Dunlawton Bridge
The Southeast Volusia Audubon Tuesday morning walk is a challenge today as we are shrouded in a dense fog limiting our visibility. And still, with persistence we manage to garner a fair number of species.
Impervious to damp foggy weather, a drake Red-breasted merganser and his harem swim leisurely by. These birds are entitled to be “leisurely” as they have migrated from their breeding grounds in Canada and northern US to spend the winter along with the rest of us “snowbirds” here in the warmer climes of coastal Florida. These are fish-eating ducks, and they love the salt-water lagoons where their prey is plentiful. Belonging to a group of water fowl known as “diving ducks”, the mergansers coordinate their dives so that if you see one plunge down into the depths, you will see the entire group do likewise at the same time.
Anytime you visit the Indian River Lagoon beneath the Dunlawton Bridge in Port Orange, you can be pretty much assured of the fact that you are going to see White ibises. These are resident birds found in Florida year round and rarely venturing out of their southeast range. Their long curved reddish bills serve them well as they probe shallow water in search of small crabs, worms, fish or even frogs and small snakes. In adulthood, the birds are pure white with black wing-tips. The bird seen here in the background is an immature bird distinguishable by its blotchy appearance often referred to as the “calico” phase. While most often thought of as water birds, don’t be surprised to find these birds using those long bills to probe into the Florida sandy soils in search of a meal on residents’ lawns!
Inspire of the foggy conditions, the group ended up with over 20 species…more birds than birders which is always the goal!
One of the most sought after targets today was the American oystercatcher. In the interest of transparency, this is a shot I took last year. While everyone got to see today’s sighting, it was simply too distant to afford a decent photographic image. More about the oystercatcher in a future post when we all are lucky enough to get close enough to give us views like this!
Tech Tip - While today’s lighting was not what we call ideal for photography, muted skies filtered by fog actually are ideal for photographing bright white birds like today’s ibis shots. Normally, we have to consider “underexposing” birds that are pure white because the camera has a tendency to “blow out” or let too much light from the bird onto the sensor. This makes the white areas of the birds appear all white with no grays or shadows to show feather details and natural shadows. So when photographing white birds in subdued light, don’t try to second guess the camera’s automatic settings. Go with the flow and you’ll be perfectly satisfied.
