Last week I spent a few days recharging in Sedona, AZ.

The Airport Loop hike provides great views of the Red Rocks.















Sonoran Spotted Whiptail. A new species for me. Interestingly, all of them are female, and they reproduce asexually via parthenogenesis.





More new lizards, the side blotched lizard and the earless lizard.







Cactus flowers in bloom





Funnel-web spider



Gambel's quail, a bird I have been wanting to see for a long time!





Raven flyover



Hiking on the West Fork trail in Oak Creek, I was amazed to see so much green. The cool shade of the canyon was a welcome refuge from the blazing sun.















It was an awesome trip. I think my next visit to Sedona will be in the spring or fall, as I have done in the past. Thought Florida summers were hot, but Arizona takes it to a whole new level!

Walking by the river, I heard the distinctive screeeeech of a baby barred owl. Just off the trail, at eye level, I finally spotted this little guy. It is amazing how well they blend in.







Baby gators





Yellow-billed cuckoo with a lubber grasshopper



Thistles in bloom



I was in Daytona a few weeks ago and checked out the beaches of Palm Coast to the north. It very different to our southern beaches. The air was hazy with windblown sand. I liked that these beaches were more natural, as opposed to the crowded Daytona Beach where vehicles actually drive on the beach itself.

Clinging to the last remnants of spring before the real heat begins! Spent some time in the yard the other day and noticed some swallow-tailed kites circing above. Suddenly one of them veered down toward our mango tree and tore off a leaf! I thought it very strange, but figured that they might be collecting nesting material.



The bird continued to circle and I noticed it nipping at the leaf while in flight.



On its next pass overhead I realized what it was doing. Frog legs for supper!



I got some other shots in better light. They are beautiful birds.







Noticing more alligators at Riverbend too. This little guy was relaxing just off the walking path.



This little ribbon snake almost got run over by some bicyclists, but they saw him just in time.



Our clownfish have adopted one of our corals as an anemone surrogate. The coral does not seem to mind.



Mr. Jawfish

Happy Easter all! Just got back from Canada, and enjoying the warm weather in Fl. It is starting to feel like summer, with temperatures in the 80's and the cicadas already buzzing away in the cypress trees.

A few weeks ago I was able to take some time off and visit the Everglades.

This sunny little Prairie warbler greeted us at the visitor center.



The usual suspects were present along the Anhinga trail.





Lots of anhinga nests.







The ospreys were nesting at Flamino marina once again.

Bringing in a fish.





The fish was not deemed suitable for the chick, so the parent flew off with it.



Eating the rejected fish and sulking.



The crocodiles also made an appearance.



Done with dinner.



Sunset mockingbird



A peaceful end to a lovely day in the Glades.



Some more local shots.







Fox squirrel, a rare sight these days. Got this funny shot with the point and shoot.



Spot the baby raccoon.



There he is!



Thunderstorms and heat forecast for the next week. I am not ready for summer yet!

Had a few weeks break from travel to enjoy the best weather South Florida has to offer. I was able to take some time off and enjoy it too, which was very nice.

Birdfeeder is very popular these days. The painted buntings are still around, as well as some other interesting visitors.





One of my hummingbird guests. I have at least three, two males and a female.



Had a box turtle amble through the yard last week too. I think this same turtle visited us last year, she looks very familiar.



Green anole at the swamp



The irises are stunning when they are all in bloom



A funny brown anole in the yard



More to come, I've got a load of pics from Everglades National Park to sort through still!

Had a great time in Portland last week. Enjoyed some rare winter sunshine and had some days off to enjoy the pacific northwest.

Cannon Beach













Top of Multnomah Falls





There was a constant drizzle but it wasn't too bad. The only time I have seen this bridge devoid of people.



Was greeted by almost 90 degree weather upon returning home to Florida. It was nice to see the painted buntings!

Hey, stop hogging the feeder!



The hummingbirds have been around a lot too. But the Coral Bean bush in the front garden has grown so large that its difficult to photograph them. I will keep trying though!

Just returned to steamy South Florida (85 degrees F) from Ottawa, Canada (-10 degrees F). A bit of a shock to the system, to put it mildly!

Ottawa was in the midst of the Winterlude celebration, and we braved the cold to go out and see the ice sculpture garden. It was worth it, the sculptures were amazing.











The painted buntings are still visiting the feeder. I finally got a shot of them in the sun!





The male ruby-throat is back, got a shot of him today.



Some other shots from FL last weekend, when the temperatures were a bit more civilized:



Interesting effect, backlit epiphytes on oak branch



Last week I was working in Colorado, once again in the deep freeze.











Had an hour of daylight free so I visited the Rocky Mountain Arsenal one evening. Got some good close up views of the bison, a rare treat.







Surreal to see the skyline of Denver with bison in the foreground.









Happy to see the mountains again!

Doing the reverse snowbird thing and flying to Canada in the winter.

Meetings downtown. Old city hall.





Fieldwork.





Lake Erie.



There are advantages to long days in the field. Seeing the moonrise and sunrise was a treat.



Strange wisps of cloud just above the ground.













Back in FL now and enjoying watching a trio of Painted Buntings on the birdfeeder. They always seem to visit at dawn and dusk so photography has not been great. Hoping for some good shots soon.

These are shots from one of last year's Colorado trips that I never got around to posting.

I never got to see any mountain goats in the Rockies, but here is one at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs.



Funny little porcupine



A contender for the newest grumpy cat meme



These little chickadees were stealing meat from a food dish in one of the exhibits.







Pikes Peak railway, heading up to 14,000'+





At the top, it was freezing, with a 60 mph wind. Amazing views.



More shots from Rocky Mountain National Park, an early morning hike up Glacier Gorge





Alberta falls, frozen solid









Bear Lake









The Fern Lake fire had started up again, forcing a hurried exit from the area



Denver Skyline



Prairie Dog



Some recent shots from Canada.



It was pretty snowy and windy





"The Big Fish"



Lake Erie





Here in FL it is 80 degrees and sunny. It has also been very rainy this winter. Its not a bad thing, hopefully we won't end up in a drought this spring as we normally do. Looking forward to getting out and exploring some new local parks soon!

A cold wind was blowing today so we decided to visit Blowing Rocks preserve. The tides were not right for spectacular crashing waves, so the rocks themselves were the stars of the show.













Before the clouds and wind moved in, it was a crisp, sunny morning at Riverbend park.



Sandhill crane family. I positioned myself ahead of them so that I could shoot closeups as they approached. This one gave me this odd look before strutting past.





Northern Mockingbird



Common yellowthroat



Some other recent shots. These were taken at Barley Barber swamp.







Blue-gray gnatcatcher



A pair of Crested caracara were mobbing a vulture. Never seen this before.



I am still kind of shocked that its almost 2013. The last several months have shot past in a blur.
2012 was a good year in terms of personal and professional development. Looking forward to an even better 2013! Happy New Year to all!