Fun in the Fort DeSoto Fog

Your Call?

Which of today’s four featured foggy day images do you like best? Why did you make your choice? Though I like all four images, I have two clear favorites.

My Call

My favorite Markus Leimburger image was the four pelican sunset silhouette image. Why? The midair head throwing pelican won the day for me.

Sharp Flight at 1/800 Second

In large part, Markus was able to create a sharp flight image with his tripod-mounted 600mm f/4 because the birds were relatively distant. This rule is immutable: All things being equal, the closer the subject, the greater the degree of blurring at a given shutter speed. A Snow Goose flying by you at 30 feet with a shutter speed of 1/30 second will be rendered as a psychedelic blur of color. Each goose in a flock of flapping Snow Geese 200 yards away will be rendered fairly sharp at 1/30. Period.

The Fact$ of Life

Right now, the market for editorial sales of natural history images has virtually disappeared. The incomes of the world’s top stock photographers are down by at least 90%. Like me, most depend on income from photo trips, the sale of educational materials, and income from this or that affiliate program.

In 2001, BAA sold the publication rights to images for nearly one-quarter million US dollars. That amount dropped to about $20,000 by 2011, and in 2017, to slightly more than $2,000.00. We’ve stopped counting. IPTs used to fill within days. Now I am happy to go with one or two folks, but I’d much rather have you along. And so it goes. In 2009, I turned to creating educational blog posts, now to the tune of 4002. Yes, 4002 educational blog posts. So, please remember to use either my B&H or Bedfords affiliate links for your major purposes. It does not cost you one cent to do either.

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What’s Up?

Sunday morning at DeSoto was fair at best and Monday was downright not-too-good, the latter in part because I had to leave early to pack up my AirBnB and head to the Apple Store in Brandon and then home to get ready for my trip to Bonaire. My “t” and “h” keys were sticking. Ben at the Genius Bar did a stellar job while cleaning the entire keyboard from below.

I will be heading early to Stick Marsh tomorrow morning as the season is winding down.

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This image was created by Anita North on 15 April 2023 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL. She used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 320. 1/2500 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect. AWB at 8:24:00am on foggy morning. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Arthur Morris with 400mm f/2.8 GM lens Image courtesy of and copyright 2023: Anita North

Clean Sand at the New Far Bar

Thanks to Anita North for grabbing this snap of me hard at work in the fog on Saturday morning past. Much of the beach and most of the sandflats at the New Far Bar have been scoured clean of debris by the high tides that reshape the sandbars almost daily. The clean sand provides some sweet backgrounds for a variety of subjects both avian and human. I came home from the GNPA annual conference last April with two very nice yellow GNPA t-shirts and COVID. Thanks to a long-term course of Ivermectin my fever lasted two hours and I was feeling fine in less than two days. Those of you suffering long-haul COVID syndrome — tiredness and coughing, might wish to write me or otherwise explore an Ivermectin protocol.

This image was created by yours truly on 15 April 2023 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL. Seated on the beach (as above), I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/3200 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect. AWB at 8:08:27am on foggy morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Royal Tern with fish for mate

Hunting for My Honey

In April, male Royal Terns carrying fish continually circle the flocks on the ground searching for their special lady friend. They often swoop low over a female on the beach, usually one well away from the flock, only to deny her a snack to continue their search. The performance of Sony a-1 AF in the fog was quite remarkable. The circling males offer great flight opportunities in any weather.

This image was created by yours truly on 15 April 2023 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL. Seated on the beach (as above), I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/4000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect. AWB at 8:16:53am on foggy morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: (Angelic) Royal Tern landing in fog Arthur Morris with 400mm f/2.8 GM lens

The Densest Fog

Saturday dawned with a hazy sun in the eastern sky. We were blessed when a thick layer of fog rolled in, saving everyone on the beach from what was looking like a very hot, steamy morning. This image was made when the fog was at its thickest, thus the angelic look. When I raised the lens, it was impossible to see the birds at any distance. As they began to take shape in the viewfinder, I would have press the shutter button to acquire focus and then fire away. Even Sony AF cannot focus on a bird it cannot see. This image was cropped from a horizontal original and several birds on the ground (including one just to our right of the subject) were eliminated in PhotoShop.

