Thursday, January 21, 2016

Low-light photo delights

Wet and humid temperatures continued into the new year. During the second week in January, the overnight temperature finally got down to the low 60s and reached 59 degrees (F) on January 10, the coldest temperature recorded so far this winter. The AVERAGE low temperature on that date is 60 degrees! Almost every morning there was the threat of rain by mid-morning. We usually start walking out about 30 minutes before sunrise. Too dark for photography, I usually bird by ear the first 19-20 minutes. 

The cool snap caused dense fog one morning. These Black Vultures rested on the abandoned utility pole, barely identifiable:

bLACK vULTURES IN FOG 20160109

A small flock of Boat-tailed Grackles suddenly emerged from the cloudy depths and roosted lakeside:

Boat-tailed Grackles in fog 20160109

The subdued light painted a pastel portrait:

 Boat-tailed Grackles in fog 2-20160109

A poorly illuminated Great Egret flew overhead:

Great Egret 4-20160107

An Anhinga posed and dried her wings as the fog bank provided an uncluttered backdrop:

Anhinga 20160109

My photo of another egret came out surprisingly bright and clear:

Great Egret 20160107

The fog presented a nice photo opportunity as the rising sun tried to burn through to the lake:

Sunrise HDR 20160109

A few minutes later the sun had just reached the east shore:

Sun piercing fog HDR 20160109

Spider webs were festooned with dewdrops. The lack of shadows actually enhanced this macro of an orb-weaving garden spider:

Spider in orb crop 20160109

The fog lifted, gradually unveiling the pine bank across the lake:

Wetlands shrouded HDR 20160109

Fog lifting over pine bank HDR 20160109

In better light, an American Kestrel roosted atop the frond spire of of a tall Royal Palm:

American Kestrel 20160109

A newly emerged White Peacock showed off its colors:

White Peacock fresh 20160109

Another Great Egret was reflected in the blue water:

Great Egret in flight 2-20160109

A Brown Thrasher revealed its presence briefly, its yellow eyes gleaming:

Brown Thrasher 20160107

In our back yard lake, a Great Blue Heron caught an Amphiuma. At first I thought it was a snake, but actually this eel-like creature is an amphibian, the largest species of "legless" salamanders in Florida:

Great Blue Heron with Amphhiuma 05-20160108

I wish I could have seen the heron swallow its prey, but it ambled away and turned the corner behind a neighbor's fence:

Great Blue Heron with Amphiuma 04-20160108 

= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to I Heart Macro by Laura

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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display

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27 comments:

  1. Some awesome pictures there! Can't believe you see so many birds down there. We just have a few brave Cickadees coming to the feeders.

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  2. Fantastic series of nature shots. I have never seen a Amphiuma, or heard of one before. The garden spider on the dew covered web was lovely, all your birds are a pleasure to see on this foggy morning. The reflection of the great egret, the Brown Thrasher, the Kestrel and that gorgeous White Peacock, beautiful! A great post!

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  3. Absolutely gorgeous series of captures, Kenneth! Wow!

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  4. No matter the weather, you did a super job on your images.

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  5. Hello, gorgeous skies and love all the pretty birds. Great post and photos.
    Happy skywatching, enjoy your weekend!

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  6. loved the muted mist scenes, the egret flight reflection, the heron and it's 'walk-off with prey' stance. well, enjoyed all of it!

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  7. Such a great series. I have never heard of the amphiuma and now I hope I see one sometime soon, while I still remember the name. We have the best birds in Florida -- and you take the best pictures of them. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Amazing 'feathered friends' photography ~ lovely series of photos ~ despite what you say about the weather ~

    Happy Weekend to you ~ ^_^

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  9. Great set of shots! The Great Egret in flight is so graceful.
    ~

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  10. That's quite a catch for the heron. And great sunrise shot!!

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  11. I love how you have brought us through the ' not so good' early morning wather to better weather at the end of the post. that Heron certainly has a great meal there. Now The sunrise landscape shots are like wonderful water colour paintings. The spider , butterfly and kestrel are great shots but I love the reflection of the Egret in the water and the the Brown Thrasher the best.

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  12. Wow! Once again youbombard us with wonderful shots! You are amazing and your shots are wonderful. Thankyou.

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  13. Hello Keneth!:) Amazing nature scenes! The American Kestrel, and Brown Thrasher are beautiful images, as is the Great Egret capture.
    Some of your landscapes are almost Turneresque in appearance, and that is a fantastic fence scene with the Great Blue Heron with it's Salamander catch. Really enjoyable visit. Have a great weekend1:)

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  14. Such a beautiful collection of photos. I love those skies.

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  15. Wonderful post. There is always so many great photos. The 3rd shot down with the (pastel) colors you mentined is just lovely. Very pretty clouds, sunrise shots. A super shot of the heron and it's dinner. I liked the shot of it by the fence as well.

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  16. Fabulous photography, I really love the landscape images

    mollyxxx

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  17. Wonderful photos...I would love to know how the heron ate that thing! And though I want to know, not sure I would want to watch.

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  18. Hi Ken, these are great shots. I love the Kestrel image. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Have a happy weekend!

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  19. We've found a spot to see two Kestrels here and I've gotten a few photos. Nothing like the one you've taken though! WOW! Thanks!

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  20. Lovely, lovely birds! My favorite - the Kestrel.
    The fog on the lake is very pretty, too!
    Have a great day!

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  21. Wow...those heron shots! What an amazing encounter! Your photos are always absolutely stunning! That sunrise...oh my! Beautiful series!

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  22. I would have loved to watch the heron 'chow down' too!!
    Love the reflection of the egret, and the anhinga. Marvelous photos Ken.

    Thanks for taking the time to link up at I'd Rather B Birdin' this weekend.

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  23. Love your "foggy" photos and great to see the shot of the Kestrel. They are one of my favorites!

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  24. What an incredibly beautiful series!

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  25. Very nice. But you got some weird amphibians over there:) Glad the herons eat them:) Looking at the pic, I think, COOL and GROSS! And COOL! But then if I saw one and almost stepped on it, I'd scream:) That's what I do with snaky critters:)

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