Click any image to pull up a slideshow view of my most recent pictures I've taken.

12/06/09

Sunrise, 13-mile north sky. It was cold and red and covered the sky.

Sunrise 13-mile. 13-mile was a small fishing settlement, thirteen miles from town, that was finally blown off the map one too many times. Google “13-Mile, Apalachicola, FL” for some history.

American Kestrel. The cold wind has pushed more migrants our way including this beautiful bird.

11/14/09

Apalachicola River Sunrise: Every morning is the promise of a great light show on the river.

Palm warbler: These colorful small warblers are with us in good numbers for the winter and many more migrate through.

Sharp-shinned hawk, drinking: One of many predators that follow the great fall migration.

11/12/09

Yellow-rump warbler: The north wind blew in many migrants including our most numerous warbler the yellow rump.

Sunrise: TS Ida’s trailing winds were from the north and brought us scrubbed-clear skies and all the sun we’ve been missing.

Cottonmouth: Although the air temperatures were in the fifties, it’s only as cold as where you are and the sun and water are still very warm. A good lesson.

11/5/09

11/4/09

Snowy egrets and gulls: This was quite a bird dust up as they all fought for the small catfish. As usual, the largest gull won.

Hawk: The warbler migration is in full movement as well as other migrants. This hawk is part of the raptor migration that follows them.

Sunrise eagle: The eagle takes and early morning tour around his domain, Apalachicola Bay, with an eye toward breakfast.

11/2/09

Full moon: A cloudless sky meant an especially bright full moon. But it was a chance to light Cash Creek and still see the stars. And Venus.

Golden rods: The light lay clear and gold on the marsh and sparkled on the yellow highlights, drawing my eye.

West sky: The color spread across the dome of the sky as the sun rose behind me.

10/28/09

Sunrise: A golden prelude to the day.

Ruby-throated hummingbird: Hard to believe this little fellow is about to fly over the Gulf of Mexico. At least he doesn’t have any baggage.

Swamp sparrow: These beautifully colored birds will be spending the winter on the Forgotten Coast. Usually in deep brush.

10/23/09

Snowy egret: This snowy is foraging in some of the high water pushed up at Scipio Creek. He was about the scratch his head when a crow startled him.

Sunrise: Lots of red skies in the morning lately. Plus the east wind has the bay full and flooding in low areas.

10/22/09

Eagle, landing: This is the male. This is their care-free dating time of the year. Hopefully they will soon be working hard to bring up some baby eaglets.

Eagle, Apalachicola: This is the female “Urban Eagle” of Apalachicola.

10/18/09

Common Yellowthroat: The same winds and chilly temps drove the migrants south where they paused for a day in Apalachicola.

Foggy Flats: the howling north winds brought chill to the coastline and blew the water out of Apalachicola Bay.

Yellow Warbler: These small birds will soon fly across the Gulf of Mexico non-stop. Better chow down now.

10/16/09

Hawk: The fall bird migration has begun in earnest and the raptors are never far behind

Night vision: Looking across Apalachicola Bay looking to Bob Sikes Cut. This thirty second exposure is lit by flashes of far-off lightning.

Young coons: I’ve watched these yearlings grow up. Here they lounge in a tree hammock, wondering what the heck the human is doing.

10/14/09

Great egret: The sun was quickly hidden by the clouds but the diffused light lay softly over the marsh where I was lucky enough to catch this great egret in flight. His white form against the gradient of the background is called counter-shading and gives the impression of greater detail.

Red Sunrise: Some of the colors and patterns and lighting angles of this monster sunrise, I had not photographed before. I’d think sailors should really take warning on this one. Fire and brimstone.

Moon over Venus: The appearance of the moon as full is a photographic illusion. Actually the moon was but a sliver. A wide aperture setting on the camera, a thirty-second exposure time and the misty clouds combined for the impression.

10/12/09

St. George Sound, 6:49 a.m.: Sunrise is at 7:39 so this 30 sec exposure was made a little less than an hour before sunrise. Venus is the Morning Star. Signs look promising.

St. George Sound, 7:24 a.m.: Usually about a half hour before sunrise is the time of the most saturated color, but usually localized. Here the bay is ablaze. But this color lasted for less than two minutes and faded.

St. George Sound, 7:39 a.m.: Sunrise. The color is swallowed by the sea fog and the heavy clouds on the horizon. If this was all you saw of “sunrise”, you’d have been disappointed.

10/11/09

Self-portrait: Sunday morning bright and early found me trying to decide how best to photograph a crystal-clear sunrise with almost no clouds for any grand effects.

Snowy egret: This full-grown snowy gives a visual warning with his head feathers to warn away any others who might think of stealing his prize.

Bay Pine: I thought the old pine, living on the constant edge of oblivion, yet jutting defiantly into the face of the sea, was an interesting reflection into the qualities that life imparts to elemental sunlight. Our atoms came from exploding stars and our daily life from the energy of the sun. The tree is solidified sunlight, now unique.

Great egret: It’s jubilee time in Apalachicola Bay as the fall shrimp run is a feast to humans and wildlife.

10/9/09

Terns are among the most powerful of flyers and here the camera freezes this instant-before-landing by the Forster’s tern into almost an abstraction of line, grace and intention.

The early sunrise on St. George Island had the beach walkers grumbling but I encouraged them not to give up because we had the clouds for a great show. And that’s what happened.

The sea oats as still pretty much in their golden prime, despite some pretty stiff winds this fall.

10/8/09

Sunflowers and Deer’s Tongue bathed the meadows in purple and gold. LSU colors?

Gulf Fritillaries and countless other species hurried from blossom to blossom; like a young man in spring.

Cash Creek: The tour this morning was to the Apalachicola National Forest for wildflowers. Because of the heavy fog we paused for “atmospheric perspective” images at the water features. Is that a gator?

Yes. I called him close by splashing a stick in the water like I was a tourist paddling a kayak.

10/7/09

A brown pelican is framed against the glow as he sets out early.

Later in the morning the hard-working osprey shakes off the water after finally catching breakfast. But…

… Immediately had to save his meal from the marauding eagle. It took a bit of fancy flying but the osprey won.

The boat-tailed grackle belt out his song backlit by the golden ripples of Apalachicola Bay.

10/6/09

The noisy and entertaining boat-tailed grackles kept up a stead patter of cacophony to my ears. I’m sure they knew what they were talking about. Blackbird has spoken.

Bottle-nosed dolphin played games in the golden water but didn’t seem inclined to dine on mullet.

Mullet were in the bay thick but the trick was getting them to cooperate. This one launches itself into the golden sunlight for a brief flight.

10/5/09

Lingering storm clouds blocked the color from today’s light show.

Venus over Eastpoint: Last Friday I shot the morning star as it rose over Eastpoint. An ironic grace note from the Goddess of Love.

Sunrise over Apalachicola River: Venus faded as the rising sun bathed the whole dome of the sky in super-saturated colors that can only be approximately captured with a camera’s palette.

10/1/09

The first day of October glistened clear and golden over Apalachicola Bay. Everything and everybody went fishing.

9-30-09

The first cool days of fall produced a stunning sunrise over Apalachicola Bay.

It was an explosion of color that painted the sky to all the points of the compass.

A Caspian tern tosses a newly captured mullet into the air and catches it again. Don’t know why but it tossed the mullet and caught it at least five times, looked like it was having fun.