After weeks of bad weekend weather, we have extraordinarily beautiful and cool weather for June. I went to the wildlife refuge this morning.
The ospreys were busy fishing and nesting, but most of the action was out of range. I did get this shot though.
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| An Osprey Unhappy with my Presence |
There were fleeting chances to get shots of bald eagles, like this one.
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| Bald Eagle |
Near the shoreline nest, I got this one shot before the eagle flew away.
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| Bald Eagle |
In the tree with the nest, there are two juveniles who look to be branching, not quite fledged. With the dense vegetation in the way, it was very difficult to get a clear look at them, and this was the best I could do.
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| Two Juvenile Bald Eagles |
I walked further, rounded a bend, and saw a hen turkey with a whole brood on the road. I thought, maybe I'd have a chance to shoot the young ones; I've never seen any young turkeys. I got some quick shots, but it was too dark and I was too rushed, and the shots are poor. I thought, well at least they can't fly away yet. Then they all flew away. The only usable shots I got were of the mother, who flew into a tree and precariously perched for a minute while I found a spot to get a shot.
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| Wild Turkey |
I usually let herons go their way without photographing them. This one was so close that I shot it anyway. Its eyes look bizarre because they are both looking at me.
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| Heron with Odd Eyes |
On my way back out, I passed the shoreline nest again. Again, after lots of looking for a spot to get a clear shot, I found them with a bit more sunlight on them.
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| Two Juvenile Bald Eagles |
I headed for the exit, looking up for birds. I almost stepped on this large turtle. At last, here was an animal with an unobstructed view that was still enough for me to shoot. It was actually so close that it was hard to shoot it with my telephoto lens. Moving farther away in a direction that was well-oriented to the turtle and the light put me off the road in the bushes. Its shell was about the size of a basketball.