This image was created by yours truly on 15 April 2023 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL. Seated on the beach (as above), I used the toe-pod technique with the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/2500 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 9:06:23 am on foggy morning. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #4: Marbled Godwit striding on sandflat

Super-Clean Sand with a Gulf of Mexico Background

When I saw four Marbled Godwits foraging on a super clean sandflat at the terminus of Outback Key on a dropping tide, I sat down on the ground and created about 500 images using a variety of low perspective techniques. I kept too many; this is just one of my very favorites. When I saw my first marbled on the South Flats of the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in 1977, I was enthralled by the alabaster pink base of the bird’s bill. At the time I had no idea that seeing that single bird would change the course of the remainder of my adult life, but that is exactly what happened. Learn more about shorebirds in my softcover book, Shorebirds; Beautiful Beachcombers.

Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, many in full breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: Laughing Gull landing on head of Brown Pelican, Laughing Gull in flight, Reddish Egret sunrise silhouette, Great Blue Heron with needlefish, Yellow-crowned Night Heron with ghost crab, Roseate Spoonbill, Sanderling in breeding plumage, and white morph Reddish Egret in glorious breeding plumage.

The 2023 Spring Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo Tours (IPTs)

Spring Fort DeSoto IPT #3: Tuesday 9 May through the morning session on 12 May 2023. 3 1/2 Days: $1899.00 includes three working brunches. Limit six photographers/Openings: 4.

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for terns and gulls, wading birds, and shorebirds in spring. Many of the birds will be in full breeding plumage. Simply put, DeSoto is the new Ding Darling. Migrant shorebirds are in abundance, and many are exceedingly tame. We should have great chances on Royal and Sandwich Terns and both white- and dark-morph Reddish Egrets. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two along with some American Oystercatchers. We will enjoy lots of great flight photography, especially with the Brown Pelicans.

Again, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: Laughing Gull in flight, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Sandwich Terns copulating, Roseate Spoonbill, Great Egret with reflection, breeding plumage Short-billed Dowitcher, American Oystercatcher, Royal Tern, white morph Reddish Egret, and Snowy Egret in marsh.

In Addition!

We should also get to photograph a variety of other shorebirds including Black-bellied, Semipalmated, Wilson’s, Snowy, and Piping Plovers, Willet, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Marbled Godwit, and most especially, Red Knot, with many individuals in their handsome breeding plumages. In spring the T-shaped peninsula and the newly formed sandbar, Outback Key, are literally packed with avian treasures.

With just a bit of luck, we may get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable species: Roseate Spoonbill. And we will surely get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. With luck, they will have Laughing Gulls landing on their heads. And though not guaranteed, Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.

Yes, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: breeding plumage Dunlin, dark morph Reddish Egret displaying, Laughing Gull vertical front-end portrait, Laughing Gull with prey item, landing on head of Brown Pelican, breeding plumage Royal Tern displaying, Royal Terns — pre-copulatory stance, Laughing Gulls copulating, Laughing Gull head portrait, breeding plumage Sandwich Tern with fish, and a rare treat, a breeding plumage White-rumped Sandpiper.

What You Will Learn on a DeSoto IPT

• 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before if you are using SONY gear).
• 2- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
• 3- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 4- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
• 5- To age and identify many species of shorebirds including various sandpipers, plovers, dowitchers, and possibly yellowlegs.
• 6- To spot good situations and to choose the best perspective.
• 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
• 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography.
• 10- More than you could ever imagine.

You got it by now! Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: Roseate Spoonbill, immature Brown Pelican in flight, the heron/egret hybrid, American Oystercatcher feeding, immature Royal Tern on railing, Great Egret morning silhouette, Black Skimmer in surf, and underside head portrait of Great Blue Heron.

The Details

Morning sessions will run two and one-half to three hours; afternoon sessions about two. There is never a set schedule on an IPT — we adapt to the conditions. On cloudy mornings with the right wind, we may opt to photograph till noon and skip the afternoon session. That especially when the afternoon weather is looking iffy. We may opt to visit a great North Tampa rookery if conditions warrant that.

There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session before and after brunch (included) each of the three full days. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. Each of these IPTs will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field as early as possible and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:30am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We will be getting wet.

Your $599 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check three months before the trip begins. If you wish to pay in full right off the bat, you can make your check out to BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, and clothing and gear advice two months before the trip. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.