There will be a second run for the Black Skimmers beach colony on June 29-30 2024! Only two spots left... Shoot me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com if you are interested :) Last year, we had a smaller colony of Least Terns nesting right next to the Black Skimmers. Hopefully, we will have the same situation this year. Least Tern in flight with a fish for its mate - Sarasota Black Skimmers beach colony ISO 800 | f/5.6 | 1/6400 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS with 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1 ..read more

The start of the year brought more challenges than usual, but good opportunities are always on the table for the discerning photographer. Spoonbill in flight - Tampa Bay Spoonbills Rookery ISO 1600 | f/8 | 1/3200 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS with 2x extender and the Sony Alpha 1 ..read more

During tours, I will typically call out the birds with the most striking breeding colors among a given group of birds. While keeping an eye for outside action, this is what I do to make the most of one subject. Spoonbill in flight - Tampa Bay Spoonbills Rookery ISO 1600 | f/5.6 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS with 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1 ..read more

One of the best color harmony I know is pink and blue! Having a chance to create images of breeding colors Spoonbills around blue water does not happen everywhere. Join me in January to get your chance. :) Roseate Spoonbill landing on blue water - Tampa Bay Spoonbills Rookery ISO 1600 | f/5.6 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS with 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1 ..read more

In short, I am proud to announce that Steven Bird Photography has been awarded the Best of Tampa Award in the photographer category!! Also, read this post to see which Spoonbill image was published in Ranger Rick Jr. this Summer ..read more

This is a common question from the Spoonbill connoisseurs! In truth, I cannot recall a time that I witnessed a Spoonbill bathing outside of the proximity of an actual rookery. During the photography tours at the Tampa Bay Spoonbills rookery, there are usually a couple of sightings of bathing Spoonbills per season :) Roseate Spoonbill bathing - Tampa Bay Spoonbills Rookery ISO 1250 | f/5.6 | 1/5000 sec. | Manual mode Canon 600mm f/4 IS II with 1.4x extender and the Canon 1DX ..read more

There was a very decent size Least Terns colony neighboring the Black Skimmers colony this year. Among the smallest Terns, those little guys are very interesting to observe and their pre-mating ritual is one of the funniest! See the short video on this blog :) Least Tern with chick - Sarasota Bay Black Skimmers Colony ISO 2000 | f/8 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS with 2x extender and the Sony Alpha 1 ..read more

For those of you waiting for the 2024 Tampa Bay Spoonbill tour dates, here they are: January 13-14, February 10-11 and March 23-24 :) Send me an email at steven@stevenbirdphotography.com to book your spot! Roseate Spoonbill bathing in splashes - Tampa Bay Spoonbills Rookery ISO 1250 | f/5.6 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS with 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1 ..read more

The 2024 date for the Ospreys/Spoonbills photography workshop will be April 20-21. This year, we ended up with nice weather for Ospreys and an overcast finish for Spoonbills. Osprey bringing nesting material to the nest - Vero Beach Cypress Lake ISO 1000 | f/5.6 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS with 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1 ..read more

The February session of the Tampa Bay Spoonbills was a blast! Thanks to a memorable first morning, the tour was the best so far this year. Roseate Spoonbill landing with stretched wings - Tampa Bay Rookery ISO 1000 | f/5.6 | 1/4000 sec. | Manual mode | AF-C Zone Focus Area Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS with 1.4x extender and the Sony Alpha 1 ..read more