As soon as the Everglades nature photography workshop concluded, some of the guests opted to continue the adventure with the manatee extension.  A four-hour drive up Florida’s West Coast took us to the central coast town of Crystal River.

On one of the early mornings of the nature photography workshop, dozens of birds flocked and jockeyed for position around a small pond that was full of endemic fish species.  Since there was plenty to eat in this one spot, that’s where all the birds congregated.  The action was non-stop.

Across the frozen meadow, we see a coyote in a deliberate gait, bounding its way across the snow in a smooth and deliberate fashion.  Up the hill, just mere yards away from us, another coyote emerges.  Undoubtedly, he’s the mate of the female who hunts the river bottom down below.  It’s mating season, and the canines are paired for the duration.  Right now, however, survival, not love, is on their mind. So they hunt.