Nature Photography by Pam & Richard
April 19, 2021 8 Comments
Goodwin Marsh near our home in Palm Bay, Florida, is a wonderful place to see birds in spring. So much beauty to see!
November 1, 2020 4 Comments
Bees Made Honeycombs
Sandhill Crane (4 feet tall)
Cottontail Rabbit
Mushroom Fairy Ring
Ladies Tresses (native orchid growing in lawn)
Blooming Agave Spike at Sunset
Pink Hidden Ginger
Sunshine Mimosa Flower
Purple Passion Flower
Front View of Plumeria Flowers
Back Candy-Stripe View of Plumeria Flowers
Rain showers made our yard lush and green and the flowers happy. Here is a little tour of what we see every day.
April 6, 2020 18 Comments
Male Painted Bunting and Cardinal
Female Painted Bunting
Male Wild Turkey with Beard Feathers
Sandhill Crane
Peahen (female peacock)
Whitetail Deer
Armadillo
Raccoon Babies at Door
We love the variety of wildlife in our backyard here in Florida. So much fun!
March 2, 2019 5 Comments
Sebastian Beach Collage
We enjoy going to Sebastian Inlet State Park on Florida’s central Atlantic coast. It is a spectacular place to visit! The weather this winter has been especially beautiful. We made this collage of our favorite scenes at the inlet (click on the picture to enlarge and see details). Info and live cam links are available at: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/sebastian-inlet-state-park
October 7, 2018 4 Comments
Atala Butterfly on Coontie
Atala Butterfly after Emerging from Cocoon
The Atala butterfly was thought to be extinct in Florida until a small colony was discovered in Miami in 1979. This beautiful iridescent butterfly was protected and expanded its range over time. We saw this rare butterfly for the first time in Sebastian a couple of weeks ago. The Atala’s only native host for its eggs is the coontie – a small palm-like cycad. If you live in Florida and want to do your part to help the Atala hairstreak butterfly, plant a few low-maintenance coonties in your yard. The butterflies will travel miles to find these host plants by smell! Locally, Busy Bee Nursery in Vero Beach sells coonties and regularly holds butterfly gardening seminars: http://archive.tcpalm.com/specialty-publications/vero-beach/careful-gardener-uncovers-rare-butterfly-species-in-indian-river-county-ep-1233688624-340516281.html
June 2, 2018 6 Comments
Sunset Crater Volcano
Bonito Lava Flow
Yellow-Orange Juniper Mistletoe
Beautiful Weathered Juniper Wood
Tiny White Spider on Lava Flow
Yellow Newberry Twinpod Growing on Cinders
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is a beautiful place to visit just north of Flagstaff, Arizona. The sunset colors reflect the volcano’s composition of silica, iron oxide, and gypsum. The volcano erupted about 1040-1100 AD . It is amazing how life returns and survives on the tough conditions of the lava flow! Information about visiting is at: https://www.nps.gov/sucr/index.htm and https://www.livescience.com/50237-sunset-crater-photos.html.
May 27, 2018 7 Comments
Horseshoe Bend Overlook
Horseshoe Bend Photography Viewpoint (click to enlarge)
Prickly Pear Cactus with Flower Buds
Hedgehog Cactus Flowers
Glen Canyon Dam Visitor Center
Glen Canyon Dam Overlook
Glen Canyon Bridge (at completion in 1959 it was highest arch bridge in world)
Squares are Support Rod Tips Piled Deep into Sandstone Canyon Walls
Dilophosaurus Dinosaur Tracks Found Nearby
Chuckwalla
Horseshoe Bend and Glen Canyon Dam in Page, Arizona, are spectacular sights! Both are located just past the eastern edge of Grand Canyon National Park. Horseshoe Bend was formed by erosion from the Colorado River over millions of years. The meander formed when water flowed around harder stone. Since water flows fastest on the outside of a curve, the meander gets more pronounced over time.
Glen Canyon Dam was completed in 1964 and provides daily hydroelectric power to 5 million customers over 7 Western states. After the dam was built, the newly backed up water of the Colorado River formed popular Lake Powell. This desert landscape is beautiful!
