St Marks NWR – James Leon Young

March 8, 2023March 13, 2023

Photographing Dragonflies at St. Marks NWR

Many photographers and birders visit Saint Marks National Wildlife Refuge to take photographs of birds. Some also take pictures of the beautiful butterflies and moths that are present much of the year.

Another interesting flying insect at St. Marks NWR is the dragonfly. This amazing prehistoric creature can be quite difficult to photograph due to its behavior and the weather conditions at St. Marks.

This blog will discuss the techniques I use to photograph this amazing creature.

January 24, 2022January 24, 2022

Please keep your dog on a leash at St. Marks NWR

The Saint Marks National Wildlife Refuge was created to protect birds and other wildlife. The refuge welcomes human visitors and has reasonable rules to protect the wildlife and the visitors from harm.

One such rule is the leash requirement for pets. Pets must be on a leash at all times. Sadly many people (including people who know better) allow their dogs to run unleashed on the beach and around the lighthouse.

Letting pets run unleashed can have tragic consequences. In 2015 a dog was eaten by an alligator at the boat launch.

December 2, 2021December 2, 2021

Beautiful red Salicornia plants at St. Marks NWR

Next to the Lighthouse at St Marks NWR is an elevated observation deck that looks over the marshes to the southeast.

At high tide pools of water and marsh grasses are visible and at low tide large sections of sand are seen.

At certain times of the year, particularly in fall and winter, the sand appears to be red. I originally assumed it was red algae but I later discovered color is mostly from a salt loving succulent known as Salicornia (aka glasswort).

October 28, 2020October 28, 2020

The hurricane, mountain bike, and flamingo revisited

This is an updated post for the second anniversary of the arrival of the Flamingo at St. Marks NWR.

I was fortunate enough to be the first person to see and photograph a wild American Flamingo at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge on October 31, 2018. This was the first verified sighting of a flamingo at the St. Marks Refuge since 1995.

It was by serendipity, that a hurricane, a mountain bike, and a flamingo combined to enable this sighting. By happy coincidence, it was on the anniversary of the establishment of the Refuge (Halloween 1931)!
Continue reading “The hurricane, mountain bike, and flamingo revisited”

January 4, 2020June 25, 2020

Sky lantern at St. Marks NWR

On New Year’s Eve 2019 a sky lantern burned down the Krefeld Zoo, in Krefeld, Germany.

The fire killed more than 30 animals including apes, monkeys, bats and birds, many of whom are close to extinction in the wild.

Sky lanterns (AKA Chinese lanterns) are small hot air balloons made of paper with a small flame providing lift.

I first became aware of the damage these balloons can cause when I was picking up trash along the Cedar Point Trail at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. I found a burnt sky lantern lying on vegetation along the trail. Fortunately, it had not started a fire.

Continue reading “Sky lantern at St. Marks NWR”

November 2, 2019November 10, 2019

St. Marks NWR Lighthouse Relighting Ceremony.

The relighting of the Historic St. Marks Lighthouse with its newly installed lantern was celebrated on October 31, 2019,coinciding with the 88^th anniversary of the creation of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.

While volunteers interpreted the Lighthouse Keepers’ Quarters for visitors, the Refuge staff, volunteers, and Friends of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge prepared for the ceremony with an eye on the radar. A narrow squall line approaching from the west delivered a quick drenching rain and then colorful clouds as the sky cleared and the festivities continued on schedule.
Continue reading “St. Marks NWR Lighthouse Relighting Ceremony.”

October 29, 2019October 31, 2019

Planning for Milky Way photography

Capturing good pictures of the Milky Way in Florida can be quite a challenge. Rain, clouds, fog, insects, and bright moonlight are a part of life here. Did I mention snakes? Alligators? Lighthouse ghosts? “Area X”?

This year I had made several attempts to frame good shots with the bright galactic core near terrestrial objects, without much success. As the season progresses the Milky Way gradually moves to the west and the galactic core moves to the south. With the passing of the autumnal equinox in September, it looked like I would not get good images this year.
Continue reading “Planning for Milky Way photography”

October 7, 2019October 29, 2019

Beautiful Marsh Grasses

This year for National Public Lands day I did a photo shoot along St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge road 129 which is the levee separating Stoney Bayou 1 from Mounds pool 1. The view from the levee toward Lighthouse Road can be quite beautiful and I was very pleased with the day’s photos.

The marsh grasses at the refuge are particularly attractive this time of year, and a few clouds appeared to add a bit of drama to the scene.

The marshes were so beautiful I went back a few days later with my mountain bike to ride out to East Stoney Bayou pool which has some really great vistas. It is so remote, the lighthouse appears as a white dot in the distance. I think of this area as “the outback.”

Getting there is a bit of a challenge since some levee washouts from Hurricane Michael still remain, and a fallen tree blocks the alternate access from the primitive walking trail. Access is still possible on foot, horse, or with a sturdy bicycle.

If you can get there, it is well worth the journey!

These are my favorite images from the two visits:

September 21, 2019September 21, 2019

The lighthouse and Milky Way at moonrise.

When I photograph the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge lighthouse and the Milky Way I try to avoid using electronic flash or “light painting” with a flashlight to make the lighthouse and trees more visible.

I used a flashlight in my early Milky Way photos but once during post-processing I noticed there was an owl atop of the lighthouse and decided to quit using artificial lights at night. The last thing I want to do is blind or disturb the wildlife.

Continue reading “The lighthouse and Milky Way at moonrise.”

December 4, 2018January 4, 2019