The Nikon 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 AFS VR at its shortest extension of 80mm to show size on a D800

Lesser Yellowlegs breeds in open boreal forest with scattered shallow wetlands. Winters in wide variety of shallow fresh and saltwater habitats. They eat aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, particularly flies and beetles. Occasionally small fish and seeds.

The Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) is a tern-like seabird, one of three very similar birds species in the skimmer family. It breeds in North and South America. Northern populations winter in the warmer waters of the Caribbean and the tropical and subtropical Pacific coasts, but the South American races make only shorter movements in response to annual floods which extend their feeding areas in the river shallows.

The remarkable bill of the Black Skimmer sets it apart from all other American birds. The large red and black bill is knife-thin and the lower mandible is longer than the upper. The bird drags the lower bill through the water as it flies along, hoping to catch small fish.

Both the male and female Lesser Yellowlegs provide parental care to the young, but the female tends to leave the breeding area before the chicks can fly, thus leaving the male to defend the young until fledging.

The Lesser Yellowlegs is a slender, long-legged shorebird that readily shows off the brightly colored legs that give it its name. It is an active feeder, often running through the shallow water to chase its prey. These two are chasing each other.

The Roseate Spoonbill is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. This species feeds in shallow fresh or coastal waters by swinging its bill from side to side as it steadily walks through the water, often in groups. The spoon-shaped bill allows it to sift easily through mud. It feeds on crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, newts and very small fish ignored by larger waders. In the United States a popular place to observe Roseate Spoonbills is "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Roseate Spoonbills must compete for food with Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Tricolored Herons, and American White Pelicans.

The Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) is considered one of the most active herons, and is often seen on the move. It stalks its prey visually in shallow water far more actively than other herons and egrets, frequently running energetically and using the shadow of its wings to reduce glare on the water once it is in position to spear a fish; the result is a fascinating dance. Due to its bold, rapacious yet graceful feeding behavior, author Pete Dunne nicknamed the Reddish Egret "the Tyrannosaurus Rex of the Flats".[7] It eats fish, frogs, crustaceans, and insects. The bird's usual cry is a low, guttural croak.

Osprey near Lake Conway Orlando Florida. Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT

The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), sometimes known as the sea hawk, fish eagle or fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings.

The old homestead was built around the turn of the century but hasn't been occupied or kept in repair for over sixty years.

Nick Iltsopoulos headshots for Forbes on short notice. I have a model release.

Nick Iltsopoulos headshots for Forbes on short notice. I have a model release.

Nick Iltsopoulos headshots for Forbes on short notice. I have a model release.

Florida's wetlands are seen by residents and visitors alike as a unique attribute that the state possesses, being home to a wide variety of plants and animals that need this climate to survive. However, because Florida is also seen as such a profitable area for land development and tourism in the summer, these wetlands may be in danger from real estate developers. This fundamental problem is being taken care of with a system of wetland mitigation, which seeks to make up for any destruction of the wetland areas, by requiring them to sponsor projects that restore or create new wetland areas.

After World War II, Florida wanted to increase both its truck farming and its cattle business. Already it was the second largest cattle state after Texas, but they wanted more land. More than a million acres of Florida wetlands were drained with long canals such as in this scene where they did so though many ranches into rivers like the Peace River and the Myakka River. Today, through wetland programs much of this land is being converted by to natural wetlands by selling wetland mitigation credits to developers. Less and less water is flowing through these projects especially during the Spring dry period. In the Summer, this canal will deepen many feet with fast flowing water and silt into the Myakka River system. Little is drained from the Longino Ranch these days, though.

Longino Ranch Barn with Tractors and rolled hay

During the late 1940s and early 1950s much of Southwest Central Florida's wetlands was drained for cattle pasture land. The Slough Project where over a million acres were drained into the Myakka and Peace Rivers was born. Because of Wetland mitigation projects today, some of this land is being reclaimed as wetland. Here the channel is during the dry season and with less water than in prior years.

Longino Ranch wetlands in the morning. This is the early spring dry season with about three inches of water in the center of the pond. No fauna other than some small birds were detected in the center area. Coyotes are known to predate these type ponds this early in the season though known were spotted today. The Longino Ranch is 9,000 acres of ranch and woodlands located near the Peace River between Arcadia and Sarasota in the Southwestern part of Florida next to the Myakka River State Park. Much of the wetlands were drained in 1953 with the water sent to the Peace River or the Myakka River.

Sigma 10-20 DX at f/8 on an FX D800 to show the small image circle on a full frame camera.