Talk about picking a fight you can’t win. This male cardinal was busy this morning in my campsite at Collier Seminole State Park defending his turf from the other male cardinal he kept seeing in my pickup’s rear view mirror. (I’m sure women will have a field day with this post) After getting this photo, I gave the poor guy a break and covered my mirrors up with kitchen towels. I’ve seen other campers with their mirrors covered too, so I guess this guy was making the rounds.

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I got three days of photography in at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary before the Sanibel Art Show. In my opinion Corkscrew is one of the most amazing places on earth. The two mile boardwalk through an old growth cypress swamp is a temple to mother nature. Some of these trees have been growing in this swamp since before Columbus sailed to America. Not much has changed over the centuries, until recently when nearby development has dropped water levels in the swamp. The endangered wood storks haven’t been nesting in the area for several years now, worrying experts that the rookery that Corkscrew has become known for will move elsewhere permanently.

Here are a few photos from my time on the boardwalk.

A great egret feeds in the shallow water along the boardwalk.

Two alligators put on a courtship show for me early one morning while I still had the boardwalk to myself. Arriving at the 7am opening time at Corkscrew assures you about an hour or more to enjoy the solitude of the place before seeing other visitors.

This barred owl sat so close to the boardwalk that I could have reached up and touched him. I spent a good 20 minutes with him in the stillness of the morning. What I love about this photo is if you look at his eyes you can see the reflection of the cypress limbs overhead.

A turtle rests on a log under some pond apple trees.

I’m down in Florida again for the winter show season. The Marsh Trail in the 10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge is one of my favorite places to photograph in Florida. I was lucky to spend 4 days there last week after the Hobe Sound art show. And even luckier to have Nazan join me for part of the week when she flew down for 5 days. Here are some of the photos…

A great egret takes flight captured with some motion blur.

A flock of white pelicans taking flight.

A pied-billed grebe feeds in the shallow waters of the 10,000 islands coastal marsh.

Great egrets come to roost for the night as the sun sets.

A good image for Valentines Day. Blue teals are busy picking out their mate for the nesting season.

One evening it appeared the great egrets were holding a large convention on the water.

The signature pink color makes the roseate spoonbill a birder’s favorite. It  brings birders from around the world to south Florida.