As seen on Laurie Excell Blog
Viera Wetlands AM
February 28, 2011 by
We awoke early and headed to Viera Wetlands for a quick morning shoot before heading back to St Pete. As we arrived the fog was lifting as the sun burned through giving the scene a mystical look. Wanting to emphasize the feel, I used NIK color Efex Pro 3.0 Midnight to finish the image…
While we were photographing my friend Robert Wicker, who volunteers at the wetlands, arrived to take us to a couple of his favorite locations. He knew of a spot where there were White Pelicans. In addition to their feet and bills becoming more colorful, the males “grow” a bump (“nuptial tubercle) on their bill which they shed after mating. This male was a particularly nice example in breeding plumage…
When the pelicans go into a feeding frenzy, the Cormorants move in to feed on the fish as well giving us some great opportunities for flight shots…
A pair of Great Blue Herons were there and whenever one of the woodstorks came too close he would raise his wings and his head in a territorial display and chase them away…
I was watching an American Coot as it was feeding nearby noticing that each time it dipped it’s head under water it would make circles. I liked the simple pattern…
All too soon the morning was over and it was time to head back to St Pete where I will be photographing with a great group of eager photographers this week. Stay tuned.
Images created with Nikon D3S, AF-S 70-200mm 2.8 VR II, AF-S 600mm f4 VR, TC-14E II on Lexar digital media
