Birds in flight in Florida
Feb 25, 2019 10:07:24 #
The Skyway Fishing Pier State Park is a Florida State Park located on both the north and south sides of the mouth of Tampa Bay. The original cantilevered Sunshine Skyway Bridge carried I-275 (US 19) spanning the Lower Tampa Bay connecting St. Petersburg, Florida to Terra Ceia. The bridge partially collapsed in 1980 due to the collision of a freighter into one of the bridge pilings. The old bridge was replaced by the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, seen in the background of the images below. The approaches to the old bridge were left in place and converted into the longest fishing pier in the world.
The brown pelican is the national bird of Saint Martin, Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the official state bird of Louisiana. In 1903, president Theodore Roosevelt set aside the first National Wildlife Refuge, Florida's Pelican Island, to protect the species from hunters. In 1972, the use of DDT was banned in Florida, followed by the rest of the United States. Since then, the brown pelican's population has increased.
Brown pelican by Paul Sager, on Flickr
The most common activity on the pier is fishing. Common catches include snook, tarpon, grouper, black sea bass, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, cobia, sheepshead, red snapper and flounder. Other pier activities include kayaking, swimming, and kite surfing. Images in this post show a new activity from the pier, practicing birds in flight (BIF) photography. The sky was a bit overcast on this practice day in November 2018, using a Canon EOS 5DIII, EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II, Extender 2x III and tripod with gimbal head.
Laughing gull
The brown pelican is the smallest of the nine pelican species, but is often one of the larger seabirds in their range. Like all pelicans, it has a very long bill, measuring 11.0 to 13.7 inches (280 to 348 mm) in length. The brown pelican is a piscivore, primarily feeding on fish, including most of the common fish around the Skyway Fishing Pier.
Brown pelican
The laughing gull is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. Named for its laugh-like call, it is an opportunistic omnivore and scavenger. The laughing gull breeds in large colonies mostly along the Atlantic coast of North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America.
Laughing Gull
The brown pelican is a very gregarious bird; it lives in flocks of both sexes throughout the year. In level flight, brown pelicans fly in groups, with their heads held back on their shoulders and their bills resting on their folded necks. They may fly in a V formation, but usually in regular lines or single file, often low over the water's surface. To exclude water from the nasal passage, they have narrower internal regions of the nostrils.
Brown pelican
The images are sized to fill your wide-screen display. Try using <F11> to maximize your browser window for the full effect. If the images overshoot your display, such as a laptop, just click on the image or the URL link and they'll resize to your screen from the host Flickr site. You can click a bit further into the image details on the Flickr page, if desired. EXIF data is available from the host Flickr pages as well. On the Flickr site, use your <L>key for Large and the <F11> for the full-screen.
If the images are not filling your widescreen display due to recent UHH changes, follow this link and update your UHH profile: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-572300-1.html
The brown pelican is the national bird of Saint Martin, Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the official state bird of Louisiana. In 1903, president Theodore Roosevelt set aside the first National Wildlife Refuge, Florida's Pelican Island, to protect the species from hunters. In 1972, the use of DDT was banned in Florida, followed by the rest of the United States. Since then, the brown pelican's population has increased.
Brown pelican by Paul Sager, on Flickr
The most common activity on the pier is fishing. Common catches include snook, tarpon, grouper, black sea bass, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, cobia, sheepshead, red snapper and flounder. Other pier activities include kayaking, swimming, and kite surfing. Images in this post show a new activity from the pier, practicing birds in flight (BIF) photography. The sky was a bit overcast on this practice day in November 2018, using a Canon EOS 5DIII, EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II, Extender 2x III and tripod with gimbal head.
Laughing gull
The brown pelican is the smallest of the nine pelican species, but is often one of the larger seabirds in their range. Like all pelicans, it has a very long bill, measuring 11.0 to 13.7 inches (280 to 348 mm) in length. The brown pelican is a piscivore, primarily feeding on fish, including most of the common fish around the Skyway Fishing Pier.
