Double-crested Cormorant with a very sandy meal. He brought his fish up to the trail and beat it on the ground until it was still enough for him to swallow. #photography #birds #nature #wildlife #PhotographersOfBluesky #BlueSkyArtShow #naturephotography #wildlifephotography

American Bittern with a snake. Lake Apopka Wildlife Refuge, Florida

Armadillo at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. #photography #nature #wildlife #PhotographersOfBluesky #BlueSkyArtShow #naturephotography #wildlifephotography

Alligator eating an armored catfish at Lake Apopka in Florida. Armored catfish are an invasive species, believed to have come from releases of aquarium fish into the wild back in the 1950's. This fish was about 2 feet long, and made a good meal for the gator!

Great Blue Heron stretching his wing. #photography #birds #nature #wildlife #PhotographersOfBluesky #BlueSkyArtShow #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #heronart

Halloween Pennant

Peregrine Falcon

Boat-tailed Grackles

Great Egret

This is a very well-known local Great Blue Heron, called "Crooked Neck." Biologists have said that the kink in his neck is likely from a birth defect caused by having an extra vertebrae. He's been seen at Lake Apopka in Florida for years and continues to thrive. I'm always happy to spot him!

This was a wild sighting this morning. This Great Blue Heron caught a snapping turtle. I thought he'd managed to remove the bottom part of the turtle's shell, but other photographers told me that snapping turtles have a soft underside. The turtle was still fighting - I didn't get to see who won.

Blue skies after a storm this morning. Lake Apopka, Florida.

Osprey

Great Blue Heron perched high up on a telephone pole. It was windy this morning, so he had to work hard to keep his perch.

A young alligator warming up in the sunshine. This guy is about two years old (judging by his size) - old enough to be independent. It was a little cool this morning (for Florida), so the alligators were happy when the sun started warming up their favorite basking spots.

Bald Cypress trees along a canal in Lake Apopka, Florida.

Immature Red-shouldered Hawk, looking down from a telephone pole. You can see that he's wearing some of his breakfast on his legs!

Fulvous Whistling Duck with some very young babies.

My brother's best friend died and he was really sad for a long time. We decided he needed a puppy. ❤️

My back yard in Florida, early morning.

Black Vulture, St. Cloud, FL

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Immature Red-shouldered Hawk, Apopka, FL. His mother had just delivered part of her meal to him to eat.

Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad, India #HumansOfBlueSky #Photography #Travel #India #TravelPhotography #PhotographersOfBlueSky

Wedding procession in Kerala, India. #HumansOfBlueSky #Photography #Travel #TravelPhotography #PhotographersOfBlueSky

Cell phone photo today. Mushrooms on my morning walk.

Baby Barn Swallow waiting for mama to bring some food.

Nanday Parakeets - Ft. DeSoto State Park, Florida

Nanday Parakeet flying away - Ft. DeSoto State Park, Florida

Wood Stork rookery in South Carolina.

Reddish Egret, shaking off the water!

Reddish Egret at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. He's canopy feeding - using his wings to block the sun's glare so he can see fish through the water.

Whooping Crane

One of my favorite bird sightings ever - a large male Whooping Crane, in central Florida (where there are no other cranes). He was banded so I reported the sighting. He was later captured and re-located to a refuge with a large Whooping Crane population in Louisiana, to give him a chance to mate.

Four-spotted Pennant dragonfly

A beautiful gate that my friend Alice made. She's an incredible blacksmith!

Peahen looking a little indignant.

Beautiful male Painted Bunting on my porch.

Great Blue Heron with a large catch. He finally abandoned it because he couldn't figure out how to swallow it, after trying for nearly an hour. I'm sure an osprey or alligator appreciated the easy meal!

Bee getting pollen.

Baby alligator crossing the trail in front of me. I kept looking for his mama!

White Peacock Butterfly

Gray-headed Swamp Hen at Lake Apopka, Florida. These are an invasive species in Florida. A population of them escaped from a bird farm in South Florida during Hurricane Andrew and they are thriving in the wild.

Eurasian Collared Dove

Incredible feeding frenzy at Lake Apopka in Florida. The water level in this canal dropped, trapping fish. Hundreds of alligators came to feast. Herons and egrets lined the banks, unable to get to the fish without risking a gator encounter.

Baby alligator

Green Heron

Lake Apopka, Florida

Barn Swallow