Just For Fun

Like most of us who make a living taking photos, I don't usually do it just for fun. But after working for the 8th straight weekend last weekend, I finally caught up with my production and decided around 4 pm today to go for a walk with Rowdy and I grabbed my camera as we were walking out the door.

The camera had my 135mm F2.0L with Canon 1.4X TC so I decided to go for a walk on the Nature Trail close to where I live. I usually walk Rowdy off-lead there so it was perfect for my purposes. As we started the walk, I spied a thistle and, upon closer look, saw it had a bee working on it. I, of course, took a few shots. Here's one.



Further along the trail, I spotted a clump of flowers that looked remarkably like Crocus but I haven't seen them in Florida since we moved down here in 1989. Of course, I shot them.



And then I saw this one, lone Daisy in a filed of blue/purple flowers and thought it looked lonely.



While I was taking all these shots of flower, Rowdy was trotting along the trail and finding all kinds of scents and stuff. He stopped when he spotted a bird he couldn't identify. I couldn't either but I snapped a few shots of it.



Then we came upon a flock of millions of Ibis. OK, maybe thousands. Well . . . at least a dozen . Anyway, as we approached, they took flight and I attempted to capture them.



We managed to get a little closer before Rowdy spooked them again -- and I could tell this was getting to be a really fun exercise for the Rowdster.



We continued this process of chase, flight, shoot, land and chase again for over 2 miles. One of us was exhausted. And it wasn't either the birds or the dog . I managed to get one BIF of an Ibis but, honestly, this isn't my skill set. Still, I was happy to get what I got.



And, when we finally decided to head back, the Ibis all landed in a nearby naked Cypress which I now call the "Ibis Tree". It was actually very cool.



Rowdy had a blast; I had fun; and the birds got some exercise. What more can you ask?

Jim

All great pics.....I especially like the lone daisy and the tree. We are planning a trip to Florida in mid May. I expect to see more photographers there that time of year, last time in Sept there were none to be found. I can't wait to go to Ding Darling again and this time we will make a stop over at St Augustine.

Thanks for sharing, Jim. I like the Ibis tree best.

Thanks for taking us along on your hike, Jim. I appreciate the opportunity to view some of Florida's beauty through your eyes, thanks for sharing.

Hey Jim,

Great stuff. My favorite shot so far was the 3rd of the Daisy. It was artfully done.

James

Thanks, James. Part of the fun of photography for me is to shoot things I don't normally photograph in my "business". Macro photography; landscapes; wildlife. These keep my artistic eye exercised.

For that shot, I had to lay on my belly while avoiding a few mounds of fire ants that were convinced there was a large meal on their doorstep . I like that shot, too.

For me, it's important to try to stretch myself by shooting things that aren't my main bag. People portraits have always been difficult for me but I'm getting better because I'm relating to the subjects better -- including babies that have suddenly decided I'm kinda cool. Must be my Santa Claus stage of life .

I also shoot still lifes, abstracts and weddings to try to improve on my skills in those areas. And the more I do in those areas, the more I expand my vision for pet photos. For me, photography is a way of seeing the world and my world has to be bigger than just what I shoot for income.

Jim

I think your unidentified bird is a Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea).

I love the ibis tree!

Durwood,
thanks for the ID. Very pretty bird but also very difficult to shoot against a blown out sky. Great steel-grey, blue coloring. I've got to get better images of it.

I love the Ibis tree, too. That was really a fun walk and Rowdy enjoyed it as much as I did.

Jim

Earlier Posting Here

Amazing pics! Especially the sole Heron.

Am headed to Sanibel in a couple of weeks. Plan on spending some time in Ding Darliing. Have looked up their website, etc. but would appreciate any advice as it is substantially different than the Tucson desert.
Thanks

Love these Jim, especially the Ibis tree. So unusual.

Diana

Richard,
I've never been to Ding Darling but from what I hear, it's a great place to shoot migratory birds. Temps now are in the high 70s to low 80s. I'm getting Herons, Ibis and Sand Hill Cranes in the back yard so I'm betting the selection over on the West Coast at Sanibel will be amazing.

Good luck and while you're there, I'll be in Colorado looking for some mountains to shoot. Let's exchange image posts when we get back home.

Jim

Ding Darling was great when I was there spring of 08. It goes up and down as far as activity levels go.

If you want more info on it, birdphotographers.net is a good place to ask, however, they are down right now due to a hack.