Posts in Category: Florida
Tri-colored Heron
There are always a great many Tri-colored Herons along Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Government shutdown, thankfully, has not changed that. 🙂 They vie with the White Ibis for the title of most numerous wader in January. And they are a beautiful bird. It was still overcast when I got this shot a few mornings ago, but that only emphasizes the range of subtle shades of color in plumage. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. My birds and wildlife modifications of Program mode. Processed in Polarr.
Roseate Spoonbill
Back in Florida for the Space Coast Birding and Nature Festival in Titusville. I got out to Merritt Island and Black Point Drive this morning and saw all the usual subjects except for Wood Stork. The Roseate Spoonbills, in full breeding plumage, were particularly cooperative. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. My birds and wildlife modifications of Program mode. Processed in Polarr.
Ring-bill in early light
Ring-billed Gull, Jacksonville Florida
There were lots of Ring-billed Gulls sitting on the railing along the riverfront in Jacksonville Florida early in the morning, soon after sunrise. They were absolutely fearless, and easy photographic subjects. The warmth of the light really brings out the color of the eye and its surround.
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. Program mode. 1/800th @ f4 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Beauty shot…Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron, Merritt Island NWR, Florida
Great Blue Herons are easy subjects. They are abundant…especially off Blackpoint Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville Florida…big, calm, and attractively plumaged. They are not bright birds…that is their plumage does not have a lot of color…but they make up for it by posing for the camera. You might say that posing is what Great Blue Herons do best…though of course they are totally unaware that the way they go about their business is photogenic. I caught this bird in an ideal setting, framed by the reflections, in wonderful light, arrested motion in perfect balance and grace, and with a ruffling of the back feathers to lend visual interest. Even the ripples in the still water add to the beauty of the shot. No credit to me. I just pressed the shutter. 🙂
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. 1/500th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed and cropped slightly for composition in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Tricolor up and away
Tricolored Heron, Merritt Island NWR, Titusville FL
This is the Tricolored Heron that owned the feeding rights along the stretch of water channel between the Blackpoint Wildlife Drive restrooms and the observation tower on the Cruickshank Trail at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. I was all focused and ready for a portrait when he sprang into action…moving down the channel a dozen yards.
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. 1/1000th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed and cropped for composition in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Green Heron in the rain
Green Heron. Viera Florida
Almost a month ago now, on my last full day in Florida for the Space Coast Birding Festival, I took a group of Point and Shoot Nature Photographers to the Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands at Viera to photograph birds. It rained off and on all morning, but we had a great time. This Green Heron was working the ditch on the outside of the tour loop, in the company of several White Ibis and a couple of Snowy Egrets. He was particularly acrobatic and kept us entertained long enough to get too damp 🙂
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. Program mode. 1/250th @ ISO 250 @ f4. Processed in Polarr and assembled in Framemagic on my iPad Pro.
A line of Little Blues
Little Blue Herons, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
We have 6 inches of new snow this morning, and I will have to go out and move it out of the drive in a few moments, so, as a form of resistance, it is back to last month’s trip to Florida. It was actually only a few degrees warmer than it will be here today when I took this off Blackpoint Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville. I was as bundled up as I could be and the wind was blowing a gale. Little Blue Herons working a line in a shallow pool. Ever hopeful. 🙂
Sony Rx10iii at 447mm equivalent field of view. 1/1000th @ ISO 100 @ f4, using my specialized flight and action mode. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Thistle!
Thistle, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville FL
I saw these giant thistles in bloom along the first mile of Blackpoint Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville Florida every time I drove the loop, but it was not until my last visit of the trip that I forced myself to take a moment for a photo. I think they are just Bull Thistle, a common weed, but the specimens on Blackpoint were certainly spectacular. This was my 3rd and final thistle stop. I pulled over because of the particularly intense color but was rewarded with the perfect contrast in the Florida White feeding deep in the bloom.
Sony Rx10iii at 24mm equivalent field of view. Program mode. f4 @ 1/250th @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Spoonbill
Roseate Spoonbill, Viera Wetlands, Florida
Outside here in Southern Maine there is a blizzard blowing. It started mid-afternoon yesterday and will not blow itself out until late this afternoon. We are expecting 12-24 inches of snow. I would say we already have 12. So, as a counter measure I am going back a few weeks to my visit to Florida for the Space Coast Birding and Nature Festival in Titusville. I still have many images I have not shared. A year ago in Florida, Roseate Spoonbills were everywhere at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge…in large numbers and close in on Blackpoint Wildlife Drive. This year they were few and far between. I never did see in the water at Merritt Island. They were all flybys. The only one I saw feeding was a lone Spoonbill at Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands in Viera Florida on our last rainy day field trip there with my Point and Shoot Nature Photographer group. The subdued, damp light brought out the deep pink of the breeding plumage (note the green skin cap as well).
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. Program Mode for various exposures as the light changed. Processed in Polarr and assembled in Framemagic on my iPad Pro.
White Pelicans posing
American White Pelicans, Viera Wetlands, Florida
There were a few American White Pelicans at Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands in Viera, Florida when I visited with my Point and Shoot Nature Photography class last month. Two of these three seemed intent on posing. It rained off and on all the time we were there and though the light was subdued, it was actually pretty good light for white birds. You can see the unusual amount of feather detail in this pair.
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. Program Mode. 1/250th @ ISO 125 @ f4. Processed in Polarr and then cropped and resized in BigPhoto on my iPad Pro.