Coot Glamour Shots at Lake Mirror

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It’s the photographer’s quandary.  You’re in a great location with a great new camera.  The light is still good.  But the ducks that you came to Lake Mirror to photograph are not cooperating.  They’re either swimming across the lake, hanging out on the island in the middle, or sleeping on the shore.  What to do?  Well, there are always some birds around who will cooperate…and my friends do tease me that I have a strange attachment to American Coots!  So it was  morning of coot glamour shots…

American Coot Head Shot
American Coot Head Shot

The American Coot is one of the most common ducks in Florida in the wintertime.  My friend Michael laughingly refers to them as “eagle chow.”  They cover the wetlands in “rafts” of thousands of birds.  They are a photography challenge.  Expose their black feathers properly and you blow out the whites in their beaks.  Expose their beaks properly and lose the details in the feathers.  And sometimes, when you’re in the right place at the wrong time, you just take what you get.  I had a great time seeing how fast my 7D Mark II focuses on coots!

American Coot Fuss
American Coot Fuss

This one was swimming right at me.  Then he started fussing.  Perfect!  I got several frames with his mouth wide open.  You can see the colors of the holiday decorations reflecting in the water.

American Coot
American Coot

I found a wonderful place where I could lie down and get eye-level with the birds.  The coots were the most cooperative in swimming by.  But a Ring-billed Gull also gave me a nice view, with the glow of the lake behind him.  What a difference a few inches make!  Lying down gives you a much better perspective on the birds.

Ring-billed Gull
Ring-billed Gull

Want to learn more about nature photography at Lake Mirror?

Check out my Lake Mirror page with more information about the location, map, website, photography tips, etc. It is archived by date so you can see my images from previous visits. Maybe you'll be inspired for your own trip!

Planning a trip to Florida? Don't miss my Central Florida Bird Photography Locations reference guide!

3 thoughts on “Coot Glamour Shots at Lake Mirror

  1. Great results with your new toy! I also have a penchant for Coots, especially when I can catch them showing off their feet!

    Ain’t photography wonderful – it’s one of the few jobs besides mattress tester for which you can lay down on the job.

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