Posts in Category: Florida
Bald Eagle!
American Bald Eagle, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville Florida
I always tell my students, photography is all about being in the right place at the right time, and ready! This is especially true of wildlife photography. We pulled off on the side the road to photograph this American Bald Eagle on a snag about 200 feet in. I walked back along the margin a few dozen yards for a better angle and was set up on the Eagle when it decided to fly. I could tell by the shift in body posture that it was about to go, so I was able to pan with it as it lifted off. Bam!
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. 1/1000th @ ISO 100 @ f5.6. Processed and cropped for scale in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Breakfast, Snow Egret Style
Snowy Egret, Black Point Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, FL
I was photographing this Snowy Egret across a small pool off Black Point Wildlife Drive at Mettitt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville, Florida when it flew out and did its dancing on water thing and came up with a little fish. To my surprise it proceeded to fly in to a submerged Mangrove stump right in front of me, not 10 feet out in the water. It balanced on its precarious perch for 7 or 8 minutes, as it maneuvered the fish for swallowing. Ideal light, a great bird in close, and some action for interest. It does not get any better than that. 🙂
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. 1/1000th @ f6.3 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Pelican in flight
American White Pelican, Black Point Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville FL
There were lots of American White Pelicans off Black Point Wildlife Drive, at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville Florida yesterday. In fact, they might have been the most numerous birds. I saw them in the air and on the water in large groups. Of course, you have to try for flight shots!
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. 1/1000th @ f5.6 @ ISO 100 using my special custom flight mode. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Grooming
Tricolored Heron, St. Augustine Alligator Farm wild bird rookery, St. A, Florida
Birds spend a lot of time on maintaining their feathers: grooming, preening, oiling, rearranging, etc. Not surprising. When they are not hunting, feeding, breeding, or feeding young…they are probably grooming. This Tricolored Heron at St. Augustine Alligator Farm’s wild bird rookery is busy on the underside of his wing. A long neck comes in handy that way.
Nikon P900 at 1000mm equivalent field of view. 1/500th @ ISO 400 @ f5.6. Processed in Lightroom.
Immature Red-shouldered Hawk
Immature Red-shouldered Hawk, Washington Oaks Garden State Park, Florida
Back again to Florida for today’s pic. This is an immature Red-shouldered Hawk at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park south of St Augustine Florida. I saw a similar hawk last year when I visited, so I was kind of looking for this hawk when it appeared in the huge Live Oaks above the water features in the shaded part of the garden. It appeared as though on cue, and my students (it was a Point and Shoot Nature Photography field trip at the Florida Birding and Photo Fest) were duly impressed 🙂
Nikon P900 at 1200mm equivalent field of view (pulled back for context). 1/160 @ ISO 400 @ f6.3. Processed in Lightroom.
Passing the twig: courtship
Roseate Spoonbills, St. Augustine Alligator Farm, St A. Florida
In late April and early May each year I have two events. The Florida Birding and Photo Fest and the Biggest Week in American Birding at Magee Marsh and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Ohio. Essentially I go direct from one to the other and have about 15 days of excellent bird photography…mostly nesting waders in Florida, and migrating warblers and songbirds in Ohio. I also come back from the two trips with well over 1000 images…keepers that is…I probably take close to 4000 frames. I share a few images from the events, while I am there, but clearly I have a lot more that I have not shared. All of which is to explain why, after several weeks, we are back to a Florida image for today’s post, though I have been back in Maine for several days now. 🙂
These two Roseate Spoonbills at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm wild bird rookery spent most of a day attempting to build a nest in this low Mangrove…an odd place to begin with. They abandoned the attempt overnight, but while they were active, I had a chance to observe courtship and nest building activity up close. Here the male is passing a bit of viney twig to the female.
Nikon P900 at 400mm equivalent field of view (I told you they were close). 1/125th @ ISO 125 @ f5. Processed and cropped slightly for composition in Lightroom.
Balancing act
Great Egrets, St Augustine Alligator Farm, St A Florida
For me what makes this image is the sky behind the birds. 🙂 Ideal light for white birds. Great Egrets at the St Augustine Alligator Farm wild bird rookery.
Nikon P900. Processed in Lightroom.
Backlit Cattle Egret in breeding plumage
Cattle Egret, St. Augustine Alligator Farm wild bird rookery, St A, Florida
For most of the year, the Cattle Egret is the stumpy, chunky, shambling, recently immigrated, relative of our native Great and Snowy Egrets…not much to look at, and still on probation as a US citizen as far as birders are concerned. But for a few short weeks in spring, during nesting season, I think the Cattle Egret is the most beautiful of our resident egrets. The orangey-brown crown features and stripe down the back, as well as the bright orange bill, set of the white plumage to a turn.
This male was guarding the nest while his mate when out to feed. St. Augustine Alligator Farm wild bird rookery. Nikon P900 at 880mm equivalent field of view. Processed in Lightroom.
Flight! Happy Sunday.
Great Egret, St Augustine Alligator Farm wild bird rookery, St A, Florida
“If your eye is generous, your whole being is full of light!” Jesus
I was back at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm wild bird rookery yesterday morning early to have one last crack at flight shots. The birds are so close, and there is a lot of coming and going so there are not many moments when there isn’t at least one bird in the air. Great place to practice…or just to appreciate the beauty of flight. These are mostly big birds. Great Egrets and Wood Storks predominate…and both are great flyers. Graceful, elegant, with beautiful plumage. When you catch one, as I have here, with the light behind it, it is as beautiful a sight as I hope to see in this world.
The persistence of flight dreams in our kind, and our general fascination with flight, when taken with our images of angels, might lead us to think that there are wings in our future. I actually find no indication of that at all in the Bible, and it is certainly not in the Gospels, but that does not stop us from dreaming. Flight, we seem to think, would be the final freedom. Personally I would like to be able to love as well, and as naturally, and as beautifully as a bird flies. I think that would be the final freedom! When I look with my generous eye, I do not see you or myself with wings, beautiful as that might be…I see you (and myself) as a unconditionally loving person. That is the generous view. Leave the wings for the birds. I will admire flight, and give it its due as beauty, but give me love any day!
Happy Sunday.
Landing. Great Egret
Great Egret, St Augustine Alligator Farm wild bird rookery
Coming in for a landing, calling all the way. Great Egret, St Augustine Alligator Farm wild bird rookery, on St Augustine Florida. A Great Egret is one of the most graceful of the big birds in flight…not so much in landing. 🙂
Nikon P900 in my custom Birds in Flight mode. Shutter preferred. 1/1250th @ ISO 125 @ f5.6. Processed in Lightroom and assembled in Coolage.