Wildlife from Green Cay and Wako wetlands

I went out to Green Cay and Wakodahatchee wetlands with Justin yesterday to take a few pictures. It was a perfect day, 75 degrees, very sunny with a nice cool breeze. It was almost too sunny because at times, the wildlife was in harsh light conditions.

I'm only going to post 14 pictures because I try to abide by the DPR rules, and I'm running out of room in my gallery for this month. I guess I've been posting too many pictures this month.

Even though I did not stay until the BIF started going crazy during the last hour of sunlight, I think it shows the kind of variety that can be had even during the middle of the day.


The Painted Bunting are always in the shade and pretty far away :/


A purple gallinule , they are always moving and pretty hard to catch in the open.


A swamphen eating roots as the always do


A Sapsuckers wood pecker sucking sap.


An American Bittern looking for food, pretty sharp in good light.


I think it is a whistling duck (I think) resting in the shade.


A yellow-crowned night heron (I think) sleeping in the shade as they usually do during the day.


A Great Blue heron just hanging out.


A Wood Stork chilling out in the sun.


A Stilt bird of some kind looking for food.


Another one


A glossy Ibis (I think) on a nest.


A big gator getting a sun tan.


A duck sleeping on one leg.

I put the 30 keepers in my Smugmug gallery in case you would like to check out the rest of my pictures from yesterday. There are racoons, rabbits, a few more gators, turtles and other types of birds that I am not including in my opening thread.

As usuall, any comments or questions are welcome.

--
Life is short, so make the best of it while you can!
http://grob.smugmug.com/
https://grob.smugmug.com/Wildlife-Pictures/

Great pics! What lens did you use?

Beautiful images Snapa.

I think that last duck is a Blue Winged Teal. We get them up here too, but I don't get to see them often.

Newbie Phewbie said:

Beautiful images Snapa.

I think that last duck is a Blue Winged Teal. We get them up here too, but I don't get to see them often.

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Yep, you are correct it was a Blue Winged Teal. They are pretty common down here this time of year. I took a few pictures of them, here is one that shows the blue wing a little better.


Kind of hidden behind the plants.


It's interesting how they sleep while balancing on one leg like this.


A couple of Blue Winged Teals, and I mean a 'couple'. It's pretty easy to tell the male from female.

--
Life is short, so make the best of it while you can!
http://grob.smugmug.com/
https://grob.smugmug.com/Wildlife-Pictures/

Well, all of your 'I think' IDs are correct! Nicely done. Can be hard to remember so many different species in an afternoon unless you've got them all memorized...get out birding as many years as I have, and they'll be second nature.

Very nice. I look forward to eventually catching up to this same shooting day - though I'm still just getting out of January 2019 shots. I'm not too worried, as shooting will slow down significantly come summer, and I always get caught up then.

Turned out to be a pretty good day, with some nice photography rarities picked up (the American and least bitterns) and a few new spring species having arrived early (stilts and sandpipers).

Very nice set. I like the images below. The bittern shows the type of habitat they are always in.

snapa said:

An American Bittern looking for food, pretty sharp in good light.


I think it is a whistling duck (I think) resting in the shade.


A Stilt bird of some kind looking for food.

Click to expand...

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Gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/156719406@N07/

zackiedawg said:

Well, all of your 'I think' IDs are correct! Nicely done. Can be hard to remember so many different species in an afternoon unless you've got them all memorized...get out birding as many years as I have, and they'll be second nature.

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Thanks, I'm trying to get all the ID's correct, and it is nice to have people like you and others correct me when neccessary. It's hard when there are soooo many birds to remember when taking so many pictures of so many birds!

zackiedawg said:

Very nice. I look forward to eventually catching up to this same shooting day - though I'm still just getting out of January 2019 shots. I'm not too worried, as shooting will slow down significantly come summer, and I always get caught up then.

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Even in the summer, it's still nice to get out to see all the birds that are there all year long, not to mention all the other wildlife that don't fly.











All taken last Saturday with the rest of the birds in the OP.

zackiedawg said:

Turned out to be a pretty good day, with some nice photography rarities picked up (the American and least bitterns) and a few new spring species having arrived early (stilts and sandpipers).

Click to expand...

Going out to Green Cay and Wako is always like 'a box of chocolates' you never know what you will see from one day to the next. Besides, it is just great getting out of the house, away from the computer, getting excersise and having fun. That is what is it really all about IMHO. It sure beats riding my bike around the neiborhood and local parks for a change!

--
Life is short, so make the best of it while you can!
http://grob.smugmug.com/
https://grob.smugmug.com/Wildlife-Pictures/

Mfcrisis said:

Great pics! What lens did you use?

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The only lens I use on my a6300 is the FE 70-300G for wildlife shooting, it has replaced my 55-210 since I needed a longer FL, and better IQ. My 55-210 is a very good copy and takes very nice images within it's sweet spots. I still have it and will never get rid of it, because it is such a good copy and would not get much for it if I sold it.

--
Life is short, so make the best of it while you can!
http://grob.smugmug.com/
https://grob.smugmug.com/Wildlife-Pictures/

snapa said:

Mfcrisis said:

Great pics! What lens did you use?

Click to expand...

The only lens I use on my a6300 is the FE 70-300G for wildlife shooting, it has replaced my 55-210 since I needed a longer FL, and better IQ. My 55-210 is a very good copy and takes very nice images within it's sweet spots. I still have it and will never get rid of it, because it is such a good copy and would not get much for it if I sold it.

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I am confused..which lens did you use? The 55-210 or the 70-300G?

Were you saying that 55-210 is better than 75-300G?

My copy is an absolute trash.

Mark K said:

snapa said:

Mfcrisis said:

Great pics! What lens did you use?

Click to expand...

The only lens I use on my a6300 is the FE 70-300G for wildlife shooting, it has replaced my 55-210 since I needed a longer FL, and better IQ. My 55-210 is a very good copy and takes very nice images within it's sweet spots. I still have it and will never get rid of it, because it is such a good copy and would not get much for it if I sold it.

Click to expand...

I am confused..which lens did you use? The 55-210 or the 70-300G?

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Read what I wrote in bold text, again. I'm sorry I could not be any more clear than that for you. :-|

Mark K said:

Were you saying that 55-210 is better than 75-300G?

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No, I thought I made it pretty clear, the 70-300G is better than the 55-210 lens.

Mark K said:

My copy is an absolute trash.

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BTW, It is too bad you got a bad copy of the 55-210, mine is very good for the price I paid for it and it's size. When shot correctly in good light in it's sweet spots, it's really not that bad.


Shot with the a6300 & 55-210.


Shot with the a6300 & 55-210.

--
Life is short, so make the best of it while you can!
http://grob.smugmug.com/
https://grob.smugmug.com/Wildlife-Pictures/

Thanks for the clarification. I have an A mount 75-300G which is sharp, but never better than A mount 70-400.

I always have not got enough reach for wild life