This morning I drove out to one of my favorite sparrow spots and found a White-crowned Sparrow. This spot seems to be good at attracting them, but for some reason, we get our fair share of the “Gambel’s” subspecies of this bird. In fact, I think every bird I’ve seen here, whether immature or adult, […]
Tag: Scott Simmons
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks
There’s a little lake (or large pond) near my house. It’s just a little community pond, but during the winter time, there can be as many as 100 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks there. They are also very tolerant of people. They like to hang out on a little hill, and there’s a fence which is perfect […]
Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Secret Lake Park
The other day I went to Secret Lake Park on my way into work. It’s a pretty little park, and I’ve not found a whole lot of wonderful things there. But it just seems like it’s the kind of place that should turn up something good from time to time. So I walked around the […]
Birding and Photography Ethics
I’ve been an avid photographer for just about all this millennium, but I only became significantly interested in birding and wildlife photography after I received my 400mm lens and moved to Florida. I spent my early months here driving around wildlife loops and photographing whatever birds I saw. Eventually, I wanted to photograph more diversity […]
Great Blue Heron with Crayfish
This morning I saw a Great Blue Heron by the shore of the pond at Audubon Park. I thought it was in pretty good light for a photo, so I decided to take a photo. As I knelt down the heron struck the water and came up with a crayfish. He didn’t take long to […]
A Fun Day for Sparrows and Buntings
Yesterday I went to my favorite little sparrow spot in Seminole County. It has been fantastic to us this winter, since we’ve been able to see Grasshopper Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and even a Lark Sparrow, not to mention our more commons species: Savannah, Swamp and Chipping Sparrows. However, since […]
I Hope I Never Get Bored with Common Birds
This past Saturday I had a fun time looking for rarities at Orlando Wetlands Park—Vermilion Flycatcher (found) and Groove-billed Ani (missed). Along the way, I heard the familiar sounds of Common Yellowthroats grunting at me. I decided to stop for a few minutes, and one in particular was being rather photogenic, so I took a […]
American Oystercatcher at Fort De Soto
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 […]