zackiedawg
Forum Pro
Well, Sunday May 20 turned out to be mother's day again! I decided to visit a wetlands area I hadn't been to in many years - after it had taken a pretty bad hit in a 2004 hurricane, and many birds didn't return in the normal breeding season the next spring. Fortunately, it didn't take as long for the wildlife to return to the wetlands as it did for Justin to return!
It was a bonanza day - unbelievable numbers of incredibly diverse wildlife was thriving, and had been breeding, in the wetlands. And the H5 got to visit this place with the 1758 teleconverter for the first time - I barely stopped pressing the shutter for 4 hours!
One particular theme for the day was the incredible number of animals with newborns...the normal breeding season was record-breaking, and this year's crop of children showing excellent signs of recovery for South Florida's seasonal and year-round wildlife. So focusing on the mothers and children...here's a glimpse of some of the incredible new lives I got to peek at with my H5:
Here. a moorhen mother is feeding her tiny chicks, their eyes only just opened:
Moorhens are awfully common around here, but still one rarely gets the privilege of seeing the young chicks, especially this young and fragile.
Here. a blue heron mom stands guard, with her chick copying her pose. She's got momma's eyes:
Blue herons usually nest quite high in trees, making seeing the chicks a fairly rare sight. Fortunately, the relative safety of the wetlands allowed this heron to make her nest just 5 or 6 feet off the ground - out of alligator range, but low enough for me to peer into.
When the heron mom catches a fish, she eats it, then regurgitates it so the young chicks can reach up and eat her processed food:
Here. some mottled ducklings following in momma's wake as she guides them through the grasses:
I watched this procession wind its way through the mosses and grasses, right past me and under my feet, finally ending up on the shore. I have 5 or 6 shots of the procession, but didn't want to fill this thread with too many of the ducks!
Here, a moorhen youngster follows mom's example of how to feed:
This moorhen's chick is a little older - probably nearing 'teen' - not quite ready to go out on its own, but large enough to swim around and find its own food with mom to instruct.
Here, a marsh rabbit mother sits on guard:
With her child a few feet off, copying her pose:
Marsh rabbits were once extremely common in these parts, but many were killed off, either intentionally (by new homeowners pushing deeper into what was once Everglades) or unintentionally (clearing, polluting, or just pushing them back into smaller areas where predators pick them off). Fortunately, wetland areas like this offer shelter and safety for Florida's wildlife to maintain their natural ways.
Still bald headed and downy-feathered, three aningha chicks scream for mom to pass down some food:
I've got 6 or 7 shots of these chicks yelling - again, I just picked one to post here. I heard these chicks long before I could see them, and was trying to find a vantage point where I could get a shot of the chicks. There were aninghas sitting atop every tree or bush in the marsh, so finding out which one was a mother with chicks below her feet was a challenge. Finally, I figured out which bush they were in, and after moving to the other side, I got a clear view of the little bald chicks. They were quite far away, with alot of water between me and them, so I couldn't get as close as the other nests...thank god for that huge zoom and teleextender!
Finally, a heron mother with newborn chicks sits on her nest, guarding them:
I was surprised to find that she had built her nest on a small plant island just 15 feet from land, and quite low...I was really able to get quite close to her, and use the tele to get right in on her face. It was a very windy day, which is why she looks so tousled!
Comments, critiques, and questions welcome. I was quite happy with this location, and intend to go back much more often, hopefully in mornings or late afternoons in good light (I was limited this day to middle-of-the-afternoon harsh sun...I used alot of - EV to avoid too many blowouts).
I still have another post to make from this place, showing some of the diverse birdlife and wildlife there - and maybe getting some help IDing a few!
Hope you enjoyed this look at some Florida mothers and their children!
--
Justin
galleries: http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg
(I'd be honored and overjoyed to have any of my posted photographs critiqued, commented on, or post-processed - I can attribute everything I know about photography to the wonderful people who have done this for me in the past!)
It was a bonanza day - unbelievable numbers of incredibly diverse wildlife was thriving, and had been breeding, in the wetlands. And the H5 got to visit this place with the 1758 teleconverter for the first time - I barely stopped pressing the shutter for 4 hours!
One particular theme for the day was the incredible number of animals with newborns...the normal breeding season was record-breaking, and this year's crop of children showing excellent signs of recovery for South Florida's seasonal and year-round wildlife. So focusing on the mothers and children...here's a glimpse of some of the incredible new lives I got to peek at with my H5:
Here. a moorhen mother is feeding her tiny chicks, their eyes only just opened:
Moorhens are awfully common around here, but still one rarely gets the privilege of seeing the young chicks, especially this young and fragile.
Here. a blue heron mom stands guard, with her chick copying her pose. She's got momma's eyes:
Blue herons usually nest quite high in trees, making seeing the chicks a fairly rare sight. Fortunately, the relative safety of the wetlands allowed this heron to make her nest just 5 or 6 feet off the ground - out of alligator range, but low enough for me to peer into.
When the heron mom catches a fish, she eats it, then regurgitates it so the young chicks can reach up and eat her processed food:
Here. some mottled ducklings following in momma's wake as she guides them through the grasses:
I watched this procession wind its way through the mosses and grasses, right past me and under my feet, finally ending up on the shore. I have 5 or 6 shots of the procession, but didn't want to fill this thread with too many of the ducks!
Here, a moorhen youngster follows mom's example of how to feed:
This moorhen's chick is a little older - probably nearing 'teen' - not quite ready to go out on its own, but large enough to swim around and find its own food with mom to instruct.
Here, a marsh rabbit mother sits on guard:
With her child a few feet off, copying her pose:
Marsh rabbits were once extremely common in these parts, but many were killed off, either intentionally (by new homeowners pushing deeper into what was once Everglades) or unintentionally (clearing, polluting, or just pushing them back into smaller areas where predators pick them off). Fortunately, wetland areas like this offer shelter and safety for Florida's wildlife to maintain their natural ways.
Still bald headed and downy-feathered, three aningha chicks scream for mom to pass down some food:
I've got 6 or 7 shots of these chicks yelling - again, I just picked one to post here. I heard these chicks long before I could see them, and was trying to find a vantage point where I could get a shot of the chicks. There were aninghas sitting atop every tree or bush in the marsh, so finding out which one was a mother with chicks below her feet was a challenge. Finally, I figured out which bush they were in, and after moving to the other side, I got a clear view of the little bald chicks. They were quite far away, with alot of water between me and them, so I couldn't get as close as the other nests...thank god for that huge zoom and teleextender!
Finally, a heron mother with newborn chicks sits on her nest, guarding them:
I was surprised to find that she had built her nest on a small plant island just 15 feet from land, and quite low...I was really able to get quite close to her, and use the tele to get right in on her face. It was a very windy day, which is why she looks so tousled!
Comments, critiques, and questions welcome. I was quite happy with this location, and intend to go back much more often, hopefully in mornings or late afternoons in good light (I was limited this day to middle-of-the-afternoon harsh sun...I used alot of - EV to avoid too many blowouts).
I still have another post to make from this place, showing some of the diverse birdlife and wildlife there - and maybe getting some help IDing a few!
Hope you enjoyed this look at some Florida mothers and their children!
--
Justin
galleries: http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg
(I'd be honored and overjoyed to have any of my posted photographs critiqued, commented on, or post-processed - I can attribute everything I know about photography to the wonderful people who have done this for me in the past!)
It must be really nice having such a habitat to visit. Keep the shots coming - they're geat. Oh, by the way, what are the green stalks on the ground in the first photo? 
