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Yes, it's a shame, they're pretty birds. They will probably be greatly hated years from now, some people don't like them just because they're so noisy. That's understandable if you want peace & quiet.
My only issue with them, mainly because I don't often hear their squawking, is that they are non-native, and as we're seeing with large reptiles like pythons and iguanas, non-native species can cause great damage to the native fauna and flora populations.
 
From Blue Cypress Lake. For want of a steadier hand... Or a sensor larger than FX. :rolleyes:

Landing Barred Owl 50923-1.jpg
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Or a bit of good luck... with another chance to get a shot.

Landing Barred Owl 50923-2.jpg
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Either way, I need to explore content aware functions within Adobe's products. Is that cheating?
 
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Again, from Blue Cypress Lake, this is a busy photo, but like the tree geometry's contribution to the nesting Osprey.

Quite A Nest 50923-1.jpg
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Looking at it again, it becomes evident to me that the shot is about the tree and nest, over the Osprey. Not my original intent, but accidental can work.
 
One of very few shots I got of a head-on Osprey. Also from Blue Cypress Lake.

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I borrowed the Z-Series 400mm f/4.5 from the guide to use for a portion of the day. This is one of the shots I got with it with the Z TC-1.4 in the mix. I'm very impressed with that lens, especially how it worked on the Z9 with the TC.

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From the South section of the Sarasota, Florida Celery Fields: Black Necked Stilts.

Which crop do you like better? The one with lesser environment, or the one with more environment?


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And an image I think works well in B&W.

If anyone is asking, the Osprey won the competition for the perch. ;)

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And back to the bird that started the thread; from the Sarasota, Florida Celery Fields, a Black Capped Skimmer.


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All very nice shot, looks like you had a fun and successful trip Whiskeyman.
Thank you, Ira.

It was a very good trip. In additions to taking photos, I got to meet and shoot with a few members of the forum: , Bobby V, Anjin San, and Tom Reynolds, as well as Tom's wife, Ginny. I also met quite a few other photographers and told them about this forum, but don't know if any have visited or joined. Hopefully they have at least visited. If things work out, I'm going to take the trip earlier next year, and with some good fortune, I'll make it to your area. If I do, I'll be in touch beforehand, if you're so amenable and your schedule permits.
 
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As if he's flying with a long needle in his mouth! Nice.
Yes, Steven. Several others have also commented on how thin the Skimmer's beak appears from the front. I was just as surprised at how it is structured. Although that explains some of the other observations I've made of the birds, such as how, and how quickly the bird's head moves when the beak strikes something in the water.
 
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Back to processing more of my shots from earlier this year at Blue Cypress Lake,and wondering if I'm going to be able to get out anytime soon with my camera.

My shutter finger is really getting out of shape! :rolleyes:

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Flying Osprey with Fish-2.jpg
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Thank you, Ira.

It was a very good trip. In additions to taking photos, I got to meet and shoot with two members of the forum: , Bobby V, Anjin San, and Tom Reynolds, as well as Tom's wife, Ginny. I also met quite a few other photographers and told them about this forum, but don't know if any have visited or joined. Hopefully they have at least visited. If things work out, I'm going to take the trip earlier next year, and with some good fortune, I'll make it to your area. If I do, I'll be in touch beforehand, if you're so amenable and your schedule permits.
And I would meet you again for another shoot…although TBH we chose poorly by going to Venice Rookery in the evening since the sun sets behind the rookery making lighting difficult at best.
 
And I would meet you again for another shoot…although TBH we chose poorly by going to Venice Rookery in the evening since the sun sets behind the rookery making lighting difficult at best.
Thank you, and I would also meet you again anywhere down that way when we have the opportunity. I agree whole-heartedly with you about the lighting in the evening, and I'd go one further to say we'd have been better off shooting a month, or three, earlier than we did. Live and learn. I'm just glad I didn't drag you up to Fort DeSoto then due to the low number of birds when I was there a day or two after we were at Venice.
 
And I just can't pass up a shot of a Great Blue Heron perched on one leg on a log. I just wish this had been about ninty minutes, or more, later, with better light.



GBH on Log - BCL-1.jpg
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I initially gave this photo little attention. But after looking at it several times as I browsed through my files in LightRoom Classic, I decided to give it a try. I think I need to work with generative fill to get rid of the two spots with too much sky. What do you think?

BCL Eagle-1.jpg
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Thank you, and I would also meet you again anywhere down that way when we have the opportunity. I agree whole-heartedly with you about the lighting in the evening, and I'd go one further to say we'd have been better off shooting a month, or three, earlier than we did. Live and learn. I'm just glad I didn't drag you up to Fort DeSoto then due to the low number of birds when I was there a day or two after we were at Venice.
Yeah…it was kinda late in the season…and typically there’s a greater variety of poses, distances, and Bags down at Corkscrew than at Venice where all the activity is on the island and most of the shots and poses are really similar.
 
Agitated Snowy Egret, fresh off of a competative display with another Snowy. From the Saint Augustine Alligator Farm in May, 2023.

Agitated Snowy Egret-1.jpg
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