May 19, 2018 9 Comments
Baby Raccoon Climbing Tree
Baby Raccoon in Bird Feeder
Baby Raccoon Face
Mama raccoon in our Florida backyard now has four little babies – what a handful! The babies play, wrestle, and roll around together. They are like puppies, except they climb. One time I caught them swinging in the hammock at night for fun! I was surprised to go outside recently and see this baby raccoon inside the bird feeder. Even so, they are really cute.
UPDATE JUNE 2018: A raccoon made the national news because she climbed a 25 story skyscraper in Minnesota! Read about it at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/us/mpr-raccoon-building-climb.html
March 24, 2018 15 Comments
Baby Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane Family
Look who showed up at our house this week – the sandhill crane family. The baby crane is so cute!
February 4, 2018 5 Comments
Eastern Screech Owl
Yellow Rose
Mama screech owl has been in her nest box all week – she is here to stay. Nesting season has arrived – it is spring in Florida!
January 6, 2018 13 Comments
Mother and Baby Manatees at Homosassa Springs
Mother Manatee Nursing Baby Underwater
Manatee at Crystal River
Manatees Have Good Eyesight
Manatees Have Sensitive Bristles on Body and Breathe Through Two Round Nostrils
Manatees Have Flexible Lips to Grab Sea Grass
Manatees Drink Fresh Rainwater
Manatees Have Round Paddle-like Tails
Florida manatees are easy to spot in winter because they congregate in springs and canals to stay warm. Famous places to see them include the Three Sisters Spring at Crystal River (http://www.threesistersspringsvisitor.org/) and Blue Spring State Park (https://www.savethemanatee.org/manatees/manatee-webcams/).
Sea cows live 40-60 years and are related to elephants. They weigh up to 1200 pounds and use their flexible, sensitive snouts to graze on sea grass. Their whiskers can feel water ripples that are smaller than a human hair! They surface frequently to breathe air through two round nostrils. Manatees do not have eyelashes, and close their eyes in a circular motion like the aperture of a camera. Manatees move through the water by pumping their round paddle-like tails up and down. They communicate with a series of chirps, whistles, and squeaks. Kids especially love these slow moving, gentle giants. Fun info and activities for kids is at (https://www.savethemanatee.org/manatees/education-materials/student-resources/. Learn more at: https://www.savethemanatee.org/
December 26, 2017 21 Comments
Deer and Raccoons
Deer Eating Corn
Two Deer Together
Deer Looking at You
Turkeys Inspecting Deer Statue
Male Turkey with Wattle
Sandhill Crane Portrait
Ducks Waddling By
Bunny Snack Time
Raccoon Gathering
Smiling Raccoon Family
Mama Raccoon with Tiny Triplets
Mama Raccoon Baby Kisses
We’ve been seeing lots of wildlife in our backyard this Christmas – deer, raccoons, sandhill cranes, turkeys, and bunnies. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season full of great surprises! Best Wishes! Pam and Richard
November 25, 2017 4 Comments
Sebastian Beach Waves
View of Sebastian Beach from Pier
Seagull with Mouthful of Fish
Sanderling Running with Waves
Shell Pile-up Near Pier
Brown Pelican Flying
Inlet Side Opposite Beach
Two-Tone Water where Indian River Meets Atlantic Ocean
Gopher Tortoise Eating Grass
The weather is perfect here in Florida! Migrating birds have arrived, and it is a beautiful time for a walk at Sebastian Inlet State Park.
July 1, 2017 15 Comments
Night Blooming Cactus Flower
Group of Cactus Flowers
Cactus Wrapped Around Sabal Palm
Wildlife Cam: Raccoon Trio
Wildlife Cam: Deer Peekaboo
Wildlife Cam: Tom Turkey
Wildlife Cam: Mother Turkey (right) and Chick (left)
Wildlife Cam: Mottled Duck
Wildlife Cam: Cardinals, Blue Jay, and Woodpecker
It is amazing how much nature is visible outside my home office window. Since it is summer, we are enjoying a spectacular show of cactus flowers every night. The automatic wildlife camera captured these raccoons playing beside the flowers. During the day the female white-tailed deer was caught visiting the same spot, as well as wild turkeys, mottled ducks, and many other birds. I always have handy a flashlight, binoculars, and camera to look at and capture any surprises I might see.
