Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • Shockingly beautiful and lightning fast, the buff-bellied hummingbird is found along the Gulf of Mexico from the Panhandle of Florida to the just south of the Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and into Belize. This incredibly colorful male was found and photographed in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco, Texas was visiting several wildflowers in search of nectar.
    Male Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazi..sis)
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-5
  • One of many bald eagles actively hunting over Lower Klamath Lake on a sunny late winter day in Northern California.
    Bald Eagle
  • The snowy egret is one of the New World's most widespread egrets, found pretty much everywhere from Southern Canada to Argentina where it is often found along just about any kind of water source, pond, lake, ocean or river where it can find food. With its distinctive bright yellow feet and lores (area in front of the eyes), white plumage and long thin necks this beautiful water bird is often curious and not terribly shy around people. This one was photographed by a lake in Southern Hidalgo County near Weslaco, Texas.
    Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
  • The snowy egret is one of the New World's most widespread egrets, found pretty much everywhere from Southern Canada to Argentina where it is often found along just about any kind of water source, pond, lake, ocean or river where it can find food. With its distinctive bright yellow feet and lores (area in front of the eyes), white plumage and long thin necks this beautiful water bird is often curious and not terribly shy around people. This one was photographed by a lake in Southern Hidalgo County near Weslaco, Texas.
    Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
  • The snowy egret is one of the New World's most widespread egrets, found pretty much everywhere from Southern Canada to Argentina where it is often found along just about any kind of water source, pond, lake, ocean or river where it can find food. With its distinctive bright yellow feet and lores (area in front of the eyes), white plumage and long thin necks this beautiful water bird is often curious and not terribly shy around people. This one was photographed by a lake in Southern Hidalgo County near Weslaco, Texas.
    Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
  • Jive turkey pose! This noisy and unsuspecting chachalaca was found and photographed just as it noticed me with this great surprised pose and look in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in near Weslaco, Texas. At the northern tip of its range, this large upland game bird can be found from the southern tip of Texas, throughout Mexico and south to Central America. Noisy as other members of the galliform family (turkeys, chickens, pheasants, grouse, etc.), the name chachalaca means "chatterbox" - a fitting name!
    Plain Chachalaca (Ortalis vetula)
  • The long-billed thrasher is a boldly patterned member of the mimid family (mockingbirds, catbirds, etc.) and is found roughly in a triangular territory that includes all of South Texas and runs south to Monterey and Veracruz in Eastern Mexico. Like other thrashers, it gets its name from its habit of "thrashing" the ground and kicking up leaves and branches in search of food. Interestingly, the long-billed thrasher has a bill that is somewhat ordinary in length compared to some of our other longer-billed native thrashers. This one was found sneaking along the undergrowth in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Hidalgo County, Texas near the US-Mexico border.
    Long-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma long..tre)
  • Of all of the neotropical songbirds of North America, the black-crested titmouse has to be the cutest of them all! A member of the Paridae family of birds (which includes chickadees and other titmice), these little passerines are found in forests and riparian environments where they hunt for seeds, nuts, berries, insects and insect eggs from Central Mexico north through Central and Western Texas and just barely into Oklahoma. This adorable little one was found flitting among the trees in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus a..tus)
  • Of all of the neotropical songbirds of North America, the black-crested titmouse has to be the cutest of them all! A member of the Paridae family of birds (which includes chickadees and other titmice), these little passerines are found in forests and riparian environments where they hunt for seeds, nuts, berries, insects and insect eggs from Central Mexico north through Central and Western Texas and just barely into Oklahoma. This adorable little one was found flitting among the trees in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus a..tus)
  • With its muted yellow coloration with a hidden orange crown, the orange-crowned warbler is one of the most drab of the North American wood warblers but an exciting find nonetheless. This songbird may be small, but it has an enormous range in North America, from Guatemala north to Alaska and the Canadian Arctic, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans! This one was found in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco, Texas hopping along the ground and peering into nooks and crannies of tree bark in search of food.
    Orange-crowned Warbler (Leiothlypis ..ata)
  • The desert woodpecker! This small woodpecker is often seen throughout the American Southwest where it hunts among the cactus and mesquite for insects, larvae and cactus fruit in the one place you might not expect to find woodpeckers thriving. This secretive woodpecker can be found anywhere from the dry American states south to Central America, but you'll most likely hear them rather than see them. Patience afforded me this unexpected sight in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in South Texas near the US-Mexico border.
    Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Dryobates ..ris)
  • Shockingly beautiful and lightning fast, the buff-bellied hummingbird is found along the Gulf of Mexico from the Panhandle of Florida to the just south of the Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and into Belize. This incredibly colorful male was found and photographed in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco, Texas was visiting several wildflowers in search of nectar.
    Male Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazi..sis)
  • Shockingly beautiful and lightning fast, the buff-bellied hummingbird is found along the Gulf of Mexico from the Panhandle of Florida to the just south of the Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and into Belize. This incredibly colorful male was found and photographed in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco, Texas was visiting several wildflowers in search of nectar.
    Male Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazi..sis)
  • One of the 14 native doves to North America, the white-winged dove is one of the larger species and is rapidly spreading out of its native range in the desert of the American Southwest, Mexico, Central American and the Caribbean northward into American cities as it adapts to encroaching human development and disappearing natural habitat. These gorgeous doves are easy to spot with the white edges of their wings and the bright blue area around the eyes. This one was found and photographed new Weslaco Texas, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border.
    White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)
  • One of the 14 native doves to North America, the white-winged dove is one of the larger species and is rapidly spreading out of its native range in the desert of the American Southwest, Mexico, Central American and the Caribbean northward into American cities as it adapts to encroaching human development and disappearing natural habitat. These gorgeous doves are easy to spot with the white edges of their wings and the bright blue area around the eyes. This one was found and photographed new Weslaco Texas, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border.
    White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)
  • Rather drab compared to some of the other tropical and subtropical doves, the white-tipped dove has a beautiful reddish-pink eye ring and live primarily in South and Central America, but can be found as far north as the very southern tip of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. This one was seen and photographed foraging for seeds near Weslaco, Texas in Hidalgo County near the Mexican border.
    White-tipped Dove (Leptotila verreauxi)
  • The Inca dove is one of the prettiest doves found in the New World. Not because it has brightly colored plumage or is large and showy, but because this small dove has feathers that very much resemble fish scales and make for a very intricate and high-contract pattern, which in turn makes for excellent camouflage in the their native habitat. Native to Central America to the Southern United States from Texas to California, this pair was seen foraging for seeds in near the Mexican border near Weslaco, Texas.
    Inca Doves (Columbina inca)
  • One of the 14 native doves to North America, the white-winged dove is one of the larger species and is rapidly spreading out of its native range in the desert of the American Southwest, Mexico, Central American and the Caribbean northward into American cities as it adapts to encroaching human development and disappearing natural habitat. These gorgeous doves are easy to spot with the white edges of their wings and the bright blue area around the eyes. This one was found and photographed new Weslaco Texas, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border.
    White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)
  • The green jay is one of the most spectacularly colored birds outside of the parrot family. A relative of crows, magpies and blue jays, the green jay is a very intelligent species of corvid and is known to use stick tools to pry insects out from loose tree bark. They are found throughout parts of Central and South America and their northern range just reaches just to the southern tip of Texas, where this one was found in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Green Jay (Cyanocorax luxuosus)
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found flying through the foliage near Weslaco, Texas and just happened to land long enough for this shot.
    Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found flying through the foliage near Weslaco, Texas and just happened to land long enough for this shot.
    Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
  • Black-bellied whistling duck is one of the coolest and most beautiful southern dabbling ducks that visit the southern United States, with their tricolor black, tan and brown plumage and bright orange bills and feet.  Widespread from the southern tips of Texas and Arizona to nearly all of Central and South America, their range is creeping northward and they have been seen more and more frequently in more southern states including Florida and the Caribbean. This pair was just two of hundreds found and photographed in a pond near Weslaco, Texas on a late winter morning.
    Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks (Dendr..lis)
  • Easily one of the prettiest of all of our native North American woodpeckers, this stunning male landed on this branch as I was trying to photograph some migratory warblers and completely stole the show. This species can be found in most of Central America and north to Southern and Central Texas and just barely into Oklahoma. This one was photographed in a park in Harlingen, Texas  in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpe..ons)
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the edge of a pond in just south of Alamo, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the bank of the Rio Grande in Southern Hidalgo County, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • Very common and easily recognized across most of the eastern half of North American and along most the US/Mexico border, excluding California, the red cardinal (and in particular - the bright red male as seen here) one of our most common backyard birds. They are often seen in pairs searching for seeds and insects in bushes and on the ground, or frequenting bird feeder. This one was a surprise for me, because I've been unsuccessful in getting a decent shot of a nice bright red male for 20 years until last week in South Texas. This one suddenly landed right in front of me and stayed there for about 5 minutes while I had a blast photographing him from different angles.
