Posts in Category: Florida
1/31/2011: Ring-necked Duck, Viera Wetlands
I have trouble remembering that this is not the Ring billed Duck, for somewhat obvious reasons. I have yet to see the neck ring, though I have no doubt it is there. Duck plumage has a will of its own, of course, especially what appears to be “black” most of the time. It can be green or purple, in various shades, depending on the angle of the light…as here on the head and back.
Canon SD4000IS behind the 15-56x Vario eyepiece on the ZEISS DiaScope 65FL for the equivalent field of view of approximately a 3000mm lens, 1/400th @ ISO 125. Effective aperture of f9. Programmed auto.
And, from the same sequence.
1/30/2011: Limpkin, Viera Wetlands
Happy Sunday!
I can still remember my excitement in seeing my first Limpkin, a wader, strangely unrelated to the herons and egrets that share its habitat. It is the only species in its family, thought to be somewhat related to the rails and cranes, and has a very restricted range…only occurring in Florida, where it feeds on the declining population of Florida Apple Snails. It is listed as a “species of special concern”.
Viera Wetlands is an easy place to see and photograph Limpkins. Several individuals were feeding there the day I visited. This shot was late in the day when the lowering sun brought out the copper in the feathers.
Canon SD4000IS behind the 15-56x Vario eyepiece on the ZEISS DiaScope 65FL for the equivalent field of view of a 3000mm lens, 1/500th at ISO 125. Effective aperture of f8. Programmed auto.
Being Sunday, I will express my sense of gratitude to the folks who preserved our National Wildlife Refuges as habitat for the amazing birds of Florida…or, in the case of Viera Wetlands, who created new habit. I know things could be better, and that we could do better as stewards of this creation, but I am always reminded at places like Merritt Island NWR and Viera Wetlands (not to mention Bosque del Apache and Estero Lano Grande and Brigantine) that things could be a lot worse, and would be without the efforts of concerned humans, knowingly or unknowingly fulfilling the task the creator gave them.
One more Limpkin…from earlier in the day.
And the video:
1/29/2011: Green Heron, Viera Wetlands
When I started birding I learned this bird as the Green-backed Heron. Somewhere in there it lost the backed and became just the Green Heron…not even the Little Green Heron, or the Common Green Heron, or the Lessor Green Heron, or the American Green Heron…just the plain Green Heron. Either way it is a striking bird, and especially so in the kind of close-ups you can get among the duck-weed at Viera Wetlands in Florida.
Canon SD4000IS behind the 15-56 Vario eyepiece on the ZEISS DiaScope 65FL for the equivalent field of view of a 3000mm lens. Effective aperture of f8 @ 1/800th @ ISO 125, Programmed auto.
Processed lightly in Lightroom for clarity and sharpness.
And this shot, backed off to about 1500mm equivalent.
And here is the video.
1/28/2011: Tricolor, Viera Wetlands
Tricolored Heron is among the most striking of the herons…more colorful by far than a GBH…but much harder to photograph. Unlike a GBH, the Tricolor rarely stands still, sits still, or is otherwise other than in rapid motion. Or so it seems most of the time. This bird was racing up and down the little band of open water next to the dyke at Viera, catching fish as it went. Getting it in frame was a challenge. Keeping it there more-so. Still, gotta try with a bird like this.
Canon SD4000IS behind the eyepiece of the 15-56x Vario eyepiece on the ZEISS DiaScope 65FL for the field of view of a 1000mm lens, 1/1250th @ ISO 200. Effective aperture of f5 (set by camera). Programmed auto.
Lightly processed in Lighroom for clarity and sharpness.
1/27/2011: Little Blue Heron, Viera Wetlands
I really like the range of colors in the plumage of the “little blue” heron. The purples shading into blues and blue-grays. They show to really good effect in the Florida sun of Viera Wetlands.
Canon SD4000IS behind the 15-56x Vario eyepiece on the ZEISS DiaScope 65FL for the equivalent field of view of a 1600mm lens, 1/500th @ ISO 125. Effective aperture of f5.0.