June 17, 2017 3 Comments
Great Crested Flycatcher in Nest Box
Raccoon Enjoying Fruit Tray
Raccoon Looking at Snake Skin
A pair of great crested flycatchers recently moved into the woodpecker/screech owl nest box in our backyard. These birds with lemon bellies have very unique calls – usually you hear them before you see them (listen at: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Crested_Flycatcher/sounds).
If flycatchers find a snakeskin, they always weave it into their nest. We got lucky and found one, so we placed it on a tray along with fresh fruit for the birds. The flycatchers ignored the goodies, but the raccoon thought it was the best treat ever!
May 21, 2017 7 Comments
Deer by Pond
Deer and Turkey Eating Together
Mottled Ducks in Flight at Pond
Tricolor Heron at Pond
Pink Tropical Waterlily at Pond
Newly Hatched Purple Martin Babies
Martin Babies Waiting to be Fed
Newly Fledged Purple Martin Baby
Martin Bringing Food to Babies
Purple Martin with Painted Skimmer Dragonfly for Babies
Spring is our favorite time of year here in Florida! So many baby birds, flowers blooming, and sunny warm days. Here are a few recent scenes around the yard.
March 4, 2017 9 Comments
Peacock’s Fanned Tail
Peacock with Train
Peahen (female) and Peacock (male)
Peafowl Family on Florida Neighborhood Wall
Peachick
Peacock’s Corona Feathers on Head
Peacock and Hyacinths
Peacock Preening
Stunning Peacock Tail Feather “Eyes”
Some neighborhoods near us in Florida are home to free roaming peacocks. Some people love them, and some think the birds are a tad bit noisy. At any rate, I always enjoy seeing these spectacular birds!
If you would like to see some unbelievably gorgeous macrophotographs of iridescent peacock feathers, go to: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2016/03/macro-peacock-feather-photography/
January 7, 2017 6 Comments
Green Iguana Eye
Green Iguana Sunning on Rock
Green Iguana in Garden
We saw this adult male green iguana on a recent day trip to South Florida. He is stunning! Looking at his eye feels like looking at a living dinosaur. What an amazing creature! These Florida exotics originate from South America. They can reach 6 feet long (look at that striped tail!) and weigh up to 18 pounds.
December 27, 2016 15 Comments
BOBCAT SURPRISE!!!
Merry Christmas Raccoons
Raccoons Climbing on Santa
Raccoon and Santa
Opossum and Santa
Bunnies and Santa
Cardinal and Painted Bunting by Santa
Mourning Dove Flash
Cardinal Flying
Wild Turkeys and Mottled Ducks
Sandhill Crane and Raccoon
We had the BEST surprise on our automatic wildlife camera EVER!!! A bobcat walked right in front of our Santa outside! Wow! I about fell off my chair when I was looking over the pictures from the night before. Some of our other recent pictures are here too, including Merry Christmas raccoons. Have a great holiday!
December 7, 2016 6 Comments
30 Second Exposure of Rocket Trail
Raccoon Watching from Tree
What a spectacular launch tonight! The payload is a high capacity United States military communications satellite on a Delta 4 rocket. The first picture is a 30-second exposure of the rocket trail. The other picture shows a baby raccoon that was watching me from a nearby tree. Gorgeous view on a warm night here in Florida!
