Pic of the Day

     Tri-collored Heron, Egretta tricolor: Fort Myers Beach, Florida

    For every photo I publish on this blog I have dozens, and sometimes hundreds of photos from the same shoot.  These two shots of a tri-colored heron are from a shoot at Fort Myers Beach, Florida in March of 2011.

     I shot more than half a dozen images of this heron with a fish before the fish went down the heron’s gullet.  I posted an image from that shoot on March 19, 2011.  Recently I came across those images so I thought I would show you a couple more from the shoot.

You can see my earlier post about Tri-colored herons here:  http://bobbyharrison.blogspot.com/search/label/Tri-colored%20Heron

(Both Images): Nikon D7000, Nikkor 300mm f2.8, 1/1250second @ f 4.5, Handheld

Happy New Year to All

    Roseate Spoonbill (audlt in its most splendid breeding plumage) – Estero Lagoon: Fort Myers Beach, Florida:  As the year draws to a close and the North Alabama winter days wax colder, My thoughts turn to the warmth of Southern Florida and its birds.  January is the month that begins the best time to shoot in Florida, with February to mid March being my favorite (I’m already planning my trips).
     This will most likely be my last post for 2011.  I will post again on the 1^st of January, or so.  I leave this year with a portrait of one of Florida’s most colorful birds, and a memory for myself of one of the best times I’ve ever had photographing our beautiful wild birds.

     With less than 24 hours until 2012, I wish all of you a Happy New Year.  I look forward  to the next year of images and posts.  Bobby

Nikon D300, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/640 @ f 9

Pic of the Day

     Common Egret -- Estero Lagoon, Fort Myers Beach Sandbar:  I posted a number of images from this shoot back in March.  While looking for some images to post, I came across this Common Egret. 

     The morning I shot this was incredible.  The image was taken at a huge tide pool that had been cutoff from the Gulf waters because of the low tide.  The tide pool was filled with fish and I photographed bird feeding for two mornings.  This is just one of the many birds I shot.  Many species were feeding before the sun rose, but after the sun breeched the horizon many birds began to fly to the tide pool.    

     I particularly liked how the wing provides a background and frames the bird’s head.  Also, as this image demonstrates, the birds paid little attention to me, giving me great photo opportunities. 


Nikon D300, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/1,600 @ f8

Pic of the Day

   Dancing Egret – Estero Lagoon; Fort Myers Beach, Florida:  Of all the birds feeding in Estero Lagoon it was the Snowy Egrets that put on the most flamboyant show.  Their only rival was a lone Reddish Egret as they dance wildly on the hunt.  As schools of fish moved through the lagoon the snowy’s were the first to pounce on the evasive prey.  As the fish zigzagged through the water, so did the snowy.  With out stretched wings for balance this snowy raced through the lagoon striking the water with precision as it plucked its breakfast from the shallows.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 500mm f4, Digital Capture ISO 200, 1/1,250 @ f8

Pic of the Day

   Roseate Spoonbill – Estero Lagoon; Fort Myers Beach, Florida:  As the feeding frenzy at Estero Lagoon began to wane the spoonbills gathered along the shore of the lagoon to preen.  This adult, sporting fresh breeding plumage, took a few steps from the group and began sifting a feather or two through its bill.  Stepping away from the group a few fee  this spoonbill provided an opportunity for me to shoot a series of images of the bird by itself.  The image was captured as the spoonbill paused for a few seconds and looked into the camera, providing me with a classic spoonbill portrait.


Nikon D7000, Nikkor 300mm 2.8VR, Digital Capture ISO 200, 1/2,000 sec. @ f4.5

Pic of the Day

   Roseate Spoonbill – Estero Lagoon; Fort Myers Beach, Florida:  Among the half dozen Roseate Spoonbills feeding in Estero Lagoon, only one was an adult in breeding plumage.  The adult became my target for most of my roseate photos during the shoot.  At one point during the feeding frenzy it caught a fish and walked right up to me.  The spoonbill came so close I could not take a full frame photo of the bird,  I had to settle for a headshot.  Fortunately the spoonbill manipulated the fish in its bill as I shot, thus giving me the opportunity to shoot this detailed view of the prey and the spoonbills head. Shooting was hectic with so much activity going on around me.  So many birds feeding drew my attention from one activity to another without pause.  I did not realize that I had captured the sequence until I reviewed the image-files after downloading.  I love surprises like this.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 300mm 2.8VR, Digital Capture, 1/1,250 sec. @ f4.5 

Pic of the Day

  Tri-colored Heron – Estero Lagoon; Fort Myers Beach, Florida:  While shooting the feeding frenzy at Estero Lagoon this Tri-colored Heron caught a sheepshead and walked straight toward me.  The heron stopped less than 10 feet from me and began to  manipulated the fish in many position before sending it down its gullet.  This is just one of many shots I took.  I shot six frames, which took about a second, then the event was over.  So, there was no time to switch cameras to get a full frame shot.   With that said I must confess that I do like the close-up image,  as it shows much more detail in the prey, and centers on the action itself.  I will eventually post more images of this sequence.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 300mm 2.8VR, Digital Capture, 1/1,250 sec. @ f4.5

