Pic of the Day

Osprey, Pandion haliaetus:  Sanibel Island Causeway; Fort Myers, Florida

    While I was photographing Sanderlings on the Sanibel Island Causeway Osprey were soaring over the water looking for their next meal.  This bird flew close enough for a shot, but I had to hand hold the camera as it was attached to my sandpan camera mount.  Fortunately the shutter speed was fast enough to get a sharp image.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f/4, 1/2500 second @ f/8

Pic of the Day

Sanderling, Calidris alba: Sanibel Island Causeway; Fort Myers, Florida

     I found a small flock of sanderlings running along the shell strewn beaches of the Sanibel Island Causeway a few days ago.  The sun was setting, and the birds were bathed with its warm light.  As I lay on the beach the sanderling ran past my camera so close that I could not focus on the them.  Finally a few stopped a dozen or so feet in front of me and began to preen.  The sun was sinking fast, but I was able to catch a few frames before it disappeared.  This particular bird struck an awesome pose as it zipped the feather barbels together on a primary.  The day had been pretty slow as far as photographing birds, but this little sanderling made everything perfect.  

Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f/4, 1/1250 second @ f/8

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