In March I spent some time in Florida to practice my bird photography. It was a fun and productive trip. In my experience, Florida has such a wealth of avian life that the photography is like shooting fish in a barrel. That is not to say my photographs are world class, since it’s true that incredible bird photographers make Florida their home and produce amazing images. But I was able to locate and make images that I am happy with of all the species I had on my want list and had a fun, relaxing time driving around doing it.
My first stop was to spend a few days trying to photograph Roseate Spoonbills (Platalea ajaja) at the Alafia Bank Bird Sanctuary near Tampa. Roseate Spoonbills are some of the most incredibly-colored birds in the world. Seeing them in flight in good light is a real treat. The Florida Audobon Society has a nice description of the Alafia Bank:
Richard T. Paul Alafia Bank Sanctuary is leased from and managed in collaboration with The Mosiac Company and Port Tampa Bay. The Alafia Bank (Bird Island to the east; Sunken Island to the west) is a Critical Wildlife Area as designated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Located in Hillsborough Bay at the mouth of the Alafia River, these two human-made islands were formed from spoil material when a channel into the Alafia River was dredged in the late 1920s. The islands were immediately important as bird nesting sites for gulls, terns, and skimmers. As shrubs and trees replaced low-lying vegetation, nesting herons, egrets, ibis, and later pelicans moved from the historic nesting site at Green Key. Each year, up to 18,000 nesting pairs of 16 to 20 species of birds nest on the Alafia Bank, making it one of the largest colonies in Florida and one of the most diverse colonies in the continental United States. Both islands and the surrounding water buffer are closed to public access year-round.
I used 840mm of lens (600 + 1.4) and at times probably could have used a little more. The island is off limits and one must wade in waist deep water a fair distance from the birds, so the longer the lens one uses there the better. I will be returning to pursue more Roseate Spoonbill photos next winter but am not sure that my next trip will include Alafia Bank. It was nice to finally visit the islands after having heard about them so many times but the photography was not quite what I hoped for. Maybe one more visit is called for, just to see if I have better luck. Who knows? Cheers, and thanks for looking!
Roseate Spoonbill in Flight, Platalea ajaja, Alafia Banks, Florida.
Image ID: 40537
Species: Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja
Location: Alafia Banks Critical Wildlife Area, Tampa, Florida
Roseate Spoonbill in Flight, Platalea ajaja, Alafia Banks, Florida.
Image ID: 40542
Species: Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja
Location: Alafia Banks Critical Wildlife Area, Tampa, Florida
Roseate Spoonbill in Flight, Platalea ajaja, Alafia Banks, Florida.
Image ID: 40548
Species: Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja
Location: Alafia Banks Critical Wildlife Area, Tampa, Florida
Roseate Spoonbill in Flight, Platalea ajaja, Alafia Banks, Florida.
Image ID: 40539
Species: Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja
Location: Alafia Banks Critical Wildlife Area, Tampa, Florida
White Ibis in flight, Eudocimus albus, Alafia Banks, Florida.
Image ID: 40545
Species: White Ibis, Eudocimus albus
Location: Alafia Banks Critical Wildlife Area, Tampa, Florida
Roseate Spoonbill in Flight, Platalea ajaja, Alafia Banks, Florida.
Image ID: 40550
Species: Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja
Location: Alafia Banks Critical Wildlife Area, Tampa, Florida
Roseate Spoonbill in Flight, Platalea ajaja, Alafia Banks, Florida.
Image ID: 40535
Species: Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja
Location: Alafia Banks Critical Wildlife Area, Tampa, Florida
Roseate Spoonbill in Flight, Platalea ajaja, Alafia Banks, Florida.
Image ID: 40534
Species: Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja
Location: Alafia Banks Critical Wildlife Area, Tampa, Florida
Brown pelican landing on water, Alafia Banks, Florida.
Image ID: 40544
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis
Location: Alafia Banks Critical Wildlife Area, Tampa, Florida
