(Plegadis falcinellus)

Sandhill Cranes

(Aramus guarauna)

 (Storeria dekayi victa)

This was a night I'll never forget.  In late May I decided to start walking for miles up and down the beach in order to see a sea turtle lay her eggs.  Finally one night at about 2 a.m., after battling with the terrible respiratory effects from the red tide all night, I stumbled on this beautiful female as she started up the beach.  You have to be very careful not to disturb them during this time or they will quickly return back to the water with out depositing the eggs.  If you keep your distance and don't interfere with her business you might be lucky enough to see her dig out a hole and lay her eggs in the endangered sea oats.  The whole ordeal lasted for an incredible hour and fifteen minutes or so.  A female sea turtle might lay over 8 nests in a single season right on the same beach that she was hatched at.   I know my photographs are nothing to brag about here but it is the memory of the experience that means so much more than these few bad photos.  I immediately knew while I was taking these shots of her leaving the nest that they wouldn't be all that great since I couldn't see to focus or compose the shots.  I did my best from my years of learned photographic knowledge and managed decent shots that will always be remembered.  It was definitely a challenge to photograph a subject with out being able to see it in the viewfinder of the camera.  Never shine lights on a sea turtle, especially before it lays its eggs.  There are both strict federal laws and state laws about disturbing or harassing sea turtles (along with the potential destruction of endangered sea oat habitat) and few people get excused from charges if caught so it is best to see them at zoos or aquariums if you want to view them.  

The Gopher Tortoise is one of my favorite Testudines and really is a lot of fun to see in the wild.  I have found and photographed plenty of them and they often respond in different ways when they see me.  Some naturally run while others either hide or stand still while curiously trying to figure out what I am all about.  I try to force myself to keep a distance from animals (with the exception of  snakes which usually require a bit of handling in order to photograph them well) and take pictures from afar using my telephoto lenses.  This allows me to interfere as little as possible while I focus on their natural behaviors.  The Gopher Tortoise is another inhabitant of Oscar Scherer State Park, which is currently doing a research study on their population health and development at the park. 

Florida Scrub Jay - (Aphelocoma coerulescens)

Currently tied with the Anhinga (snake bird) on my list for my favorite all time bird, the Florida Scrub Jay is a very interesting bird that is both friendly and inquisitive.  Sadly this bird, like so much of Florida's fauna, is considered threatened and on the decline.  The Florida Scrub Jay is only found in Central Florida and like the other Florida natives has lost most of its habitat to development.  This is a bird that I desperately wanted to take professional quality photos of and I was given that great opportunity at Oscar Scherer State Park.  I spent a lot of the month at Oscar Scherer soaking up one of the only Florida habitats I hadn't spent much time in, the Florida scrub.  The Florida scrub is a rare and endangered ecosystem consisting of open pinelands containing palmettos and oak trees.  Though different types of scrub habitats exist they are all rapidly declining and many populations of Florida Scrub Jay, Sand skink (Neoseps reynoldsi), Florida mouse (Peromyscus floridanus), and many endemic species of insects, etc... have become extinct in many counties due to this destruction.  Clearly this is an important ecosystem because the counties that have lost most of their scrub habitat have entirely lost the key species in the area which require this ecosystem.  All of the male Florida Scrub Jays at Oscar Scherer S.P. are banded for research.  Oscar Scherer is a great place to relax and enjoy the scenery of the trails, the songs of the birds, and the view of all the other wildlife at the park.  Like most of Florida, it does have many insect pests but probably fewer than most other wild places in Florida.

      Zebra Longwing        (Heliconius charitonius)

(Cnemidophorus sexlineatus sexlineatus)

Apparently an uncommon treat at Oscar Scherer S.P.

(Pantherophis guttata)

(Egretta caerulea)

Red-bellied Woodpecker

(Melanerpes carolinus)

I would like to take this time and thank the staff at Oscar Scherer State Park for the support and help they gave me while I photographed their park.  Their information, patience, and friendly courtesy was very beneficial to me and they quickly understood my mission and goals.  They certainly appear to know the importance of preservation and have their park headed in the right direction.  They have their minds set towards conservation and were eager to help me with my project towards expressing naturalization through photography.  Special thanks to the Park Manager, Scott Spaulding, for his assistance and enthusiasm which helped me capture these images and many more.  The staff members at the park are some of the nicest and easiest to get along with people that I have ever met at any state or national park and I was pleased to know that they enjoyed my photos.