Snowy Egret in the frame and yelling about it, at Orlando Wetlands Scenic Park in Christmas, Florida, USA. Sometimes it is the surrounds that make the photo, even the wildlife photo. Here I like the strong diagonal branch with its texture and the way the out of focus palms in the background section the frame. I put the bird, which is in an interesting pose, on the left rule of thirds “power line” (even though it is facing out-of-frame), with its head at the upper left “power point” so your eye is drawn to the subject, but within the whole composition. Facing out of frame gives the shot some extra tension. Did I think all that through in the field. No, of course not. I do have my rule of thirds grid turned on in the Sony, and I do pay some attention to it in the field, but mostly I just liked what I saw in the viewfinder and shot the image. The composition stuff might explain why I like it…but I liked it before I knew why. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Glossy Ibis preening at Orlando Wetlands Scenic Park in Christmas, Florida, USA, shows off all the iridescence of its plumage…undoubtedly how it got its name. 🙂 It is opportunities like this that keep birders and just regular folk who enjoy nature coming to park. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Snowy Egret dancing at Orlando Wetlands Scenic Park in Christmas, Florida, USA. All part of an Egret’s day. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

The Anhinga is such a strange bird. It starts of course with the snake like neck that gives it its unofficial name in many regions (snake bird), but then its body is covered all over with fur-like feathers, and its wings, when it folds them out to dry, feature this fascinating pattern of black and white. And “fascinating” is not too strong a word at all. Even the way it sits here, with its tail flat on the ground, is pretty strange to me. Altogether a strangely beautiful, but very strange bird. Orlando Wetlands Scenic Park, Christmas, Florida, USA. Sony Rx10iv at 218mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Wood Stork and Snowy Egret at Orlando Wetlands Scenic Park, Christmas, Florida, USA. An interesting size comparison. I don’t think of the Snowy Egret being a “small” bird, but it looks pretty small compared to the Wood Stork when they are feeding together. White birds in the sun are always an exposure challenge. Sony Rx10iv at 265mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. -.7EV. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Red-winged Blackbird in full display at Orlando Wetlands Scenic Park in Christmas, Florida, USA. Orlando Wetlands is a municipal wetlands…a series of settlement ponds that has been converted to a park primarily for birders…but being only about 30 minutes from Orlando, it also attracts joggers, walkers, cyclists, and folks just wanting to get outside for the morning. It offers great sky and water views, and, of course, great birds at relatively close distances. This Red-winged Blackbird was holding court in the top of a bush right beside the dike trail and I said to my Point and Shoot Nature Photography class, “too bad there is not another male around so we could see them display…” and, of course, another male flew in and we got to see this. You can see a bit of motion blur in the epaulettes and the neck feathers as the bird was literally vibrating with passion as it vocally assaulted its rival. Red-wings are famous for it! Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

There were more Purple Gallinules at Orlando Wetlands Scenic Park in Christmas, Florida, USA this year then I have ever seen before…or perhaps, because one of biggest ponds was dredged over the winter and has no vegetation, they are just all concentrated in the front ponds this year. This high-stepping specimen put on a good show, feeding and dancing on the water weed. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.