As the 2011 Great Backyard Bird Count (February 18-21) is underway, I ponder the question why one would want to be a "birder."
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
A harder question answered is "what is a birder?"
If you've ever taken interest in the flight of a bird that may have crossed your path or winged creature that may have merely been within your view, you might consider yourself a birder.
The Mourning Dove above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
There are certainly birders with qualifications raging far and wide from filling a box with seed to traveling the world.
It's been my great pleasure to encounter birders in my travels whom have the ability to identify birds with a skill that seems to be acquired with many years of observation and faithful dedication.
The Blue-headed Vireo above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
It has taken me several years to reach the point in which I consider myself a novice birder devoting as much time to Southwest Florida wildlife observation as I can which typically averages seven hours a week.
I occasionally ponder the question asked of me by someone I've worked with if I would ever lose interest in photographing birds.
The Downy Woodpecker above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
As I immediately answered then, and as I feel today, definitely not.
There's simply too much unexpected opportunity with appreciation for the fact that these creatures are believed to be descendants of dinosaurs with a fossil indicating a winged creature lived 150 million years ago.
The Blue-headed Vireo above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
I have thus far documented 137 different species of bird in Florida, with a lifetime endeavor to merely observe as many of these beautiful creatures as I am able.
A greater personal endeavor is to study the behavior of birds.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
This week's effort was to continue my observation of a Bald Eagle's nest that has a solitary fledgling.
A contentious behavior between the adult eagles and Ospreys was again noted.
The Bald Eagle juvenile above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
The aerial dogfights between the species, if you will, are quite extraordinary and very difficult to document effectively through photography.
It was also particularly interesting to observe the eagle I call "862," as indicated by the metal band on its right leg.
The Bald Eagle with Osprey above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
I reported the identification of the bird to the United States Geological Survey for information on the bird's history, but have not received a reply after two weeks.
What was of particular interest to me about the eagle's behavior which lasted 12 minutes was the manner in which it apparently was attempting to cool itself down on the morning when the temperature was about 70 degrees in the shade.
The Yellow-throated Warbler above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
I have only seen similar behavior made by a Great Blue Heron on a couple of occasions and never before by the eagles.
This behavior should not be mistaken as similar by an Anhinga which stretches its wings in a similar manner to dry its feathers which lack waterproof characteristics of other birds.
The Roseate Spoonbill (note the middle bird's interest) above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
While observing the eagle's nest I again saw the Blue-headed Vireo which was favoring the seeds of a nearby Gumbo-limbo tree, with the bird both eating and regurgitating them.
Although this tree is known to be used for a great number of reasons including carousel horses, medicinal purposes, and Haitian musical drums, I pondered at the time while observing the vireo if the brightly colored seeds of the tree may have been cultivated by native American Indians as a resource for pigment in their paints.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
If you have the opportunity to offer a landscape addition in your yard where climate should be of concern, consider my favorite shrub known as Pineapple Guava (Acca sellowiana) which is incredibly fragrant while in bloom.
In the past, I have observed the Red-belied Woodpecker as another bird species that regurgitates seeds.
The Blue-headed Vireo above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
Other bird species easily captivated my attention as a Yellow-throated Warbler was observed for the first time in over four years, coincidentally within a few miles from where I observed it last.
I also had the opportunity to photograph the Downy Woodpecker in the company of the much more common Red-bellied.
The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
The Downy Woodpecker is quite distinctive in the sound it makes which would allow its identification without seeing it.
Another rare observation was made with the sighting of an American Kestrel.
The Northern Mockingbird above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
When I first caught a glimpse of the bird as it flew overhead, while not immediately able to identify it, I knew that it was unusual with regard to its flight characteristics.
I learned some valuable lessons in camera settings that need to be used in the future to offer consistently improved images.
The Gulf Fritillary Butterfly above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
It was interesting to observe as well the carcass of a turtle that possibly had its shell penetrated by the Black Vulture in the tree directly above it.
Though I've only picked up and kept one shell from the beach in my travels, it was interesting this week to meet someone that told me I had to give up my Alphabet Cone if I found one.
The American Kestrel above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
I'll leave the reason why a mystery.
I was particularly intrigued with the workings of photo editing this week (which I attempt to keep to a minimum of crop and sharpening) as I attempted to remove a color cast in the Downy Woodpecker image included in this post where utilizing CS5, the opposite of what I thought should happen occurred.
The turtle carcass above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
Though I'm not sure what caused the color cast to begin with as it's not often produced in my images taken, the hue/contrast feature in CS5 minimized the effect by moving the slider darker after selecting the color I thought closest to that I wished to remove.
