Florida Bird Photography

Birds so dominate the Florida scene that Florida bird photography is a must for anyone visiting the Sunshine State with a camera. Point-and-shoot cameras will occasionally capture good pictures but for truly great bird pictures worthy of bragging rights you must at least have a model with quality zoom and preferably a telephoto lens plus high speed ISO settings available for inflight shots. Most birds won’t sit and pose for you.

My wife Kathy uses a Canon G10, a high end (around $400) 14.6 megapixel point-and-shoot with a 5X zoom (28 – 140mm) that takes very good pictures. I use the Canon EOS 20D with an array of lenses. Just make sure you know your camera’s capabilities so that you won’t be disappointed with your finished product.

The Bigger Picture

Florida beaches are great for finding groups of birds, large and small, dive bombing for fish or skimming along the water's surface. Or maybe your preference is for one of Florida’s infinite number of man-made lakes which attract our many raptors (eagles, hawks, falcons and more) along with some of the more common jays and bluebirds. These freshwater lakes generally have fewer birds present but one of those just might be the threatened Sandhill crane with adults standing up to four feet tall. Sandhill cranes are usually found in inland shallow freshwater marshes, pariries, pastures and farmlands but sometimes are found in backyards of people living on a lake.

Many first time visitors to Florida are surprised to learn that over one-third of the state is covered in forestlands which are home to hundreds of birds both migratory and year-round residents. Southern Bald Eagles, Red Tale Hawks and vultures are but a few of the many bird species prevalent in these areas.

My recommended Florida bird photography hot spots are all state and national parks and wildlife refuges, as well as public beaches. Merritt Island National Refuge near Cape Canaveral, J.N. Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Everglades National Park in the south and Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary at Indian Shores are but a few of the many viewing locations that dot the Sunshine state.

The largest congregation, over 300 species, of birds in the United States is found in the Everglades. A couple of the most common wading birds found there are the Great Blue Heron and the Great “American” Egret. The Anhinga or “Snake Bird” is also very common throughout the area.

Regardless, Florida bird photography beckons. Capture the bird(s) and surrounding scene to show how the bird fits into its habitat. Sometimes, the whole scene is far more photogenic than just the isolated bird.

Details

To capture a bird and completely fill the screen or sometimes just the head, eyes and beak in profile, zoom in and focus with your telephoto lens or camera zoom function. These zoomed views tell so much more about the bird and its characteristics. And, if you have a high-resolution camera (10 - 15 megapixel), your images can be enlarged to poster-sized dimensions without loss of detail or the introduction of fuzziness.

The serious Florida bird photographer will find that a tripod is a major assistant for capturing zoomed in detail. Once the focus is set, you can then take multiple shots in rapid succession to ensure at least one will work for you. If you are unaccustomed to using a tripod they are usually easy to set up and the camera will attach and detach with little effort. Then all that is needed is for you to level and adjust your tripod on a solid footing so that you are ready for your Florida bird photography action.

If you use a digital single lens reflex (SLR) camera, think about purchasing one of the newer image stabilizing (IS) lenses. They don’t eliminate all of the motion at slower shutter speeds, but they do help a lot. When dealing with an isolated bird or two, you may even be able to capture them interacting in various ways such as courtship. By keeping an open mind and an open eye, Florida bird photography is easy and exciting.

Birds in Flight

Sometimes birds may be "taking off" from or landing in the water or on a particular object. Ready yourself for rapid-fire photography or videography to capture this. Depending on your camera’s abilities you may need to set your ISO speed to 400 or greater, especially when shooting in low light settings. Many bird landings (especially pelicans onto pier posts) are almost comical. Pelicans and other bird take offs initially appear doomed to failure, only to be transformed into graceful lift off.

Diving birds, especially in groups, can make for interesting Florida bird photography scenes or close-ups. Pelicans, flying in roller coaster formation along the water's surface, provide great documentation of their order within nature. At times these birds will fly up and down the beach, almost as if they were performing for you.

Early To Rise and Early To Bed

Birds don't necessarily like the heat so often present in Florida so it is recommended that you plan your shoots in the early morning or late afternoon. This normally means fewer people around to disturb your work or the bird. Remember to walk slowly and quietly to avoid startling the bird.

At times low lighting may pose photographic challenges often leading to blurriness or darker images. Plus when using a longer lens and/or slower shooting speed with lower lighting, the greater the risk of poor-quality images. The aforementioned tripod comes to the rescue. It doesn't have to be of professional quality, just easily transportable and sturdy.

In Conclusion

Florida bird photography can be both challenging and fun as you will learn so much about the birds in the process. I'm always honing my photography skills in these types of settings so I'm able to replicate my actions when faced with an event (e.g., wedding or retirement party, NASA shuttle launches, etc.) that requires panoramic and close up documentation. Please visit my web site at http://www.florida-travel-photography.com to see some of my handiwork.

Summary: Florida is perfectly suited for bird watching and bird photography. Birds are almost present in various settings throughout the state. Keep your camera and tripod at the ready and you can take some fabulous bird photographs.




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