Alex Nelson
@alxnelson
Formerly a baseball writer and editor, now an amateur wildlife photographer.
My schedule and the weather have not been kind to my photography habit lately, but here is a portrait of a great blue heron holding its head close against its body. #birds
An immature green heron perched on the boardwalk railing underneath some alligator flag blossoms, preparing to spring off to the water below. #birds
A female red-winged blackbird sits in a cypress tree with her head slightly inclined towards the camera on a sunny morning. #birds
A Florida red-bellied cooter looking at me from the edge of the marsh as I walked by on the trail.
Were you standing next to me while I was photographing these at Sweetwater?
A closeup of a common ground dove on the other side of a mound of dirt and stone from me. #birds
A juvenile black-crowned night heron regarding me from its spot on the boardwalk railing. #birds
An anhinga, submerged in the water save for its neck and head, flips a freshly caught fish in the air to better position it for consumption. #birds
A least bittern among the reeds looking straight ahead at the camera. #birds
We're at the far southern reaches of the breeding territory of the yellow-throated vireo, and I'd never seen one in my local preserve during the breeding seasons, so I was quite surprised when I heard the familiar call. Here it is in an oak tree. #birds
Another shot from last week: A juvenile northern rough-winged swallow spreading its wings while perched on some alligator flag. #birds
A western cattle egret flies past while holding a stick to reinforce its nest. #birds
A baby purple gallinule pokes its head up through the vegetation from the bottom of the marsh. #birds
A male pileated woodpecker's face is illuminated as he reaches for some cherries hanging underneath the branch he's clinging to. #birds
A white-tailed deer giving me side eye from the tall grasses just off the trail.
Drought conditions have forced western cattle egrets to nest in areas they typically don't, so I've gotten a few looks at their nests this season. Here an adult pair tend for their two nestlings in a bare tree over the marsh. #birds
A female boat-tailed grackle poses nicely atop a cattail, its body weaving between the leaves. #birds
A northern rough-winged swallow impatiently inhales its parent's face in its search for food. I'm pretty sure the adult had no food at the time. #birds
Juvenile northern rough-winged swallows look just like adults except for reddish bars on their wings. #birds
A juvenile northern rough-winged swallow perched on the stalk of an alligator flag inflorescence, some blossoms hanging below. #birds
Another photo of that least bittern from the other day, this one fresh after a preening session with feathers still clinging to its beak. #birds
A loggerhead shrike, beak slightly agape, sitting on a wooden fence. #birds
I did, however, successfully photograph this northern bobwhite, looking over its shoulder through the tall grass on the prairie this morning. #birds
I looked over my shoulder while walking along a trail past a clearing, and about seventy yards back I see a very interesting shape run across the clearing into the tall grass. I head back toward the clearing and see two more small blurs scamper by. My focus decided it liked the Spanish moss instead.