Roseate Spoonbill
To follow up on last week’s post about Florida birds I thought I would blog this week on the Roseate Spoonbill, an exotic looking bird found along the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. Its range also includes large areas of Central and South America. I have observed Roseate Spoonbills in Florida many times but this was the first time I’ve gotten close enough to get decent photographs.
The roseate spoonbill is a beautiful bird with a distinctive spoon-shaped bill with pink body and wing feathers. It is a large bird, about two and a half feet in length with a wingspan of about four and a half feet. Like the flamingo, the roseate spoonbill’s pink color comes from the crustaceans it eats. In the mid-to-late 1800s its feathers were used in ladies’ hats and fans. By the early 20th century, the population had shrunk to only a few dozen nesting pairs in the United States. Over time the population recovered and today the roseate spoonbill is no longer a protected species.
I made these photos at Alafia Banks Bird Sanctuary. It is recognized as Florida’s flagship sanctuary and is the most productive nesting colony in Florida. According to Audubon Florida, “today the islands that make up the sanctuary are owned by Cargill Fertilizer, Inc. and leased to Audubon for operation as a sanctuary. Each year, up to 18,000 nesting pairs of 16 to 20 species of birds nest on the Alafia Bank Sanctuary, making it one of the largest colonies in Florida and one of the most diverse colonies in the continental United States. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission has listed Alafia Bank as the most important colony in the state, due to its size (number of birds nesting), longevity of nesting activity, and species diversity.”
I was mostly interested in shooting the spoonbills in flight which was especially challenging from the rocking deck of our boat. My two workhorse lenses for birds in flight (BIF) are the Canon EF400mm f/5.6 and the Canon EF600mm f/4.0. Captain Terry was able to maintain optimum position so much of the time that the vast majority of my images were taken hand-held with the EF400mm. When a little more reach was necessary, I used the 600mm mounted to a Wimberly II gimbal head on a Gitzo GT2531 LVL tripod.
I used the Canon 7D exclusively on this trip. Its crop sensor came in handy for maximum reach. Set to aperture priority, exposure compensation from -0.33 to -1.67 was required to avoid over exposing the the bird’s white neck and yellow head. I was constantly checking the histogram on the LCD to make sure I was not clipping highlights. Autofocus set to AI Servo and AF point expansion proved to be the most effective method for quickly locking onto and tracking birds in flight without losing focus to the background.
I find these birds to so beautiful and photogenic. I’m pleased to post a few of my favorite spoonbills here for your consideration and comment. Thanks for looking.
.
Canon 7D w/ EF600mm 1/1600s at f/4.0 -1.67 iso400
.
Canon 7D w/ EF400mm 1/1600s at f/8.0 -0.67 iso200
.
Canon 7D w/ EF400mm 1/3200s at f/5.6 -0.33 iso200
.
Canon 7D w/ EF400mm 1/1600s at f/8.0 -0.33 iso200
.
Canon 7D w/ EF600mm 1/4000s at f/4.0 -0.33 iso200
.
Canon 7D w/ EF600mm 1/2500s at f/4.0 -1.67 iso400
related post
Date: February 26, 2012
Categories: Photography Technique, Wildlife
