Rather close to where I live there is an area that least terns return to eachApril-Mayto nest. They are a small shorebird with a wingspan of 22-24 cm long. Their nesting coloniesappear along marine or estuarine shores, and are not dense. The nests arejust smallindentations in the sand. Because of the way they nest, the […]
Author: Nancy Elwood
Nancy Elwood is a Florida based professional nature and wildlife photographer. Her interest in the natural world started as a child reading and watching National Geographic. After graduating from Florida State University School of Nursing, she developed her interest in photography travelling with several National Geographic photographers to Africa, Antarctica and the Falkland Islands. With them she started to hone her skills in capturing natures wonders through a camera lens. Nancy now, when not in the field, shows her work in juried art shows and runs photography workshops.
Burrowing Owl Time
There are several places in Florida that in February each yearthe burrowing owls return to and nest. Their nests are burrows mostly borrowed from other animals such as praire dogs and the like. The adults are 7-11 inches tall, only slightly larger than an American Robin. Males and females are similiar in size and appearance, […]
Blue Cypress Lake 2012 Season
I took my third and final trip to Blue Cypress Lake in April, so I thought I would share a few of my favorites from this season. For those who do not know of Blue Cypress Lake a little background. Blue Cypress Lake is located 18 miles west of Vero Beach, Florida, in Indian River […]
A Magical Place
The magical place I speak of is called Blue Cypress Lake. Blue Cypress Lake is located 18 miles west of Vero Beach, Florida, in Indian River County. The lake is 6,500 acres and has an average depth of 8 feet. It gets its name from the blue appearance of the cypress trees as the morning […]
A Great Find!
I have been very lucky of late to have the opportunity of capturing a pileated woodpecker family at their nest. The nest was in a barren tree trunk void of branches and only about 20 feet high. On top of that the photo viewing was clear of trees. The light at times was not terrific, […]
14 Days Old Now
On the 18th of March I made another visit to my local sandhill crane family. The chicks or colts, as they are called, now two weeks old, did not tire as quickly and were full of energy, which made keeping up with them a lot harder. They also started to imitate their parents more. When […]
Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge Continues to Please
So far into the new year Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge has continued to be VERY active. There has been a good population of roseate spoonbills, america avocets, eagles, and all sorts of ducks. Let me see if I can list some of the ducks in good numbers, american widgeons, northern shovelers, pintails, hooded mergansers, ring-necked, […]
Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge Very Productive In December
In the past Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge has had good activity during the months of Jan-March, but this year it started early. The ducks started to arrive, then the roseate spoonbills, avocets, reddish egrets and the like. Also, a local favorite gave us some really nice photo ops by staying in the same place, with […]