When you drain the swamp...
Jul 24, 2016 14:07:30 #
..they will come - birds, that is! Most people are not aware that part of the Viera Wetlands (Florida) is an adjacent set of two large water storage ponds. These ponds are used to store reclaimed water that is used for watering nearby roadway medians, golf courses, etc. When it has been very hot and very dry the water level of these ponds will drop dramatically. The first few days when that happens finds birds from all over helping themselves to the concentration of fish, mollusks, and amphibians left almost high-and-dry. When I was there locking up Thursday evening - and of course did not have my camera, the second pond had about fifty wood storks, a few dozen spoonbills, a dozen or so stilts, a half dozen American White Pelicans, and dozens and dozens of various herons, egrets, etc. Not to mention dozens of black vultures.
Today when I went back with my camera there must not be a lot of food left. Most of the birds have left. It is so hot the ones left were mostly sleeping or browsing slowly for food. Many of the alligators have left (probably headed west to the St John's River - or East to the nearby neighborhoods with their retention ponds) and it is too hot for the ones left to even come to the top of the water except to breathe.
Today when I went back with my camera there must not be a lot of food left. Most of the birds have left. It is so hot the ones left were mostly sleeping or browsing slowly for food. Many of the alligators have left (probably headed west to the St John's River - or East to the nearby neighborhoods with their retention ponds) and it is too hot for the ones left to even come to the top of the water except to breathe.
Jul 24, 2016 14:09:41 #
Interesting series and story. Love the composition of the spoonbill shot.
Jul 24, 2016 14:16:06 #
Jul 24, 2016 14:26:26 #
Jul 24, 2016 19:52:19 #
Jul 25, 2016 09:24:47 #
Jul 25, 2016 10:39:08 #
Jul 25, 2016 16:15:20 #
In The Villages, Fl there have been sink holes that have drained a few golf course ponds and the same thing happens with the birds.
Jul 25, 2016 18:10:35 #
Jul 26, 2016 00:54:04 #
Jul 26, 2016 06:30:51 #
Jul 27, 2016 11:40:41 #
SB, nice set of birds. I like #1 and #4 the best. On #4 I would have cropped the right side and top off a little to remove the partial bird on the right and the bird in the upper right as they are not adding to the subject of your shot which are the other flock of birds. This would allow you to keep the foreground vegitation and cloud reflection.....just my opinion. What do you think?
Jul 28, 2016 07:04:09 #
Gary A Logsdon wrote:
SB, nice set of birds. I like #1 and #4 the best. On #4 I would have cropped the right side and top off a little to remove the partial bird on the right and the bird in the upper right as they are not adding to the subject of your shot which are the other flock of birds. This would allow you to keep the foreground vegitation and cloud reflection.....just my opinion. What do you think?
I agree, Gary. Thanks!
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