Damp Day at the Photoshoot!

I left shortly before dawn on my bicycle for today’s planned birding photoshoot. I had noticed while bike riding yesterday afternoon what appeared to be real good belted kingfisher territory. A pond had some small dead trees in the water which appeared to provide the perfect ambush spots for a hungry kingfisher.

• Good news: A kingfisher agreed with me.
• Bad news: Unexpected rain got me, the kingfisher and a hawk rather wet.

I suspect the kingfisher did not mind the extra water, but the hawk and I were not thrilled. You will be able see the individual drops of water on the railing in the red-shouldered hawk photo! I had hoped the belted kingfisher would move closer and use some trees near me, but at least he did not hang out on the far side of the pond. Oh well, the the life of a photographer!

• View this project’s Flickr photo stream. (click upon image to view at full size)

This little blue heron was intent on having fish for breakfast. Given the dark sky conditions due to the impending thunderstorms, finding a bird to photograph out in the open with no trees around was very helpful. My normal desire for fast shutter speeds given how quickly birds tend to move had to be moderated to account for low light and the need to get sufficient light into my camera. Thus, poission on par 3!

• View this project’s Flickr photo stream. (click upon image to view at full size)

I’m down in Florida working on the spring break new hit TV series, Egrets Gone Wild! Here are a few exciting still photographs which show both a “great egret” and two “snowy egrets” partying to excess in the Florida sunshine. While some of you may believe these altercations were over a favorite fishing hole, this video producer knows better!

With respect to bird identification, the two links given above point to the “All About Birds” web site from Cornell University. This web site is an excellent resource for the online birder.

• View this project’s Flickr photo stream. (click upon image to view at full size)

And now … Egrets Gone Wild

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A Quiet Moment

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