Shake it Off
Perhaps the birds knew Taylor Swift was in town when they showed off their “Shake it Off” moves this weekend at Fort DeSoto. Although their audience was certainly smaller than Ms. Swift’s, the birds put on quite a show that would surely have impressed Taylor if she had chosen to be on the beach that day.
If she had gone to the beach she wouldn’t have been alone. Hundreds of people were taking advantage of the warm weather and soaking up some sun, and nearly all of them were surfside. Except for the occasional walkers out exploring the park, the huge colony of Royal Terns, Laughing Gulls, Black Skimmers, Marbled Godwits, and other birds on the shallow sandbar were undisturbed by all the human presence. In truth, it always surprises me how people walk by these birds on their way out to the surf without paying any attention to their beauty and fascinating behavior. To me, photographing these birds is far more interesting than sitting mindlessly on the hot beach. But hey, that’s me. And probably you too if you’re reading this.
Many of the birds, especially the Royal Terns and Laughing Gulls, were bathing in the shallow water. With bath time over, the birds would take to the air, flying right at me since there was an easterly wind and I had the sun at my back. Once in the air, the birds would twist and turn, wringing all the water out. So rather than shooting your normal “everyday” images of birds in flight, I decided to focus on the subsequent flight to “shake it off.” A little unusual and tons of fun.
Laughing Gull. Nikon Z9 with tripod mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/3200 sec.
Royal Tern. Nikon Z9 with tripod mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at ISO 320, f/7.1, 1/3200 sec.
Royal Tern. Sometimes the birds appear to flying upside down while shaking the water off. Nikon Z9 with tripod mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/3200 sec.
Royal Tern. Shooting at 3200/sec, you can see all the little water droplets coming off the bird as it shakes and twists in the air. Nikon Z9 with tripod mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/3200 sec.
Royal Tern. This tern was practically flying upside down! Nikon Z9 with tripod mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/3200 sec.
Royal Tern. Twisting in the air, the bird shakes off the water creating a fine mist. Nikon Z9 with tripod mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at ISO 500, f/7.1, 1/3200 sec.
Royal Tern. Nikon Z9 with tripod mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at ISO 500, f/7.1, 1/3200 sec.
Royal Tern. Nikon Z9 with tripod mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at ISO 500, f/7.1, 1/3200 sec.
I hope you enjoyed these images. If you’d like to learn more about bird photography, and particularly about bird photography at Fort DeSoto Park, check out my Workshops. You’ll learn a ton and have lots of fun.