    Northern Cardinal
  • The green jay is one of the most spectacularly colored birds outside of the parrot family. A relative of crows, magpies and blue jays, the green jay is a very intelligent species of corvid and is known to use stick tools to pry insects out from loose tree bark. They are found throughout parts of Central and South America and their northern range just reaches just to the southern tip of Texas, where this one was found in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Green Jay
  • A pair of spiny softshell turtles - probably the Texas subspecies (Apalone spinifera emoryi)  which is only found near the Rio Grande - keeping a wary eye out for alligators in a pond in next to Estero Llano Lake in Weslaco, Texas. Large with a somewhat flexible, leathery shell, the spiny softshell turtle and all of it's subspecies can be found in most freshwater lakes, rivers and ponds where the water is clean and has a range from Southern Canada to Mexico in mostly the Eastern and Central part of the continent.
    Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spin..era)
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • A Texas patch-nosed snake (Salvadora grahamiae lineata), a subspecies of the more common and widespread eastern patch-nosed snake warms up in the sunshine on a surprisingly chilly winter late afternoon in Southern Hidalgo County in Mission, Texas - about 5 miles form the Mexican border. This snake gets its name from the unusually large scale on the tip of its snout and is completely harmless to people and reach about 2 to 3 feet in length. This snake primarily eats anything they can catch which is typically lizards, eggs, small rodents and other snakes.
    Texas Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora g..ata)
  • A Texas patch-nosed snake (Salvadora grahamiae lineata), a subspecies of the more common and widespread eastern patch-nosed snake warms up in the sunshine on a surprisingly chilly winter late afternoon in Southern Hidalgo County in Mission, Texas - about 5 miles form the Mexican border. This snake gets its name from the unusually large scale on the tip of its snout and is completely harmless to people and reach about 2 to 3 feet in length. This snake primarily eats anything they can catch which is typically lizards, eggs, small rodents and other snakes.
    Texas Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora g..ata)
  • Common throughout most of the United States and Canada (except the Southeastern states) the horned lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a passerine songbird that holds an enormous range of not only habitat, but also altitude. It can be found from sea level to alpine regions up to thirteen thousand feet. Wherever they may be encountered, they might be considered impossible to see, such as this juvenile that is so perfectly camouflaged in its dry and dusty home in the hills above Cowiche Canyon near Yakima, Washington that I didn't even notice it until it moved.
    Horned Lark-2
  • Common throughout most of the United States and Canada (except the Southeastern states) the horned lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a passerine songbird that holds an enormous range of not only habitat, but also altitude. It can be found from sea level to alpine regions up to thirteen thousand feet. Wherever they may be encountered, they might be considered impossible to see, such as this juvenile that is so perfectly camouflaged in its dry and dusty home in the hills above Cowiche Canyon near Yakima, Washington that I didn't even notice it until it moved.
    Horned Lark -1
  • A mallard drake (male) with paddles around in Soos Creek on a chilly Pacific Northwest winter day in Kent, Washington.
    Mallard Drake
  • A rare view of a tree swallow perching in a tree next to its hollowed-out nest above Soos Creek in Kent, Washington.
    Tree Swallow
  • A mallard hen swims in Soos Creek in Kent, Washington on a bright summer day.
    Mallard Hen
  • A song sparrow sings a beautiful song on a bright summer morning along Soos Creek in Kent, Washington.
    Song Sparrow
  • A song sparrow perches in a tree on a bright summer morning above Soos Creek in Kent, Washington.
    Song Sparrow
  • A song sparrow perches in a tree on a bright summer morning above Soos Creek in Kent, Washington.
    Song Sparrow
  • An American robin pauses in the early summer evening while hunting for insects along Soos Creek in Kent Washington.
