One of the few birds that is pretty much endemic to Florida. It feeds almost exclusively on the large Apple Snails, foraging in the shallows until finding one, then carrying it ashore to open and consume. Image captured at Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County, Florida. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.
Nikon D500
Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED, image captured at 400mm
1/1250 F/9 Matrix Metering EV 0 ISO 1000 Auto 1 WB, camera supported by a monopod
Post processed in Lightroom Classic, Photoshop CC 2020 and Neat Image for noise reduction, work on the eye to remove a reflection that was clouding the upper part
Cropped for composition and presentation
P.S. Learn more about Circle B Bar Reserve in the BAA Middle Florida Photography Site Guide that Artie and I co-authored. It is available on the Birds As Art Online Store.
Joe Przybyla
"Sometimes I do get to places just as God is ready to have somebody click the shutter"... Ansel Adams
Excellent DOF and lovely light. Nice clean BG with subtle variations in the greens which had a nice variation to the BG.
IQ rocks.
If I was to be super picky, I wish the bill had cleared the body.
I wish you and Dottie a very Happy New Year! Looking forward to seeing your images in 2020!
Gail