Tampa Bay Spoonbills Rookery Tour Dates for 2023

The second Spoonbills tour is now concluded and the dates for 2023 will be January 21-22 and February 18-19. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com to book your spot! 🙂

Roseate Spoonbill Banking In Flight – Tampa Bay Rookery
ISO 1600 | f/8 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS coupled with a 2x extender and the Sony Alpha 1

The second tour of the season was a great success! The image above is a spoonbill in full breeding colors soaring up after taking off. The green backdrop are the mangrove trees of the area. Spoonbills suddenly taking off from behind the trees on the beach can be a bit of a challenge to capture in flight as there is little time to notice the bird and actually framing it before it is out of the “shooting zone”. Knowing what trajectory to expect is key and I make sure I lay this down for the participants so they may maximize their chances to create images as above.

Spoonbill landing on the beach
Roseate Spoonbill preening – Tampa Bay Rookery
ISO 1600 | f/8 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS coupled with a 2x extender and the Sony Alpha 1

By paying attention to the birds coming in from the sides and from behind, it is possible to frame the bird early on in your camera view finder. This greatly helps being perfectly set up for landing shots as above. The bird is about to touch land while having its beak open. Again, it is a beautiful Roseate Spoonbill with full breeding colors. The only way to guarantee having those colors is to shoot near a rookery during breeding season.

Roseate Spoonbill taking off - Bird Photography
Roseate Spoonbill preening – Tampa Bay Rookery
ISO 640 | f/5.6 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS coupled with a 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1

I love the out of focus green and blue background here! Take off shots can be more difficult to create as they often require that you anticipate on the actual take off. Anticipation is really what is going to make you get those images. I do my very best to call out to the group when I notice a change of behavior and a bird likely to take off in the next seconds. If you like what you see, consider joining the 2023 tours! 🙂

Black Skimmers Colony Photography Workshop – $1,090

June 25th-26th 2022 / limit 5 people – 2 open

Black Skimmers Tour - Bird Photography

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 3 shoots at the Sarasota Bay Black Skimmers colony. We shoot along the beach, where the nesting colony is easily accessible. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Ospreys / Spoonbills mix Photography Tour – $1,390

March 26th-27th 2022 / limit 5 people – Full

April 23rd-24th 2022 / limit 5 people – 1 open

Florida Ospreys Tour - Bird Photography

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 2 boat-based Osprey shoots at the Vero Beach Cypress Lake + 1 land-based Spoonbills shoot at a local rookery. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Tampa Bay Spoonbills Rookery Photography Tour – $1,490

January 21st-22nd 2023 / limit 5 people – Full

February 18th-19th 2023 / limit 5 people – 2 open

Florida Spoonbills Tour - Bird Photography

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 3 shoots at the Tampa Bay Spoonbills rookery. We typically shoot while wading in the water in the mornings and from the boat in the afternoon. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

First Spoonbills Tour In The Box

And the first Tampa Bay Spoonbills tour of the season is now over! See below a few images from the January session 🙂

Roseate Spoonbill Banking In Flight
Roseate Spoonbill Banking In Flight – Tampa Bay Rookery
ISO 800 | f/5.6 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS coupled with a 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1

It always a pleasure to kick start the new bird photography season! I am pleased with the banking shot above and especially with the flicked feathers at the end of the right wing. When the positioning is right, the mangrove trees can provide a really nice green background.

Roseate Spoonbill with breeding colors
Roseate Spoonbill preening – Tampa Bay Rookery
ISO 640 | f/5.6 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS coupled with a 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1

At some point, we were working with a group of Spoonbills that were very close to the mangrove tree roots, which was not the best situation for pleasing backgrounds. Advising the participants close to me to look for headshots while having the other birds right behind the front one, I did just that in the image above. The result is a stunning pink on pink effect. I will definitely try to do more of this in the future!!

