RON DICKEY PHOTOGRAPHY

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Ronald Dickey > This great blue heron was photographed within St. George Island State Park located at the east end of the island. The great blue heron is the largest heron in North America. It stands three to four feet tall and has a wingspan of almost six feet. It has blue-gray feathers on most of its body and a plume of feathers on its chest and back. It has a long, pointed yellow bill and long legs. Adults have white on the top of their heads and long black plumes above their eyes.
Ronald Dickey > This interesting ("ugly" but "beautiful ") Softshell Turtle was spotted while hiking in St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Northwest Florida. A more appropriate name for Softshell Turtle (apalone spinifera) might be pancake or flapjack turtles. The softshell turtles' flattened, streamlined bodies and flexible shells make them unlike any other turtle species. Their huge oval shells are impeccably camouflaged to match the bottom of a pond, canal, stream, or other wetland. Although these turtles are large and impressive, they remain hidden much of the time. Softshell turtles have a habit of burying themselves in the sand or mud, on the bottom of the wetland, with just their head or snout exposed. The turtles' long necks and odd-looking snorkels on their noses allow them to stretch up to the water surface, to breathe without having to leave their hiding place. By remaining mostly hidden in pond sediments or streambed sand, softshells are able to capture crayfish, fish, and other small animals by firing their long necks out and grabbing the prey. Softshell turtles also have the ability to absorb oxygen from the water through vessels in the lining of the throat and other parts of the body. This adaptation allows them to remain under water for hours at a time. Softshell turtles reach massive sizes, with adult females sometimes measuring two feet across the carapace (top of the shell); males are usually much smaller than females. Female turtles lay 10-30 eggs in neatly excavated holes in sandy areas near the water's edge. Occasionally, the turtles may even lay their eggs in a nearby alligator nest! Raccoons, foxes, skunks, and other predators commonly raid softshell nests and eat the eggs, so many eggs never get a chance to incubate and hatch. If a nest survives predation, the eggs hatch after 2-3 months, and small brightly patterned hatchlings emerge. These tiny softshell turtles must remain hidden as much as possible, because hatchling turtles are an ideal meal for a variety of predators, including bullfrogs, wading birds, fish, and even small alligators.
Ronald Dickey > Blarney Castle in Ireland was built in 1446. It was the third structure to be built on this site. The first one was a wooden structure built in the 10th century, and a stone structure replaced it in 1210 A.D. This building was torn down because of foundation problems, and the final, medieval Blarney Castle was built by Dermot McCarthy in 1446. At one time, the castle was occupied by Cormac McCarthy, King of Munster, who allegedly sent 4,000 Munster men to hold Robert the Bruce at the battle of Bannockburn. According to legend, Robert the Bruce gave half of the Stone of Scone to McCarthy in gratitude, which was incorporated into the structure of the castle, becoming the Blarney Stone.
Ronald Dickey > Artists regularly capture the beauty of St. George Island. It is a barrier island in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, 28 miles long and two miles wide at its widest point. St. George Island is adjacent to Cape St. George Island. The island is separated from the mainland by a four-mile long bridge across Apalachicola Bay, connecting to Eastpoint, Florida. Nearby towns include Eastpoint, Carrabelle and Apalachicola. Today, St. George Island is known for its serene and tranquil setting, where a number of beach homes and small hotels have sprouted up. They range from small cottages, to townhouses to large multi-million dollar beach homes. There are hundreds of dwellings there, mainly for tourists and there are few all-year residents that reside on the island. During the winter season, the island is almost empty. St. George Island State Park occupies the eastern nine miles of the island. The park has a series of hiking trails, boardwalks and observation platforms. Bird watching is a popular activity there. During the early and mid-1900s the Island's pine forest was turpentined for the production of naval stores. In 1954, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the ship channel known as Bob Sikes Cut across St. George Island creating Cape St. George Island or "Little St. George Island" and enhanced its remoteness. The cut is used by the fishing fleet from Apalachicola and provides an access to the Gulf waters from the bayside.
