Anhinga Trail the day after Christmas

December 26, 2023 · Everglades National Park (Anhinga Trail), Florida · Warm and clear, 76°F, humid · Fujifilm X-T5, 150-600mm

Booked the ticket a few weeks out knowing the park would be busy. Anhinga Trail was shoulder-to-shoulder by 10 a.m. but at 7 I had the boardwalk almost to myself. This is the easiest wading-bird photography in the country — birds are habituated and the backlight off the slough in morning is soft enough to handle the usual white-bird dynamic range.

I gave up on getting a clean background and started leaning into the chaos. Got a couple of frames of an anhinga swallowing a fish that I was pretty happy with.

Anhinga with a speared fish — Speared a small sunfish and made a thing of it. Anhinga with fish 350mm, 1/1600s, f/8, ISO 640

Anhinga with wings spread — Classic wing dry pose. Anhinga 300mm, 1/1600s, f/7.1, ISO 1250

Great blue heron close — Not shy. Walked within feet. Great Blue Heron 250mm, 1/800s, f/5.6, ISO 800

Great egret against dark water — Nuclear white against black water. Great Egret 400mm, 1/1000s, f/7.1, ISO 640

Green heron in brush — Usual green heron in the usual brush. Green Heron 200mm, 1/1000s, f/7.1, ISO 640

Cormorant with fish — A cormorant one-upped the anhinga. Double-crested Cormorant 400mm, 1/1250s, f/6.3, ISO 1000

Alligator with mouth open — About ten feet. Eyes half closed. Trusted it. Alligator 200mm, 1/1600s, f/8, ISO 2000

Purple gallinule walking on lily pads — Gallinule on lily pads. Peak ridiculous. Purple Gallinule 300mm, 1/1000s, f/6.3, ISO 800

Coot on open water — Coots for scale. American Coot 350mm, 1/1600s, f/6.3, ISO 640

Wide view of slough at first light — Before the crowd. Slough at dawn 23mm, 1/250s, f/8, ISO 400

Black vulture on rail — Vultures love the parking lot. Black Vulture 500mm, 1/1000s, f/7.1, ISO 400