For us nature photographers who are lucky enough to live in Florida, when the shorebirds of Spring and Summer all leave their nesting areas, we wait with great anticipation for December, when the season starts all over again. So December rolled around and as if nature wanted to reward our patience, our wetland areas started filling with our favorite species of birds. You see, for the most part, except for the smaller birds, such as the warblers, the birds in Florida do not necessarily migrate. They have their nesting areas or rookeries and then the areas they spend the rest of the year within the state. When, in December, they start returning to their nesting areas, their appearances start to change. Their colors start to get vibrant and they develop plumage that is shown off during displays to attract a mate and for bondingbehaviorsonce a mate is found. The first ones to start things off in my very favorite wetlands, The Rich Grissom Memorial Wetlands in Viera, Florida, are the Great Blue Herons and Anhingas.
All images are copyrighted by Nancy Elwood and Naturesportal. These are just a few examples. To view others please visit my main websitewww.naturesportal.net.
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.
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