Tiger Bay
Pine stand in Tiger Bay Wildlife Management Area shot with Nikon Zfc body and Nikon Z26mm prime lens - 1/125 sec, f"/11, ISO 500 - post processed in Black and White
Tiger Bay Wildlife Management AreaTiger Bay Wildlife Management Area, located in Volusia County, Florida, encompasses over 27,000 acres of diverse ecosystems, including wetlands, pine forests, and scrub habitats. This area is known for its rich biodiversity, providing a habitat for various species of wildlife, such as deer, bobcats, and numerous bird species. I was guided around the area today by an old friend from my childhood with whom I recently reconnected. Certainly was enjoyable to be out exploring new wildlife habitat while reminiscing about growing up together over 60 years ago!
Access to the area and vehicular travel through the WMA is made possible by well maintained dirt roads. As we entered the preserve, we spotted a wild turkey down the main entrance. Down here in Florida, many of the turkeys are Osceola turkeys, The Osceola turkey is a unique subspecies native to Florida, distinguished by its strikingly dark feathers and a vibrant, iridescent appearance. These birds thrive in the subtropical climate of their home state, primarily inhabiting hardwood swamps and pine forests such as we have in Tiger Bay. Known for their elusive nature and cautious behavior, Osceola turkeys are a favorite among hunters and birdwatchers alike. This bird was exhibiting that elusive nature and did not want to be photographed, so the best I could do was the distant shot seen here.
Although the avian wildlife was tough to come by today, we did find a number of “LBJ”s (aka “little brown jobs”) such as Carolina wrens, Tufted titmice, Yellow-rumped and Palm warblers, and one lone Eastern phoebe which we found at the Rattlesnake Pond Trailhead.
Eastern phoebe - Rattlesnake Pond Trailhead - Nikon Z9 with Z180-600 zoom, f/7.1, 1/2000 sec, ISO 700
It’s always great to be out exploring new vistas for nature watching and photography. To be out with old friends makes the experience all the better and more rewarding.
Tech Tip - The use of Black and White photography often lends itself to making an otherwise casual image a bit more impactful. The first image in today’s blog was originally shot in full color, but upon reviewing the picture, it lacked real contrast and definition. To bring out the strong parallel lines of the pine trunks so closely positioned to one another, I went to a monochrome image with high contrast and brought out the definition I “saw” in my mind’s eye when first coming upon this stand. Shots in monochrome can be either intentionally shot from the beginning or reformatted as an after-thought as was this one. It’s often worth your time and effort to process an image as both color and black-and -white shots and then looking at them side-by-side to see which image is truer to your original intent and interpretation. For an excellent introduction to B&W photography and some pertinent tips on shooting in the genre, click on the button below
