A Few Birds From Gatorland...

[jprzybyla]

At the alligator breeding pond in Gatorland, Orlando, Florida there is an established rookery for many varities of birds. It is a symbiosis benefiting both birds and alligators. The alligators keep rodents at bay from raiding the nests and the hatchlings the fall out of the nests are food for the alligators. Gatorland has a photographers pass that allows early entrance. I was there recently from 7:30 to 10:30 AM. Below are a few of the images I captured.

Cormorant



Nikon D7000, Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED shot at 300mm (450mm FFE), 1/1000 F/5.6, Matrix Metering 0 EV ISO 1800, Post processed in Lightroom 5 and Photoshop Elements 10

Tri-colored Heron



Nikon D7000, Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED shot at 210mm (315mm FFE), 1/640 F/5.6, Matrix Metering 0 EV ISO 450, Post processed in Lightroom 5 and Photoshop Elements 10

Great Egret



Nikon D7000, Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED shot at 90mm (135mm FFE), 1/640 F/5.6, Matrix Metering - 2/3 EV ISO 100, Post processed in Lightroom 5 and Photoshop Elements 10



Nikon D7000, Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED shot at 400mm (600mm FFE), 1/640 F/5.6, Matrix Metering - 1/3 EV ISO 100, Post processed in Lightroom 5 and Photoshop Elements 10



Nikon D7000, Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED shot at 120mm (180mm FFE), 1/2500 F/5.6, Matrix Metering - 1 EV ISO 250, Post processed in Lightroom 5 and Photoshop Elements 10



Nikon D7000, Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED shot at 400mm (600mm FFE), 1/1000 F/5.6, Matrix Metering 0 EV ISO 400, Post processed in Lightroom 5 and Photoshop Elements 10

P.S. I should have added that I had the camera/lens on a monopod. It makes framing easier and supports the weight of the camera. I use that because most times I am moving about. When exclusively shooting birds in flight I take the camera off the monopod.

[Brownbear]

Hi Joe,

Exceptional as always... I just have to share that the Portrait of the Egret is absolutely exquisite! Likely, the most beautiful I've ever seen.

[Texas Dave]

Great details in your work and very enjoyable to view. Thanks!

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[Benjy]

Six Belters,well done Joe...

[Rebel]

Nice shots Joe, I especially like the colours in the first one!

[Barbara Ponder]

Beautiful set!

[Wavelength]

An awesome collection; really done well

[ied]

Absolutely stunning! All equally beautiful.

Irene

[DonnaK]

Outstanding shots! I loved all of them. Your cormorant portrait is exceptional.

[Dave Humphries]

Great series as usual Joe,

Thanks for showing us how it should be done.

I too would pick the Cormorant as my favourite, although there's much to be said for the Great Egret series too - I see you got the chicks at their 'cute' stage

[mammarazzi]

Beautiful images of some stunning creatures - oh those chicks are adorable x

[zen]

Great shots, all, but the detail in the cormorant is outstanding. What a shot!

Thank you for sharing.

Zen

[Stagecoach]

Wonderful selection as always Joe. Many thanks for also showing your shooting info which I find a great help in my endeavours to tackle this area of photography.

Amazing to see the eye colours in all of these so well.

[rpcrowe]

Beautiful images, all of them! Picking a favorite would be hard but, it would probably be the Tri-colored Heron!

[NorthernFocus]

Nice set, Joe. That's one place I've always wanted to go but years come and go with no opportunity.

I'm not prone to flattery so please take it sincerely as intended. I think that is the best cormorant shot that I've ever seen. Many people capture the eye but I don't think I've ever seen such feather detail.

The great egret in the tree is a classic and well executed. Nice job overall.

[jprzybyla]

Hi Joe,

Exceptional as always... I just have to share that the Portrait of the Egret is absolutely exquisite! Likely, the most beautiful I've ever seen.

Thanks Christina, very much appreciated.

[jprzybyla]

Great details in your work and very enjoyable to view. Thanks!

Hello David, thank you for viewing and commenting. It is very much appreciated.

[jprzybyla]

Nice series.

Thanks John, your viewing and commenting is very much appreciated.

[jprzybyla]

Six Belters,well done Joe...

Thanks Bernard, very much appreciated.