July 2013.
The Northern Cardinal above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
This was my second visit to Paynes Prairie, a magnificent wildlife venue, with
the first trip made on 23 February 2013.
The White-eyed Vireo above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Northern Cardinal above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Needham's Skimmer above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The wild Florida Cracker horse above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Cattle Egret above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Purple Passion Flower above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Indigo Bunting above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Cattle Egret above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
Tom and I drove through some thunderstorms on the way up that had him keeping a close eye on the weather forecast in Gainesville.
The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Great Egret above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The immature Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The alligator above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
It was our great fortune that the rains held off for most of the day while overcast conditions favored photography of what we saw.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The insect life was prolific at Paynes Prairie and I couldn't resist documenting some of it while the dragonflies appear as dust specs when looking at distant birds in some of the images taken.
The Red-winged Blackbird above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Red-winged Blackbird above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The female Eastern Pondhawk above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The dragonfly above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Gulf Fritillary above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Gulf Fritillary above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The female Four-spotted Pennant above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Needham's Skimmer above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
I have run out of time to research the unnamed dragonflies and would be grateful for help in their identification (and welcome corrections, if necessary).
The dragonfly above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The dragonfly above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The female Eastern Pondhawk above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The male Eastern Pondhawk above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Red-winged Blackbird above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The images in this article were captured at Paynes Prairie while images in this article's followup will include more from the state park and additionally include selected images captured at Powerline Road, our first of two stops, on the way back.
The Red-winged Blackbird above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The scene above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The molting Purple Gallinule above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The molting Purple Gallinule above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The molting Purple Gallinule above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The molting Purple Gallinule above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Black Racer above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
This day trip concluded with a stop at Fort De Soto Park with hopes of seeing the Brown Booby, with images captured at the park presented in a third article.
The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Indigo Bunting above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Indigo Bunting above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Red-winged Blackbird above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
The Mississippi Kite above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
Tom made a detailed report of this trip which can be investigated
here.
The Common Buckeye above was photographed at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park La Chua Trail in July 2013.
Please see: Paynes Prairie State Park
Article II
Looks like a wonderful trip. I particularly like the one of the Eastern Swallowtail which is an impressive capture given the usually erratic nature of butterfly flight.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed looking through your photos, now I'll have to take a look and see where this place is. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI can only dream of such beautiful photos!. The wonderful dragonflies, and butterflies(the Eastern tiger Swallowtail is grandiose.)And all the pretty special coloured birds. Especially the landing of the purple gallinule and Black-crowned night-heron. And the Cattle Egret on the back of the horse, of course! I have enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMaria
Wonderful again Bob, not only the birds, but also the dragonflies and the butterflies, even flying you have them sharp, my complimentes to this beautiful blog. As always.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Marianne