Pic of the Day

  Snowy Egret – Estero Lagoon; Fort Myers Beach, Florida:  After spending a week driving from Fort Desoto in Saint Petersburg south to Sanibel Island, east to Anhinga Trail in the Everglades then North (with stops along the way) to Merritt Island National Refuge, I finally had a couple of mornings of good shooting at Estero Lagoon on by second drive around the state.
   Estero Lagoon begins, or ends, depending on your perspective at the Holiday Inn in Fort Myers Beach.  I arrived at the lagoon just as the sun was rising and was excited to see about fifty or more waders feeding in the shallow waters of the lagoon.

   The morning was perfect.  The sea breeze was cool, and the birds were bathed with the warmth of sunrise light.  More than a dozen species of birds filled the lagoon and each searching and catching food from the shallows.  Spoonbills waded back and forth along the stretch of water in front of my camera while egrets, herons, ibises and shorebirds stalked the waters.  Herons, egrets and spoonbills were catching Sheepshead, each about four to six inches in length.  Ibis were busy gleaning blue crab and least sandpipers were pulling marine worms from the mud. 

  Great opportunities were present at Estero Lagoon and I took advantage of as many as possible.  While I took many shots that I am very pleased with, so many good shots got away.  I was shooting three cameras during the feeding frenzy.  I used a Nikon D300 with a 500mm f4 lens mounted on a tripod.  I also used a Nikon D7000 with a 300mm f2.8 VR lens hand held.  Many of the close up shots were taken with this particular set-up.  I also used a Nikon D3 with a Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8 for shots of birds when the came too close for the other lenses.  And, the birds did come close.  I sometimes moved out of their way instead of them moving out of mine.  The birds seemed to pay me no attention.  I am not surprised since Fort Myers Beach is a popular tourist destination and is heavily used.

   I photographed this Snowy Egret using the D7000 camera and 300mm lens set-up.  I saw the snowy catch the fish and then start flying.  Using a fast shutter speed and panning with the bird I was able to get a focusing senor on the eye which allowed for a tack sharp image.  I shot two frames of the bird as it flew by.  This one was sharp, the first image was slightly out of focus.  The VR (vibration reduction) feature , fast shutter speed, and ability to hand hold the lens made this image possible.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 300mm f2.8, Digital Capture ISO 200,   1/800 sec. @ f8

Pic of the Day

   First let me wish each of you a “Happy New Year”!  On December 30^th, I decided to drive south where the temperature is warmer.  So, on Friday, New Years Eve, at 2:00 PM, my wife and I headed south for Fort De Soto State Park in Saint Petersburg, Florida. 

     I took a few photos (which I will post) and then headed to Sanibel Island to visit the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge.   While the first couple of weeks of January are not the best time to visit Florida for bird photography I had a great time.  Once I get the images squared away I will try to post one every day or two for a while.  The first image comes from the causeway to Sanibel Island.  The causeway is one of my favorite places to shoot shorebirds, but the first image I will show is a Snowy Egret.

   Snowy Egret – Sanibel Island Causeway, Florida:  This image was shot just minutes before the sun dipped below the horizon.  The light conditions were low and of the dozen shots I took only about half were sharp.  For this image I used two new pieces of equipment.  I really wanted to go to Florida to try out the new Nikon D7000.  I really like the camera, especially the video feature.  I also wanted to try out my ground level camera mount.  To take images from ground level I attached a ball head to a Frisbee.  I got the idea from a recent book I read.  I will have to give the name in a later post as I do not remember the book or author.  This photo was taken using the Frisbee mount.  After some experimentation I think a pie pan might work better.  The Frisbee is a bit flexible.  I will try the pie pan to see which works best.  However, even with the Frisbee/ball head mount I was able to get a sharp image.  I have numerous images shot with this setup and I will post over the next week or so.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm, f4, Digital Capture ISO 200, Frisbee/ballhead mount

Pic of the Day

Semipalmated Plover: Fort Myers Beach Sandbar, Florida – Florida is one of my favorite locations to shoot. I particularly love southern Florida, the home of the Everglades, Loxahatchee, Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach. Fort Myers Beach is well known among bird photographers and birders alike as a birding hotspot. Shore birds can be found there most any time of the year, though April and May will find the resident birds in prime breeding plumage.
I go to Fort Myers Beach almost every trip to Florida, and usually find good subject each time. This Semipalmated Plover was photographed on the Gulf side of the sandbar feeding on the exposed flats at low tide. What I particularly like about the image is the lines of sand that give direction in the image, as well as pointing to the subject. The plover was shot in early morning direct light, providing rich color and greater detail in the subject.
Nikon F5, Nikkor 500mm lenses with a 1.4 tele-converter, Ektachorme 100s