Pelican Jaws of Death, Heron Sitz Bath, and a Monster Grasshopper

Immature Brown Pelican
30 kb 		Brown Pelican
35 kb 		Monster Grasshopper
69 kb
Linda is from the Tampa Bay area. She suggested I go to Honeymoon Island, a bit north of Clearwater. There were photo opportunities galore. I regret I only had a couple of hours.   The crossdike area of Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is a haven for all sorts of creatures. This brilliant grasshopper allowed me to slowly approach, change lenses, and get this shot at about 1:1.5 magnification. Pentax FA 100/f2.8.
Heron Sitz Bath
54 kb 		Heron Bath
54 kb 		More Heron Bath
27 kb
This Tricolor Heron, aka Louisiana Heron, decides that my photography need not interrupt his sitz bath.   I set fill flash at -2 stops for these three Tricolor Heron photos.