Daily Archives: May 31, 2019

Brown Noddy action

There are only about 4500 Brown Noddies on the Dry Tortugas, compared to 100,000 Sooty Terns, but somehow they seem just as prevalent. The Noddies roost on the ruins of the North Coal Dock, at one angle of Fort Jefferson, and if you creep along the shore, between the brush and the water, you can get quite close to them. Afternoon light is best. It picks out all the subtitle details of the birds’ plumage and the rich textures of the rusted chains and stays of the Coal Dock. And, as with any group of “resting” sea-birds, there is always a lot of action and interaction, as the birds seem to squabble continuously over the best perches. I kept the Sony RX10iv in Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications and let the lock on tracking auto focus do its work. This shot was just back from full zoom at 570mm equivalent. Processed in Polarr.