    American Robin
  • This fascinating plain chachalaca was found and photographed in the Rio Grande Valley in Hidalgo County with a number of others of its kind one the ground and in the mesquite trees. At the northern tip of its range, this large upland game bird can be found from the southern tip of Texas, throughout Mexico and south to Central America. Noisy as other members of the galliform family (turkeys, chickens, pheasants, grouse, etc.), the name chachalaca means "chatterbox" - a fitting name!
    Plain Chachalaca 3
  • This fascinating plain chachalaca was found and photographed in the Rio Grande Valley in Hidalgo County with a number of others of its kind one the ground and in the mesquite trees. At the northern tip of its range, this large upland game bird can be found from the southern tip of Texas, throughout Mexico and south to Central America. Noisy as other members of the galliform family (turkeys, chickens, pheasants, grouse, etc.), the name chachalaca means "chatterbox" - a fitting name!
    Plain Chachalaca 1
  • A very active Texas tortoise mows through the vegetation on a hot late-summer afternoon near the Rio Grande in Mission, Texas. These close relatives to the Florida gopher tortoise are found across South Texas and eastern Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and northeastern San Luis Potosi in Mexico.
    Texas Tortoise 6
  • A very active Texas tortoise mows through the vegetation on a hot late-summer afternoon near the Rio Grande in Mission, Texas. These close relatives to the Florida gopher tortoise are found across South Texas and eastern Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and northeastern San Luis Potosi in Mexico.
    Texas Tortoise 4
  • A very active Texas tortoise mows through the vegetation on a hot late-summer afternoon near the Rio Grande in Mission, Texas. These close relatives to the Florida gopher tortoise are found across South Texas and eastern Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and northeastern San Luis Potosi in Mexico.
    Texas Tortoise 3
  • A very active Texas tortoise mows through the vegetation on a hot late-summer afternoon near the Rio Grande in Mission, Texas. These close relatives to the Florida gopher tortoise are found across South Texas and eastern Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and northeastern San Luis Potosi in Mexico.
    Texas Tortoise 1
  • The western redback salamander is a small but relatively common amphibian in the Pacific Northwest. It has a restricted range that is west of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington, all of Victoria Island in British Columbia, as well as around the Vancouver area. Highly adaptable to varying habitats, this little salamander is found at higher elevations than any other member of its family, and in drier habitats than many of its relatives. This nearly two-inch salamander was found under a rock next to a tiny stream in the mountains above the Carbon River near Mount Rainier, Washington on a hot summer day.
    Western Redback Salamander 1
  • The western redback salamander is a small but relatively common amphibian in the Pacific Northwest. It has a restricted range that is west of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington, all of Victoria Island in British Columbia, as well as around the Vancouver area. Highly adaptable to varying habitats, this little salamander is found at higher elevations than any other member of its family, and in drier habitats than many of its relatives. This nearly two-inch salamander was found under a rock next to a tiny stream in the mountains above the Carbon River near Mount Rainier, Washington on a hot summer day.
    Western Redback Salamander 2
  • The western redback salamander is a small but relatively common amphibian in the Pacific Northwest. It has a restricted range that is west of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington, all of Victoria Island in British Columbia, as well as around the Vancouver area. Highly adaptable to varying habitats, this little salamander is found at higher elevations than any other member of its family, and in drier habitats than many of its relatives. This nearly two-inch salamander was found under a rock next to a tiny stream in the mountains above the Carbon River near Mount Rainier, Washington on a hot summer day.
    Western Redback Salamander 3
  • A protective mother wood duck hen speeds across a duckweed-covered pond with her chicks hot on her tail by Soos Creek in Kent, Washington on a hot summer day.
    Wood Duck Hen with Ducklings
  • An incredible find! Swallows are among the most difficult birds to photograph because they are so secretive, fast, low-flying and extremely erratic in flight. Not to mention they are very small and almost never land where you can see them. Tree swallows? Even more impossible. I found this tree swallow only after I just happened to notice it fly out of a nearly-invisible hole in a dead tree. I waited and waited in the wetlands of Soos Creek in Kent, Washington until it came back to its nest.
    Nesting Tree Swallow 2
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting among the trees insects in Southwest Florida's Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, in Fort Myers on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-5
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting among the trees insects in Southwest Florida's Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, in Fort Myers on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-7
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting among the trees insects in Southwest Florida's Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, in Fort Myers on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-6
  • Although common all over North America, on rare occasions, you might encounter a very strange-looking raccoon with a very unusual coloration. Sometimes a red raccoon or even a blond raccoon is found when you least expect it, and even more rare is the albino raccoon! While all of them are still the same species, just some win the gene lottery for uniqueness! This red raccoon had a coloration more similar to a red fox, and was heard long before it was seen wading noisily through the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida as it was catching crayfish and devouring them on the spot. Paying little attention to me, it just kept moving and foraging until the splashing and lip-smacking faded in the distance.
