Are you looking for a rookery on the Florida West coast that is easy to access and where you do not need a long lens to shoot? The Venice rookery is one of the possible answers! Comprised mostly of Great Blue Heron nests, it has long been a must go place for many bird photographers. There is still one open spot for the March 28-29 Florida Ospreys tour due to a cancellation, send me an email to quickly secure the last opening!
ISO 2500 | f/4 | 1/2500 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focus
Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II and the Canon EOS 1DX mark II.
I paid a visit to the Venice rookery at the very end of December. Nesting activity had already started and the morning was quite overcast, not to say a bit gloomy. While I usually adore overcast conditions around low tide waters, I find it less attractive at rookeries in general. In any case, rookeries can be deceptively difficult to shoot at for the fact that it takes a keen eye to eliminate the typical chaos going on there. I hence worked a lot on the most distant nest, which gave me a clearer backdrop and some take off and landing actions.
ISO 6400 | f/4 | 1/1600 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focus
Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II and the Canon EOS 1DX mark II.
The Venice rookery is not all about Great Blue Herons, and Anhingas are counted as part of the party. The one above was posing on a log, at a bit lower viewpoint than most photographers were looking at that day. Any bird on a branch or log with a nice diffused background behind is typically a win. My tip here is to have the tip of the log as part of the frame if possible.
ISO 800 | f/5.6 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focus
Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II coupled with 1.4x extender and the Canon EOS 1DX mark II.
Towards the very end of the morning session, the sun decide to half show up. I am looking forward to returning with sunny weather!
Florida Ospreys Photography Tour – $1,490
March 28th-29th 2020 / limit 5 people – 1 opening
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 to be added to the early contact list for 2021.
Florida Spoonbills Photography Tour – $1,390
February 22nd-23rd 2020 / limit 6 people – Full
May 2nd-3rd 2020 / limit 6 people – Full
2 working lunches and 3 boat rides to the absolute best rookery to photograph spoonbills with breeding colors. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com to be added to the early contact list for 2021!