It doesn’t get any better than this. I recently had a chance to go back to Florida to do some shooting, and the Venice Rookery was a good place to start. This is a small, Audubon owned property with the main feature being a small Mangrove island in an equally small freshwater pond. And it’s in the heart of the city of Venice! The main attraction here is the sheer number of birds that nest here! GBH, Great Egrets, Anhinga, Cormorant, Black Crowned Night Herons, Snowy Egrets all are represented here. And the space is so small that disagreements erupt on a regular basis, which makes for some fast and furious shooting. The question here is not if you’ll see birds, but if you can fine one without two others photobombing you and ruining your composition!
None of the birds are rare or unusual, but this is a great way to re-sharpen your bird in flight skills. And it’s a wonderful change of pace for a northerner, because as I am shooting this it’s 70 degrees and I’m wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Life is good…. more to come! Now get out and shoot!