20080226-0122

Wind and large birds make for great photography and today was no different as we stood on the edge of the pond that contains the famed Venice Rookery in Venice, Florida. The wind was blowing hard and it was gusty. Conditions like this make it difficult for these large birds to land, especially when the tree branches in which they intend to land are also swaying violently. 

Wind forces the birds into dramatic aerial maneuvers as they tried to line up with branches next to their nests and yet far enough away from other nests to avoid the sharp, stabbing bills of their protesting neighbors.

Some of the birds were building nests, others tending chicks or eggs so the birds had no choice but to leave the rookery to find twigs for nest-building or food for the chicks. As a result, there were many photo opportunities as the birds passed overhead or crossed in front of us.

Equipment Setup

• Canon 5D
• Canon 300 f4L, 1.4x converter
• ISO , f-stop , shutter speed 

Scenario

The rookery at Venice is "reachable" using a 400mm lens on a full frame camera, but longer would be better. I shot this photo in the morning from near the picnic shelter and shooting west putting nice light on the birds. The wind on this day was blowing from the south, something to consider as the birds tend to land into the wind and that correlation increases once the wind is blowing more than just a few miles per hour.

The pool is also home to at least one large alligator that probably feeds on chicks that fall from the nest, but also chases fish that also inhabit the pond. Not only  are there blue herons here, but also cormorants, great egrets, and other species of smaller herons.

Nature Notes

The great blue herons are often thought of stalking the shallow waters of ponds and rivers, but they are sometimes found hunting upland fields for amphibians, reptiles, and rodents.

Location:

4002 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice, FL 34293. Travel south on the access road to the parking lot across from the picnic shelter.