Month: February 2014

Reddish Egret Dance at Eco Pond

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I decided to head back down to Eco Pond on Monday morning to spend some more time trying to photograph the birds.  Last time I was there I had to rush off and leave before the birds had really become very active.  This time I could stay until it got too hot or the birds left whichever happened first.

Just like on Saturday, there were about the same number of birds and variety of birds.  Although this time I also saw a pileated woodpecker.  The pileated woodpecker looks like woody woodpecker the cartoon with the tall triangular pointed red head.  I would have like to have captured him in flight but he never got close enough.

I did get some more shots of the lone reddish egret fishing/dancing across the pond.  The reddish egret was very active this morning and was using all of his fishing tricks to catch breakfast.  He did his dance across the water as well as his raised wings pretend shade trick.  It was if nothing else entertaining to watch.

The roseate spoonbills still were not very active and just sat across the pond on the dead branches before eventually just flying away.  I will give it a few more weeks before trying back to see if more birds have arrived and the activity level increases.

Before heading home I also walked some of the Coastal Prairie Trail at the south-west end of the flamingo campground.  I plan on coming back when I have the time and energy to walk the entire length.  All in all it was a good morning of photography and time spent in the Everglades.

Click on the thumbnails for the full image.

Everglades National Park Eco Pond 2014

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Had the pleasure of being asked to give a presentation to the Focus on Parks Miami Dade youth group about my photography and passion for Everglades National Park.  The presentation took place at the Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park.  The group consisted of about 20 middle school children who were going to be spending the next two (2) days in Everglades National Park learning about the ecosystems, conservation and photography.  This was many of the children’s first time visiting the Everglades and they were excited to see the birds, alligators and other wildlife up close and personal.  The Focus on Parks Miami Dade is a six (6) week program that visits various parks throughout Miami-Dade County and gives each child a camera in which to capture their experiences and teach them about photography.  I am glad I got to be a part of their first visit to Everglades National Park.

I have not had time lately to make it out to the park so I decided to take advantage of my time in the everglades by running down to Eco Pond around sunrise prior to meeting with the kids at 10:00 AM.  Last time I checked on Eco Pond was back in December and there were almost no birds to speak of.  This time there were a good number of Roseate Spoonbills and snowy egrets, with the occasional cormorant, tri-color heron, reddish egret, king fisher, ibis, duck and osprey.  However, the birds have still not shown up in large numbers as they have in years past.  Hopefully, they are just late this year due to the warmer weather and higher water levels.

Unfortunately, I did not get to stay very long and due to the cooler morning the birds were not very active.  The Roseate Spoonbills for the most part sat stationary on the nearby driftwood.  The Reddish Egret was the most active bird in the bunch and as a result I was able to get some good shots of him flying around and fishing.  In order to make it back to the Anhinga Trail I had to leave  just as the birds started to become more active and start feeding.   Captured two decent shots of some birds in flight.  I really like the reddish egret shot.  I have a few more I may go through and post later.