Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary March 2020

Stay at home orders only make revisiting nature photography trips that much sweeter.  We're all dealing with the restrictions that COVID-19 has thrust upon us.  I hope this post and the other 6 Florida nature posts in the Recent Work section of this site will provide a few minutes of escape for you.  Thank you for your interest in my work.  

Daylight savings time had just begun, so I was the first one to enter Corkscrew at 7:00 a.m.  (sunrise was around 7:30).  My first encounters were the Barred Owl and the Tricolored Heron, so those images were a bit difficult due to low light levels.  I was then lucky to spot a relatively lively Black-crowned Night Heron which was less skittish than most.  I've been photographing them for years, but most often I find they either fly away immediately or they sit motionless with their back to me.  There's something about the epiphytes (air plants) found on tree trunks in the swamps in Florida that fascinates me. Epiphytes have no permanent root structure and survive on sunlight, water, air and some nutrients.  They do no harm to the trees they grow on.  There are over 75 species of epiphytes in Florida.  The tree trunk photo shows young epiphytes just getting started.  As the morning progressed and the light became a bit harsh, I spotted the Red-shouldered Hawk and the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  This brings my Florida posts to an end for this year, but I'm already looking forward to Florida's warmth, beauty and wildlife again next year.