October 17, 2016 14 Comments
Bees in Birdhouse
Bringing the Birdhouse Down
Opening the Birdhouse to Reveal the Honeycomb
Brushing the Bees from the Comb
Close-up of Bees on Comb
Hexagonal Pattern of Honeycomb’s Wax Cells
Looking for the Queen
Queen Bee in Temporary Container
Bees in Temporary Transport Box
Bee Removal Operation
Hilltop Honey From Our Bees
Our wild bees didn’t fit in their birdhouses anymore, so today they were moved into temporary boxes before transport to a better home. An important part of the process was finding the queen and securing her in a small container in the temporary transport box so that the worker bees would follow her there. The beauty of the wax honeycomb was amazing! And that honey – so yummy (light and fragrant). Nature is awesome!
UPDATE AUGUST 2017: Our bees are doing well at their new managed home in Merritt Island, Florida. In fact, the first batch of “Hilltop Honey” was harvested and put into jars – it is delicious!
August 26, 2016 3 Comments
Waves at Sebastian Beach
Green Sea Turtle
Manatee Snort
Spotted Ray
Snook Surrounded by Tiny Greenies
Needlefish
Orange Boring Sponge
Sebastian Inlet Bridge
Beautiful Turquoise Water
We make frequent trips to Sebastian Inlet State Park, Florida, to walk out on the fishing pier and stroll on the beach. The water is especially pretty right now, and there is always lots to see! You can view a live cam at: http://www.sebastianinletcam.com/
August 16, 2016 5 Comments
Cute Lamb on Hill
Mother Sheep and Lamb Grazing
Mother Sheep and Twin Lambs
Sheep Approaching Car
Lamb Face
Lamb’s Long Eyelashes
Sheep in Iceland are purebreds that are direct descendants of those brought by the Vikings over 1,000 years ago. They are very hardy and cold-tolerant animals. Sometimes they are curious and approach cars and people!
July 21, 2016 2 Comments
Atlantic Puffin’s Colorful Face
Puffin Nesting Cliff
Puffins by Nesting Burrows
Puffin Profile
Puffin Pair
The Little Puffling Children’s Book
We recently visited Iceland in June. All Iceland photos (including those from another trip two years ago) are at https://naturetime.wordpress.com/category/travel-2/iceland/
Iceland is a nature photographer’s paradise! The country is famous for its seabirds. Most of the world’s Atlantic puffins nest there, totaling 8-10 million birds. We photographed these puffins at the Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar), which is home to half of them.
Atlantic puffins are nicknamed “sea parrot” or “clown of the sea” for their bright colors. Pairs dig nesting burrows and lay one egg per year. Pufflings fledge in August, and sometimes get confused by street lights. When that happens, children of Heimaey (Westman Islands) go on patrol to rescue them. Pufflings are then released to safety from cliffs nearby.
Puffins are a real favorite of ours and great fun to watch! More info about puffins is at: http://projectpuffin.audubon.org/birds/puffin-faqs Here in the United States you can watch a live cam in summer of Atlantic puffins in Maine at: http://explore.org/live-cams/player/puffin-burrow-cam
July 9, 2016 5 Comments
Group of Birds Onshore
Spoonbill Family
Spoonbill’s Pink “Angel” Wings
Spoonbill and Baby
Roseate spoonbills are one of our favorite birds in Florida. The babies are born with pink skin, which Is quickly covered with fluffy down. We recently saw groups of the babies leaving their nests and feeding along the shore at Goodwin Waterfowl Management Area (Stick Marsh Critical Wildlife Area) near Fellsmere, Florida. What a treat!
July 4, 2016 4 Comments
White Pelicans at Goodwin Marsh in Summer
White Pelicans in Shallow Water
White Pelican with Unique Water Reflections
Recently we’ve noticed there is still a flock of 2 dozen white pelicans at Goodwin Marsh near our home in Palm Bay, Florida. The white pelicans have been hanging out there for months – long past the time they should have migrated to breeding grounds in the far north for summer. I wrote the Treasure Coast Audubon Society and was told that we are fortunate to have some isolated groups of white pelicans stay year round in Brevard County and at Lake Okeechobee. There are also a few white pelican colonies that stay year round along the Texas coast. Love these magnificent birds!
