Tag: anhinga

Wakodahatchee Wetlands

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A few weeks ago I tagged along with fellow photographer, Robert Chaplin, who was scouting for an upcoming bird workshop.  One of our stops was the Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Palm Beach County.  The last time I was there was about three (3) years ago and I remembered it being full of nesting birds.  When I returned this time it was just as I remembered it if not better.  There were more than 10 nesting pairs of Great Blue Herons as well as numerous nesting anhingas and cormorants.  The best part is that many of the nests are only a mere 10 to 15 feet from the elevated boardwalk making photographing them easy to do without the need to use a long lens.

Last time I visited during the early morning hours, this time I was there in the late afternoon just before sunset.  While I was there some of the Great Blue Heron males were bring food to the sitting females as well as nesting materials.  I was able to capture one of the males flying back and forth with nesting materials from a nearby tree.  It was a lot of fun to watch much less photograph.

The most awe inspiring part about being there near sunset is the number of birds that fly in to roost for the evening.  During the last 30 minutes or so before the sunset hundreds of birds of all varieties flew into the wetlands and started roosting in the nearby trees.  By the time I left every tree was full of birds roosting for the evening.

Of all the bird locations I have visited Wakodahatchee is by far one of my favorites.  It consistently produces a large number and variety of birds that can be easily photographed with any lens or camera.  Eco Pond in Everglades National Park at its peak is the only other location that rivals Wakodahatchee in terms of numbers and variety.  However, Eco Pond’s peak is only a few weeks out of every year.

For anyone who has not yet visited Wakodahatchee I encourage you to plan a trip.  I can assure you it is worth the drive.

Wakodahatchee Wetlands

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This past weekend I rode along with a photographer friend of mine, Robert Chaplin, who was scouting for his upcoming bird workshop.  We took a trip up to Wakodahatchee Wetlands near Delray Beach in Palm Beach County, Florida.  Wakodahatchee Wetlands is an oasis in the middle of housing developments.  Being so close to Everglades National Park and the abundant wildlife, I did not have high expectations of the Wakodahatchee Wetlands despite reading some good reports.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The Wakodahatchee Wetlands were as good as any location I have photographed in Everglades National Park and in some respects the Wakodahatchee Wetlands were better.

The Wakodahatchee Wetlands consists of an elevated boardwalk that leads you on a .5 mile round trip hike.  Along the way are numerous trees with roosting Great Blue Herons and Anhingas.  On this trip many already had chicks in the nests, others were still building nests.  There were also Night Herons, Snowy Egrets, a wide variety of Ducks, Tri-color Herons, Little Blue Herons, Ibis and other wading birds.  Alligators were also swimming in the shallow waters and sunning themselves on the shorelines.  I got there early in the morning while the birds were still active flying two and from their nests and feeding in the shallow waters.

The highlight of this trip was a Great Blue Heron couple that were building a nest in a nearby tree off of the boardwalk.  I was able to capture a few good shots of one of the Heron’s gathering nesting materials and flying to and from the nest.

I only spent about an hour at Wakodahatchee but it is definitely on my list of places to return to.  Below are a few of the photos I captured on this trip.

Everglades National Park Photography

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I finally got some free time to take a dedicated photography trip.  It has been almost four (4) months since my last photography trip.  I chose to run out to Everglades National Park to catch a sunrise and then see what other photo opportunities I could find.  I was hoping for some dense fog in the morning based on the weather forecast the night before, but alas no fog was present.  I did find a little layer of fog across a lake but not the dense fog I had hoped for.  Either way I was able to capture a few decent shots across a nearby lake.  I captured one before the sun came up and then a few sunbursts as it broke the horizon through the trees.  I would have preferred some more dramatic skies but it was still a productive shoot.

Once the sun had gotten to bright to shoot, I packed the truck and headed to the Anhinga Trail to check on the wildlife.  I have not been to the Anhinga Trail since last March and wanted see if I could find a few animal shots to add to my collection.  I succeeded in capturing a Great Blue Egret eating a catfish and an Anhinga in Mating colors drying his wings.  When I left I encountered about five (5) vultures eating various parts of my truck.  Luckily they did not cause any major damage.

From the Anhinga Trail I went exploring to find a place called Movie Dome.  It is a cypress dome in Everglades National Park within walking distance of the main road.  To get there you have to traverse the wet and muddy saw grass for about .25 mile or so.  Once there you are surrounded by cypress trees and shin to knee deep water.  The Cypress Trees are covered in Bromeliads and other air plants.  This time of year only a few were in bloom.  Later in the year it will be much better.  In the middle of the cypress dome is a deep gator hole a couple of feet deep in which no trees grow.  It looks like a lake in the middle of the trees.  I captured a few shots of some blooming bromeliads before heading back to the truck.

I left around noon to head home.  I plan on heading back to the cypress dome when the bromeliads are all in full bloom.