Safariguy http://safariguy.com Just another WordPress site Sat, 23 Apr 2011 14:10:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Ft. DeSoto Shorebird Photography http://safariguy.com/2011/04/ft-desoto-shorebird-photography/ http://safariguy.com/2011/04/ft-desoto-shorebird-photography/#comments Sat, 23 Apr 2011 12:57:22 +0000 Jeff http://jeffwendorff.com/?p=2092

If you would like to order a print or see more of my shorebirds, you can do so…HERE. ]]> http://safariguy.com/2011/04/ft-desoto-shorebird-photography/feed/ 0 Bird Photography St. Augustine Alligator Farm http://safariguy.com/2011/04/bird-photography-st-augustine-alligator-farm/ http://safariguy.com/2011/04/bird-photography-st-augustine-alligator-farm/#comments Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:29:50 +0000 Jeff http://jeffwendorff.com/?p=2084

Even though there are several hundred birds to photograph it is chaos! The birds are courting, building, fighting, eating, hatching and several more ings all over the place. Isolating action and finding clean backgrounds is the hard part…the birds are everywhere!

If you would like to see more of my bird photography or order a print you can do that…HERE.

You can get frequent updates about the birds on the Alligator Farm’s blog…HERE.

]]> http://safariguy.com/2011/04/bird-photography-st-augustine-alligator-farm/feed/ 0 A Congregation of Ibises http://safariguy.com/2011/04/a-congregation-of-ibises/ http://safariguy.com/2011/04/a-congregation-of-ibises/#comments Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:32:43 +0000 Jeff http://jeffwendorff.com/?p=2067

You can see more of my Ibis photography and order prints…HERE.

In case you were curious:
  • White ibises fly in formation, with their legs and necks outstretched. They often fly in complete unison gliding and wing beats in sync.
  • They are about 58-69 cm (23-27 in.) tall, with a wingspan of 97 cm (38 in.) and weighs approximately 1.35 kg (3 lb.).
  • Ibises are an ancient species with fossil records going back 60 million years


]]> http://safariguy.com/2011/04/a-congregation-of-ibises/feed/ 0 Recent Wildlife Photography http://safariguy.com/2011/04/recent-wildlife-photography/ http://safariguy.com/2011/04/recent-wildlife-photography/#comments Mon, 11 Apr 2011 13:46:01 +0000 Jeff http://jeffwendorff.com/?p=2052

It’s quite a mixed bag mostly more images from Ft. DeSoto. If you would like to see more from my portfolio or order prints you can find that…HERE.

