Green Cay / Wakodahatchee wetlands (1 Viewer)

[Sydsmythe]

yes, that's the bird. He was hilarious to watch. i read that these young ones will aggressively regurgitate to ward off invaders. He was giving hell to a few grackles too.

GC and the county have been informed of the gator situation. I dare that jerk to do that out in the impoundments at ARM.

I almost bought a refurbished Olympus 600 whatever for 100 bucks. 15x zoom. I still might, for starters, till I figure out what I'm doing.

Say hi to your better half . Hope she's not gimping around anymore!

The atalas like coontie plants- that is their host.

 

[merryslug]

Did I miss something? What happened with a gator? Wait, it's probably going to p*ss me off so maybe I shouldn't know.

 

[merryslug]

Justin, the Least Bitterns that are "all over the place" are they the ones you say are near the entrance? I still can't find any there.

 

[bulos]

Justin, the Least Bitterns that are "all over the place" are they the ones you say are near the entrance? I still can't find any there.

Look for them flying and then go to where they land but hurry they disappear quickly! I haven't heard them calling any more but that's another good way to find them, from the call.

 

[bulos]

yes, that's the bird. He was hilarious to watch. i read that these young ones will aggressively regurgitate to ward off invaders. He was giving hell to a few grackles too.

GC and the county have been informed of the gator situation. I dare that jerk to do that out in the impoundments at ARM.

I almost bought a refurbished Olympus 600 whatever for 100 bucks. 15x zoom. I still might, for starters, till I figure out what I'm doing.

Say hi to your better half . Hope she's not gimping around anymore!

The atalas like coontie plants- that is their host.

Wasn't getting any better so I shot her out back. Olympus has good glass and is it 15X optical zoom or interpolated?

 

[Sydsmythe]

Optical zoom. 5x digital.

Slug, the guy was doing just what you think....tormenting the gator to get him to move, using the stick. The poor gator was so peaceful there for quite a while. When I watched him by myself for awhile, he did what I assume was a yawn and a stretch, then settled back down (he opened his mouth and did kind of a pushup). At least I hope what he was doing was not a reaction to me being there!

 

[Sydsmythe]

BTW, the number to call if you see any harassment or feeding of wildlife is 1-888-404-FWCC.

 

[Zackiedawg]

Justin, the Least Bitterns that are "all over the place" are they the ones you say are near the entrance? I still can't find any there.

Sorry - I've been away for a long 5-day weekend on vacation, and just back today.

The most recent visit where I had seen the least bitterns flying all about, they were the couple that has been spending time on the south end of the heron breeding island around the south side loop, by the pavilion. They often fly from that island to the reeds at the southeast corner right around the boardwalk, then over to the middle of the back eastern straightaway, then all the way to the pond at the north end of the straightaway where the northern pavilion is, and occasionally one of them flies over to the main pond, right where the entrance boardwalk intersects with the loop. As Bulos mentioned, they fly around a lot, and move often, so it either takes good trackign skills and fast movement, or the opposite - staking out one spot and waiting for them to move into your area.

Here's the baby standing in the reeds at the south end of the heron island:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/135144667/original

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/135144669/original

And here's the very cute baby stilt:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/135144682/original.jpg

And baby gallinule:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/135144692/original.jpg

 

[Sydsmythe]

Nice shots Justin!

I'm not clear about the gator nest at Wako. Is it that pile of leaves by the big fern ?
If so there's a similar nest on the other side down a bit. I thought she laid her eggs out in the open last year ??

In any case, saw my pal the immature BCNH at Wako today. And your pal the Basilisk , Justin.

He was stretched out on a tree branch. It was cool getting a glimpse of his feet. I pointed him out to a couple and their 2 kids...kids were thrilled!

 

[merryslug]

If it's the leaf pile and fern that I'm thinking of, then yes .

j/k, I believe you have the right spot. I can't wait to see the babies.

At least one Basilisk was down by the parking lot the other day. I got decent pics, but would love a more natural setting as a background.

 

[Sydsmythe]

Mama Turtle laid 3 eggs by gator nest today. I saw her scuffling around in the nest the other day. I saw something moving under the leaves (too small to be a gator) and finally the turtle poked her head out. She was having a hard time getting over a big fern leaf that was mixed up in that leaf pile.

Basilisk was hanging on the fence across the path.