May 12, 2016 15 Comments
Adult Male Purple Martin Looking Out Nesting Gourd Entrance Hole (note iridescent purple feathers)
Hungry Babies
Baby Ready to be Fed – Still Partially in Shell!
Hatchling Hug
Looking through Gourd’s Entrance Hole (love the “lips”)
Leaf-Lined Nest Containing 5 Eggs
Leaf and Bark-Lined Nest Containing 5 Eggs
Leaf and Cedar Chip Nest Containing 5 Eggs
Cedar Chip Nest Containing 3 Eggs (probably a first-time nester)
Frog on Nesting Gourd
Silhouette of Purple Martin Gourd Rack and Sky: All Tucked-In for Night (click to enlarge for details)
Last weekend we did a nest check of our two purple martin gourd racks. So far we have a total of 11 nests containing 49 babies and eggs! There are also 4 more early nests that may or may not progress on to eggs within the next 2 weeks. One nest contained a baby that wriggled out of its egg as we watched. The baby even opened its mouth to be fed while it was still partially in the shell! The birds seem to have their own individual nest styles. Some martin parents gather lots of leaves, some add hard red bark to the nest, and others simply lay eggs on the cedar chips provided as a base. Each nest usually contains 3-6 eggs. Love this time of year! If you would like to host your own purple martins, more info is at: https://www.purplemartin.org/education/75/getting-started/.
April 24, 2016 4 Comments
Three Fuzzy Anhinga Babies
Feeding Time for Babies
Nest of Anhinga Babies in Treetop
Female Anhinga
Male Anhinga in Beautiful Breeding Plumage
Anhinga babies are so fuzzy! The birds are nesting in the treetops now at the Viera Wetlands, Florida. Anhingas are also known as water turkeys or snake birds (because of the way they stick their long necks above water when hunting for fish). The babies sleep by tucking their heads over their backs and down into their feathers. Their parents have quite a time feeding them. Neat birds!
April 16, 2016 11 Comments
Rainbow Spider Web
Colorful Banded Radius Thread
Sticky Spiral Threads
Close-Up of Sticky Spiral Threads
Spiral Threads with Round Sticky Droplets
Magnified Close-Up of Web’s Diffraction Pattern
Have you ever seen rainbow colors in a spider web? We NEVER had until now. Richard photographed a spider web from below using a zoom lens already on the camera. Sunlight was hitting the spider web from above, and the web was silhouetted against a dark background. Magic! (Click images to magnify for full effect.) Rainbow colors appeared in the silk strands of the web. When magnified later on the computer, the effect was stunning! The colors result from the way sunlight is scattered by the spider web strands (it acts like a prism). Diffraction patterns result from interference of the sun’s rays with the web’s sticky silk droplets. Truly amazing and unique!
April 3, 2016 13 Comments
Young Alligator Face
Big Gator in Swamp
Pair of Alligators: Foot on Face
Alligator Hug
Toothly Face in Pile of Alligators
White Leucistic Alligator
Albino Alligator
Gator Torso Vibration During Mating Display
Egret Riding an Alligator
Vintage Postcard: Big Joe Alligator
Vintage Postcard: Alligator Quartette Singing
Vintage Postcard: Alligator Chorus
Vintage Alligator Orange Fruit Crate Label
In Florida we live with the largest reptile in North America –the American alligator. I was surprised to learn that a published study in 2013 documented their use of tools. It was found that during nesting season some alligators balance sticks on their heads to lure birds looking for nesting material. Mid-April to May is prime mating season. Courtship displays include head slapping, torso vibration, and bellowing (the sound travels for quite some distance). Alligator mothers are devoted to protecting their eggs, and stay with their young for up to a year. Their toothy “smiles” contain about 80 teeth. Worn teeth are replaced with new ones, so an alligator can go through 2,000 teeth in a lifetime! Occasionally an alligator visits our pond, but eventually it moves on to a new gator hole. Alligators have always attracted the interest of tourists, and their images have been used for logos, mascots, and throughout pop culture. Alligators are an important part of our Florida ecosystem, and we enjoy having them around.
