A Pleasant Surprise

It's the end of another year, and what a year it was. Just when I thought I wasn't going to see anything new, the last day of 2007 held a pleasant surprise. The day started off early, as I tried to get down to Dunedin by the Fenway Hotel and the pilings to capture the sea fog that was blanketing the area. Just as I arrived to set up, a breeze started to come off the Gulf of Mexico, so my opportunity was cut short.

Not ready to go back home just yet, I headed off towards the Dunedin Causeway to photograph the numerous shorebirds that were along the shore, as low tide was rolling in. I was able to capture some real nice shots of a friendly Reddish Egret as he was trying to catch breakfast. I also got a great shot of a Willet as he was probing the flats, and got him just as he was ready to down a soft-shelled crab.

It was getting towards lunch now, so I packed up to head home, but first stopped at a pond near my house to see if I could find any alligators sunning on the shore. As I pulled up, I spotted a gang of Wild Turkeys as they were making their way towards to edge of the tree line. I was able to get a few rare shots of these guys as they disappeared into the deep woods.

Just as I was getting ready to make my way back to my car, a loud splash came from the pond. At first I thought it was the Alligator, but to my surprise, it was a River Otter. I have never seen an otter in the wild, so this was a fantastic opportunity. I watched this little otter as he was swimming all around the pond, coming up for air every so often and looking my way.

What a treat, for I have been to this pond numerous times, but have never seen him before. After about thirty minutes, he popped up with a huge fish, almost half the size of him, and made a dash for his burrow along the bank of the pond. It was a great moment to see one of these elusive creatures, and I hope to see him again.

Later in the evening I headed back out to Lake Tarpon to see if I could get an alligator. Well, I never saw one (except for a sign), but I did find three friendly squirrels that wanted to play, and allowed me to get some real great shots of them. Happy New Year!

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A New Pair

About this time last year was when I saw my first baby Bald Eagles in the wild. Since I haven't been back in a while, I headed out early to check on the adult pair of Bald Eagles at Anclote River to see if they had any babies this year. When I arrived, both adults were sitting outside the nest on some snags, and they provided some great close-ups and even some fly-over shots.

One of the adults that left at one point came back and flew into the nest, and just as I had hoped, there is a pair of baby Bald Eagles that were all excited to see their parent with a bounty of fish. From the looks of them, they are only a few days old now, so it will be great to watch this pair grow up this year.

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Little Munchers

It's now week four in the continuing saga of the new baby bunnies. This week, the difference in size is amazing. They almost seemed to double in size, and are becoming much more high energy as they love to run, jump, hop and play.

They now can eat solid foods, although they eat best apples and celery. Mommy bunny is still feeding milk, but it won't be long now until they are on their own for food, and the way they plow through their food, that shouldn't much longer now.

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Merry Christmas

Not being ones to do the ordinary, we decided for Christmas to volunteer to help out at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. It's not your typical Christmas spent with family or friends, but rather we wanted to give some cheer to the resident sea turtles that need help at the aquarium.

Dawn has started at the aquarium last week, so when she was asked to come in on Christmas morning to help feed the turtles, we said yes without hesitation. Now, I've been at the aquarium numerous times to photograph the animals there, but I have never actually fed or helped out there. I can honestly say this isn't easy work, for there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes many don't realize.

We helped out feeding some of the turtles at the aquarium after all the day's food was prepared, which is a chore itself. We also fed the Stingrays, Nurse Sharks, Groupers, Snook and many others that are in the Mangroves exhibit. It was a busy morning, but it was great to help make a difference to these little ones.

After lunch, we took a ride down the Intercostal through Clearwater Beach, and stopped at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary to check on the birds there. We spent a couple of hours on the beach, and really enjoyed the warm sunshine and gentle breezes off the Gulf of Mexico.

Later in the afternoon, we decided at the last minute to go to Honeymoon Island to walk the trails, catch the sunset, and check up on the Great Horned Owls. It was a very relaxing way to end Christmas, as we sat on a bench overlooking the island, watching the Osprey soar overhead, and hearing the soft hoots of the owls. I don't think I've had a better Christmas.