 

[bulos]

Wood Storks at GC

As you enter and bear right the pools past the gazeebo and right at the bend where it heads to the back those pools were filled with Wood Stork and to a much lesser degree, spoonbills, herons and egrets on Friday. I rough counted and estimated as many as 300 storks alone. I further speculate the low water was forcing the fish into a small area making them easy pickings for I did see quite a few being taken by the storks.

 

[Sydsmythe]

Well Paul you beat me to the post . I saw the same thing only at the pool way in the back when you go to the left after entering. Can't remember if it was Wed or Thurs..The area is somewhat sheltered so if i hadn't really been looking I would never have known. I saw 5 spoonbills, 2 seemed small. So many woodstorks it seemed delusional

And I eeded up getting a Lumix z35.

At Apoxee today there was a circling snail kite... but it's so dry the snails are just dead.

I didn't see any spoonbills but as I rounded a corner there was--ta da!- a lovely pink feather on the ground.

Also 2 BVs nuzzling each other about 5 feet above me in a slash pine. i can't help it...I don't think they are ugly at all. And when they flew off I got another feather souvenir.

Another thing...I ran into the same WPB police officer patrolling the area 3 times today. First time I've ever seen one there. He was just driving the access road on the levee in his 4 wheeler.

The wildlife is quite skittish compared to Wako and GC. For the most part the gators don't stick around when they see you. However,one was across the canal from me on the bank, facing the other way. I watched her silently for a few minutes. When she noticed me, she immediately threw herself into the water, facing me, and started swimming across. She stopped about half way, but she never went back under . I say "she" because I assume it was mom giving me the evil eye! Smart girl, as there have been poachers out there over the years.

 

[bulos]

Damn storks

Diane........
Is the camera you bought a Panasonic Lumix FZ35? I couldn't find any thing about a Z35 so I am guessing this may be the one? If so from what I read it should be a great tool for your trips around the nature centers. The lens is like wide angle to extreme telephoto and it employs image stabilization a great technological combination. Amazing what they have done with cameras since I started shooting my little Brownie Hawkeye with a flashbulb attachment in 1957. Hell it's actually more amazing what's transpired in the past 20 years. I remember when Kodak/Canon intoduced a 1.5 MP SLR in the mid 80's or so and the price was through the roof and the image quality barely acceptable. Lots of luck and fun with it! A great site now that you are a friggin fotografer is:
http://www.dpreview.com/
You can stay abreast of things there. You might take some test images with it at different ISO settings (100 to however high it goes) and then look at the images at 100% on your computer monitor to determine just how high you actually ever want to go. Even on my Canons I find that after 400 there is a noticable grainess and increased artifacts so I rarely go higher unless it's a Bald Eagle playing the piano or I am going for an effect.
I also saw the storks in the rear and on Wednesday there were quite a few spoonbills there too. I am thinking once we get some rain there may be a lot of spoonbills in more accessible areas. In fact while I was there Friday I noticed the level rising a bit perhaps they are letting water in. One last thing, maybe you ARE delusional!
HAPPY FATHERS DAY

Well Paul you beat me to the post . I saw the same thing only at the pool way in the back when you go to the left after entering. Can't remember if it was Wed or Thurs..The area is somewhat sheltered so if i hadn't really been looking I would never have known. I saw 5 spoonbills, 2 seemed small. So many woodstorks it seemed delusional

And I eeded up getting a Lumix z35.

At Apoxee today there was a circling snail kite... but it's so dry the snails are just dead.

I didn't see any spoonbills but as I rounded a corner there was--ta da!- a lovely pink feather on the ground.

Also 2 BVs nuzzling each other about 5 feet above me in a slash pine. i can't help it...I don't think they are ugly at all. And when they flew off I got another feather souvenir.

Another thing...I ran into the same WPB police officer patrolling the area 3 times today. First time I've ever seen one there. He was just driving the access road on the levee in his 4 wheeler.

The wildlife is quite skittish compared to Wako and GC. For the most part the gators don't stick around when they see you. However,one was across the canal from me on the bank, facing the other way. I watched her silently for a few minutes. When she noticed me, she immediately threw herself into the water, facing me, and started swimming across. She stopped about half way, but she never went back under . I say "she" because I assume it was mom giving me the evil eye! Smart girl, as there have been poachers out there over the years.

