Purple Gallinule: Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, Florida, USA, January 2025 — It is not hard to find a Purple Gallinule at Orlando Wetlands. They are not as common as the Common Gallinule (no surprise there 🙂 but there are good numbers of them, and they are often quite close to the berms, feeding in the floating vegetation along the shore. When the sun is out full, they are a sight to see. And you have to love (or at least admire) those toes! Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Limpkin: Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, Florida, USA, January 2025 — An ancient bird, highly specialized to eat Apple Snails, so its own range is restricted to that of the Apple Snail. That beak is adapted to be just the right size and shape to pluck the snail out of its shell. I watched this Limpkin work that magic several times at Orland Wetlands. It is always a struggle, but the Limpkin seems to manage it often enough to thrive. I looked up Limpkin to see where the name comes from. Apparently early settlers observed that some Limpkins appear to limp as they move among the floating vegetation. I can’t say that I have ever noticed, but there you have it. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Great Blue Heron: Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, Florida, USA. January 2025 — Maybe it is just the Florida light, or maybe it is the fact that you can often get much closer, but the Great Blue Herons of Florida seem much more vivid than the ones we get here in Maine in the summer. Not to throw shade on our Maine herons…I appreciate them, every one…but I cannot help but notice the difference. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 265 and 600mm equivalents. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in Framemagic.

American Bittern: Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, Florida, USA, January 2025 — I was very excited to see this American Bittern along the boardwalk at Orlando Wetlands, and to be able to show it to my photography class. Others saw it along the Bobcat trail, and it has, if the photos posted on Facebook are anything to go by, been seen regularly ever since. Some have gotten better photo ops than we were given…it never did step out from behind the grasses, but we make do with what we get 🙂 Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Note that this is an auto focus shot and the camera was able to focus on the eye even though it did not have a clear line of sight. 🙂 Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Purple Gallinule: Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, Florida, USA, January 2025 — This Purple Gallinule was in the exact same spot both days I visited Orlando Wetlands in January…right under the boardwalk not far in. The second day we had sun! Which, of course, presents its own photographic challenges. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 382 and 450mm equivalents. Program with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.