Roseate Spoonbill in flight
Roseate Spoonbill preening – Tampa Bay Rookery
ISO 640 | f/5.6 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS coupled with a 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1

Another classic image I am always on the lookout for is the flight just above the blue water. Note that with flight images I do my very best to keep the reflection on the water as part of the image.

Black Skimmers Colony Photography Workshop – $1,090

June 25th-26th 2022 / limit 5 people – 2 open

Black Skimmers Tour - Bird Photography

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 3 shoots at the Sarasota Bay Black Skimmers colony. We shoot along the beach, where the nesting colony is easily accessible. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Ospreys / Spoonbills mix Photography Tour – $1,390

March 26th-27th 2022 / limit 5 people – Full

April 23rd-24th 2022 / limit 5 people – 1 open

Florida Ospreys Tour - Bird Photography

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 2 boat-based Osprey shoots at the Vero Beach Cypress Lake + 1 land-based Spoonbills shoot at a local rookery. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Tampa Bay Spoonbills Rookery Photography Tour – $1,490

January 29th-30th 2022 / limit 5 people – Full

February 26th-27th 2022 / limit 5 people – 1 open

Florida Spoonbills Tour - Bird Photography

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 3 shoots at the Tampa Bay Spoonbills rookery. We typically shoot while wading in the water in the mornings and from the boat in the afternoon. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Sony Alpha 1 AF settings – small tweaks

Happy New Year!!! Hopefully, we all get to enjoy this new year to the fullest. Today, I am presenting a few more images from the Sarasota Bay, at the same location where the June Black Skimmers colony tour will take place. If you like what see, consider this as a potential addition to the Black Skimmers 🙂

Royal Tern - Sarasota Bay
Royal Tern flapping its wings – Sarasota Bay
ISO 400 | f/4.0 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS with the Sony Alpha 1

The image above is a Royal Tern flapping its wings after bathing. Note that I took care to incorporate the full water ripples from the surface. After a bit more experience with the Sony Alpha 1 AF, I decided to abandon assessing exposure with Zebras. I realized that the image displayed in the view finder is quite sufficient to assess if one is over or under exposing and the Zebras can be very distracting. While using Zebras might still be a good starting point for beginners, experienced photographers can easily do without and enjoy better visibility in the view finder.

Black bellied Plover in flight with prey
Black bellied Plover in flight with shrimp – Sarasota Bay
ISO 250 | f/4.0 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS with the Sony Alpha 1

Yes, it is indeed a small shrimp in the beak of the Black bellied Plover in flight above! The Sony Alpha 1 AF performance is quite astounding. Not only it acquires focus fast on the eye of the bird, but the camera actually locks focus very well during the entire action sequence. This is light years better than what the old Canon 1DX mark II used to do. The switch to Sony was pricey, but absolutely worth it!

Ring-billed Gull landing
Ring-billed Gull landing – Sarasota Bay
ISO 320 | f/4.0 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS with the Sony Alpha 1

I am very pleased with the symmetry of the wings in this landing. While I usually do not pay that much attention to gulls, they also can offer a nice action display. The key is to be well positioned! Having a fast burst rate also greatly helps to capture just the right moment from the action. This is especially important in bird photography.

Ospreys / Spoonbills mix Photography Tour – $1,390

March 26th-27th 2022 / limit 5 people – Full

April 23rd-24th 2022 / limit 5 people – 1 open

Florida Ospreys Tour - Bird Photography

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 2 boat-based Osprey shoots at the Vero Beach Cypress Lake + 1 land-based Spoonbills shoot at a local rookery. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Tampa Bay Spoonbills Rookery Photography Tour – $1,490

January 29th-30th 2022 / limit 5 people – Full

February 26th-27th 2022 / limit 5 people – 1 open

Florida Spoonbills Tour - Bird Photography

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 3 shoots at the Tampa Bay Spoonbills rookery. We typically shoot while wading in the water in the mornings and from the boat in the afternoon. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Black Skimmers Colony Photography Workshop – $1,090