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'Twas The Night Before Christmas

The end of the year is rapidly approaching. It's hard to believe that another Christmas is upon us, for this year seemed to fly by. With some warmer weather, we decided to take a walk on the trails at Honeymoon Island to relax and enjoy the season. The afternoon was nice and sunny, but late in the evening some clouds rolled in off the Gulf of Mexico and gave us overcast skies.

Since the light was not all that great for wildlife, I decided to take advantage of this flat light to create some High Dynamic Range photos of some of the trails we must of walked down hundreds of times. I tried to find areas along the trails where the sky would be kept at a minimum, which at some spots is pretty easy to find.

I made my way down behind the trails late in the evening in front of the mangroves, looking back upon the island. I found a bench that would give me the ability to get up high to overlook the brush, and it provided with my best yet landscape of the island. Just as I was setting up for the HDR, the skies gave way for some blue and sunset colors, and was perfect for the end of a beautiful day in paradise.

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View HDR Photograph Of Honeymoon Island
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As we were leaving, we came across daddy owl sitting high up in a slash pine. Mommy owl is now sitting in her nest, most likely sitting on eggs for this year, for just a few weeks ago we witnessed a rare moment when they mated. Sure won't be long before we hope to see a new group of baby owlets.

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Hippity-Hoppitys

It's now week three in the continuing saga of the new baby bunnies. Not only have they all fully opened their eyes now, but they are just so full of energy, they run and hop all over the place. It's a wonder just how mommy bunny can put up with all the commotion.

They are now trying to eat solid foods, but the best they can do is to nibble on soft carrots and apple slices. All six of the babies go crazy when they see the new delicious fruits, and take just enough time out to nibble when they are running around.

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Cruisin' Around

After the photo I shot last evening of the reflection of the sunset in my car, I decided to try to get some more of those types of shots as I drove around Clearwater Beach. Now, it's one thing to drive a stick-shift hotrod as it is, much less stick a camera out the window and shoot at the same time. It surely isn't easy.

I experimented a bit with focal lengths, shutter speeds, and tried to guess at the composition, since I had no idea what I was pointing the camera at. It is a lot of trial and error, and for every one that is good, you have a ton that are not. But, it was still kinda of fun to try, not too mention I got some unique shots of my ride in the process.

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Reflections

Now that the winter season has arrived, we get some of the most amazing sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico.

With the drier air and deep blue skies, the colors one can see on any given evening can be mind blowing, even when reflected on the side of my car going 50 miles an hour.

Squirrel Downunder

Last month, a photo I had taken of a Brown Anole was featured on the cover of Creation Magazine in Australia. Last week, another one of my photographs was selected to grace the upcoming issue, and this time, it is of a squirrel! This months article teaches on just how these little creatures are amazing at survival, and how they adapt to living amongst us.

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View The Cover Of Creation Magazine - Squirrel
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View The Cover Of Creation Magazine - Anole
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The latest issue should be hitting the newsstands downunder in the coming weeks, and what an honor to have my work featured two issues in a row on their cover!

Eyes Wide Open

It's amazing just how big (and fuzzy) the baby bunnies are getting. It's now been two weeks, and a couple of days ago, all six of the baby bunnies opened their eyes. At first, they were only opening one, but now, both are open, and boy, are they now really having fun exploring their world around them.

Dawn has been helping a lot taking care of them, for she has raised and been around rabbits for over 25 years. She took the time to write a great article on Domestic Rabbit & Baby Bunny Care that has great first-hand information as well as links to further facts and information on taking care of these little bundles of energy.

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Read Dawn's Article On Domestic Rabbit & Baby Bunny Care
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The baby bunnies are still feeding from their mom, but it won't be too long now until they will be eating on their own.

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Winter Poster

A few months ago, I had the extreme pleasure to spend a day at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater Beach, Florida to photograph all of their resident animals there at the aquarium. It was a fantastic day to spend so much time with these animals, including River Otters, Sea Turtles, and of course, the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins.

The aquarium in the process of a complete makeover, and numerous photos that I have taken there will be used in their new exhibits and promotions, and one of my favorite shots which is of Winter, was made into a full-sized poster that is now on sale at their gift shop. Winter is an amazing dolphin, and was my favorite to photograph, for she is so playful and curious making it easy to get some great shots of her.

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View The Clearwater Marine Aquarium Winter Poster
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So if you are in the area, be sure to stop by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and pick up your very own Winter the Bottlenose Dolphin poster!