Lightly processed in Lightroom for clarity and sharpness.
1/26/2011: GBh, the portrait, Viera Wetlands
One of the clear advantages of Viera Wetlands for photography is the fact that you can get ridiculously close to the birds. So close that your average 600mm lens can fill the frame most of the time, and a digiscoping rig will give you intimate portraits like this one. The birds are used cars on the dyke and pay not the least attention. They will even, most of the time, let you get out and set up your tripod within 50 feet without flushing. Especially Great Blue Herons.
Canon SD4000IS behind the 15-56x Vario eyepiece of the ZEISS DiaScope 65FL for the equivalent field of view of something like a 4000mm lens, 1/1250th @ ISO 160, effective aperture f11. Programmed auto.
Processed lightly in Lightroom for Clarity and sharpness.
And one more for varieties sake.
1/25/2011: uncommon Moorehen, Viera Wetlands
The Common Moorehen has been somewhat of a nemesis bird for me, at least for digiscoping. They are abundant at Viera Wetlands and Merritt Island, as well as in the Rio Grande Valley, so I have seen hundreds, if not thousands. I have tried to digiscope them on every trip, but never gotten a keeper. Generally it is an exposure issue. The red of the bill and face shield burns out and the black of the body closes up. I had about given up on Moorhens. Still…you have to try!
And I really like this shot. Not only is the exposure spot on (for which I take no credit…it is auto exposed), but I love the way the water on the back is caught in tiny beads, as well as the glint in the black eye. The glistening green weed adds something to the shot as well, as does the foamy water (the bird was swimming near an intake standpipe which was vigorously pumping water into the empondment). So, moral of the story…try try again! At least when it comes to Moorehens.
Canon SD4000IS behind the 15-56x Vario eyepiece (near its wide end) on the ZEISS DiaScope 65FL spotting scope for the equivalent field of view of a 800mm lens, f4 @ 1/800th @ ISO 125. Programmed auto.
Lightly processed in Lightroom for clarity and sharpness.
1/24/2011: Osprey! at Viera
Viera Wetlands is one of my favorite digiscoping and birding destinations and I always try to get down there at least one day on every trip to the Space Coast Birding Festival. It is a 30 minute drive straight down 95 from where I stay in Titusville. I got a late start yesterday, due to a long day of travel from Las Vegas on Saturday, but decided, given the busy schedule of the coming week, to do Viera anyway. Viera is now, officially, the Rich Grissom Memorial Wetlands at Viera. You may remember from posts from last year at this time that it is a “improved” waste water treatment plant…one of a growing number where the settlement ponds have been converted to small lakes and marshes ideal for migrant and resident birds…and, in a truly enlighten move, basic facilities (portapodies, viewing platforms and towers, and several miles of good dyke roads) provided for visiting birders and the curious public. Yesterday I would estimate that while I was there, there were about 100 other visitors driving the dykes and observing the birds. While at least half were serious birders or bird photographers, at least half were the curious public variety…from young families with children to retired folks. There were even a few walking the dykes, jogging, or bicycling. Viera is wonder, and I, for one, and sincerely thankful to the foresight of the folks who conceived of and funded its conversion.
This Osprey, who was busy with a meal, was the first bird to great me from the dyke (or at least the first I pulled out the scope for and set up).
Canon SD4000IS behind the 15-56x Vario eyepiece on the ZEISS DiaScope 65FL for the equivalent field of view of a 3000mm lens. 1/1000 sec. @ ISO 160. Programmed Auto. Effective aperture of f8.5 (computed).
Processed very lightly in Lightroom for clarity and sharpness.
And here is a second shot, this time at something closer to 4500mm equivalent field of view.
5/10/2010
Appointment with Barred Owl
We have to go back to Florida one last time (for now) to pick up one last image (for now).
Coming around the short loop of trails at Vaill Point Park in St Augustine FL our last morning there, a guy with binoculars, seeing us similarly attired, stopped, as birders will, to ask what we had seen, and to alert us to the presence of a Barrel Owl on the property. “Just up from the boat-launch, along the trail there, sitting pretty much out in the open.”
