Bird Photography

I find birds interesting and have taken thousands of bird photos, most in the past several years. I recently decided to enter a photography contest focused on birds: the Bird Photographer of the Year contest. The contest allows you to enter 25 photos into one of 8 categories including: Best Portrait, Birds in the Environment, […]

The fascinating Florida Softshell Turtle

Softshell turtles are unlike any other group of turtles – with their soft-shells, snake-like neck, and snorkel-like nostrils. Native to Africa, Asia, and North America, this group (family Trionychidae) contains 35 species. Three species of softshell turtle are found in North America. The Florida softshell (Apalone ferox) is the largest. In Florida, I have had […]

Life and Death on the Florida Prairie

Florida and prairie are two words not typically associated with each other. Yet, just outside Gainesville, in north central Florida is a 21,000 acre prairie where wild horses and bison roam. This prairie is unlike those of the U.S. central plains in that much of it is flooded and it is home to abundant alligators. […]

Alligators and turtles

Alligators and turtles are both heavily armored reptiles. In December of 2023, I witnessed an interesting interaction between an American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and a Florida softshell turtle (Apalone ferox). The setting was Depot Park in the city of Gainesville, Florida. In this urban park there are a series of retention ponds. Paved trails, which […]