Picture Of The Week 03-19-12

Female

Male

Where: Kissimmee, FL • Lake Tohopekaliga (Toho)

Notes: It was a real treat to witness this delicate raptor species in action. In the morning, both the male and female, took turns bringing nesting material into a dense patch of Bullrush Grass along the marshy edge of Lake Toho. Occasionally they would chase off some of the Boat-tailed Grackles that were also nesting in the same batch of reeds. Then about a third of the time, one of the birds would head out over the lake's grassy shoreline and from just below the water's surface it would retrieve an apple snail. Sometimes it would pass its catch from its talons to its beak in mid-flight. Usually the snails were larger that a golf ball. They would carry them to a perch and in no time, would extract the snail from its spiral shell with its hooked beak. The Snail Kite is a locally endangered species in Central Florida. Their population is estimated at less than 400 breeding pairs in the Everglades region. Research has found that water-level control in the Everglades is depleting the population of apple snails, its nearly exclusive food source. Thanks again to guide Ron Bielefeld of Whistling Wings Photography (www.whistlingwingsphotography.com).

Equipment: Canon EOS 40D • Canon 400mm f-5.6 Prime USM L Series Lens • • Hand Held from Boat

Exposure: Shutter Speed = 1/2500 second • Aperture = f 5.6 • Exposure Mode = Manual Exposure • Focus Mode: AiServo • Lens (Focal) Length = 400 mm • ISO = 400 • Aprox. Camera Distance = ~40 Feet • Date Shot: 03-13-12

©2012 Robert W. Schamerhorn. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.