To The Rescue

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a nonprofit facility dedicated to research and education. The aquarium also rescues, rehabilitates and releases local animals that have been stranded or injured and was recently featured in Creative Loafing Magazine.

What was great about the article is that one of my photos I shot during a Sea Turtle rescue appeared in the magazine article. That was my first opportunity to photograph a rescue, and it was certainly a learning experience.

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Read The Article In Creative Loafing Magazine
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The photograph is of Peter, a turtle found on the beach in Treasure Island, and was taken as he arrived at Clearwater Marine Aquarium with the help of volunteers.

Refreshed & Recharged

It has been nice for the past week, for some of our family from back home in Cleveland came down to visit us for Christmas. It was a full seven days of rest and relaxation for all of us, as we showed them around Tampa Bay.

We visited the zoo, aquariums and the best beaches and parks that only the locals know about. There is nothing like sunsets we saw at the beach, and they were amazed at just how beautiful they are down here.

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View The Sunset Over Fred Howard Beach
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Although we didn't get down to our annual vacation in the Florida Keys, it was real nice to relax and spend time with our family for Christmas. We sure however don't miss the 30 degree weather they have back up there right now!

Changing Of The Guard

It's now getting closer for the pair of Bald Eagles I have been watching. I took a drive up to Anclote River to check on the progress of the pair of Bald Eagles, and they are without a doubt sitting on some eggs, for I spent about two hours watching as the female was from time to time getting up from their nest and moving and rotating them while the male Eagle was out hunting for food.

When the male finally came back to the nest, he arrived with a large clutch of Spanish Moss to line the nest, a clear indication that it's getting closer now for a hatching. They switched roles, as then the female left, stopped on a snag and provided a great photo op, and took off. Hopefully, it won't be much longer until we see baby Eagles.

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Happy Birthday

Well, so far, so good with the baby bunnies. Today marked their first week birthday, which is a major milestone for them, for it is usually within the first week that will determine if they will make it or not.

Mommy bunny, Autumn, is really taking care of them well, for they are plump and happy. They still have not opened their eyes yet, but already their fur is coming in nice. Hopefully in another week their eyes should open and they can start to explore their new world.

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Lucy

Once in a while a rare opportunity comes along, and when this one came calling, I jumped at the offer. A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo to photograph a special new addition to the family. Her name is Lucy, and she is a five month old Florida Panther. This was a rare opportunity to not only see Florida's rarest animal, but get the chance to photograph this beautiful Florida Panther.

Lucy, named after an American Indian tribe "Calusa", was one in a litter of four in the Big Cypress Swamp found by wildlife officers, who monitor the animals, which were placed on the endangered species list in 1967. When wildlife officers checked on the litter, they found the mother had moved three of the cubs and left Lucy behind.

This little one is so full of energy, she would pounce on anything that moved, and was amazing to watch. Having the opportunity to be only feet away from her, as she purred and growled, made for a moment in time I won't soon forget.

When 3 Becomes 9

There is an old saying that goes something like "multiply like rabbits..." or something to that effect. Well, I can officially vouch that whatever it may be, it is true.

So the story goes a few weeks ago while taking a walk, we came upon three rabbits. These however were not wild, but domestic rabbits, for they were black and white. While the most common reason is they were abandoned by some careless and thoughtless owners, we scooped them up (well, it took two hours to round them up) and took them home.

Flash forward to Saturday night, when we heard some squeaking coming from their area. When we walked in to check on them, we found babies scattered about. We found one, then two, then three... and the grand total was a litter of six. Turns out one of the adult females was and had been pregnant all this time, and boy, were we surprised.

So those three rabbits we found that evening on that walk turned into nine, and already at a few days old, they are getting bigger and hungry. It's actually kinda amazing to watch this whole process of their new lives.

All Lit Up

Eighteen months in the making, the finishing touches are now in place for the grand re-opening of Downtown Clearwater, Florida. Cleveland Street from Fort Harrison to Myrtle Avenue was given a multi-million dollar facelift.

I didn't honestly think it was ever going to be completed, but now that it is, Clearwater finally has a great looking downtown that has old-time appeal in the 21st century.

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View The New Downtown Clearwater, Florida
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The official grand opening is December 14th, although now it is open and all lit up for it's first Christmas.