The first time I saw one of these birds I thought I was going a little crazy. I mean, it’s hard to see how there’s a need for a bird to look like this. But I’m really glad they do. I visited Fort De Soto last weekend, and you’re almost guaranteed to see them at […]
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.
Osprey with Gar
Last month at Overlook Park I saw an Osprey fly by. This happens so frequently that I usually don’t bother to take a photo. However, this time looked a little different. I put my binoculars on the bird and noticed that it was carrying a gar. I can’t imagine that this is good eating, but […]
Common Goldeneye
A friend of mine found a Canvasback in a little retention pond in Sanford, so I drove up this morning to see it, but I struck out. I went to work dejected, but then a little after lunch I received an eBird alert that a Common Goldeneye was seen in a retention pond at a […]
Bald Eagle Thief
I walking around the marina in Sanford a little while ago, and I had a pretty memorable experience. As I walked by a tree, a young Cooper’s Hawk with a Rock Pigeon flushed and flew up into a different tree. That was surprising and cool enough, but a Bald Eagle must have seen all that […]
Rhythm
Lately I’ve been considering why it is I find birding so continuously fascinating, and even addicting. Of course there’s the beauty of the birds, the thrill of finding them (especially rarities), and the challenge of learning to identify them. I also have great interest in learning about their behavior–why they act the way they do. […]
Dark-eyed Junco
This past week I was in St.Louis, and I had no time for any birding, but I did walk around the campus where I was working looking to see what may be lurking around. I didn’t see anything unusual, but it was nice to see many White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos, which we don’t get […]
Great Cormorant at Port Orange
Yesterday I saw my first Great Cormorant, a lifer for me. Aside from the fact it was having a bad feather day, it’s a beautiful bird. This bird was found over a week ago about a half mile south of where I saw it yesterday. We spent about an hour looking for it there; then […]
Two Subspecies of Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-throated Warblers are one of my favorite warblers. They are one of our more common warblers here in Florida during Spring and Fall migration, but some can be found all winter long, and a few even breed here in the summer. We have two subspecies of Yellow-throated Warbler that occur here in Florida. Dominica Subspecies […]