    RedRaccoon2021-3.jpg
  • Although common all over North America, on rare occasions, you might encounter a very strange-looking raccoon with a very unusual coloration. Sometimes a red raccoon or even a blond raccoon is found when you least expect it, and even more rare is the albino raccoon! While all of them are still the same species, just some win the gene lottery for uniqueness! This red raccoon had a coloration more similar to a red fox, and was heard long before it was seen wading noisily through the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida as it was catching crayfish and devouring them on the spot. Paying little attention to me, it just kept moving and foraging until the splashing and lip-smacking faded in the distance.
    RedRaccoon2021-1.jpg
  • Although common all over North America, on rare occasions, you might encounter a very strange-looking raccoon with a very unusual coloration. Sometimes a red raccoon or even a blond raccoon is found when you least expect it, and even more rare is the albino raccoon! While all of them are still the same species, just some win the gene lottery for uniqueness! This red raccoon had a coloration more similar to a red fox, and was heard long before it was seen wading noisily through the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida as it was catching crayfish and devouring them on the spot. Paying little attention to me, it just kept moving and foraging until the splashing and lip-smacking faded in the distance.
    RedRaccoon2021-4.jpg
  • Although common all over North America, on rare occasions, you might encounter a very strange-looking raccoon with a very unusual coloration. Sometimes a red raccoon or even a blond raccoon is found when you least expect it, and even more rare is the albino raccoon! While all of them are still the same species, just some win the gene lottery for uniqueness! This red raccoon had a coloration more similar to a red fox, and was heard long before it was seen wading noisily through the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida as it was catching crayfish and devouring them on the spot. Paying little attention to me, it just kept moving and foraging until the splashing and lip-smacking faded in the distance.
    RedRaccoon2021-2.jpg
  • A well-fed juvenile American alligator enjoys a sun-warmed log in the Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, Florida.
    Juvenile American Alligator-4
  • A well-fed juvenile American alligator enjoys a sun-warmed log in the Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, Florida.
    Juvenile American Alligator-3
  • A well-fed juvenile American alligator enjoys a sun-warmed log in the Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, Florida.
    Juvenile American Alligator-2
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-4
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-3
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-2
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-1
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-11
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-8
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-7
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-10
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-6
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-5
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-4
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-3
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-4
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-3
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-2
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-1
  • Recently, the western scrub jay was split into two distinct species: the California scrub jay (which is a brighter blue and is found in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest) and the Woodhouse's scrub jay (which is a duller blue and found in more interior regions away from the coast.) Much like any jay or other corvid, these often loud and very inquisitive birds will eat just about anything they can overpower or steal. These California scrub jays are easy to recognize from their neighboring cousins by the distinct blue "collar" around the neck. This one was found screeching in a maple tree in Southern King County, Washington on a chilly afternoon.
    California Scrub Jay
  • The Douglas squirrel is a member of the pine squirrel family and is found in the Pacific Northwest from British Columbia to California in mostly old-growth forests. This handsome little critter was found silently watching from a western red cedar in Northern Idaho on a chilly fall afternoon in Benewah County.
    Douglas Squirrel
  • The Douglas squirrel is a member of the pine squirrel family and is found in the Pacific Northwest from British Columbia to California in mostly old-growth forests. This handsome little critter was found silently watching from a western red cedar in Northern Idaho on a chilly fall afternoon in Benewah County.
    Douglas Squirrel
  • Of all of the neotropical songbirds of North America, the black-crested titmouse has to be the cutest of them all! A member of the Paridae family of birds (which includes chickadees and other titmice), these little passerines are found in forests and riparian environments where they hunt for seeds, nuts, berries, insects and insect eggs from Central Mexico north through Central and Western Texas and just barely into Oklahoma. This adorable little one was found flitting among the trees in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus a..tus)
  • Native to Cuba and the Bahamas, the brown anole has been spreading across the Caribbean Islands, and into the United States and Mexico where it is often outcompeting with native wildlife, such as the American green anole. It is believed to spreading not so much by the pet trade, but by the fact that these lizards will often lay their eggs in the soil of potted plants, which many of these get imported and exported as landscape or house plants. This particular one was found sunning itself on a log alongside a green anole that scampered off as I was trying to photograph both of them together in a park near Weslaco, Texas.
    Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei)
  • The black-chinned hummingbird is a common hummingbird at lower elevations in most of the American Southwest and parts of the Pacific Northwest, occasionally wintering near the Gulf of Mexico, but generally moving much further south along Mexico's Pacific Coast for the colder months of the year. This female was waiting her turn as some of the larger buff-bellied hummingbirds were chasing her away from the wildflowers she was trying to feed from. She finally paused for a moment for this shot in the Lower Rio Grande Valley on a warm winter morning near Weslaco, Texas.
    Female Black-chinned Hummingbird (Ar..dri)
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found flying through the foliage near Weslaco, Texas and just happened to land long enough for this shot.
    Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
  • Found all across nearly all of the Northern Hemisphere and Southeast Asia and common in many parts of Africa and India, the northern shoveler is a dabbling duck that has a large, spade-like bill that it uses to filter out tiny plants, seeds and invertebrates from the water. This beautiful drake (male duck) was found in a pond in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge near the Texas-Mexico border.
    Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
  • A leery green anole rests in a patch of shrimp plants on an overcast afternoon near Weslaco, Texas.
    Green Anole Portrait
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the bank of the Rio Grande in Southern Hidalgo County, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • The smallest of all of North America's woodpeckers, the downy woodpecker is also one of the most widespread with a range covering most of the continent except for the most arid parts of the American Southwest. This adult female was found actively hunting for insects in the trees above Ingalls Creek in Washington's Cascade Mountains on a very cold, snowy January afternoon.
    Downy Woodpecker
  • This fascinating plain chachalaca was found and photographed in the Rio Grande Valley in Hidalgo County with a number of others of its kind one the ground and in the mesquite trees. At the northern tip of its range, this large upland game bird can be found from the southern tip of Texas, throughout Mexico and south to Central America. Noisy as other members of the galliform family (turkeys, chickens, pheasants, grouse, etc.), the name chachalaca means "chatterbox" - a fitting name!
    Plain Chachalaca 2
  • A very active Texas tortoise mows through the vegetation on a hot late-summer afternoon near the Rio Grande in Mission, Texas. These close relatives to the Florida gopher tortoise are found across South Texas and eastern Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and northeastern San Luis Potosi in Mexico.
    Texas Tortoise 5
  • A very active Texas tortoise mows through the vegetation on a hot late-summer afternoon near the Rio Grande in Mission, Texas. These close relatives to the Florida gopher tortoise are found across South Texas and eastern Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and northeastern San Luis Potosi in Mexico.
    Texas Tortoise 2
  • An incredible find! Swallows are among the most difficult birds to photograph because they are so secretive, fast, low-flying and extremely erratic in flight. Not to mention they are very small and almost never land where you can see them. Tree swallows? Even more impossible. I found this tree swallow only after I just happened to notice it fly out of a nearly-invisible hole in a dead tree. I waited and waited in the wetlands of Soos Creek in Kent, Washington until it came back to its nest.
    Nesting Tree Swallow 1
  • A well-fed juvenile American alligator enjoys a sun-warmed log in the Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, Florida.
    Juvenile American Alligator-1
  • The brown anole is a member of the spiny lizard family and native to Cuba and the Bahamas. Common, and invasive to the United States, it is spreading north from the Florida Keys, and in a little more more than a century it has established itself as far north as Georgia and as far west as Texas in recent years. The problem with this particular species is that it is outcompeting with the native and less aggressive green anole, with the additional pressure of adult male brown anoles having been known to prey on young green anoles. This one was one of many spotted scurrying around hunting among the trees one November evening in the Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, Florida and the nighttime insects started to come out.
    BrownAnole2021-1.jpg
  • These wonderfully beautiful aquatic snakes are non-venomous fish hunters and are most often seen sunning themselves on fallen logs near freshwater ponds and marshes all over the southeast. This particular subspecies, the Florida watersnake (Nerodia fasciata pictiventris) was found on a chilly November evening catching the last rays of the day on a pile of old sticks in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Banded Watersnake
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