The fledgling eagle is progressing well.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.A harder question answered is "what is a birder?"
If you've ever taken interest in the flight of a bird that may have crossed your path or winged creature that may have merely been within your view, you might consider yourself a birder.
The Mourning Dove above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.There are certainly birders with qualifications raging far and wide from filling a box with seed to traveling the world.
It's been my great pleasure to encounter birders in my travels whom have the ability to identify birds with a skill that seems to be acquired with many years of observation and faithful dedication.
The Blue-headed Vireo above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.It has taken me several years to reach the point in which I consider myself a novice birder devoting as much time to Southwest Florida wildlife observation as I can which typically averages seven hours a week.
I occasionally ponder the question asked of me by someone I've worked with if I would ever lose interest in photographing birds.
The Downy Woodpecker above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.As I immediately answered then, and as I feel today, definitely not.
There's simply too much unexpected opportunity with appreciation for the fact that these creatures are believed to be descendants of dinosaurs with a fossil indicating a winged creature lived 150 million years ago.
The Blue-headed Vireo above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.I have thus far documented 137 different species of bird in Florida, with a lifetime endeavor to merely observe as many of these beautiful creatures as I am able.
A greater personal endeavor is to study the behavior of birds.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.This week's effort was to continue my observation of a Bald Eagle's nest that has a solitary fledgling.
A contentious behavior between the adult eagles and Ospreys was again noted.
The Bald Eagle juvenile above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.The aerial dogfights between the species, if you will, are quite extraordinary and very difficult to document effectively through photography.
It was also particularly interesting to observe the eagle I call "862," as indicated by the metal band on its right leg.
The Bald Eagle with Osprey above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.I reported the identification of the bird to the United States Geological Survey for information on the bird's history, but have not received a reply after two weeks.
What was of particular interest to me about the eagle's behavior which lasted 12 minutes was the manner in which it apparently was attempting to cool itself down on the morning when the temperature was about 70 degrees in the shade.
The Yellow-throated Warbler above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.I have only seen similar behavior made by a Great Blue Heron on a couple of occasions and never before by the eagles.
This behavior should not be mistaken as similar by an Anhinga which stretches its wings in a similar manner to dry its feathers which lack waterproof characteristics of other birds.
The Roseate Spoonbill (note the middle bird's interest) above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.While observing the eagle's nest I again saw the Blue-headed Vireo which was favoring the seeds of a nearby Gumbo-limbo tree, with the bird both eating and regurgitating them.
Although this tree is known to be used for a great number of reasons including carousel horses, medicinal purposes, and Haitian musical drums, I pondered at the time while observing the vireo if the brightly colored seeds of the tree may have been cultivated by native American Indians as a resource for pigment in their paints.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.If you have the opportunity to offer a landscape addition in your yard where climate should be of concern, consider my favorite shrub known as Pineapple Guava (Acca sellowiana) which is incredibly fragrant while in bloom.
In the past, I have observed the Red-belied Woodpecker as another bird species that regurgitates seeds.
The Blue-headed Vireo above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.Other bird species easily captivated my attention as a Yellow-throated Warbler was observed for the first time in over four years, coincidentally within a few miles from where I observed it last.
I also had the opportunity to photograph the Downy Woodpecker in the company of the much more common Red-bellied.
The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.The Downy Woodpecker is quite distinctive in the sound it makes which would allow its identification without seeing it.
Another rare observation was made with the sighting of an American Kestrel.
The Northern Mockingbird above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.When I first caught a glimpse of the bird as it flew overhead, while not immediately able to identify it, I knew that it was unusual with regard to its flight characteristics.
I learned some valuable lessons in camera settings that need to be used in the future to offer consistently improved images.
The Gulf Fritillary Butterfly above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.It was interesting to observe as well the carcass of a turtle that possibly had its shell penetrated by the Black Vulture in the tree directly above it.
Though I've only picked up and kept one shell from the beach in my travels, it was interesting this week to meet someone that told me I had to give up my Alphabet Cone if I found one.
The American Kestrel above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.I'll leave the reason why a mystery.
I was particularly intrigued with the workings of photo editing this week (which I attempt to keep to a minimum of crop and sharpening) as I attempted to remove a color cast in the Downy Woodpecker image included in this post where utilizing CS5, the opposite of what I thought should happen occurred.
The turtle carcass above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.Though I'm not sure what caused the color cast to begin with as it's not often produced in my images taken, the hue/contrast feature in CS5 minimized the effect by moving the slider darker after selecting the color I thought closest to that I wished to remove.
The fledgling eagle is progressing well.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.