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Pileated Woodpecker with juveniles

But taking a perfect picture isn’t as easy as walking outside and directing a
camera at the nearest tree. In fact, Castroverde points out that wildlife
photography requires an incredible amount of patience. On Mondays, when the
golf course near his house is closed, he likes to spend the day walking around the
course, listening and observing. One day, this meditative ritual allowed him to get
an amazing shot of a yellow-shafted northern flicker.
“I saw this woodpecker as the sun was beginning to set, so I was losing light,”
he admits. “As a photographer, you’re always hanging on for one more great shot.
Just as I was about to give up, he came out of his hole and
gave me a nice wing stretch. Waiting until the last
minute paid off.”
And in Central Florida, he captured a
very special moment between two northern
crested caracaras.
“Obviously these two are in love and enjoying
the moment,” Castroverde
laughs. “It’s that time of year
for them. These raptors form
year-round bonds with each
other and stay together for
several years.”

Finally, Castroverde photographed a tricolored heron, a distinctive wading bird
that inhabits salt marshes and mangrove swamps, as it fed on a calm day, which
created a beautiful reflection.

Feathered Friends Outside Florida

Though his backyard might be busy with birds, Castroverde’s passion for wildlife
photography often takes him to far-flung places like the wilderness in Quebec, Canada,
where he once snapped a snowy owl soaring just above the ground.
Often, though, the result of these trips can be different than anticipated. When he
traveled to Homer, Alaska, to photograph grizzly bears, he ended up with a stunning shot
of a bald eagle instead.
“One of the challenges with wildlife photography is that you might not even find your
subjects,” Castroverde says. “Because of weather issues we were not able reach the area with the
bears, so we had to resort to Plan B. We were walking along the shore trying to photograph the
bald eagles when somebody who had a home there came out and said, ‘If I put out a fish, you’ll

Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker
16 • LIVING LUXE MAGAZINE / SPRING 2019