In Flight

Because of the new camera and the telephoto lens capability, I've been lucky enough to catch a few birds in flight and obtain some decent images. Since I won't take this camera out on the open water in a small craft, I've missed some good opportunities, but generally I've been pleased with the results. As I get used to using this camera I'm hoping that I can eventually nail some really top-notch photographs of animals in motion.

This is a cormorant that I saw on the ferry ride back from Egmont Key.

Each afternoon our campsite was in what seemed to be a flight path for many of the species of birds that inhabit the island. I kept taking photos of the brown pelicans but just couldn't get the right composition. Finally, I succeeded in getting a shot close to what I was aiming for.

There are a LOT of ospreys on the island where the campground is located. Every afternoon they would congregate on the shore and scan for fish, hovering just over our campsite. Their calls were not at all what I would have expected from a top predator. The sounds they make are more what you would expect from a songbird.

I wasn't really looking to take photos of the common gulls around the area, but this one came out pretty good.

This shot was not at Fort DeSoto but was taken at Salt Springs. The buzzard was very high up and quite a distance away, so the image is fairly nice, all things considered.