St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is one of the oldest wildlife refuges in the United States. The refuge was established in 1931 as a wintering ground for migratory birds, it encompasses 68,000 acres spread between Wakulla, Jefferson, and Taylor Counties in the state of Florida. The refuge is less than a 1-hour drive nearly due south of Tallahassee, Florida's state capital.

The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a North American bird of the pelican family. They are one of three pelican species found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving in water. The brown pelican is found on the Atlantic Coast from Nova Scotia to the mouth of the Amazon River, and along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to northern Chile, including the Galapagos Islands.

Brown pelican by Paul Sager, on Flickr


The tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor) is a small species of heron that is native to coastal parts of the Americas. The tricolored heron stalks its prey in shallow or deeper water, often running as it does so. It eats fish, crustaceans, reptiles, and insects.

Tricolored heron


The American white ibis (Eudocimus albus) is a species of bird in the ibis family. They are found from Virginia via the Gulf Coast of the United States south through most of the coastal New World tropics. Their diet consists primarily of small aquatic prey, such as insects and small fishes. Crayfish are its preferred food in most regions, but it can adjust its diet according to the habitat and prey abundance. Its main foraging behavior is probing with its beak at the bottom of shallow water to feel for and capture its prey. It does not see the prey.

White Ibis


In the 1820s, the town of St. Marks, Florida was considered an important port of entry. The town served as a port for the prosperous planting region of Middle Florida and some counties of South Georgia. Growers hauled their agricultural products down to the port town in wagons by way of an early road which connected the then territorial capital of Tallahassee to the town of St. Marks.

On May 23, 1828, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an act which authorized the construction of a lighthouse at St. Marks and appropriated $6,000 for its construction. The first tower at this location was lit in 1831. By 1842, erosion threatened the lighthouse. A new tower was constructed further inland away from the water using materials from tearing-down the first tower. The original lantern and illuminating apparatus were reinstalled. The St. Marks Lighthouse is the second oldest lighthouse in Florida.

St. Mark's Lighthouse


Digital images shared in this post were captured in RAW using an EOS 5DIII and the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II along with the Extender EF 2x III. Processing was performed in Lightroom and noise processing in Topaz DeNoise6. HDR processing using Topaz Adjust to the lighthouse and ibis images.

The ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis) is a medium-sized gull. Ring-billed gulls forage in flight or pick up objects while swimming, walking or wading. They also steal food from other birds and frequently scavenge. They are omnivorous; their diet may include insects, fish, grain, eggs, earthworms and rodents.

Ring-billed Gull


The St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge includes coastal marshes, islands, tidal creeks and estuaries of seven north Florida rivers, and is home to a diverse community of plant and animal life.

Tricolored heron


These images are sized to fill your wide-screen display. Try using <F11> to maximize your browser window for the full effect. If the images overshoot your display, such as a laptop, just click on the image or the URL link and they'll resize to your screen from the host Flickr site. You can click a bit further into the image details on the Flickr page, if desired. EXIF data is available from the host Flickr pages as well. On the Flickr site, use your <L>key for Large and the <F11> for the full-screen.

If the images are not filling your widescreen display due to recent UHH changes, follow this link and update your UHH profile: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-572300-1.html

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is one of the oldest wildlife refuges in the United States. The refuge was established in 1931 as a wintering ground for migratory birds, it encompasses 68,000 acres spread between Wakulla, Jefferson, and Taylor Counties in the state of Florida. The refuge is less than a 1-hour drive nearly due south of Tallahassee, Florida's state capital.

The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a North American bird of the pelican family. They are one of three pelican species found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving in water. The brown pelican is found on the Atlantic Coast from Nova Scotia to the mouth of the Amazon River, and along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to northern Chile, including the Galapagos Islands.

Brown pelican by Paul Sager, on Flickr


The tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor) is a small species of heron that is native to coastal parts of the Americas. The tricolored heron stalks its prey in shallow or deeper water, often running as it does so. It eats fish, crustaceans, reptiles, and insects.

Tricolored heron


The American white ibis (Eudocimus albus) is a species of bird in the ibis family. They are found from Virginia via the Gulf Coast of the United States south through most of the coastal New World tropics. Their diet consists primarily of small aquatic prey, such as insects and small fishes. Crayfish are its preferred food in most regions, but it can adjust its diet according to the habitat and prey abundance. Its main foraging behavior is probing with its beak at the bottom of shallow water to feel for and capture its prey. It does not see the prey.

White Ibis


In the 1820s, the town of St. Marks, Florida was considered an important port of entry. The town served as a port for the prosperous planting region of Middle Florida and some counties of South Georgia. Growers hauled their agricultural products down to the port town in wagons by way of an early road which connected the then territorial capital of Tallahassee to the town of St. Marks.

On May 23, 1828, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an act which authorized the construction of a lighthouse at St. Marks and appropriated $6,000 for its construction. The first tower at this location was lit in 1831. By 1842, erosion threatened the lighthouse. A new tower was constructed further inland away from the water using materials from tearing-down the first tower. The original lantern and illuminating apparatus were reinstalled. The St. Marks Lighthouse is the second oldest lighthouse in Florida.

St. Mark's Lighthouse


Digital images shared in this post were captured in RAW using an EOS 5DIII and the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II along with the Extender EF 2x III. Processing was performed in Lightroom and noise processing in Topaz DeNoise6. HDR processing using Topaz Adjust to the lighthouse and ibis images.

The ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis) is a medium-sized gull. Ring-billed gulls forage in flight or pick up objects while swimming, walking or wading. They also steal food from other birds and frequently scavenge. They are omnivorous; their diet may include insects, fish, grain, eggs, earthworms and rodents.

Ring-billed Gull


The St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge includes coastal marshes, islands, tidal creeks and estuaries of seven north Florida rivers, and is home to a diverse community of plant and animal life.

Tricolored heron


These images are sized to fill your wide-screen display. Try using <F11> to maximize your browser window for the full effect. If the images overshoot your display, such as a laptop, just click on the image or the URL link and they'll resize to your screen from the host Flickr site. You can click a bit further into the image details on the Flickr page, if desired. EXIF data is available from the host Flickr pages as well. On the Flickr site, use your <L>key for Large and the <F11> for the full-screen.

If the images are not filling your widescreen display due to recent UHH changes, follow this link and update your UHH profile: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-572300-1.html