The Photographer Quarterly: Florida Safari

Perfectly positioned along the Atlantic coastal flyway, Florida in winter is a wonderful location to view birds of all kinds. My January visit to Merritt Island wildlife refuge, Fairchild gardens in Coral Gables and the Everglades National Park did not disappoint. My wife Julie and Grandchildren, Jessica and Donovan served as chief spotters and did a wonderful job. We saw many varieties of wading birds and even a few reptiles of interest. The following is a portfolio of my results with my best attempt at identification.

For interest to my photographer friends my settings were consistent throughout F8 for clarity on the subject, 1250/sec shutter speed for capturing movement and auto ISO, letting the camera choose for best exposure. I shoot in RAW and add color and contrast in Lightroom. These shots were taken with a Nikon D750 full format camera and my Sigma 150-600mm Sport lens on a monopod.

Roseate Spoonbill

Range - Gulf states to Chile and Argentina

Tri-Color Heron

Range - Eastern US to Brazil

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Note the Black bill

Same Snowy Egret in a Majestic pose

The Great Blue Heron

Found Throughout the United States

Profile of the Great Blue Heron

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret showing off his yellow boots

Little Blue Heron

White Ibis

Little Green Heron

Hiding in the Mangroves

Immature White Ibis

Immature White Ibis, joining in the flock

The Wood Stork

Not a pretty face

Snowy Egret and a Glossy Ibis

White Winged Parakeet

From South America but well established in the Miami Area

Anhinga submerged in water

Anhinga on the nest
"You're gonna hear me Ro-arrrrrr"

The American Alligator can be found often underneath an Anhinga nest patiently waiting for a baby to fall out of the nest when their clumsy mom returns. The webbed feet of the Anhinga makes it a challenge to perch on a branch.

Anhinga - Male

Anhinga Preening

These birds do not have oil glands that help waterfowl float

therefore after a dip the must dry their wings in the air.

Great Egret in flight

On the drive down to Miami we stopped at Santee Wildlife refuge in South Carolina.

We were treated to a flock of Sandhill Cranes, though quite far off in the distance.

At Fairchild Gardens we saw many Iguanas in the trees. This fellow has turned Orange to attract the ladies.

We also were treated to a sighting of this Crocodile, fortunately at a distance. Note that the Croc has his teeth exposed on the outside of the jaw unlike the Alligator who has his teeth covered by the upper jaw. Good to be able to identify them when he is chomping down on you.