Check this out - why is he so pretty with a well kept moustache and eye liner 😂

Anyway - here is the alpha male of the group I encountered. He was very calm and seemingly checked me out for a few minutes before the others emerged and passed by!

It makes me feel sad when I see them and think so many of these guys are bred and hosted as human research tools. I understand it's generally for the "advancement" of our existence, but it just doesn't feel right

Pretty mind-blowing how well established these groups have become over the last century. There have been many other instances of released/escaped populations of different monkeys throughout Florida, but none of them besides these rhesus monkeys have endured over time without the aid of humans.

Now, there are a few different groups of the rhesus macaque along the silver springs river and a couple groups along the Ocklawaha River. The total numbers of monkeys out on those rivers range in estimates, but is likely around 200-400 monkeys total.

The overall numbers of wild monkeys may have peaked in the 1980s, which is when Florida officials authorized trappers and hunters to eradicate the monkeys. Although they trapped, killed, and sold many to research groups over the years, this initiative was halted due to it being considered inhumane

Fast forward a little, this man and the locals soon learned that the monkeys were excellent swimmers and would thrive in the nearby forests. After swimming to the nearby forests, they began breeding and establishing legitimate numbers.

Also, as a side note on these guys, these are the descendents from monkeys bred for research purposes. In the 1930s, a man bought a handful of monkeys and released them on a tiny island to create a tourist stop!

Here are some shots of this little rhesus monkey I was able to capture. After some heavy rainfall, I knew they'd be out to forage and I was fortunate enough to find them. Even more fortunately, they provided me with many intimate moments to photograph! Taken in Central Florida

This was the male owl from a great-horned owl nest I watched this year. The forest in this area has such amazing depth that made it an ideal photography location (as long as you didn't want a ton of light)

Any idea whether this violet sabrewing from Costa Rica is molting? That's my best guess - otherwise, maybe a young male still developing his fully mature plumage?

Also - here's our rescue bird! Kiwi

Kiwi is a nanday parakeet. He had some traumatric head and neck injuries during a hurricane. By the time he was recovered, he was too accustomed to life indoors, so now he is my bestfriend

Also - it'd be a shame if I didn't share my Instagram since I've put so much work into it over the years:

www.instagram.com/russellmavph...

And I choose this to be my first photo because while shooting, there was a small group of photographers on the opposite side of the water. They spent a good 15 minutes criticizing my vantage point, saying I have no clue what I'm doing, etc etc... All the while, they missed this moment

I'll slowly share all my favorite photos I've taken so far too. Instead pf starting with my favorite, which I'd never settle on. Here is a backlit photo of a sandhill crane and her colt!

If anyone has recommendations for accounts to follow let me know! Generally into nature, wildlife, art, science, etc. Oh, and of course, massively addicted to the NFL/NBA

Also - to start, please note all of the photos and videos that I share are taken by me and in a wild setting. I abide by the standard ethics and etiquette for wildlife photography. For projects that include photos from sanctuaries, that work will be noted as such

Hello Bluesky! I've been wanting to find a place where I can share thoughts and discussions with others beyond my typical posts on IG (which is exclusively photos and descriptions of birds...)

However, no need to worry though, there'll be a lot of me sharing my photos too since that's what I do 😂