More Good Gatorland Stuff and GL Photo Pass Information

What’s Up

Wednesday morning on the Hooptie Deux was incredible. Phenomenal. I got some good stuff on Brown Pelicans landing at the nest with their bill pouches distended. As it seems that most of the spoonbills are on eggs, we moved to the newly discovered White Ibis island earlier than we did yesterday. It took me ten minutes to figure out where we needed to be with the south by slightly east wind. Once we were in position it was an absolute flight slaughter. For two solid hours, it was the best flight photography I have ever encountered. We had the birds taking off and flying directly at us. In addition to the perfect situation, some very light clouds drifted in front of the sun and softened the light just a bit.

I picked my keepers last night. Of more than 3200 images I kept 205. About 160 of those are stunning images of the White Ibises in flight. Shaded cupped underwing problems are greatly reduced when the birds are flying toward you on sun angle (or close to it). And the soft light helped there as well.

After stopping for lunch and visiting the Apple Store in Brandon, I headed home and was back at ILE at 3:00pm.

Today is Thursday 31 March 2022. The forecast is for partly cloudy skies with a brisk southeast wind. I may head down to the lake briefly to check on the crane nest but will not be doing any photography as I have too much work to do to get ready to leave for Jekyll Island and the GNPA EXPO early on Saturday morning. I will be photographing at Gatorland on Saturday morning and at Huguenot Memorial Park on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. From there, it is less than 1 1/2 hours to Villas by The Sea Resort and Conference Center where I will be staying.

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes twenty-one days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn …

This image was created 27 March 2022 at Gatorland in Kissimmee, FL. I used the no-longer available Induro GIT304L Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). ISO 640: 1/125sec. act f/8 (wide open). The exposure, determined using Zebra technology, was perfect when evaluated in RawDigger. AWB at 8:12:44am in the shade of the trees on the east bank on a clear sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S Bird Face/Eye detection performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Great Egret standing on back of gator

Pushing Our Luck

Both the bird and I were pushing our luck. The bird by standing on the back of an eight-foot gator, and me by working at 1200mm with a shutter speed of only 1/125 sec. We were both lucky — the egret flew off unscathed and I made a few sharp images.

This image was also created 27 March 2022 at Gatorland in Kissimmee, FL. Again, I used the no-longer available Induro GIT304L Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). ISO 800: 1/1600 sec. act f/8 (wide open). The exposure was determined using Zebra technology; RawDigger showed it to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:40:30am in on a clear sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S Bird Face/Eye detection AF performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Great Egret taking flight with stick for nest

Grab Shot

I was working on the two big chicks in the nest as seen in Image #3 below when I saw this bird about to take off. I was vertical using Tracking: Spot S. Rather than take an extra second to toggle to Tracking: Upper Center Zone I acquired focus and fired off three quick frames. This, the third in the series, worked well with a crop from below and from the left.

The Lesson

At the risk of beating a dead horse, when unexpected action occurs you must resist the urge to change your settings for the better and press the shutter button. Nine times out of ten, if you hesitate, you will wind up with nothing …

This image was also created 27 March 2022 at Gatorland in Kissimmee, FL. Again, I used the no-longer available Induro GIT304L Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). ISO 800: 1/1200 sec. act f/10 (stopped down 2/3 stop) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology; RawDigger showed it to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:40:30am in on a clear sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S Bird Face/Eye detection AF performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: Great Egret feeding large chicks

Stopping Down for Just a Bit of Extra Depth of Field

According to DOF PhotoPills, stopping down from f/8 to f/10 at 30 feet (approximate) working at an effective focal length of 1200mm will yield about 1/8 inch of extra depth of field both in front of and behind the point of focus. In other words, not much. But with lots of light and enough shutter speed to freeze the action, the extra d-o-f surely did not hurt.

30 Good Reasons to Visit Gatorland

In this short (3:48) video, you can check out the variety of wading bird species that can be easily photographed at Gatorland in Kissimmee, FL in most years. Keep reading for info on the 2022 Gatorland Photographer’s Pass Program.

2022 Gatorland Photographer’s Pass Program

Though the 2022 Gatorland Photographer’s Pass Program (GPPP) is much improved from last year’s program, it falls well short of the great program that was in effect BC (Before Covid). I am hoping that the program will be restored to its former greatness next year. This year’s program includes ten scheduled days. The first is on 19 March, and the last is 21 May 2022. And it gives photographers the opportunity to get into the park at 7:00 am instead of the normal 10:00 am entry time.

Reservations are required two days before your visit. For example, if you wish to visit on 27 March, you need to make your reservation on March 25th. You can make reservations here on the Gatorland website, or by calling 407-855-5496 ext. 226 during business hours with your credit card in hand. There is no late stay option this year. The price is $25.00 + tax per visit and includes early entry at 7:00 AM at the SOUTH ENTRANCE. All tickets are date specific and non-transferable. You will not be able to leave until 10:00am when Gatorland opens.

Choose from the following 2022 dates:

April 2, 2022 (sold out)
April 10, 2022 (sold out)
April 16, 2022
April 22, 2022
April 30, 2022
May 8, 2022
May 13, 2022
May 21, 2022

A far better deal for folks who live in the area is the Birding Seasonal pass for $125.00 per person. That includes visits on all ten dates. And best of all, you can never be shut out. If, like me, you are on the list for the Birding Seasonal pass, you can show up on any of the GPPP days, have your name checked off the list, and enjoy a great morning of photography.

If you have a party of 15 or more folks and would like to book a Private Group early entry, Gatorland is able to offer additional dates of your choice (subject to availability and pending approval). Please contact: JoIndomenico@gatorland.com.

The famous Gatorland Bird Rookery was created in 1991 as an alligator breeding marsh. While the birds lose an occasional chick to the gators, they gain pretty much complete protection from ground predators. This unique habitat has grown into one of the largest and most accessible wading bird rookeries in Florida. Today, this area provides protected nesting, foraging, and roosting area to more than 20 different species of birds, many of which are listed as Endangered or Species of Special Concern. Gatorland’s boardwalks provide birders and photographers with access to these incredible birds, their nests, and their young, allowing people to safely observe them while capturing stunning photographs.

You can learn exactly how to make the best possible photographs at Gatorland in here ; details on that above.

Typos

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