Birds and Blooms Blog

While birding on the East Coast a few weeks ago, one of my favorite stops was in Cambridge, Maryland where we were able to photograph several duck species. The main species that are found in the area and are close enough to be photographed are American Wigeon, Lesser Scaup, and Canvasback. This area was by far the best location for photographing Canvasback that I have ever seen and I was able to take advantage of the close birds and great shooting conditions!

This male Canvasback was showing off for the camera! 

Another shot of the same male Canvasback.

One of the most difficult aspects of photographing the duck species at this location was the huge number of ducks that were present. In order to get great shots of individual birds, you had to find one bird that was far enough from the main group that you would only get that individual in your shot. With a group of about 800 ducks in the area, this was no easy task. It took some time but my patience paid off!

This trip was the first time that I was able to get good photos of American Wigeon.

One of the big benefits of this location was that many of the ducks were in flight and would come in for a landing. This allowed me to work on my flight photography and capture photos like this one of a Lesser Scaup.

I could have easily spent 2 to 3 days here working to improve on the photographs that I was taking. Where could you spend a lot of time photograph duck species?

In the April/May issue of Birds & Blooms, we featured a travel piece on butterflies in Southern Texas. This is definitely the place to go if you love butterflies. More than 300 species have been found here!

We promised you more great places to visit in The Valley. Thanks to Kenn Kaufman of Kaufman Field Guides for suggesting these. He’s spent a lot of time in The Valley over the years, so we really appreciate the tips.

9 PLACES TO CHECK OUT IN THE VALLEY

1. Falcon State Park near Falcon Heights
2. Bentsen State Park near Mission
3. Quinta Mazatlan Park near McAllen
4. Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge near Alamo
5. Sabal Palm Audubon Center near Brownsville
6. NABA Butterfly Park near Mission
7. Frontera Audubon Center near Weslaco
8. Estero Llano Grande State Park near Weslaco
9. Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge near Rio Hondo

We have a new partnership with Leica Sport Optics that we’re really excited about! The Leica optics reps have always been really great with us when we go to bird festivals, and now we’re partnering with them to bring some of their videos from the field directly to you!

Since we spend a lot of our days in the office, we’re not always out in the field. This is where Leica comes into play. They are out there bird-watching all the time. And they take some pretty amazing photos and videos that we know you’d love to see. We’ll be featuring those photos and videos right here on the blog, as well as the Birds & Blooms iPad edition!

For our first video, I pulled a video from Leica’s rep, Jeff Bouton. It shows the red belly of a red-bellied woodpecker! Many people find it difficult to see the red belly of this bird, and they even question the name. But this video clearly shows the bird’s red belly. It’s very cool to see. Thanks again to Leica Sport Optics for sharing. Go give them a “like” on Facebook to support our new partnership, and look for more videos to be posted soon!

My mom is in town visiting from snowy Ohio, so we decided to head out and explore someplace we’ve never visited here in the Tampa area: the Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg. These gardens were one of Florida’s original “roadside attractions” from the days when families would load into the car and head south, stopping to see whatever caught their eye along the way. (It’s from the same era as Weeki Wachee’s mermaids and Miami’s Monkey Jungle.)

In 1903, George Turner purchased the site and drained a shallow lake to create his gardens, about 15 feet below street level. He planted palms and tropical plants, creating a lush oasis that people soon started to visit for 25 cents apiece. It was especially popular in the 50s and 60s, though it fell off a bit in later years. In 1999, the city of St. Petersburg purchased it and returned it to its former glory.

Many of the large royal palms are 100 years old or more, and the stands of bougainvillea have trunks as big around as your waist! The shady glens include tropical plants like crotons and low-growing palms, and sunnier areas have flower gardens perfect for attracting butterflies. Learn more about the plants found in the gardens here.

Jill Staake Top Row: Orchid, Pinecone Ginger; Bottom Row: Camellia, Iris

No roadside attraction in early Florida was complete without flamingos, and today’s Sunken Gardens still houses a few.

Jill Staake Chilean flamingos at the Sunken Gardens.

One charming spot in the garden is home to the “Growing Stone”. The sign next to it reads: This fossilized limestone rock was originally discovered in the center of the sinkhole lake which formed Sunken Gardens. Legend has it that “he who sits upon the ancient stone shall be granted tranquility, inner harmony, and the talent to make things grow.” Traditionally, the first day on the job for Sunken Gardens employees always includes a visit to the Growing Stone.

Jill Staake The “Growing Stone” at the Sunken Gardens

All in all, this quiet location in the middle of urban St. Petersburg is an unexpected place to stroll the paths in peace, admiring flower gardens, butterflies, towering palms, and calming foliage. If you’re interested in visiting, click here to learn more. Have you been to St. Petersburg’s Sunken Gardens? Tell us about your experiences!

Our friend and frequent writer for Birds & Blooms, David Shaw, lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, and has captured some of the most amazing photos of the northern lights (scientifically known as auroras) I’ve ever seen! He shared a few of his favorite photos with us.

Looking up at the sky full of the amazing colors of nothern lights in Alaska.

Northern lights in Alaska.

A gorgeous view of northern lights in Alaska.

For those that are unfamiliar, you CAN see northern lights from anywhere. However, it’s much easier to see from higher latitudes, like Canada, Alaska and Antarctica. Yes, they’re cool and yes, they’re colorful. But what causes this? The colorful dancing lights of the aurora are created because of collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth’s atmosphere.

See more photos and updates from David by liking his Facebook page, Wild Imagination Photography. Not only does he post amazing photos of his adventures, he also hosts wilderness and photography trips. For a schedule and to learn more about David Shaw, check out his website.

Have you ever seen the northern lights like this?