June 25th-26th 2022 / limit 5 people – 3 open

Black Skimmers Tour - Bird Photography

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 3 shoots at the Sarasota Bay Black Skimmers colony. We shoot along the beach, where the nesting colony is easily accessible. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Sony Alpha 1 AF settings for bird photography

The Sony Alpha 1 AF settings for bird photography are very similar to the settings for the Sony A-9 MK II. I am going to share what works for me without getting into too much fluff. Straight to the point! The Canon equivalent for AI servo mode (with focus moving along with the subject) is the AF-C mode.

Sanderling - Sony Alpha 1 Settings for Bird Photography
Sanderling running along the sea shore – Sarasota Bay
ISO 800 | f/6.3 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 at 600mm with the Sony Alpha 1

The running Sanderling above is a good example of a top notch Auto Focus performance from the Sony Alpha 1. Small shorebirds running along the beach are always very challenging to track (especially when laying down on your belly). In a nut shell, it comes down to this:

  • AF-C mode
  • Focus Area on Zone mode (not automatically tracking)
  • Bird Eye tracking activated
  • NOT Using Zebras to assess exposure in manual mode
  • ISO custom set on rear dial

AF-C mode

Sony Alpha 1 bird photography settings - AF-C mode

This is the AI Servo equivalent from Canon. It simply puts you on dynamic tracking instead of one shot.

Focus Area: Zone

Sony Alpha 1 bird photography settings - Zone Mode

I prefer the “Zone” Focus Area over Expand Spot (equivalent of single spot surround from Canon) as it gives a bit more room. The autofocus will lock and pursue the subject within that box.

Eye Subject: Bird

Sony Alpha 1 bird photography settings - Eye Subject

The Sony Alpha 1 Autofocus can either locate a human being eye, or an animal eye, or a bird eye. Simply select the “Bird” option!

Zebra Display: Off

Sony Alpha 1 bird photography settings - Zebra Display

After experimenting for a while, I find Zebras to be very distracting and not always that accurate in assessing the overexposed zones. One important thing to remember with mirrorless technology, is that what you see in the viewfinder is your end result! With experience, it is fairly easy to assess if one is overexposing if you can see in real time what your captured image is going to look like. However, if you are a beginner, Zebras is still a good point to start from.

ISO on Control Wheel

Sony Alpha 1 bird photography settings - ISO Back Wheel

The one custom setting I am going with is having the ISO pegged to the back control wheel.

Rudy Turnstone in flight - Sony settings bird photography
Rudy Turnstone banking in flight above the foam – Sarasota Bay
ISO 800 | f/6.3 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 at 600mm with the Sony Alpha 1

Another example of the superior autofocus achievements from the Sony Alpha 1 with the Rudy Turnstone banking in flight above. It is my only photo of this maneuver with this species, and hopefully there will be many more to come. When it comes to bird photography, especially when capturing birds in flight, I do my best to keep the shutter speed at or faster than 1/2500. The smaller the bird and the faster your shutter speed needs to be to completely freeze the movement.

Black-bellied Plover landing - Sony Alpha 1 AF settings
Black-bellied Plover landing – Sarasota Bay
ISO 800 | f/6.3 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area
Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 at 600mm with the Sony Alpha 1

While I have the Focus Area set on Zone (instead of central point surround on Canon), I do not have the automatic tracker on: the camera still acquires focus atomically and tracks within the zone, but if the subject comes out of the zone box for too long, the camera will not attempt to track it. The fully automated tracking mode performs well, but I prefer this for now. Also, I moved away from the Canon equivalent of the central point surround as I find the area to be a bit too small. The Zone is essentially a bigger box area.

