Here in Central Florida we’ve grown accustomed to having an easy time identifying chickadees. If you see one, it’s a Carolina Chickadee. But this is no longer the case, as there has been a massive irruption of northern and western species of chickadees into Central Florida. The irruption was first noticed when the above photographed […]
Author: Scott Simmons
Scott Simmons, based in Florida, is a lover of nature, landscape, and wildlife photography. Scott became interested in photography in 2001 when he was given his first SLR camera. When he acquired a telephoto lens, he became progressively more interested in birds and other wildlife. Scott enjoys learning about bird habitats and behavior, striving always to take images that are both beautiful and interpretive. Scott believes photography is a great vehicle to help others to appreciate the wonder for the stuff of earth.
Killdeer
Photographers sometimes shy away from photos like this. I call them field guide shots. The bird is doing nothing, just standing in full profile, but you can see everything about the bird that helps you identify it. As photographers, we often want action shots, interesting poses, or at least something that makes the photo stand […]
Osprey With Fish
The fishermen weren’t catching anything, but the Osprey were. This one was sitting perched on a post near the shore of Lake Monroe mocking the fishermen. It was a sorry sight, really. The fishermen couldn’t come close to the skill of the Osprey. Well, they weren’t alone in their Osprey-jealousy, since apparently the Bald Eagles […]
Forster’s Tern on Lake Monroe
A couple weeks ago I was at the marina on Lake Monroe looking for (and not finding) a Royal Tern that had been seen there earlier. So I occupied my time photographing other terns. I shared photos of Caspian Terns in another post, but there was also Forster’s Terns patrolling the marina area. Most of […]
Eastern Phoebe at Central Winds Park
I saw my first Great Crested Flycatcher of the year this year; that’s usually a good sign that Eastern Phoebes are going to start packing up to leave. I suspect by the end of March, they’ll all be gone. So a few days ago I photographed an Eastern Phoebe at Central Winds Park. I’m going […]
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
A few days ago, I also had a chance to see several Ruby-crowned Kinglets. One stayed nice and low for me, and occasionally it would come out into the open for some photos. Eventually it popped up on to a higher branch and began preening. After a couple minutes, perhaps, it stretched its wings and […]
Caspian Terns on Lake Monroe
Ugh! It’s been two full weeks since I’ve done a blog post! I’ve been busy at home and work, but I’ve also had a little bit of a photographic lull. Weather conditions have made for relatively poor lighting, but mostly I’m just behind in editing photos. Well, this morning I went to the marina on […]
Le Conte’s Sparrow at Mullet Lake Park
I found this park around November of last year, and the first time I visited I thought it might be a great place for some fun sparrows to show up. However, despite many visits, until this morning I’ve only seen Savannah and Swamp Sparrows here. But this morning I got to add a third sparrow […]