Thursday, February 3, 2011

Gulf Coast Beauty

The Blizzard of 2011 hit us pretty hard here in Chicago. We were pelted with 20+ inches of snow over a 20 hour period. 55 mph wind gusts howled and whirled throughout the duration of the monster storm. We even experienced thundersnow! The bitter cold arrived overnight with a low temperature of -6 degrees. After all of this, I am certainly dreaming of the tropical paradise of Florida.

This is my final entry in a series of posts featuring the lovely birds of the west coast of Florida.

A regal Great Blue Heron flies over Sarasota Bay

Pretty profile ~ Snowy Egret


An Osprey and its impressive nest


A dollop of moist sand rests upon the beak of a tiny Sanderling


The close up view of an elegant Great Egret


A graceful Great-blue Heron wades in the pond shallows


A most splendid sight ~ Great-blue Heron

 
The Willet is a common bird seen along the powdery white sands of the gulf coast


 Sharing a peaceful moment at the pier ~ Great Egret and Snowy Egret


The colorful profile of a stunning Great-blue Heron


A freshly fluffed Snowy Egret


Happiness is vacationing along the gulf coast of Florida!

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30 comments:

  1. FABFebruary 3, 2011 at 10:49 AM

    Gosh, with all that bad weather I can understand you wishing you were somewhere very warm. Beautiful series once again Julie but as I have a soft spot for waders the Sanderling gets my vote. FAB.

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  2. PoetessWugFebruary 3, 2011 at 11:32 AM

    WOW! So beautiful!! The egrets and the sunset are my favorite. Although the freshly fluffed snowy egret looks like I was feeling when I heard we were about to get another snowstorm, followed by ice!! Brrrr! ^_^

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  3. JRandSueFebruary 3, 2011 at 11:33 AM

    It's very cold this time of year, here in Cornwall.
    But after seeing your wonderful images,i,m looking forward to spring.
    Thank you for the treat.
    John.

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  4. DanFebruary 3, 2011 at 11:40 AM

    Magnificent series! You are a very talented photographer.

    As for the snow storm, here in Toronto, we didn't receive nearly the amount they (weather-folk) were forecasting.

    You should consider identifying the equipment you're using and the settings for each photograph.

    Daniel

    Explore. Dream. Discover.
    http://daniels-view.blogspot.com/
    --

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  5. de schoonheid van de natuurFebruary 3, 2011 at 12:20 PM

    geweldige foto's
    groetjes Herman

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  6. Simon TaylorFebruary 3, 2011 at 12:54 PM

    Julie - i love the Great Egret with Snowy Egret shot at sunset. Lovely post

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  7. Kerri FarleyFebruary 3, 2011 at 12:56 PM

    Julie, your images have be longing for Florida as well. Sorry you got so much snow ..... hoping that Spring is just around the corner!

    Outstanding captures!

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  8. UnknownFebruary 3, 2011 at 9:13 PM

    Wow! just simply WOW! I love each of these and am having troubles picking my favorite....lucky thing I do not have to ! Kudos!

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  9. John's IslandFebruary 3, 2011 at 9:58 PM

    Julie, An absolutely wonderful new series of pictures. It is so hard to say which one is my favorite -- perhaps the sunset has the edge but just slightly. The Great Blue Heron (top pic) should get some kind of award. Awesome lighting! Your blog is definitely one of my favorites. As always, thanks for sharing!

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  10. Harold StiverFebruary 3, 2011 at 11:03 PM

    Wow, what a fabulous series!!

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  11. cindyzlogicFebruary 4, 2011 at 1:00 AM

    Super beautiful series of photos, Julie!! Outstanding photography!! Glad you are surviving the terrible snowstorm! Stay warm :-)

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  12. BenFebruary 4, 2011 at 2:19 PM

    Hi Julie,
    Wonderful images. I just added you to my blogroll, so I can follow you.

    Ben

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  13. Marco LuijkenFebruary 5, 2011 at 4:13 AM

    Hello Julie,
    What a wonderful pictures!! They are really great!! I like this pictures.
    I go follow your blog!!

    Greetings, Marco (from Holland)

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  14. CIMPOACA LAURENTIUFebruary 5, 2011 at 4:45 AM

    great images...well done

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  15. AngelaFebruary 5, 2011 at 6:11 PM

    Beautiful shots Julie. I especially like the one of the pair sharing a moment on the pier

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  16. Joanna DurczokFebruary 6, 2011 at 5:10 AM

    Clear, sharp, colourful, interesting..... professional! I love all of them:)

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  17. UnknownFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:18 AM

    Fantastic photos!! I'm longing for warm weather! We all enjoyed your trip to FL! :)

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  18. Dawn FineFebruary 7, 2011 at 3:41 PM

    Beauties every one!

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  19. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2011 at 4:47 AM

    Really amazing stunning photo's! I like them very much. I will follow you, so i'll be back for sure...
    greetings Jacqie

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  20. Julie G.February 10, 2011 at 1:01 PM

    I am especially appreciative of all your kind, thoughtful comments. They mean so very much to me! Thank you.

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  21. Steven ScottFebruary 17, 2011 at 11:50 AM

    Great photography!

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  22. OFFICIAL SWANWATCH UKFebruary 20, 2011 at 4:42 AM

    Your Photo's are beautiful and amazing well done

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  23. Ricardo TorresFebruary 20, 2011 at 9:41 AM

    wow!! i really like it they are very beautiful congratulations from Spain !!

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  24. Pat UlrichFebruary 22, 2011 at 1:11 AM

    So many gorgeous shots, Julie! what a fantstic collection of images!

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  25. AFTERMATHFebruary 25, 2011 at 7:15 PM

    Absolutely fabulous!

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  26. Sarah KnightFebruary 26, 2011 at 6:12 AM

    Beautiful shots!
    The one with the egrets against the water in the sunset is spectacular!

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  27. Joke van de KliftFebruary 27, 2011 at 4:42 AM

    Hi Julie,
    Wat een schitterende foto's heb je gemaakt, en zo scherp beautiful!
    Ik wil je ook bedanken voor je bezoekje op mijn blog, ik stel het zeer op prijs!
    Lovely greeting,
    Joke

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  28. Debbie Miller @HooootOwlMarch 23, 2011 at 1:02 PM

    Lovely vacation views!

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  29. LindaApril 14, 2011 at 4:56 PM

    Absolutely stunning images Julie! In the first one, The Heron in an incredible pose and looks like a cardboard cutout...you froze it at the perfect moment , a rare moment in this field....You are so gifted and it is a joy to see these...I love your fluffed Snowy Egret, what a pose....he's in a busy routine...nice moments on all of these and perfect clarity , contrast, and composition~ Greetings from Maine, USA, Linda

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  30. Albert SolerApril 15, 2011 at 9:09 AM

    Hola Julie.
    Impresionante, maravilloso, fantástico blog, con tantos pájaros.
    Gracias por compartir estas fotos, voy a seguir tu blog, si no te parece mal.
    Soy seguidor de muchos blogs, muy bonitos, están todos en la barra lateral de mis blogs.

    Fotos de España1
    http://albertsolerd.blogspot.com

    Fotos de flores 2
    http://fotosdeflores2.blogspot.com

    Fotos variadas 3
    http://fotosvariadas3.blogspot.com

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