Where Were The Spiders?

The photography group I shoot with had an outing this morning at Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa. We shot there last August and suffering the humidity was worth it because of all the visible wildlife including large spiders and giant grasshoppers.

I got there late and missed the group. I also missed everything except the heat and humidity. At least this time I brought my tripod, which was the regret I had the last time I shot there.



I had better luck at the nearby USF Botanical Gardens. You're supposed to put $5 into a box as you pull in but I gave $151 in care of the university police last year for a traffic infraction while on campus to volunteer for the Radio Reading Service so it's going to be a while before I feel guilty about not paying for admission.

Bird's Eye View

Sandhill cranes are used to people on golf courses. They also know that golf carts often mean available food. They have no compunction about stealing anything they can reach, though many people feed them voluntarily. This all means that you can get very close and the bird will just stand there looking at you.

If you happen to have your camera handy, especially if said camera has lens that will zoom to 300mm, you can get a close-up shot like this:



And, yes, that was the closest thing to a birdie I got all day. I shot a 96.