Elephant Valley at the San Diego Safari Park
At the San Diego Safari Park, the elephants live in an area known as Elephant Valley. They have a huge expanse of land to roam around in including shade structures, a pool, and a few mud holes that the young ones like to play in. I noticed a few toys in the yard and the [...]
The Baby Elephant Is Thirsty
Remember how I told you how happy the elephants were at the San Diego Safari Park? And how the crowd actually cheered? Well here’s what happened. Please click on any of the images to view larger versions. The End. I hope you enjoyed this post. I’ll have more images of elephants and other animals from [...]
African Lions at the San Diego Safari Park
After visiting the San Diego Zoo I decided to pay a visit to the Safari Park where I heard the animals are in a more natural environment. The two were very different experiences. I did enjoy the zoo, they have a wider variety of animal species, but I enjoyed the safari park more because the [...]
A Day at the San Diego Zoo
The next installment in “zoo week” on the blog comes from the San Diego Zoo in California. I remember visiting here when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I was absolutely in awe of the place at the time. My strongest memory is of the giant tortoises – tortoises bigger than me! I [...]
Feeding Giraffes at the Living Desert
It’s zoo week here on the blog! You know, I go back and forth on zoos. I really only like the ones where the animals have tons of space to roam around, where they live almost as they would in the wild. I can’t stand to see animals in cages especially when they pace back [...]
Or, Or, Or, Or, Or – Part 2
I have to tell you more about those sea lions I showed you earlier this week. (If you missed Part 1 you can check it out here.) Last year the winter storms destroyed the sea lion’s docks that sit down beside the pier in Newport, Oregon. The docks provide a haul-out place for the sea [...]
Or, Or, Or, Or, Or
Can you guess what this post is about based on the title? If you live near the ocean you probably can! Sea lions!! Please click the images to view larger versions. I so enjoyed watching them during a recent afternoon stroll on the waterfront at Newport, Oregon. They are so entertaining to watch. Giant creatures [...]
Pacific Tree Frog
I didn’t have to go far for this photograph! While I was getting my equipment ready for one of our excursions Ray tapped on the window and waved for me to come outside and see who was in our campsite. A pacific tree frog! The tiny frog was only about an inch long. I always [...]
Lizard in Zion National Park
Do you ever dream of basking in the sun with towering sandstone cliffs on one side of you and a rushing river on the other? If you do, you might find this lizard is your neighbour: Please click the image to view a larger version. I’m not sure what kind of lizard he is. But [...]
Egret Fishing
Like a cat about to pounce… Please click the image to view a larger version. I made this image during my visit to Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Just a reminder that I have very limited internet access this week but I have scheduled these images to go up on the blog for you [...]
Wood Stork Reflection
Please click the image to view a larger version. I made this image during my visit to Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Just a reminder that I have very limited internet access this week but I have scheduled these images to go up on the blog for you to enjoy.
Egret Reflection
The Egret stands still as a statue, not a ripple left in the water from the last time he took a step. Please click the image to view a larger version. I made this image during my visit to Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Just a reminder that I have very limited internet access [...]
The Best Spoonie Yet
This image is the reason I have always wanted to visit Florida. I had many types of bird images in my imagination, but this is the one I really really wanted. A Roseate Spoonbill standing in still water with a perfect reflection. Please click the image to view a larger version. I captured many images [...]
Burrowing Owls of Cape Coral
While in the Fort Myers area of Florida, I heard about the burrowing owls in nearby Cape Coral. These are little tiny owls only about 6-9 inches tall that live in burrows in the ground. I have learned that doing research is essential to getting good photographs, especially if you have a limited amount of [...]
The Snowy Egret
Today’s image is another bird image I made at the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Most of the other egret images I have shown are the great white egret, sometimes known as a white heron. This one is a smaller egret with a black beak – a snowy egret. Please click the image to [...]
Making a Splash at Ding Darling
Sanibel Island is a subtropical barrier island in Florida. It is home to buckets of seashells, beautiful beaches, and the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge. Strange name isn’t it? It was named after a Pulitzer-Prize winning cartoonist named Jay Darling. His cartoons were published in the New York Herald Tribute and he would sign them using [...]
A Glowing Egret
I had another opportunity to practice my wildlife photography at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island in Florida. I rented that fabulous Canon 400mm f/5.6L that I tried out when I was back at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. By the way, early in our trip we bought a national park pass [...]
Hawk Eye
Are you starting to think I want to be a wildlife photographer? Well, I really do actually, but it is going to take years of practice. I’m still working on my quest to show you at least one image of each of the bird species I photographed in Everglades National Park but it is more [...]
Early Rise for the Pelican
At the far end of Everglades National Park, we set up camp at the Flamingo campground. The name is a misnomer though since there are no flamingos to be found there at all. We rose bright and early and set out in our rented canoe to check out the bay while it was still calm [...]
Is That An Alligator Or A Crocodile?
Did you know that southern Florida is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles can both be found? Me either! I always thought it was alligators in the north and crocodiles in the south. Not sure where I got that idea, but the truth is that alligators are in fresh water and [...]
At a Snail’s Pace
We originally planned on spending the month of December in Florida. Well it’s now February and we’re still here! We are moving at a snail’s pace, and enjoying every minute of it. Our exploration of Florida started in Daytona, then came Cape Canaveral and the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge where most of my bird photos [...]
The Little Things
When faced with such an expansive landscape as the Everglades it is hard to know where to point your lens sometimes. The land is so flat. At times like that, I try to focus on the little things. This little tree frog was only about two inches long! I made the image using a 180mm [...]
Capturing Birds in Flight
I think birds are one of the most difficult subjects to photograph unless they are standing perfectly still. I have always found it difficult to pan my camera at just the right speed and manage to stay ahead of the bird. Focussing is almost impossible since the bird is always moving. Also I tend to [...]
Swamp Chickens!!
Ok, ok, they are not really called swamp chickens But that’s what the locals call the plentiful Ibis. When I first saw this distinctive bird I had no idea they were so commonplace in Florida. Now that I’ve been here awhile I understand why they are referred to as swamp chickens. Any time there is [...]
