Posts in Category: Merritt Island NWR
Florida! Grace and color
Tricolored Heron and Roseate Spoonbill: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, January 2024 — I don’t know enough about Tricolored Herons to know if this is typical hunting behavior…it was certainly the first time I had seen it. The Spoonbill does not seem to be overly impressed though, so maybe it happens more than I know. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds-in-flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Tricolored Umbrella
Tricolored Heron: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — I have never seen a Tricolored Heron umbrella fishing…though it is very common behavior among Reddish Egrets who fish the same pools at Merritt Island. Maybe I have just not been looking at the right times. 🙂 OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 584mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds-in-flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Skimmer on approach
Black Skimmer: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, January 2024 — I had fun with the Black Skimmers at Merritt Island but never did get exactly the image I wanted. Next time. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! The hunt!
Reddish Egret: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — Yes I still have lots of unshared photos from my trip to the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in January. I will dip back occasionally to bring you highlights. This hunting Reddish Egret is doing its thing. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Spoonbill hop
Roseate Spoonbill: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — Nothing quite equals Florida light and nothing quite equals a Roseate Spoonbill…especially one showing its wings while taking a short hop over the water. Right place, right time, and ready! OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 372mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Where’s Waldo?
Mixed flock of gulls and skimmers, mostly Laughing Gulls, a few Ring-billed Gulls, and see if you can find the Black Skimmers: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, January 2024 — Something, perhaps an Osprey or and Eagle put this massed flock of gulls and skimmers up into the air. I just shot into the mass and sorted out this image as one of the better ones. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Hunting
Great Blue Heron: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — Nice Florida light and a cooperative Great Blue Heron along Blackpoint drive one morning during the Space Coast Bird and Nature Festival. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 522mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Fisher king
Belted Kingfisher: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — I am always happy to find a Kingfisher, as they are, as a family, among my favorite birds. The Belted Kingfishers of Florida, however, are not easy to photograph. They tend to be very “flighty” and will not sit still for a photo. This was taken from the open window of the car, across the front seat and out the passenger window, from too far away, using the 2x digital tele-converter in the OM-1. Still it is a Kingfisher! An adult male. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 1600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Caspian Tern
Caspian Tern: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — Hunting Caspian Terns are, at least to my way of thinking, fun “birds in flight” targets…with just the right amount of challenge to success ratio. Given enough terns and enough time, you will manage to catch one. 🙂 OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Mass lift-off
Great and Snowy Egrets: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, January 2024 — When you see this number of birds in a group all looking the same direction as in the top shot, you know a mass lift-off might be coming soon. And indeed it happened…but so fast that I did not even get my eye to the viewfinder. I just pointed the camera and held the shutter button down. 🙂 I am happy to have gotten anything at all. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 372mm and 300mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.