Wildlife Photography across the Water: egret

Wednesday, 21 April 2010

Florida diaries 5

Since we have moved inland the challenge has been the weather, The last couple of days have seen a lot of rain along with some lightening especially in the afternoon and evenings, I have been doing the Disney thing and have wanted to get the firework displays at night but so far its been rained off, Today (Tuesday) i got up early and looked out of the window to see fog, Not good or expected, I decided to get my gear together and head to Gatorland where news was that the rookery is the place to be, I only had a max of a couple of hours and having not been there for 20 years it was more of a recce, Well 2 hours and 8 gigs later there were a few nice images in the bag, I decided to concentrate on the Egrets with chicks but i always keep my eyes open for birds in flight of which there were many, Gatorland in Orlando is very different to Gatorland in St Augustine, Here the big lens came into its own whereas in St Augustine i never used it, The good news for me was that i also managed a couple of new species to my portfolio, The Black Vulture and Ahinga, I also improved my Cattle Egret images, I purchased a photographers pass for today which allows me entry early and late so i will do both sessions and hope the weather is kind which looking at the forecast it will be
Since being in Orlando i dont seem to have a minute to spare so here are a few images that caught my eye
ALL FULL FRAME

Dave

Sunday, 11 April 2010

Florida diaries 1

We decided to break the journey up on the way down to Florida and spent a night in Savannah,Georgia, Its a very historic place,Full of old buildings and city squares that are full of beautiful trees and beautiful flowers, There is a good night life there with lots and lots of bars and restuarants, There are trolleys/buses doing city tours and i think this is probably the best way to see the city and then drive to the best places to shoot some of the prettiest places, One thing that struck us both is the odour-Ok the place stinks like a warm day in Delhi but is very nice and a long weekend would be long enough to see the best of it, We left after a lazy breakfast and made our way to St Augustine in Florida, Now this is a very nice place, clean and with lots of great buildings, A good vibe (without the odour) and a great place to be at night, We instantly liked the place, After booking into our accommodation i got the gear ready and went to Gatorland and gave the $70 for the photographers pass which allows entry an hour early and an hour late which can be extended with some extra cash, I stayed for 3 hours and shot 16gb of wood stork,tri coloured heron,egrets of various kinds and rosette spoonbills, I have another 3 sessions there so will guarantee some great images, I have only just downloaded and will post some next blog,This is a truly great place to be and the next few weeks will see lots of chicks of all kinds-i may be back soon as the pass is for 1 year, You dont need big lenses,Infact the tri coloured were with 2-3 feet of the boardwalk and took no notice of people-birds skim your heads as they fly out-amazing, If you are thinking of taking a trip to Florida then this has to be on your list
Here is a taster-Full frame wood stork

Dave

Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.