The Florida West coast hosts a few Black Skimmer colonies. In the midst of nesting season, I had the chance to visit my preferred location to photograph some of my favorite shore birds. With good timing for young fluffy chicks, it was a delight!
ISO 5000 | f/8 | 1/1000 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focus
Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II coupled with the 1.4x extender and the Canon EOS 1DX mark II.
The adults were very active and kept on skimming the water close-by to bring back food for the young chicks. The image above is a display of the home coming with fish. Note the broken egg shell at the feet of the adult.
ISO 2000 | f/8 | 1/1000 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focus
Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II coupled with the 1.4x extender and the Canon EOS 1DX mark II.
The chicks above should be about one week old. They were quite cute and fluffy! The nesting colony is actually very busy, with many nests and lots of activity. I chose to clean up the other nests in the background for the viewer to focus on the action around a specific area.
ISO 5000 | f/8 | 1/1000 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focus
Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II coupled with the 1.4x extender and the Canon EOS 1DX mark II.
For those who had the chance of visiting other rookeries, you will recognize the loud young-lings singing their hunger to the bewildered parents. By the way, did you know that the skimming fishing technique of the Black Skimmer does not come from natural instinct? It is a taught behavior from the parents.
Florida Ospreys Photography Tour – $1,490
March 28th-29th 2020 / limit 5 people – 2 openings
3 boat rides on a pristine cypress trees lake. Many nests are at eye level, allowing shooting from up close in a natural habitat. No big lens needed! An ideal setup for beginners… 2 working lunch sessions with lunch included. $300 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com
Florida Spoonbills Photography Tour – $1,390
February 22nd-23rd 2020 / limit 6 people – 5 openings
May 2nd-3rd 2020 / limit 6 people – 4 openings
2 working lunches and 3 boat rides to the absolute best rookery to photograph spoonbills with breeding colors. $250 deposit. Breeding colors are a bit more intense in February, while May is likely to have new fledglings in the open. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com