Ronald Dickey > These great horned owls had nested on St. George Island, Florida. The owlet sitting on the limb above its parent was born approximately two months earlier and was still being fed by its parents. The great horned owl is probably best known for the large tufts of feathers on its head that look like horns. It has big cat-like eyes and brown white, gray, and black markings that look like the bark of a tree. These markings help camouflage it in the woods. It has a wing span of over four feet and it is about two feet in height. January and early February is mating time for the great horned owl. The male and female call to each other during courtship. They use the abandoned nests of other birds, usually hawks or crows, and on St. George Island, osprey nests. The female lays two to three eggs. She will raise one family each year. Both the male and female incubate the eggs and provide food for the owlets. The eggs hatch in about four weeks. Great horned owls are very protective parents and will attack intruders. The young owls leave the nest when they are between one and two months old and can fly when they are nine to ten weeks old.
Ronald Dickey > On Friday, October 21, 2005, the Cape St. George Light collapsed into the Gulf of Mexico. Built in 1852, the Light valiantly withstood over a century and a half of nature's surprises, but finally could take no more. The continued beach erosion on Little St. George Island had left the lighthouse standing in the surf, and the pounding waves ultimately undermined her base. The lighthouse was rebuilt in 2008 at the entrance to St. George Island.
Ronald Dickey > As of February, 2008, there were four pairs of Bald Eagles on St. George Island. One pair was nesting in St. George Plantation, a private gated community at the west end of St. George Island.
Ronald Dickey > One may think that this photo was "staged". However, the actual story is as follows. My wife bought two red carnations to drop into Apalachicola Bay at sunset to honor her recently deceased father and mother. She carried the carnations and her vodka martini to the end of our friends' dock on St. George Island and placed them on a bench. It was at this point I photographed the martini and carnations as the sun was dipping below the horizon. She dropped one carnation into the water to honor her mother and about one minute later dropped the other one to honor her father. The tide was going out and the water was moving at a fast rate towards Bob Sikes Cut located a short distance to the west. About five minutes later, our friend, on whose dock we were standing, pointed at a red object floating in the water against the tide at the opposite end of the dock. Photographs were taken showing the two red carnations floating stem to stem and while we watched they came together bloom to bloom. We were all overcome with emotion upon witnessing this unexplainable event. My wife was convinced that this was a "sign" that her parents were at last together.
Ronald Dickey > Sunsets over Apalachicola Bay from St. George Island are truly spectacular. Apalachicola Bay is one of the most productive estuarine systems in the Northern Hemisphere. Apalachicola Bay is located on Florida's northwest coast. The Apalachicola Bay system includes St. Georges Sound, St. Vincent Sound and East Bay, covering an area of about 539 sq. km. Three islands (St. Vincent, St. George and Dog I.) separate the system from the Gulf of Mexico. Water exchange occurs through Indian Pass, West Pass, East Pass and the Duer Channel. The bay has been designated as a National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Apalachicola River is the largest source of freshwater to the estuary. Combined with the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers, they drain a watershed of over 51,800 sq. km at a rate of 555 cubic m/sec (USGS, 2002). The region features 1,162 species of plants, and includes the largest natural stand of tupelo trees in the world. The area is also home to 308 species of birds, 186 species of fish, 57 species of mammals, and boasts the highest species density of amphibians and reptiles in all of North America, north of Mexico (Apalachicola Reserve, 2002).
As of February, 2008, there were four pairs of Bald Eagles on St. George Island. One pair was nesting in St. George Plantation, a private gated community at the west end of St. George Island.
Ronald Dickey > As of February, 2008, there were four pairs of Bald Eagles on St. George Island. One pair was nesting in St. George Plantation, a private gated community at the west end of St. George Island.
As of February, 2008, there were four pairs of Bald Eagles on St. George Island. One pair was nesting in St. George Plantation, a private gated community at the west end of St. George Island.
See photo in original gallery.
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