North Shore Birding Festival - 2023
The three days I had planned to spend at the North Shore Birding Festival shrank to just one. A few meetings popped onto my work calendar for the Friday I had planned to take off, and I drove up to Parris Island, SC on Sunday to see a friend graduate from Marine Corps boot camp. So that left me with one day - Saturday - to participate in the festival.
The North Shore Birding Festival, sponsored by the Orange Audubon Society, is held on the north shore of Lake Apopka and the surrounding area. On Saturday I participated in the Oakland Nature Preserve Photo Walk which extended to Newton Park in nearby Winter Garden, FL.
Our small group of six photographers and birders started on the boardwalk at the Oakland Nature Preserve. The raised boardwalk stretches 2/3 of a mile from the nature center out to the lake. Our bird list count was 29 species including a couple of Common Yellowthroat and a Nashville Warbler.
Start of the Oakland Nature Preserve Boardwalk. iPhone 14
Palm Warbler. Taken along the boardwalk at the Oakland Nature Preserve in Oakland, FL. Nikon Z9 with monopod mounted Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 600mm, f/6.3, 1/1000 sec, ISO 800.
Common Yellowthroat. There were two chasing each other around in the understory around the boardwalk. This one paused just long enough to get a few frames. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 600mm, f/6.3, 1/640 sec, ISO 1400.
After we completed the boardwalk tour, we hopped into our vehicles and drove 10 minutes down the road to Newton Park. This is a small suburban park along the southern shore of Lake Apopka. This park has a boat launch where we found a Little Blue Heron resting, and Glossy Ibis wading nearby. A sidewalk runs the length of the park parallel to the waterline. The shoreline is shallow and thick with tall grasses, water lilies, and other aquatic vegetation which makes for nice bird habitat. There were at least a hundred squawking boat-tailed grackles and 28 other species according to our eBird checklist. Of note, we counted at least 10 Purple Gallinule (including a few juveniles) and a rare Bronzed Cowbird. All birds were habituated to human presence so it was fairly easy to get close-ups without disturbing the birds.
Little Blue Heron. This bird was preening on the pier at the boat launch which is why it has a bit of fluff on the end of its bill. I generally don’t like to include man-made objects in my photos so I decided to do a head-and-shoulders style shot. I think it turned out pretty well. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 520mm, f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 640.
Glossy Ibis. This Glossy Ibis was wading near the boat launch. The green color in the water is a reflection of a green roof to one of the buildings in the park. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 600mm, f/6.3, 1/800 sec, ISO 900.
Purple Gallinule (juvenile). This was the first time I had ever seen a juvenile Purple Gallinule. In fact, there were two or three juveniles all in this area. It was incredible. The colors of the juvenile are muted compared to the adult, but still a beautiful bird to photograph. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 1600.
Purple Gallinule (adult). Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 1600.
Purple Gallinule. This is one of many adults that were foraging for food along the water’s edge, just a few feet from the sidewalk. It was amazing seeing them so close and in such a suburban environment.
Boat-tailed Grackle. While the colors of the female boat-tailed grackle are not as spectacular as the male, they are still beautiful birds. They are also very common which makes them great subjects to practice your photography.
Bronzed Cowbird. Rare to Florida, this Bronzed Cowbird was hanging out with the grackles. It can be distinguished from the other birds by its red eye. With the right angle of light, the head and neck area appears velvety-brown. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR lens at f/6.3, 1/2000 sec, ISO 1000.
While my participation during the North Shore Birding Festival was limited to a single event on a single day, it was very productive. That alone will ensure my participation in next year’s event. My thanks to the tour leaders and event organizers for a wonderful day of bird photography.
Happy birding!
