I’m sitting here at home testing out my upgraded internet connection. It only took 5 days for CenturyLink to upgrade my service from 3 to 10 Mbps. So now I’m watching internet TV. I guess I’m in a somewhat retro mood, and I’m watching the classic TV series, WKRP in Cincinnati, the Turkey episode–you know, […]
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.
Barn Swallows
This past week I decided to go to the Little Big Econ State Forest to look for migrants. As I pulled into the parking lot, I found about 50 or so Barn Swallows perched on the utility lines. I decided to walk over to see if I could find any Cliff or Bank Swallows among […]
Dragonflies at Econ River WA
Yesterday afternoon I dropped by the Econ River Wilderness Area. I had a meeting nearby, and I thought I’d go there early to check it out. I wasn’t expecting to find a lot there, but I was surprised at how few birds I found. I ended up devoting most of my attention to the many […]
Point of View
This morning I was at Central Winds Park, my favorite birding local birding location in the fall, and a Tiger Swallowtail landed right in front of me. In fact, I had to back up in order to get these shots. In the background were cypress trees and bare sky, and these three shots were taken […]
BioLab Road on Merritt Island
I found all the normal wading birds and shorebirds on Bio Lab Rd today. Wading bird highlights were the normal herons and egrets, both ibises, and Roseate Spoonbills. We also had a fair share of Stilt Sandpipers, both Dowitchers, both Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plovers, and Least, Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers. I also found a small flock […]
Acapulco Birds
I spent last week in Acapulco, Mexico. I wasn’t there for birding. I was there with a small group of people that were working in an orphanage. I barely went anywhere outside the orphanage, but I did walk the streets nearby in the mornings, and once in the afternoon, just to see what I might […]
Royal Tern
Royal Terns may be our most common tern. I always enjoy watching them fish, plunging into the water in search of prey. I love photographing them along coastal beaches. They are one of our largest terns, second only to Caspian Terns, but their long orange bills and pale under the wings.
Sandwich Tern
Last Saturday I went with a couple of friends to North Lido Beach in Sarasota (after finding the Tropical Kingbirds nearby). We found a couple Sandwich Terns along the shore. This is one of my favorite species of tern, partly because the pale tip makes them so easy to identify, and partly because their slender […]