This pretty place is Harnes Marsh, east of Fort Myers, Florida. I sought out this location because of reported Snail Kites having been spotted there. The kites are a good-sized hawk type bird, which I had only seen once before, 10 years earlier. It was a hot afternoon by the time I got there, so I planned to come back the next morning for a better chance to spot the birds. Suddenly I saw a couple of the Kites fly out over the lake, hunting for the large snails which are their food source, and even saw them grab up the snails and fly back to a tree to munch them up! I did get a couple of shots of the kites, but with my small camera, they were too far away and in flight, and they would not be recognizable. It was exciting to see them, and I thought the scene was pretty enough to keep for the memories. 7/1/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com
This was one of the beautiful horses on the carousel at Galaxy Land in the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I was there 10 years ago, but had never posted this photo. I'm driving very little right now while my mechanic waits for a part, so I haven't been able to go birding or to other photo ops. Hence, dipping into my archives and playing with the pics I already have. 6/30/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com
This is a close up view of a Southeastern Lubber, a type of large grasshopper, that I photographed in Florida in April. I happened on a mass of these and Horse Lubbers in the middle of migration, seeing a few hundred of them, covering signs and posts at a rest stop. They were also in the nearby foliage, where I found this one. He was about 4 inches long. 6/29/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com
