Tag: Snowy Egret

Everglades Sunrise, Birds in Flight and Cypress Dome Walk

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I went out last week to capture a sunrise down in Flamingo, Florida.  I took a few reflection pictures across the water as the sun came up.  After the sunrise I went to Eco Pond to try and capture some bird in flight pictures.  The birds have started to thin out after reaching a peak a few weeks ago.  There were still a good number of Roseate Spoonbills, Egrets, Heron’s and other birds but not like there had been the last few weeks.  I ended up with a few I liked.

After the birds stopped performing, I started heading back toward the park entrance.  I made one last stop to explore a cypress dome I had never walked into before.  It was a great find and I plan on going back to try and take more pictures there in the future.  Inside the cypress dome, I found resident gators, birds, and three water moccasins.  I also found numerous orchids of different varieties including some very large and rare cigar orchids.

 

Eco Pond Everglades National Park

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I am not much of a bird photographer opting to primarily focus on Landscapes and Nature shots in general.  However, I had someone request a Roseate Spoonbill in flight/action shot so I decided yesterday to give birding a try.  I have never tried to capture birds in flight before but was excited for a new challenge.  I checked the weather, got up early and headed to a place called Eco Pond to see if the Roseate Spoonbills were active.

Eco Pond is a very shallow (primarily less than 1 foot) pond with an island in the middle of it.  Birds of all types love this spot to wade and feed in the shallow water and along the shorelines.  There are even some nesting Ospreys that occupy one of the taller trees on the island.

Yesterday, the pond was full of activity with more than 100 hundred birds actively feeding or flying.  There were probably more than 25 Roseate Spoonbills which at least gave me a good statistical chance of getting the shot I had come here for.  I took about 150 shots and ended up with about 20 decent photos.  I got a few good Roseate Spoonbill in flight shots but had to crop them to get what I was looking for.  I will be test printing them to see if they will work or if I need to try again next week.  Either way I had a good time and learned a lot about capturing birds in flight.  It also made me realize I need to invest in some new glass if I am going to start shooting birds or wildlife on any consistent basis.  My equipment is primarily geared toward things that are standing still and do not get frightened if you get close to it.  These shots were taken with the Canon 55-250 Kit Lens.