Red Shouldered Hawk – Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

Photo by Lee Smith

I got a story…
I went to photograph an early morning sunrise with my friend Ivan. We traveled to Green Cay only to find that there was a gate and they do not open till sunrise. It was 5:30am and sunrise was at 6:50am. So we left and went to another location  – the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. We took many shots along the river and then as the sun came up we began photographing the wildlife. We parked the car in the lot, and began a long trek across the refuge. Looks like they had just pruned and cleaned much of this area and we barely saw any real wildlife, but did get some landscape photos. After walking about an hour and traveling several miles walking with our backpacks, we got back to where the car was parked, only to find two Red Shouldered Hawks perched on a branch making a commotion of a Pine tree. We took many photos of them in the tree before they flew off. I was really put off though, that we walked all over that  area – not seeing hardly any wildlife, only to find these two beautiful hawks right by our car!

(Click on the images below for a larger view)

Red Shouldered Hawk - 9400
Red Shouldered Hawk – 9400
Red Shouldered Hawk - 9400-cropped
Red Shouldered Hawk – 9400-cropped
Red Shouldered Hawk - 9266
Red Shouldered Hawk – 9266

Loxahatchee Sunrise

Photo by Lee Smith

We walked in darkness, we took photos of the moon, we traveled along an endless path that was interrupted by a beautiful sunrise.

(Click on the photo to get the full effect and a larger view)

Loxahatchee Sunrise - 9118_19_20
Loxahatchee Sunrise – 9118_19_20

Moon Setting Over the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

Photo by Lee Smith
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge was still and empty – no one was there except us. My friend Ivan and myself.
© Lee Smith Photography

(Click on the image for a larger view)

Moon setting over the Glades - 9042
Moon setting over the Glades – 9042
Moon Setting - Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge - 9038
Moon Setting – Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge – 9038
Fishing Pier along the River - 9044
Fishing Pier along the River – 9044

Turner River, Big Cypress, FL

Photo by Lee Smith
Took a kayak trip through the mangroves with my friend Don McCumber and found wonders hidden within the Everglades.

Turner River -Big Cypress - Florida
Big Cypress – IMG_2485 – 08/12/2014
Turner River -Big Cypress - Florida
Turner River -Big Cypress – Florida IMG_2340.jpg
Turner River - Mangrove Tunnels - Florida
Turner River – Mangrove Tunnels – Florida IMG_2461.jpg
Turner River - Mangrove Tunnels - Florida
Turner River – Mangrove Tunnels – Florida IMG_2568.jpg
Turner River - Mangrove Tunnels - Florida
Turner River – Mangrove Tunnels – Florida IMG_2596.jpg
Turner River - Mangrove Tunnels - Florida
Turner River – Mangrove Tunnels – Florida IMG_2397.jpg
Turner River, Big Cypress, Fl - 2424 - B&W
Turner River, Big Cypress, Fl – 2424 – B&W IMG_2424.jpg

Sunrise at Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach, FL

Photos by Lee Smith
The Ponce Inlet offer beautiful white sand dunes and is covered with growth. The wooden boardwalk takes right to the inlet.

Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach, FL - 1811__1__2__3__4
Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach, FL – 1811__1__2__3__4

Ponce de Leon Lighthouse, Ponce Inlet, FL

Photo by Lee Smith

The Ponce de Leon Lighthouse, Ponce Inlet, FL near Daytona Beach,

It is Florida’s tallest lighthouse at 175 feet. Construction began in 1884 and was completed in 1887. In 1926, the name of the lighthouse changed from Mosquito Inlet to Ponce de Leon Inlet.

To learn more about the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse – visit – http://ponceinlet.org/history.cfm

(Click on the image for a Larger View)

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, Daytona Beach  -1793
Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, Daytona Beach -1793
Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, Daytona Beach  - 1779
Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, Daytona Beach – 1779

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