Not only for the birds

Foremost on my mind when I come to Biscayne Bay are the birds. After all, I see them in much greater number than all other possible subjects. But frequently, I find other animals and subjects to photograph. For instance, during the winter months, I find Portuguese man-o-wars floating in the water, looking much like a piece of plastic debris at first glance.

Occasionally, I spot a raccoon or two busily feeding along the shoreline at low tide.

Sharks are a common site, although it is primarily their dorsal and caudal fins that I spot, as they slice through the surface of the silky water in a graceful pattern owned only by sharks.

The golden silk orbweaving spider residing in the creeks can be the center of attention during those halycon mornings of summer.

The clouds are beautiful characters here in the subtropics, especially during the summer to fall transition months when rain and storms are a daily occurrence. This weekend, the clouds demanded acute attention as one does not want to be caught on the water during a lightning storm.
And then there are the fish. How does one photograph fish above water? Simple, the fish have to come out of water. It isn't that simple actually, but the fact that the mullet are running now helps. Mullet, otherwise known as baitfish migrate south along the Atlantic coastline starting around mid August and continuing this for several weeks. Mullet love to jump out of the water; although I doubt it is for the love of it as much as it is an attempt to flee a predator. At certain times of the year, like now, you can watch schools of mullet fly out of the water as they try to get away from the larger fish that are ravenous feeders; barracuda, tarpon, redfish, snook, etc.

I had two glorious mornings on the bay this holiday weekend. As the title says, it was not only for the birds this weekend. Mullet, blue crab and clouds were captured this time around. The winds grew steadily and messed up the water, and the clouds made the lighting interesting, challenging and sometimes dull. But it was a real holiday on the bay. Lots of birds photographed, but for this blog, attention is on all the other stuff going on. Below are a few photos from the weekend.