I'll explain this series more later, I just came up with the whole idea five minutes ago.
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My day job involves a lot of going to clubs and staying out at night, so on my days off I like to do just the opposite. I head out to the swamp with my camera and just lounge around and enjoy the scenery.
As always, CLICK IMAGE FOR FULL SIZE.
My favorite little Floridian friends, the Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia). They are classified as a Species of Special Concern. You can find around 20 of these little cuties (Less than 18 is considered a failed population) nesting around the Boca Campus of Florida Atlantic University - for now. FAU's construction/expansion fetish is promising that their land will continue to dwindle with plans for a stadium, hospital and more dorms.
This is the Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata), an invasive species of duck that breeds like crazy in the canals of South Florida. They are an ugly ugly species, and the male can be distinguished by the horrid warty lumps covering the top of their bill. The chicks resemble, well chicks, they are usually yellow or brown and very cute - but don't be decieved, they will become an ugly warty mess and they will shit in your pool. These ducks often go missing when they make a pond behind a strip-mall Chinese Food joint their home.
I'm pretty sure these are Florida Cooters (Pseudemys Floridana?). They were pretty far away and this was a tight zoom. I don't think they were snappers though, they had pretty blunt snouts. Also, I've never seen snappers cluster like that for warmth, they are usually pretty solitary turtles. When I was 12-years-old I went home to Indiana and they served us "B-B-Q Chicken." It turned out to be turtle. I couldn't taste the difference.
I think the above are Little Blue Herons, but I'm not sure. I've never been good at ID'ing waders because there are a lot of subtle color variations you have to memorize, and alas, I'm colorblind. But, if they aren't Little Blue Herons, they are probably Tricolor Herons. Either way, the second is probably one of my favorite pics. It reminds me of the Salton Sea.
Oh little Green Heron, why are you so cute and short compared to all your Heron brethren? Is that why you hide in the scrubs and eat grubs? Are you afraid to be seen. Well, newsflash little fella, your Heron friends all have 30-inch legs. They can see you no matter where you hide.
This is the second bravest Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) I've ever encountered. This pissed off guy was chasing a Water Moccasin into the bushes. I heard a great struggle with lots of splashing, but then neither emerged and I couldn't get in close enough to see what the hell happened. I waited about 10 minutes, but nothing. I'm guessing he was eating.
You know these guys. They are Boat-Tailed Grackles (Quiscalus major). Also known as those loud ass birds in the Publix parking lot that scrounge up anything you drop. Here's a quick ornithological lesson: When you see these shiny-black/blue buggers in the parking lot, you will also see a smaller dull-brown bird hanging out nearby. Those are their bitches. Each male Grackle owns a slew of bitches, they are not a different kind of bird. The male will choose a tree, populate it with his harem, then defend it from other birds trying to get in on the action.
I'm pretty sure all of the above are Blue-Winged Teals, even though it's not the right time of year for them to be down here. I'm not really positive about that. The old guy who was next to me as I took these pics claimed they were Pied Billed Grebe's, but he was an idiot. Their bills are totally different as you can see in the link.
Okay, now THIS is the bravest Tricolored Heron I've ever seen. That gator is chomping on one of his friends. Ahh, the circle of life.
These are why people go to the Everglades. The illustrious American Alligator. They are scary to see up close. All of these pics were taken from less than eight feet away. I've been loitering around gators since I was old enough to go out to the swamps on my own. I've never wrestled one, but I have touched them and been chased off by pissed-off momma gators. I've never been bitten, but I have been snapped at when I was wading through Loxahatchee and stumbled upon a worked up three-foot juvenile who had just missed out on chomping on an Ibis. Luckily, he was a small guy and more interested in prey he could easily tackle because it would have been a nasty bite. But, these guys are even scary to happen upon when they are dead. Recently out in Big Cypress I found a gator who had been the target of poachers and had his tail cut off and left for the vultures (see pic in my first entry).
Overall I would have to say that I enjoy heading out to the swamp more than I like to go to the beach. They are both interesting for obvious, and different, reasons. But, I grew up closer to the swamp and I enjoy hanging out with the birds and lizards moreso than the beachgoers. They are both fun to photograph though.
This is Part Two in a series of things you have to do while living in Florida. If you haven't been to the swamp, just go. Bring some binoculars or a nice zoom lens and a bottle of water. It's worth it. It doesn't cost a dime (unless you go to Loxahatchee and pay $5 to park).
Just get the hell out of there before the sun goes down, or the mosquitoes will eat you alive.
This is Part Two in a series of things you have to do while living in Florida. If you haven't been to the swamp, just go. Bring some binoculars or a nice zoom lens and a bottle of water. It's worth it. It doesn't cost a dime (unless you go to Loxahatchee and pay $5 to park).
Just get the hell out of there before the sun goes down, or the mosquitoes will eat you alive.
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All pictures taken by moi using my piece of crap Nikon D50 with the stock 28-80mm lens at either Green Cay, Wakodahatchee, Florida Atlantic University, or random yards in Boynton Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
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