 

[Sydsmythe]

Yes you found the right camera, Paul. I bought it used from B&H, just waiting for it to get here. Apparently the fz25 (less mps) has somewhat of a cult following. One on eBay had like 54 bids!! I noticed the Lumix often gets higher rankings than the PowerShot , partly because it supports RAW. Although no one argues over the Canon's image quality!

Another thing I've been wanting to photograph for years is just roadside stuff. There were so many things, like motels, trailer parks, souvenir shops etc. that I've wanted to shoot over the years and didn't...like a jerk. The stuff on Federal Highway in Delray that's all gone now probably would've been enough for a little history book. I loved delivering mail there, it was like another world. Before I got the route, i would do it on the other guy's day off. He was an old Delray guy. They left cold beer for him in the roadside mailboxes. The Advos, pennysavers, etc. never got delivered to the customers. He left them at the Bahama Smokehouse so that's how those ribs got their unique taste.The Postmaster was an old drunk Delray guy too and he knew and didn't care. It's very hard to find any historical info on that area now. The city viewed it as a bunch of trash that had to be demolished, and any history is cast in derogatory terms. They just want their pretty All-American City. I liked it better then!!!

Delusional!!

If you guys know of any weird roadside stuff let me know.

 

[bulos]

Well judging from what I read I can see why people favor these cameras, it will certainly be a lot easier to cart around than an SLR. All you would really need would be an off-camera flash for good fill and backlit shots. I know that "look" of which you speak, it is the look of a Florida mostly gone. When I first lived here for a while in '71 I had a place on 60 sumptin' and N Miami Ave (now a dangerous area) and my aunt lived near Young's Circle in Hollywood. The drive up on US1 was great and once you got North of around 125th there wasn't much other than a few little quick stops and a drive in movie. It was quiet, dark and enchanting, and it was those drives that enamoured me to South Florida, now it is like rush hour in Newark. You might still find what you are looking for inland and N/NW? Anyway enjoy the camera when it comes. Are you into "art photography" of old fat guys? Just a thought not a word to Rosie.

 

[Sydsmythe]

Is "art photography" the new "etchings" ?

My mother and her husband live near Orlando in Longwood. There is some interesting stuff out on 17-92. Where they live is gorgeous as far as developed places go. Huge old trees, deer and bears in the yard, up from the lakes...heck, Dwight Howard lives across the street!

I do need to head out N/ NW. JJ Grey, singer/songwriter from a little town near Jacksonville (or might be Tampa) and member of MoFro, does some great stuff about disappearing Florida. He's even got a song "where have the fireflies gone"...

Speaking of which..I found some! .I didn't even know we had them. A cool walk I take after work sometimes is to the Ocean Ridge Natural Area. There is no parking there, so you've got to walk. it's at the west end of Corrine St.

I park on Woolbright and Federal by Wendy's. Walk over the bridge, (the south side has a path on the other side) then cross over at A1A to head north. There's a retention pond there with a cool sign explaining ,uh, retention ponds. Then walk a few blocks and the Natural Area is on the left. There's a sign on the Corrine St sign. i like to go there when it's dark as there is no gate. It's a beautiful mangrove estuary with necklace pods, sea oxeyes, saltbush, etc. and fireflies. At the end you are at the ICW. There are floating docks there. Would make a cool little canoe destination. Walk a bit further north and on the beach side is Ocean Ridge Hammock park. It gives you an idea of what earlier folks had to do to get to the beach...lots of dense trees, etc.
After that, I go across A1A to Old Ocean Blv. Some of the beach access is public. The old ridge is great. Sometimes I don't see a soul, it's another one of those back-in-time experiences. A bit further south is Briny Breezes..funky old trailer park, funky old houses right at the beach...one fairly large house was for sale for just $360,000. Kinda neat if you've never seen it.

Hollywood is pretty neat.

And what's wrong with Newark ?
I am from NJ...Clifton. As for Newark, it was definitely a bold move to put the Devils there. What a place.

 

[bulos]

You were from Clifton seriously?

 

[Sydsmythe]

Why the heck would I joke about that ;(


Ooops...one frenchie, one! 2 all the way 2! $4.96!

And whoc ould forget Hot Bagels, and the guy with the cigarette hanging out of his mouth, the ashes about to fall into the bagel dough as he hoses them down...

 

[bulos]

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