Ospreys / Spoonbills mix Photography Tour – $1,390

March 26th-27th 2022 / limit 5 people – Full

April 23rd-24th 2022 / limit 5 people – 1 open

Florida Ospreys Tour - Bird Photography

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 2 boat-based Osprey shoots at the Vero Beach Cypress Lake + 1 land-based Spoonbills shoot at a local rookery. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Tampa Bay Spoonbills Rookery Photography Tour – $1,490

January 29th-30th 2022 / limit 5 people – Full

February 26th-27th 2022 / limit 5 people – 1 open

Florida Spoonbills Tour - Bird Photography

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 3 shoots at the Tampa Bay Spoonbills rookery. We typically shoot while wading in the water in the mornings and from the boat in the afternoon. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Black Skimmers Colony Photography Workshop – $1,090

June 25th-26th 2022 / limit 5 people – 3 open

Black Skimmers Tour - Bird Photography

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 3 shoots at the Sarasota Bay Black Skimmers colony. We shoot along the beach, where the nesting colony is easily accessible. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Do you like Black Skimmers?

The Black Skimmers colony tour date for 2022 is June 25th-26th! Would you like a predictable location to photograph Skimmers skimming along the water edge? Or capture fluffy chicks running on the sand? This tour is timed to maximize your chances for both 🙂

Skimmers banking in flight
Black Skimmer banking in flight – Sarasota Bay
ISO 1600 | f/5.6 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focus
Canon 600mm f/4 IS II coupled and the Canon EOS 1DX mark II.

While most of us tend to focus on creating images of birds banking in flight with their upper wings in display, capturing a front bank can also be very pleasing. The tricky part with Skimmers and many other shorebirds is that their belly is mostly white, not leaving much leeway for proper exposure. In the image above, I was very happy with having an unfocused bird in the right lower corner. It gives a sense of space and helps anchor the image nicely.

Black Skimmer flying over the colony
Black Skimmer flying above the colony – Sarasota Bay
ISO 1600 | f/8 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focus
Canon 600mm f/4 IS II coupled with the 2.0x extender and the Canon EOS 1DX mark II.

Another interesting flight shot is when the birds fly just above the rest of the colony with a fish to bring back to their chick. The difficulty here is to have a clear separation between the flying subject and the background. By shooting at a low angle, I achieved the separation by having some of the greenery covering the flying bird. Shooting from too high would have resulted in a very cluttered image with the main bird mixing body parts with the crowd below.

Black Skimmer skimming
Black Skimmer skimming – Sarasota Bay
ISO 100 | f/7.1 | 1/25 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focus
Canon 600mm f/4 IS II and the Canon EOS 1DX mark II.

Pre-sunrise blurs require good timing and steady panning in cadence with the bird. When properly done, you will end up with blurry wings and a somewhat sharp head. At that time of the day, the background colors can have some nice pastel tones such as the purple above. Join me in 2022 to learn more! 🙂

Ospreys / Spoonbills mix Photography Tour – $1,390

March 26th-27th 2022 / limit 5 people – Full

April 23rd-24th 2022 / limit 5 people – 1 open

Florida Osprey-Spoonbill Photography Tour - 2022

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 2 boat-based Osprey shoots at the Vero Beach Cypress Lake + 1 land-based Spoonbills shoot at a local rookery. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Tampa Bay Spoonbills Rookery Photography Tour – $1,490

January 29th-30th 2022 / limit 5 people – Full

February 26th-27th 2022 / limit 5 people – 1 open

Florida Spoonbills Photography Workshop

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 3 shoots at the Tampa Bay Spoonbills rookery. We typically shoot while wading in the water in the mornings and from the boat in the afternoon. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

Black Skimmers Colony Photography Workshop – $1,090

June 25th-26th 2022 / limit 5 people – 3 open

Black Skimmers colony photography tour teaser

3 shoots and 1 over-the-shoulder Photoshop tutoring => 3 shoots at the Sarasota Bay Black Skimmers colony. We shoot along the beach, where the nesting colony is easily accessible. $250 deposit. Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com .

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