Drew is a photographer and naturalist dedicated to sharing his experiences through photographs and writing. He has recently moved to Ithaca, NY and is exploring the local region and the world beyond.
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By Drew Fulton on May 9th, 2010
 Northen Parula (Parula americana) - Foster Pond, Finger Lakes National Forest, New York On Friday morning at the Finger Lakes National Forest, one of the better birds of the morning was a Northern Parula. We had at least two individuals but, as typical with Parulas, they were high in the canopy. At one point, I set up on a blooming apple tree to sit and see if anything would come into feed, as I had seen a several Yellow Warblers do just that. A few minutes after setting up, this Northern Parula visited briefly for about 30 seconds. I came away with a couple good frames, the best of which you see here.
By Drew Fulton on March 9th, 2010
 American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) - Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida It’s hard to come to Big Cypress and the Everglades and not take a few photos of the abundant American Alligators. I have hundreds in my files but they keep attracting my attention and my lens. This image is simple and I have little to say about it except that the reflections attracted my attentions and I simply love the deep greens in the water.
By Drew Fulton on March 3rd, 2010
 Bald Cypress Trunk - Kirby Storter Boardwalk, Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida One of my favorite spots in all of Big Cypress National Preserve is the boardwalk at Kirby Storter. It’s a beautiful cypress dome that always has something going on and typically a surprise for the careful and patient observer. I’ve spent a couple evenings there since I have returned and seen deer feeding belly deep in the water, a turkey feeding in the canopy of a tree, a Swallow-tailed Kite fly over with a warbler in its talons, and so much more.
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By Drew Fulton on March 2nd, 2010
 Fog, Palms, and Prairie - Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida As I am always attempting to make interesting images out of difficult situations, I had to try this the other night when a heavy fog rolled over the prairie just after sunset. Before I explain what my goal for the image was, take a minute to study it.
Now, click to read on and see if my idea actually worked.
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By Drew Fulton on February 28th, 2010
 Common Moorhen (Fulica americana) in flight - Lake Jackson, Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area, Florida Continuing with the theme of something new and totally different, at least for me, I am posting this Common Moorhen. I rarely shoot anything like this, nearly an abstract. While unusual for me, I sort of like the image.
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By Drew Fulton on February 27th, 2010
 Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) in Flight - Lake Jackson, Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area, Florida I put this image montage together a couple weeks back and wanted to share it. I’m not totally sure how I feel about it or even if it is exactly what I am after. I like the concept, and this is my first try.
I was photographing at Lake Jackson in the Prairie Lakes Unit of Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area south of Kissimmee when I saw this Great Blue Heron. He was too far away for a standard portrait so I decided to try something a little bit different. Since the bird looked agitated, like it might fly, I decided to try this.
What you are seeing is a series of frames showing the Great Blue Heron preparing for take off and then flying the first few wing beats. Each frame is stitched together, using the background as a reference. This allows you to see the path the bird takes as it leaves its perch to fly to the other side of the lake.
What do you think? Is this a successful image? Does it work for you? I want to know!
By Drew Fulton on December 10th, 2009
 Florida Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) - Oscar Scherer State Park, Venice, Florida As I continue to plan for my upcoming trip to Florida in January and February, I am spending time going back through my files and finding gaps that need filled. The only endemic bird to Florida is the Florida Scrub Jay and I only have a few photos of this cool bird. This species is found in the few remaining patches of scrub in the central portion of the peninsula. I have grown up seeing them in a number of occasions but only photographing them on a handful of occasions. I dedicated some time to photographing one social group at Oscar Scherer State Park a while back and got some great images. Now I plan to return to a few other locations and supplement these photographs with images of the bird’s habitat as well as some video and audio recordings of these incredible birds.
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By Drew Fulton on December 1st, 2009
 White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) - Flamingo, Everglades National Park, Florida Yesterday I was putting together a photo submission for a magazine and was digging through some old files and came across this image. The image was taken in the Everglades in 2005 when I was living in the park. I was living in the tiny community, Flamingo, on Florida Bay and spent many evenings at Eco Pond photographing White Ibis as they flew from the island in the pond to their roosting sites on islands in Florida Bay. Some nights the light was great, some nights it wasn’t. When I had very little light, or after the sun had dropped below the horizon, I experimented with slow shutter speeds and pan blurs.
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By Drew Fulton on November 27th, 2009
 American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) - Everglades National Park, Florida I am currently in the planning stages of a visit back to the Florida Everglades and am getting really excited. After living in the national park for five months back in 2005, I have only been back briefly a couple of times. This January and February I will have at least three weeks in the region and I am really excited.
I plan to spend at least one day at this rather special location. It is an hour canoe ride but if the timing is right, the birding and photography can be excellent. Last time I was there I photographed numerous shorebirds, skimmers, and these wonderful American White Pelicans. As I keep planning, I just get more and more excited!
By Drew Fulton on November 24th, 2009
 White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) - Private Ranch, Florida This past weekend was opening weekend for deer season here in central New York. I thought I’d take a moment to remind everyone that this is not the best time of year to be in the woods impersonating a White-tailed Deer. Be sure to wear hunter’s orange and be safe!
Fun Fact, did you know that the reason hunters wear the bright orange vests is because deer are color blind? The bright orange isn’t an issue for deer and that’s why you sometimes see hunting vests that have camouflage but include that brilliant orange. It’s enough for other hunters to see but it doesn’t scare aware the deer. Unfortunately, birds do see the full color spectrum. I’d love to see a study examining the reaction of birds to hunter orange vests.
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