]]> http://safariguy.com/2011/04/recent-wildlife-photography/feed/ 0 Boyd Hill Nature Preserve Wildlife Images http://safariguy.com/2011/04/boyd-hill-nature-preserve-wildlife-images/ http://safariguy.com/2011/04/boyd-hill-nature-preserve-wildlife-images/#comments Sat, 09 Apr 2011 14:24:47 +0000 Jeff http://jeffwendorff.com/?p=2055 I spent the morning at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve and it is one of those places that I forget how it is. Its a city park that is well maintained and easily accessible with miles of trails and a nature center. I’m going to put this one back in the regular photography rotation. ani_distribution_map For the past few weeks a Groove-billed Ani a somewhat rare and very rare bird for this part of Florida has been seen regularly and without much difficulty. As you can see from the distribution map, this bird is a bit out of its normal range. I’ve been a bit busy, but finally took the time to go see this celebrity for myself. Well it did not disappoint. In fact this bird is shockingly calm around people and will often be seen following along the trail eating the small insects that fly when you walk the paths. My biggest problem was getting far enough away to get a nice picture. There are a lot of critters in the park like raccoons and squirrels, gators, turtles and snakes and lots of butterflies and birds. You’ll always find something to photograph. Here are a couple of the images I took this week. Here is a map showing the map of the park where the images were taken. Please note that I photographed the Ani with a 600mm lens at a great distance in order not to disturb the bird. You’ll be able to get very close, but please don’t feed or disturb the bird.   ]]> http://safariguy.com/2011/04/boyd-hill-nature-preserve-wildlife-images/feed/ 0 Eaglet Flies Like an Eagle to Survive http://safariguy.com/2011/04/eaglet-flies-like-an-eagle-to-survive-2/ http://safariguy.com/2011/04/eaglet-flies-like-an-eagle-to-survive-2/#comments Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:20:07 +0000 Jeff http://jeffwendorff.com/?p=2040 There is an eagle nest near my house and I’ve had a great deal of fun watching and photographing the coming and goings of the family.  This was the pair’s first offspring and as new parents they were quite attached to the new arrival. They could often be seen returning to the nest at the same time with food for the eaglet. In fact they were so attentive that they would jostle each other out of the way to be the one doing the feeding. The eaglet has rapidly grown and at 11 weeks is larger than both of the parents, like I said a well-fed eagle. Over the past 2 weeks the eaglet has been doing lots of stretching and wing flapping and some small hovering, really more like slow hops than a hover. However, it had not flown or even left the nest for nearby branches, when the unthinkable occurred. The eaglet tumbled out of the nest! It somehow managed to land on a small broken limb about half way down the tree. Unfortunately, this new perch was barely there and far too small for the adults to land on to feed the eaglet. The poor eaglet was there for 24 hours and by that time the news was out. These eagles are neighborhood celebrities and their fans were coming up with all sorts of rescue ideas. Fish and Game had been summoned to see what could be done to help get the eaglet back in the nest with its parents. Leave it to mother nature, one of the adults brought a fish back and flew low and slow over the distressed eaglet and then…the eaglet flew! And she flew about 75 yards to the oak tree that the adult had landed in with the fish. Never underestimate the power of food… or devoted parents for that matter. The eaglet had now landed in the top of the oak and was in a not very secure spot, certainly not someplace it could stay for any period of time.  Again teaching by example, the adults took the now rather ragged fish and flew over the eaglet a couple of times and then back to the nest. They did this twice and the eaglet launched itself from the tree and made a lazy circle around the pond and came in for a near perfect landing, safely in the nest. For first time parents these 5 yr. old eagles seem to have it all figured out and their eaglet really learned how to fly like an eagle at just the right time! The eagle family will be gone, soon but I am sure that they will back next winter, so stay tuned! In the mean time you can enjoy all of my eagle photography and order prints if you’d like…HERE.
  ]]> http://safariguy.com/2011/04/eaglet-flies-like-an-eagle-to-survive-2/feed/ 0 A Puddle of Ducks Redux http://safariguy.com/2011/04/a-puddle-of-ducks-redux/ http://safariguy.com/2011/04/a-puddle-of-ducks-redux/#comments Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:35:39 +0000 Jeff http://jeffwendorff.com/?p=2017 LOL, I killed myself with that title. A play on words within a play on words is certainly at least a double word score! Ok, enough foolishness. These ducks are require your attention. These are the last few ducks of the spring that I took at the northern Duck Pond on Tierra Verde island near St. Petersburg, Fl. As usual, there is a map near the end of this post that will help you find the location. These are Ring-necked Ducks and Lesser Scaups and they are very similar in appearance.
  • Ring-necked Ducks have a white outline on the bill and the back of the duck is almost a solid black. The females look even more alike. The female Ring-necked has a white ring around it eye.
  • The Lesser Scaup has a mostly grey bill with a black tip and more of a salt and pepper back.
  • There is also a Greater Scaup which is essentially a bigger version and difficult to distinguish unless they are together. The Lesser does have a small crest at the back of its head that can help tell the difference.
You can see all of my duck photography as well as order prints…HERE. Enjoy the ducks, I hope you can now see the difference! Here is the map of the area that the pictures were taken.   ]]> http://safariguy.com/2011/04/a-puddle-of-ducks-redux/feed/ 0 Nikon Launches D5100 DSLR http://safariguy.com/2011/04/nikon-launches-d5100-dslr/ http://safariguy.com/2011/04/nikon-launches-d5100-dslr/#comments Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:29:07 +0000 Jeff http://jeffwendorff.com/?p=2030 Nikon’s new consumer level DSLR is out and it’s the D5100. They’ve loaded this baby up with a ton of special effects like Night Vision, HDR, Swivel Display etc. It does have the same sensor as the D7000 so it should take some great images as well. From Nikon Imaging:
  • Special effects mode that enables various creative effects in still images and movies. [NEW] …more
  • 16.2 effective megapixels. Nikon DX-format CMOS sensor. …more
  • Image processing engine “EXPEED 2″ that achieves high image quality, high-speed image processing and multiple functions. …more
  • Wide sensitivity range of ISO 100 to 6400, expandable to Hi 2 (ISO 25600 equivalent) delivers sharp images with reduced blur caused by camera shake even in dark lighting situations and sports scenes. …more
  • Fast and accurate 11-point AF system that captures even moving subjects. …more
  • Live View shooting function that lets you focus on a desired point within the frame. …more
  • Scene Auto Selector that automatically selects the most appropriate scene mode according to the shooting scenes or subjects. …more
  • 16 options of Scene Modes enable you to select the most appropriate mode according to your shooting scenes or subjects. …more
  • HDR (High Dynamic Range) that allows you to shoot easily even in a difficult high-contrast scene. [NEW]…more
  • Lightweight and compact, user-friendly body with superior operability. …more
  • Easy-to-use in-camera image-editing functions such as NEW (RAW) processing, filter effects and edit movie.…more
It is available for pre-order now on Amazon.   Nikon D5100 16.2MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-inch Vari-Angle LCD Monitor (Body Only) ]]> http://safariguy.com/2011/04/nikon-launches-d5100-dslr/feed/ 0 A Highness of Royal Terns http://safariguy.com/2011/04/a-highness-of-royal-terns/ http://safariguy.com/2011/04/a-highness-of-royal-terns/#comments Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:09:55 +0000 Jeff http://jeffwendorff.com/?p=2022

You can see all of my tern images as well as order prints…HERE.

In case you were curious:
  • Royal Tern feeds by plunge-diving for fish
  • Young Royal Terns leave the nest scrape within one day after hatching
  • Wingspan 49.2–53.1 in (125–135 cm) and Weigh 12.3–15.9 oz (350–450 g)
  ]]> http://safariguy.com/2011/04/a-highness-of-royal-terns/feed/ 0 A Pouch of Pelicans http://safariguy.com/2011/03/a-pouch-of-pelicans/ http://safariguy.com/2011/03/a-pouch-of-pelicans/#comments Sun, 20 Mar 2011 12:02:27 +0000 Jeff http://jeffwendorff.com/?p=1988

If you would like to order a print and see all of my pelican images you can do that…HERE.

In case you were curious:
  • Brown Pelicans are the only species to dive into the water from 30 feet above
  • Their pouch is capable of holding up to 3 gallons of water, several times more than their belly
  • The present form of pelican has changed very little over the past 30-40 million years
  • Size: Body, 5.8 ft (1.8 m); wingspan, 10 ft (3 m)
  • Weight: 30 lbs (13 kg)


I was photographing these pelicans at Ft. DeSoto’s North Beach as you can see from this map. It is a great location for bird photography with the spring being particularly productive. ]]> http://safariguy.com/2011/03/a-pouch-of-pelicans/feed/ 0