Brown pelican
The laughing gull is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. Named for its laugh-like call, it is an opportunistic omnivore and scavenger. The laughing gull breeds in large colonies mostly along the Atlantic coast of North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America.
Laughing Gull
The brown pelican is a very gregarious bird; it lives in flocks of both sexes throughout the year. In level flight, brown pelicans fly in groups, with their heads held back on their shoulders and their bills resting on their folded necks. They may fly in a V formation, but usually in regular lines or single file, often low over the water's surface. To exclude water from the nasal passage, they have narrower internal regions of the nostrils.
Brown pelican
The images are sized to fill your wide-screen display. Try using <F11> to maximize your browser window for the full effect. If the images overshoot your display, such as a laptop, just click on the image or the URL link and they'll resize to your screen from the host Flickr site. You can click a bit further into the image details on the Flickr page, if desired. EXIF data is available from the host Flickr pages as well. On the Flickr site, use your <L>key for Large and the <F11> for the full-screen.
If the images are not filling your widescreen display due to recent UHH changes, follow this link and update your UHH profile: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-572300-1.html
Feb 25, 2019 10:34:37 #
Paul, I was crossing that bridge once on a very foggy day. Almost hit a pelican with the windshield. Probably missed by about 4 ft. Fortunately I was not zipping along like a fool. Thanks for the memory.
Feb 25, 2019 11:23:56 #
Feb 25, 2019 12:34:31 #
Thank you Paul, Ken! I crossed the bridge the day before in wonderful golden afternoon / evening light. But, I had been out all day and was exhausted with still the need to drive south back to Ft Myers. Too bad the next day when I came back at about the same time of day, the clouds were in. At least the birds didn't mind.
Feb 25, 2019 14:39:28 #
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Feb 26, 2019 18:25:24 #
Feb 26, 2019 18:30:29 #
Feb 26, 2019 19:51:53 #
CHG_CANON wrote:
The Skyway Fishing Pier State Park is a Florida St... (show quote)
Nice shots and narrative. The two+ years I lived in St. Pete I enjoyed that pier on a regular basis and all the rest of the area to the best of my ability. There sure is plenty to do.
Feb 27, 2019 08:39:12 #
Feb 27, 2019 09:55:30 #
Thank you Daveo, Jack, Rathyatra, DaveJ, Swamp-Cork, Bernard, Gessman, Jolly Roger! The old bridge piers running north-south with the sun / light in the west over the water is a nearly perfect set-up, including the wind coming off the water from the west. I'll probably stop here again whenever in the area, hopefully on a sunny afternoon next time. Glad you enjoyed.
Mar 4, 2019 10:17:50 #
hi all how do y'all set your focal points for bif? I'm haveing some issues understanding which set up to use
thank you, if you set for 5 focal points is your camera only going to focus that area ( like the face or eye ) and make the wing soft ? i usally shoot ar 5.6 with bif sometimes f 8 depanding on if any branches,,,
Donna
thank you, if you set for 5 focal points is your camera only going to focus that area ( like the face or eye ) and make the wing soft ? i usally shoot ar 5.6 with bif sometimes f 8 depanding on if any branches,,,
Donna
Mar 4, 2019 11:19:30 #
MS. DONNA wrote:
hi all how do y'all set your focal points for bif? I'm haveing some issues understanding which set up to use
thank you, if you set for 5 focal points is your camera only going to focus that area ( like the face or eye ) and make the wing soft ? i usally shoot ar 5.6 with bif sometimes f 8 depanding on if any branches,,,
Donna
thank you, if you set for 5 focal points is your camera only going to focus that area ( like the face or eye ) and make the wing soft ? i usally shoot ar 5.6 with bif sometimes f 8 depanding on if any branches,,,
Donna
MS DONNA, you might want to start a new thread asking your question and I'd recommend that you do so in the "Birds-in-Flight, Birds-on-the-Water" section where
everyone who goes there frequently is interested in the subject rather than put
it out for everyone to offer answers in the more general sections. https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-112-1.html
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.