About

Birdwatching with Marshall Tucker, 2021

Welcome to 2wingpictures.com

A long time ago, exactly on my birthday, a quirky little bird flew out of a Looney Tunes cartoon and landed in the backyard. I was working at home and saw its awkward flutter and landing out of the corner of my eye. Although I’ve lived in Florida almost my entire life, I had never seen (nor noticed) this kind of bird: Dark chocolate brown with plenty of white spotting, glossy yellow/orange eyes, a few feathers spiking from its forehead, and hefty black bill. My camera was nearby. I picked it up and took a few shots through the window.

Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron

I had to somehow identify the  bird. So I emailed the picture to someone who knew about birds. She replied that I’d seen a Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron, and went on to explain that these young birds look very different as adults. Even their eye color changes.

After that, I began to pay attention to birds, to read about and photograph them. I purchased the National Audubon Society’s Field Guide to Florida. Then the National Geographic Field Guide to Florida Birds. Then others. On days off, I would roll out of bed before sunrise and wait at park entrances for the gates to roll open. I began to take a yearly two or three-day trip to the Everglades. In late November, 2011, I added a three-day trip to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Most often I travel with my good friend, Bonnie, who is also hooked on birds. We’ve been as far away as Costa Rica, and have many other places on our bucket lists.

I shoot with Canon cameras and lenses. I’ve recently upgraded to an EOS R5, usually with an RF 100-500mm lens. All this is perched on a monopod, because I like to walk through the woods and a tripod is too heavy.  On one outing, I met a photographer rolling a big suitcase stuffed full of tripods and Nikon lenses and another pulling a red wagon heaped with camera gear. Rolling suitcases and wagons can be very noisy in the woods.

This website has developed from a mobileme page (remember them?) that I created to keep track of my trips and what I’ve seen. From time-to-time someone will ask about birds or my photos, and I point them here. I’ll add to the gallery and blog as I’m able.

I’ve enjoyed picking out photos for the site; I very much hope you enjoy the results. For a long time, I resisted photography because I believed it detracted from being fully present in a place. Now when I look back at these photos I can remember what it felt like to shoot each one; whether it was warm or cold, whether I was surrounded by a cacophony of limpkin calls or the soft whisper of wing beats in the air. Like that first Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron that visited on my birthday, each bird is a gift.

All the best,

Linda Steele

Birdwatching in the Everglades, 2012