The light was really moody when we hit the beach. In front of massive angry clouds, we watched the birds on Bolivar Beach waking up. As the clouds rumbled and far off lightning sparked, I picked the spot where I wanted to shoot. When I placed the Z 9 / 800AFS mounted to the panning plate on the sand, there were no birds in sight. I saw the surface I wanted, but it was empty. I laid there in the sand waiting, the surf slowly working its way up the beach to kiss me. Then slowly they came by, kinda like a Field of Dreams. Piping Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Laughing Gull, Willet, Semipalmated Sandpiper ventured by but didn’t stay. Finally one took the small area as its own and I was in business. A Sanderling claimed the small patch of beach as its own and started to forage. An hour and stiff neck later I had the images I wanted for the morning. It was the perfect spot to reflect.

As I watched the snow falling outside the window I hear the birds singing their brains out, looking at nesting sites and fighting for mates. Despite what the weather is doing, critters and the sun say it’s spring. It’s time to get the binoculars out and start being a wildlife detective looking for your next project. Nesting birds are a very rewarding subject. You can do it safely by doing some homework and testing now so you’re good to go once you find the nest. You might want to start by reading this nesting primer here on the website. You might continue it following what’s in that primer. Then go further picking up a copy of my book Captured. As long as you remember no photograph is worth sacrificing the welfare of a subject and can walk away when you see it’s not working, you can comeback with a story that when shared can make a difference. Cause despite the weather, it really is spring!

The Snail Kite gives away in its name what it eats, snails. This highly specialized raptor eats just one thing, freshwater apple snails of Florida’s Central wetlands. It can snatch from the water and pop a snail out of its shell faster than a French Chef! Those talons & bill give it the ability to grasp the snail with great efficiency. The Snail Kite’s problem causing it to crash to just 64 individuals in the 80s is the loss of habitat and its food source. Then in 2004 a very destructive and evasive island apple snail came in. Bad for the environment, the island apple snail, the size of a tennis ball is prolific and has replaced the freshwater apple snail, the size of a ping pong ball. You might think that for a highly specialized predator like the Snail Kite this would be the last nail in its coffin. But the Snail Kite evolved in the matter of a decade with longer, stronger talons and longer mandible. So in the short term, the kite found a sudo solution for its own problem. Or did it? I guess only time will tell but in the meantime watching this mater of the wetlands is a joy as it uses its tools of specialization that evolved.

The Wood Stock, also known as Flinthead is a large and at times awkward looking bird that was once near extinction. Hunted for its breeding plumes, it was placed on the Endangered Species list in 1984. Since then their numbers have steadily climbed so now they are about to be delisted. It’s this time of year when they are hard at work increasing their numbers even further. When there is enough water providing habitat for their prey fish they produce eggs. In drought years, they might not nest at all. This is a good year and they are quite busy creating some fun photo opps for the patient photographer!

Patience at the rockery is required as a majority of the time they are either just standing or sitting on the nest. At the same time, being all white and nesting in live tress, you gotta have the right light or you just come back with yuck. Luckily the male spends some time in the evening gathering and delivering sticks to the female for the nest. With this knowledge, you want to set yourself up so you can pan with the incoming male watching for the best background. Then the challenge is not just panning but having a shooting path when the male gets to the nest. That’s because the male you’re panning with might not go to the nest you can see, it might be to one hidden in another part of the tree. It is quite a bit of fun. And if it’s a really good evening the male gets rewarded by the female when it makes its deliver. That birds and the bee thing. Just need an active rockery, great light and that male incoming!

The two elements you can have “control” over are light and background. And here is where your passion and talent can shine. The obvious element you need are the birds and when going for flight shots its helps that you have a predictable flight path. For example, birds flying into a rookery or a bird feeder. You need more than one flight in order to prefect every part of the photographic process. For this example I had food working for me. The Pelicans were feeding on a school of bait fish between Sunrise Bridge and North Fishing Pier in Florida. It’s a favorite haunt of mine and this evening the opportunity presented a very uncommon photo.

So evening, there is the light component for creating an uncommon photo. The background is the water which is common but what was reflecting this evening was not. The combination of clouds, fog, light and construction on the bride made an incredible pallet of colors. You can see below on the left the light quality on the pelican, it’s very nice light. You can see on the right the background which when in focus is not so nice. But when the pelicans took advantage of the ground effect and glided effortlessly over the water is when the combination of all the elements came together. The last element added to the photo was a slow shutter speed. It was 1/50 so there was a feel of “speed” to the photo. And with that, the photo was made. Keep an open mind as you follow your passion for bird photography. Look for the patterns, the elements and try it all when it makes sense. You never know when it all comes together even when it take a bridge.