So, of course we went to look for it. We walked up and down that trail for 30 minutes, looking at every likely branch, but no owl. They can be really hard to see if they sit still (and they do sit still, especially in daylight), but “pretty much out in the open” gave us reason to hope. No owl. 🙁
My attitude on birds is: either you have an appointment with the bird…essentially you just have to be in the right place at the appointed time…or you do not have an appointment with the bird. You can not sweat the birds you don’t have an appointment with. You should make the most of the birds you do have an appointment with. Simple philosophy. I can even follow it…most of the time. Still. A Barred Owl. I was loath to admit I did not have an appointment with that bird…especially as Carol, my non-birder wife, as with me…and nothing impresses like a sitting owl.
For an hour more I was on full owl-alert, without letting on, as we continued our walks around the trails looking for other birds and plants and pics. Gradually the owl fever faded though, as it will, and I pretty much forgot to be looking. We were well distracted by a mixed feeding flock of warblers, most of which Carol had never seen before.
Finally we felt we had gotten about all Vaill Park had for us that morning, and, though we still had plenty of time before our early evening flight, we headed back to the car for the drive to Jacksonville and the airport, birding the trail one last time. I was trying to chase down a song in the canopy, might have been a Summer Tanager, when my eye snagged on the owl, sitting on a horizontal branch in the “Y” of two trails, about 50 feet up and in from either trail, pretty much right out in the open, just like the man said. We must have walked practically right under that owl dozens of times that morning.
There is a special whisper that birders use to alert their companions to a bird that might take fright…kind of a whisper-shout…and I used it then. “Barred Owl!” It took a moment to get Carol on it, but then it sat for us as I worked around looking for better digiscoping angles as long as we wanted to stay.
It was essentially asleep. It only opened its eyes momentarily. Occasionally it stretched or yawned. Not much action, and not the best light, but an awesome bird non-the-less. Carol was duly impressed. 🙂 I took a lot of digiscoped pics…so many the battery went dead on me before I had really finished. 🙁 Ah, well. Appointment over.
Canon Powershot SD1400IS behind the eyepiece of a Zeiss Diascope 65FL. Equivalent focal length of about 650mm. Exif: f2.8 @ 1/160 @ ISO 160. Programmed auto. The camera’s f2.8 was the limiting f-stop, since the computed f-stop of the system was f1.8.
Recovery for the background. Fill Light for the owl. Blackpoint just slightly right. Added Clarity and Vibrance. Sharpen landscape preset. Cropped from landscape format to isolate the bird.
Zooming the camera up for an equivalent focal length of about 1400mm I was able to get a quick head shot with the eyes more or less open. F4.0 @ 1/160th @ ISO 160. (Computed system f-stop, f3.9). These are worst-case shots, with the bird silhouetted against a brighter background, and both required some Lightroom work to eliminate the camera lens’ Chromatic Aberrations and some Purple Fringing from the sensor. Still, I was quite happy with the results of this appointment with the Barred Owl of Vaill Point.
5/4/2010
A Little Spoonbill Love
Believe it or not, I am actually coming to the end of my series from the trip to St Augustine. One, maybe two more, Pics of the Day.
For today, lets do Roseate Spoonbills. I did a similar set from Merritt Island in January. Spoonbills, in all the splendor of full breeding plumage, were abundant at the Alligator Farm this year. In the past the most I have ever seen at the same time is 2. This year there at least 20. I don’t think any bird has more spectacular breeding plumage. It is so vivid, and so unlikely!
Add with the Canon SX20IS. All in Programmed auto.
1) 560mm @ f5.7 @ 1/1250 @ ISO 160
2) 560mm @ f5.7 @ 1/1250 @ ISO 80
3) 470mm @ f5.7 @ 1/1000 @ ISO 100
4) 470mm @ f5.7 @ 1/1000 @ ISO 125
Similar treatment in Lightroom. A touch of Recovery and Fill Light. Blackpoint right. Added Clarity and just a tiny amount of Vibrance. Sharpen landscape preset.
And finally, a little video.