For bird wildlife photography, having a long telephoto lens is a tremendous advantage. It allows you to you to have your subject large in your frame while keeping your distance. Most wildlife photographers occasionally crop their images significantly, since wildlife usually stays pretty far away. So sharp lenses also give you a huge advantage. There […]
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.
Guide to the Econ River Wilderness Area
The Econ River Wilderness Area is another of my favorite places ot visit in Seminole County. It’s only about 10 minutes from my home, so I can visit there on a whim, which is nice. The wilderness area covers about 240 acres that extends from Old Lockwood Rd to the Econ River just north of […]
My Favorite Florida Spiders
Since moving to Florida, I’ve had the opportunity to see some pretty enormous spiders. Golden-silk Orbweavers and Black and Yellow Argiopes are pretty large, and they’re spectacular-looking as well. Of course, not all our spiders are huge. But whenever I have the chance to get close enough to them for photographs, I’m always struck by […]
Bachman’s Sparrows at Hal Scott Preserve
This morning I drove out to the Hal Scott Preserve. I was hoping to find a Red-cockaded Woodpecker; I had no luck there, but I did find at least 20 Bachman’s Sparrows. I’ve never heard so many calling, and I saw 8 more more. Some were juveniles too. I think these are my best photos […]
Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis)
Red-cockaded Woodpeckers once could be found throughout the southeastern United States, from Florida north to Maryland and west into Texas. But due to habitat loss, their range has been severely limited, and they have been extirpated from Maryland. They can still be found in southern long-leaf pine forests, but habitat loss is the biggest threat […]
Snail Kite at Orlando Wetlands Park
Snail Kites don’t frequently come into Orange County, but with all the rain we’ve been having, I guess water levels are high, and this one decided to look for a better place to find Apple Snails. What a beautiful bird! I watched this one for almost an hour. It spent a lot of time just […]
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks
Over the last few months, I’ve been watching a Red-shouldered Hawks’ nest at Central Winds Park. It all started with their courtship along rte 434 just south of the park. Then I found their nest inside the park. I’ve seen the fledgings hanging out on branches by the nest, and now they’re flying around the […]
Osprey at Cameron Wight Park
This morning I drove out to Cameron Wight Park hoping to find a Brown Pelican for my June Challenge (finding as many birds as possible in my county during the month of June). I didn’t have any luck with that, but it was fun to see this Osprey going to work on a fish. He […]